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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
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 30, 2022
How can you fight climate change in Japan? Learn how to talk about it.
A good approach to speaking about hot-button topics in Japanese is to use so-called softeners so that your don't come off as too direct with your opinions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 5, 2022
Japan’s foreign workers face a new post-COVID landscape
Tighter border controls amid the pandemic have kept technical interns and specified skilled workers from entering Japan. With restrictions now easing, can the government lure them back?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 15, 2022
What can we do to fight the climate crisis from Japan?
Dealing with the climate crisis means more than just recycling at this point. Educating yourself and others may now be the best thing you can do.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 29, 2022
Cherry blossoms, cranes and the language of Japanese symbols
The bald eagle of the United States and the orchids of China have deeper meanings in their respective cultures. What items do the Japanese give symbolic weight to?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2022
Li Kotomi's 'Solo Dance' flows across prose and borders
A beautiful translation by Arthur Reiji Morris of 'Solo Dance' will solidify Li Kotomi's place in the next generation of Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 15, 2022
Yukio Mishima's dark satire obscures the light of humanity
'Beautiful Star,' a novel that the writer considered to be his masterpiece, is an absurd parody of society.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 6, 2022
The ‘nuclear’ terms you should know when discussing current affairs
Nuclear issues are always in the news. If you want to get into discussions on these topics, it's good to know your vocabulary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 3, 2022
Chesil's coming-of-age tale gives voice to the silenced
'The Color of the Sky Is the Shape of the Heart' is a short but heartfelt novel that tells an explicitly Zainichi story.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 5, 2022
The murky metaphors of 'Drive My Car' are a good way to venture into reading Japanese
Metaphors and similes are an important part of any language, but they're also a huge part of “Drive My Car.” Here's a look at how to break them down in Japanese.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 24, 2022
Landed a gig teaching in Japan? You may need a crash course in curriculum creation
Schools that are under strain from both budget shortfalls and the pandemic don't have time to walk new teachers through every step of the process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 21, 2022
Translator trip-ups: What do they mean for learning Japanese?
Have you ever had trouble precisely translating a word? While it may prove difficult in the moment, you're likely getting a free lesson in Japanese culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 17, 2022
What you need to know about the omicron surge in Japan
The number of new COVID-19 cases is rising and while you're not as likely to be hospitalized, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 13, 2021
Park life: Growing Japan's green spaces through private investment
Green spaces nationwide increased fivefold between 1970 and 2010, but that growth has slowed to a trickle over the past decade.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 6, 2021
An Afghan in Japan's plea to the world
What would you do if you woke up safe and sound in Japan only to learn that your home country was collapsing into chaos?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 28, 2021
What temples and shrines mean to an outsider
Temples and shrines offer a closeness with nature that can provide spiritual comfort to those who are far from their own religious communities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 26, 2021
When Japanese borrows the words from another language, but not their meanings
Loanwords can prove tricky in Japanese. Once a word is imported, it can take on a whole other meaning to that of the language it originated in.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 3, 2021
How Japan is already being impacted by climate change
Japan Times contributor Eric Margolis walks us through how Japan is already being affected by climate change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 4, 2021
Creativity and collaboration flourish at the Japan Writers Conference
Being held online for its second year, the Japan Writers Conference helps budding artists with the practicalities of the creative process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 30, 2021
Words that mean how they sound: The power of onomatopoeia
You may not understand exactly what's being said when you hear onomatopoeic words in Japanese, but you'll most likely have an idea of what they mean based on how they sound.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 20, 2021
New job? Be sure to read the fine print
Foreign teachers of English in Japan are good at sharing cautionary tales on messenger boards, but the best thing you can do to avoid any pitfalls is read your contract.
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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