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J.J. O'Donoghue
For J.J. O'Donoghue's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2019
Kuroneko Burlesque: The dancers keeping Kyoto's risque side alive
The burlesque troupe has been staging shows in an around Kyoto, and will soon begin a short residency at a new theater in the city
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 15, 2019
A boy no longer, 'Kid' Reid has come of age
Duncan Reid, formerly of British punk group The Boys, brings his latest band to Japan for a series of high-energy live shows
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 27, 2019
Morimoto Kyoto: Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto opens second restaurant in Japan
In an alternate reality, Masaharu Morimoto would be fielding questions from sports journalists. He might even be talking about his transfer from Japan’s top-flight baseball league to Major League Baseball in the United States.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Sep 21, 2019
Yanagi Koji Taka: An intimate, unfussy standing bar with a tapas vibe
After cooking in Italy, Australia and Denmark for over a decade, kaiseki chef Taka Nishimura returned to Kyoto to open Yanagi Koji Taka, a small, local joint with a menu of perfectly executed bar food.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 14, 2019
'World Class': What a world class education looks like, and what it doesn't
'World Class,' by Teru Clavel is an examination of what a top-tier education system — and its opposite — looks like.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 14, 2019
Mari Fukumoto: Hamburg hit the right notes
Germany's history of church music and composers enticed organist Fukumoto to leave Tokyo for Hamburg.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 24, 2019
Beer Pub Takumiya: A place to talk, a place to drink
Takumi Shiraishi owns three lively craft beer pubs across Kyoto where he encourages customers to commune over a good pint and plates of locally grown food.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Aug 24, 2019
'Sushi Master': Nothing fishy about this masterful account
Sushi master Nick Sakagami presents a beautifully photographed, levelheaded guide to sushi culture and cuisine. Recipes included.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 27, 2019
Taiyo: Curry excellence built atop 'waves' of flavor
The first time I went looking for Taiyo, I couldn't find it. But I could smell it. Quite a few people had recommended that I check it out, especially as I have a crater-sized soft spot for curry. And so there I was in Saiin, an unpretentious neighborhood in the west of Kyoto, with the distinct aroma of curry in the air leading me astray.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jul 20, 2019
Yuji Haraguchi: Changing the gourmet rules
From making fish-based ramen to serving Japanese lunch as breakfast in the U.S., chef Yuji Haraguchi likes to break with convention.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 13, 2019
Environmentalist Kenro Taura talks about why he thinks Japan is a laggard in the fight against climate change
Name: Kenro Taura
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2019
With Japan's increasing tourism numbers, tensions will inevitably follow
When is a ghost not a ghost?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 29, 2019
Mina Ishihara: Bound for Ireland to make and repair books
Mina Ishihara, 43, first visited Ireland in 1995 when she was a student at Tezukayama Gakuin University in Osaka, her hometown, where she studied English and linguistics. On that trip she visited Galway, a lively cultural city on the west coast of Ireland, partly because the professor who organized the trip had studied there many years before and was "fond of the city."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 22, 2019
Shokudo Marushin: Light, flavorful teishoku meals
At Shokudo Marushin, chef Shintaro Nakamura serves up simple fare in a laid-back setting.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jun 16, 2019
'You're empathetic, but there's that distance': A German undertaker in Japan
As Japanese mourners file into the funeral parlor, shrouded in silence and laden with flowers, Felix Steinkemper, dressed in a dark suit, stands ready to assist.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 15, 2019
Ramen no Bonbo: First steps on a ramen journey
Kyoto's newly opened Ramen no Bonbo may be owned by two of the youngest ramen chefs in the city, but they're no amateurs in the kitchen.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 1, 2019
Fumiaki Imamura: The international road to scientific success
For nutritional epidemiologist Fumiaki Imamura, an overseas education is key to global impact.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 25, 2019
Lorimer: Japanese breakfast, New York inflections
Lorimer has gained a following with foreign visitors to Kyoto. But Japanese customers come in droves too. And why wouldn't they? This is an authentic and innovative Japanese breakfast you'll certainly remember.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2019
The Abjects: London-based, but internationally minded
It has been exactly two years since The Abjects, a London-based power pop and garage trio, last toured Japan, and since then the one thing that has been constant is change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2019
The Outcasts: Forty years after their debut, Japan finally beckons
For a small country, Northern Ireland has produced a lot of punk.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores