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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
Aug 6, 2021
Using Japanese to discuss victory and defeat at the Tokyo Olympics
It's not accurate to say that anyone who doesn't medal at the Olympics is a loser, but the language of winning and losing is very much a part of Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 23, 2021
Explore the vocabulary of beginnings ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics may have you thinking about new beginnings and fresh starts. It's time to raise the curtain on some new vocabulary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 9, 2021
Grow your Japanese with care, like the plants in a garden
Before you start planting seeds, make sure you know if you want 'yasai' or 'hana' — and make sure you know what those even are.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 4, 2021
Dress like Naruto? Great cosplay. Speak like Naruto? Hmm, chotto …
With anime's popularity booming, some may see it as a shortcut to learning Japanese. But you wouldn't necessarily learn English from Donald Duck, would you?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Longform
May 31, 2021
Cool Japan campaign at a crossroads 10 years after setting sights abroad
The government-funded initiative's future looks uncertain given its mixed results so far in promoting Japanese culture overseas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 31, 2021
What's behind housing discrimination in Japan?
Japanese real estate agents sometimes don't want to try to deal with non-Japanese renters, which is why specialist companies are popping up to help.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 17, 2021
Renting, building or renovating: Tips to get the best roof over your head
If you plan to stay for a while in Japan, there are several routes you can take when it comes to finding a place to rest your head.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 14, 2021
When you find the right notes to learn Japanese, even karaoke can be your classroom
From children's lullabies to visual-kei, writing out lyrics and singing along to Japanese pop can help you with everyday conversation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 10, 2021
Japan’s undeterred housing market is full of opportunity for foreign residents
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many foreign residents to think about what they want to do long-term in Japan. For some, buying property is the answer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 16, 2021
'Bidenese' returns interpreters and translators to a linguistic safe zone
Japanese translators made news when they expressed difficulties in translating former U.S. President Donald Trump. So, how are they doing with Joe Biden?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 19, 2021
What makes beautiful Japanese? It's as simple as a morning greeting
A word that sounds good rolling off the tongue? Or an everyday greeting that lets people know you care? Japanese speakers sound off on what words they think are beautiful.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 8, 2021
Ten years on from 3/11, do you think you're ready for the 'Big One'?
What if the quake that hit Tohoku 10 years ago happened along the Nankai Trough to the south of Japan? Well, experts are predicting this very scenario.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 1, 2021
Environmental activism is at the heart of Nagoya's international community
The search for friendship and community among foreign residents of Nagoya has become intimately tied to environmental education and activism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 6, 2021
Literary manga ‘The Man Without Talent’ speaks volumes in hermetic angst
The work of Yoshiharu Tsuge, one of Japan's masters of literary manga, is now available in English thanks to translator Ryan Holmberg.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 5, 2021
The art of the Japanese pun: From classic poetry to dad jokes
Wordplay is used in a non-comical way even in traditional Japanese dishes at the holidays, with the names of ingredients recalling expressions of good tidings.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 3, 2021
Episode 80: A shift in Japan's climate policy
Japan Times staff writer Ryusei Takahashi joins Deep Dive to discuss Prime Minister Suga's pledge to make Japan carbon neutral by 2050.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 16, 2021
The true cost of the climate crisis on Japan
The prime minister has called for Japan to be carbon neutral by 2050, but bolder measures look necessary to reduce the economic damage caused by global warming.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 28, 2020
Anne Frank and Sadako Sasaki: Two girls that symbolize the horrors of war
The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II came amid a pandemic. We take a moment to look back to remember two people in particular who died in that global crisis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2020 in review
Dec 19, 2020
Our critics’ favorite books published in 2020
As 2021 approaches, six Japan Times book reviewers look back on their top reads released in English this year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2020
Cook up a sweet Japanese lesson … and some good food at the same time
Following a recipe in Japanese can be a language lesson all on its own. Get some grammar, add some vocabulary and serve fresh.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima
Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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