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April 30, 2024
 

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@ericdmargolis

Eric Margolis
Eric Margolis is a writer, book editor and translator from Japanese who is based in Nagoya. His writing has been published in The Japan Times, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Slate, The New Republic, Tokyo Weekender and elsewhere.
For Eric Margolis's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 28, 2023
The My Number card has some real benefits. Is it time you got yours?
Hit with a few scattered glitches recently, the My Number card still proved helpful to our writer when he filed his taxes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 19, 2023
Get to work: Conquer the mountain that is a Japanese resume
While creating a Japanese resume may seem daunting, it is more just a matter of filling out the sections correctly — even if your Japanese is already above par.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2023
'Hit Parade of Tears': Izumi Suzuki attacks genre and gender with twisted precision
The cult literary figure's new collection of 11 stories unveil the chaos, conflict and pain of women rebelling against the desires of men and seeking messy self-actualization.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 5, 2023
Why bilingual literature is needed in a place like Japan
Only when Japan’s great stories are translated into other languages can we get a glimpse into the real lives of people living here.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 10, 2023
What does it take to make a long-term relationship great in Japan?
The advice from most people on long-term cross-cultural relationships? You sometimes need to think more with your head than your heart.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2023
Japan's largest lake used to be a cesspool. Now it’s a vision of a sustainable future.
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, has long been a center of flourishing agriculture and cultural progress, but it's also been at the center of countless environmental crises.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 19, 2023
Racial dynamics are inescapable when dating in Japan. That doesn't mean your experience will be negative.
In the cross-cultural or international dating scene, politics can sometimes sneak in. Avoid the pitfalls simply by being aware of the conversation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 10, 2023
The Oscars are upon us. What films are you rooting for?
Discussing what makes a great movie is fun conversation fodder. What kind of movie do you think is worthy of an Academy Award?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 26, 2023
Kanazawa sets an example for badly needed biodiversity policy in Japan
Japan’s cities may be typically clad in concrete, but there is one reliable source of verdant life: shrines and temples.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 23, 2023
Get your sports vocabulary into shape for the start of baseball season
Preseason baseball games have begun, catch up on your sports-related vocabulary so you don't strike out in any conversations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 18, 2023
Life and leisure in the fast lane: Japan's motorsports tourism push
Japan may be famous for its high-speed trains, but what if its cars were just as much of a tourist draw?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 14, 2023
Not so easy to fall in love: The app effect on Japan’s international dating scene
Japan has its own rules when it comes to Valentine's Day. Would you be surprised to know it has its own rules when it comes to dating apps, too?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Longform
Feb 13, 2023
Museums in Japan adjust to life after COVID-19
The country’s cultural spaces are looking to rethink their role in society as they face an uncertain future due to increased competition and an aging population.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 23, 2023
Resham Upreti wants his fellow Nepalis to succeed in Japan — without forgetting where they came from
When people arrive in Japan they can sometimes face the challenge of being 'double limited': unable to speak fluently in their native language or the tongue of their new home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 3, 2023
Sticking to your Japanese New Year’s resolutions
When speaking about resolutions, it's better to use a more decisive grammatical structure in Japanese than the regular 'I want' pattern.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 30, 2022
There’s more going on in a haiku than just the 5-7-5 syllable rule
Dive into one of Japan's most fascinating art forms during the holidays and think up a couple of haiku poems to celebrate the season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 10, 2022
Take a journey through the mythic and mundane in 'The Thorn Puller'
Hiromi Ito's semi-autobiographical, transnational novel probes the complexities of life as it follows the struggles of a woman shouldering an impressive load of family troubles.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 29, 2022
In pushing adventure travel, rural towns see paths forward
Where tourists who flock by bus clog up sidewalks and restaurant reservation slots, those who travel further afield bring some positive baggage with them.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 5, 2022
Deep Dive is back! And the climate crisis is still a problem.
Oscar Boyd, Hanae Takahashi and Eric Margolis join new Deep Dive host Shaun McKenna to talk about how people in Japan get their climate news and what we need to do as citizens to aid in the fight.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 3, 2022
'I feel like I can’t live the life I had before Feb. 24'
How do you tell the world about a war? A Japanese publisher and pro-Ukrainian group team up in an attempt to get the story told by the people most affected by it.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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