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Dana Macalanda
Staff writer
For Dana Macalanda's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 19, 2020
Relieving stress with the help of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizon has been a stress relief for people looking to escape the current pandemic. Its puns are great, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Nov 23, 2019
Fancy footwork: Japan's break dancers lay the groundwork for possible Olympic glory
Roars cascaded throughout the Salle Bellegrave's bleachers in the French city of Bordeaux earlier this month, filling the event space and reverberating into the virtual realm of shared (and reshared) stories on Instagram.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Apr 13, 2019
'Family Traits' review: A world of myth and whimsy comes to life
"Family Traits: The Fantastic Bestiary of a Father and his Sons" is a collection of watercolor illustrations by Thomas Romain, a Tokyo-based animator, and his sons' whimsical drawings that inspired them.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Feb 25, 2019
Ambassador sets course to spread cultural knowledge
Iranian Ambassador Morteza Rahmani Movahed was appointed to his newest position in July, but although he's lived in Japan for over six months, his schedule hasn't given him a lot of time for sightseeing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 6, 2019
It's 2019 and it's time to hit those Japanese textbooks — for real
Whether you've been here for several days or several decades, listening to fellow expats, immigrants and other non-Japanese residents groaning about their dissatisfaction with their language abilities is nothing new. The advice I've received on how to improve, however, sometimes skews toward the exasperating.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Mar 12, 2018
Daruma wish comes true after nearly 4-decade wait
"What would you like to be in the future and what would you like to do?" It's 1978, and Sujan Chinoy is an exchange student at Otemon Gakuin University in Osaka being interviewed for the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 4, 2018
PR firm chief keeps his eye on ever-changing market
Name: Ross Rowbury
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 21, 2018
Redesigning and refining the perception of luxury
For the past 23 years Guido Tarchi has weaved among Tokyo's crowds, surrounded by the city's architectural jumble where the everyday harmonizes with the extravagant.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 14, 2018
Philip O'Neill: McGill degree offers potential to open doors for global professionals
The adage of one door closing and another opening is at best, apt, and at worst, a cliche. However, as the director of McGill University's MBA Japan Program for the past decade, O'Neill's ongoing dedication to his students centers around a refreshing truth dating all the way back to his late 20s when he first arrived in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 9, 2017
Off the beaten track with Isabella Bird
Isabella Bird was a tenacious traverser of continents, prolific Victorian era writer and the first woman awarded membership to the U.K.'s Royal Geographical Society.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Dec 3, 2017
Global citizen keen to take on new environments
Fikdanel Thaufik cannot pinpoint exactly how many languages he speaks. "For sure, Indonesian," Thaufik said laughing. "And English — that's international." But as the vice president and representative of Garuda Indonesia's Japan, Korea, and U.S. regions slowly lists off languages, whereas most of us would recall time spent in a classroom or poring over textbooks, Thaufik appears to be flitting through memories of all the places he's lived and the countless people he has met throughout his life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 28, 2017
'Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan': Traditionally spooky felines
Cats. Modern Japan loves them in all shapes and sizes. But they weren't always so cuddly.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 5, 2017
'Chinese Script: History, Characters, Calligraphy': Exploring the roots of kanji
From bone shards to swipe keyboards, "Chinese Script: History, Characters, Calligraphy" is a brief but absorbing crash course on the origins and evolution of China's writing system that tackles a range of topics beyond language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 8, 2017
'A Samurai's Pink House': A complicated stew of poetry
There's a lot of pink in Sonia Saikaley's latest collection of poetry. Given the fairy tale-like title, the deluge of sakura-related imagery was expected. The blood from rape instead of battle, was not.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 1, 2017
'Fractures': Putting together the pieces of a story told in verse
"Fractures" is a slip of a book featuring 27 haiku-inspired poems from author and Japan Times contributor Iain Maloney.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 10, 2017
Exploring the evolution of Filipino cuisine in Japan
With enough hunger, patience, and determination, it's possible to track down just about any kind of food in and around Tokyo.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world