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April 18, 2024
 

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Nicolas Gattig
Nicolas Gattig is a teacher and writer from San Francisco. His articles/essays about politics and education have been published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SOMA magazine, Street Sheet, and the Japan Times. He is greatly interested in literature and the effects of culture.
For Nicolas Gattig's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 13, 2023
Osamu Dazai gets silly while facing fears in 'The Flowers of Buffoonery'
Translator Sam Bett brings out the fragile personalities in the author's early novella, a predecessor to his modern classic novel “No Longer Human.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 13, 2023
Pico Iyer's search for peace in a world of uncertainty
The author reflects on his extensive travels over the past 48 years while examining conceptions of paradise in his new collection of essays, 'The Half Known Life.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 13, 2021
‘The Party and the People’ shows Chinese leadership as responsive but unaccountable to the public
In his new book, Bruce J. Dickson refers to contemporary Chinese politics as a study in nuanced contrasts: authoritarian yet cooperative; repressive yet responsive to public opinion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 5, 2021
'First Person Singular' marks Haruki Murakami's welcome return to his signature style
The writer's new collection of eight short stories is a return to form, with first-person narratives full of cheek and playfulness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 27, 2021
‘That We May Live’: New Chinese fiction delves into the playfully weird
Explaining the difference between speculative fiction and science fiction can feel like sorting out overlapping nebulae. The main distinction of speculative fiction may be that a story is just barely possible, at a slight remove from reality that veers into the playfully weird. A Japanese author exemplifying this style is Yukiko Motoya, who writes of flying umbrellas and dressing rooms that swallow up shoppers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 30, 2021
'An I-Novel': A tale of life abroad blurs the lines of truth and fiction
Many writers of fiction who have shared so much as a short story have heard the old question, “Is this autobiographical?” No literary genre, however, plays with the possibility of “what actually happened” as liberally as the Japanese shishо̄setsu, known to Western readers as the confessional I-novel. Originating in the early 20th century, the style is marked by an intimate first-person narrative drawing from personal experience, leaving readers guessing as to what is truthful and what is embellished.
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
CULTURE / Books
Nov 7, 2020
‘A Good True Thai’: What makes someone a ‘real’ citizen?
Sunisa Manning's historical fiction novel provides context for the current protests roiling Thailand as demonstrators demand democratic change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 5, 2020
‘Friend: A Novel from North Korea’: A fascinating glimpse into hidden lives
Paek Nam-nyong's state-approved novel reveals a side of North Korea that is rarely seen, with complex characters dealing with relatable woes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 15, 2020
‘Intimate Disconnections’: What makes marriage work and end?
Allison Alexy's book on divorce, with useful advice and firsthand accounts, is an absorbing study of Japanese attitudes toward love and marriage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 4, 2020
‘Healing Labor’: Examining how Japanese sex work is woven into culture and economy
Gabriele Koch's “Healing Labor” delves into how Japanese sex workers regard their work as necessary to the social and economic well-being of Japanese society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 6, 2020
'City on Fire' shows a beaten, divided Hong Kong fighting for its identity
In smooth, heady prose, Antony Dapiran shows what he calls “a fight for the very soul of Hong Kong.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2020
‘If I Had Your Face’ review: Are South Korean women really so obsessed with beauty?
Published in April, “If I Had Your Face” is a story of gender inequality and lives ruled by the money of men, of impossible beauty standards and their effect on South Korean women.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2020
'Democracy in China: The Coming Crisis' review: Democracy is in China's best interest
As the pro-democracy movement has roiled Hong Kong and people worldwide lament China's lack of transparency surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, it seems like auspicious timing for Jiwei Ci's new book, “Democracy in China: The Coming Crisis.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020
Japanese books to get you through a lockdown
With "staying in" now the new "going out," housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you’re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics’ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 1, 2020
'The Magical Language of Others': A Korean-American memoir that will shatter stereotypes
With its evocative prose and personal and historical honesty, 'The Magical Language of Others' traces a Korean-American family's story of trauma and survival across several generations and continents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 25, 2020
Is Japan enjoying a new literary golden age?
The case for Yes
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 14, 2019
'Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister': Three sisters bear witness to China's raucous 20th century
Jung Chang's sweeping biography 'Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister' sheds light on China's most famous sisters and their influence on 20th-century Chinese politics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 2, 2019
Our critics' favorite Japanese books of the decade
As 2020 approaches, The Japan Times' book reviewers look back at a decade of literature and their favorite and most impactful books written about Japan or by Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 26, 2019
'The Decay of the Angel': Overshadowed by the death of its author
In 'The Decay of the Angel,' Yukio Mishima concludes his 'The Sea of Fertility' tetralogy with musings on modern Japan, the loss of beauty and old age.
Magnitude 6.6 quake strikes off Shikoku
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Japan on Wednesday. The area marked in red recorded a weak 6 on Japan's seismic intensity scale.
Why hasn't Japan moved to prop up the weak yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.
Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
Japan’s best and brightest designers set to shine in Milan
Adal’s Look into Nature brand, on show at Salon del Mobile 2024, rethinks "igusa" (Japanese rush grass), traditionally used for tatami, as a sustainable material for furniture.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.

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

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on
By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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