The onus is still on us to be black history
A few years back, I wrote a piece for Black History Month in which I challenged people of African descent living here in Japan to "be black history." I implored them not to necessarily dwell on the past but to: "Dwell on the ...
Same gripes, different country: Japan ain't the only place with squat toilets and table charges
It's not easy being an expat. While most of us choose to live in Japan of our own volition, there are still times when we're frustrated with the way things work — or don't work — and the Community page often serves as an ...
Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court
In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin. The commercial, which has since been ...
Japanese law needs to catch up with the realities of trans life
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the current law for gender transition is constitutional, though it registered that this law may fail to align with our current society. The law requires people wishing to change their official gender to be unmarried, have no ...
At no point have I ever had to grapple with the decision to have my genitals surgically removed. Perhaps the same is true for you. While these may seem an odd set of affirmations to open with, they help illustrate a basic truth: How ...
Waxing philosophical in English class with 'Thinking Experiments'
Trying out a lesson on traditional notions of gender
How the last czar shaped Japan's courts
A new law regarding foreign workers brings up old problems
Falling for furusato: The epicurean incentives behind a tax strategy that masks economic lunacy
Six-year-old Zorro got his name because of the mask pattern on his fur and his dashing good looks, similar to the beloved vigilante character created by Johnston McCulley who protected the oppressed. The resemblance ends there, though, except for the fact that a Shiba ...
The man who set the bar for British pubs in Yokohama
From cosplay fan to idol, Yuriko Tiger's journey has been a colorful one
Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home
Starting fresh in Tokyo is easier than you think
I know what you're thinking: Moving to Tokyo is going to be a whole world of stress. That's what I thought at least. There was the language barrier, the fact that I had no idea where in the city I wanted to live and ...
Thinking of working in Japan? It's good to know what you're in for
Demand for non-Japanese engineers is growing, but know what you're in for before you apply
My husband is not my baby's father. Can my child take the dad's name?
What does Japan's Nationality Act really mean for its dual citizens?
Bilingual project aims to be a springboard to women's empowerment in Japan
