History | THE LIVING PAST Jan 16, 2021
Matsuo Taseko: A poet caught up in nationalist fervor
When nine swordsmen stormed a temple in 1863 they cut the heads of three statues, making a political statement that reverberates to this day.
Michael Hoffman
Michael Hoffman is a fiction and nonfiction writer who has lived in Hokkaido by the sea almost as long as he can remember. He has been contributing regularly to The Japan Times for 10 years. His latest novel is "The Naked Ear" (VBW/Blackcover Books, 2012).
For Michael Hoffman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jan 9, 2021
Can a few simple words ease Japan's anxiety?
What we say to ourselves carries a lot of weight …
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 26, 2020
In 2020, kids still say the drollest things
2020 was a year to forget, if only we can …
National / History | THE LIVING PAST Dec 19, 2020
Thoughts on healing from the Heian Period
The psychology of health in "The Tale of Genji" suggests that enlightenment may be the cure for what ails you.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 12, 2020
Rising suicide figures reflect many women’s despair in a pandemic
Almost as anguishing as having no future is having an unknown one.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Nov 28, 2020
When sensitivity becomes that one thing too many
Sensitivity is agony. In moderation it’s good, but moderation rarely knows when to stop, and soon becomes excess. Excessive sensitivity is a theme taken up by Spa magazine this month. Really, it’s better to be a clod. Your intellect may be sluggish and your imagination ...
History | THE LIVING PAST Nov 16, 2020
A charm offensive in the Yoshiwara pleasure district
Life in the pleasure district was fun, if you were capable of mustering up the right amount of charm.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Nov 14, 2020
Japan’s rocky road to gender parity
Japan’s road to gender parity is rocky and potholed. Aera magazine this month chronicles a stumbling, faltering journey. A young father takes a month’s paternity leave. A day care center staff member greets him warily: “We usually deal with the mother.” "Yes,” says the father, “but ...
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Oct 31, 2020
Together or alone? Yukichi Fukuzawa’s 19th-century template for beating COVID-19
Influential Japanese writer may provide an example of the virtues needed to outlast the pandemic.
History | THE LIVING PAST Oct 17, 2020
Japan and Russia: The chivalrous war erupts
A key figure in the Russo-Japanese War, Gen. Maresuke Nogi was both a soldier and a poet.