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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 20, 2021

‘Immigrant Japan’: An expansive account of the migrant experience

In her book, Gracia Liu-Farrer judiciously covers the migrant experience and argues that Japan is becoming an 'immigrant country.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 2, 2021

Japan, the national security superpower

Even I can see the opportunity that Japan has to become a national security superpower.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2021

As suicides rise amid the pandemic, Japan takes steps to tackle loneliness

What constitutes loneliness is a trickier question in Japan, where the overarching term 'kodoku' has been used to describe both loneliness and solitude, essentially lumping them together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 7, 2020

The publishing industry can't get enough books on supernatural Japanese stories

While this year alone saw the release of well over 100 English nonfiction books about Japan, ranging from accounts of the atomic bombings, to memoirs, travelogues and countless explorations of Japanese culture, one trend in particular stands out from the rest: books on Japanese myths and legends, covering...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 26, 2020

‘Reconciliation’ is an exemplar of the introspective I-novel genre

Naoya Shiga's confessional, autobiographical novella stands the test of time with its themes of relationships, grief and aging.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 5, 2020

India’s China standoff shows risks of getting too close to Trump

Indian and Chinese forces are facing off by a glacial lake in the Himalayas that traverses their fluid frontier. The standoff at 14,000 feet (4,270 meters) is the most visible theater of conflict between the world’s two most populous nations, but it’s far from the only source of friction.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 22, 2019

Study reveals music's universal patterns

From love songs to dance tunes to lullabies, music made in disparate cultures worldwide displays certain universal patterns, according to a study by researchers who suggest a commonality in the way human minds create music.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 20, 2019

Linguistic ignorance can be bliss

When it was revealed that Pico Iyer knew only a 'smattering' of Japanese despite living in Japan for 25 years, some were critical. However, could there be artistic benefits to not being fluent?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 7, 2019

A literary platform for the collected writers of Kyoto

Writers in Kyoto is an English-language literary salon formed by writer John Dougill in 2015 to create a 'sense of community' for writers connected to Japan's imperial capital.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 17, 2019

Understanding the challenging world of the literary translator

English translations of Japanese books have found an enthusiastic audience around the world, and while the author is undoubtedly the star of the show, the translator's role should not be underestimated.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 27, 2019

'Pink Samurai': Resolving the paradoxes of Japan's appetite for sex

Scholarly in the depth of its research methods and the sheer scope of its coverage, Nicholas Bornoff explores the means and instruments for achieving erotic pleasure in 1991 Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 18, 2019

'Cutting Back': The collected wisdom of an aesthetic pruner

Breezy, frequently humorous and self-scolding, Leslie Buck's 'Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto' is a poignant look at the storied Japanese world of professional gardening.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / Age Wise
Apr 28, 2019

Retirement in Japan doesn't have to be scary

Emperor Akihito will be facing a lot of changes to his routine when he retires this week, but presumably the Imperial Household Agency will take care of all the details of his retirement planning. The rest of us, however, are on our own.
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Mar 22, 2019

Haruki Murakami: Writing in a parallel universe, connecting with a global readership

In Japan, it was the runaway best-seller status of 'Norwegian Wood' (1987), his wistful tale of crushed innocence and young love that sold more than 4 million copies in Japanese alone, that established Murakami's iconic status.
JAPAN / History
Feb 26, 2019

Writers recall their initiation to Japanese literature via Donald Keene

The Japan Times asked author Suzanne Kamata to reach out to some of her fellow writers for their memories and thoughts about Donald Keene, the noted scholar of Japanese literature who died Sunday in Tokyo at age 96. Here is a short collection of their replies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Jan 26, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era: The fragmentation of the family in Japan

Hatsune is Akihiko Kondo's dream wife.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 23, 2018

Hayao Miyazaki: The never-ending story

In September 2013, animator Hayao Miyazaki said: 'Through the years I have frequently talked about retiring, so many of you are perhaps wondering if this time I am really sincere. I am.' But was he?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 22, 2018

Rationale for extending Japan's copyright protections unclear

Several weeks ago, I was surprised to read that a revision to the copyright law would go into effect on Dec. 30, extending the current protection period from 50 years after an author's death to 70 years. When the extension was first discussed as part of the original 12-member Trans-Pacific Partnership...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 8, 2018

Irasshaimase!: Foreign-born clerks are becoming a familiar sight at convenience stores nationwide, but is Japan ready to welcome them?

Phan Hoang Tu Linh feels she has gotten the hang of working in a Japanese convenience store now, but she admits she found it tough at first.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 1, 2018

Submitting to the masters on Onomichi's Path of Literature

The Onomichi Path of Literature is a short 1-kilometer walking trail that introduces the many famous literary masters associated with the Japan Heritage city.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 17, 2018

Keidanren faces flak for falling behind the times despite change in leadership

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) published an article on June 17 that was critical of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), a lobbying organization made up of more than 1,300 of the country's biggest companies. The Nikkei has always been in Keidanren’s corner, so it was something of a shock to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 27, 2018

'Soseki: Modern Japan's Greatest Novelist': A portrait of a brilliant man, neither happy nor endearing

Natsume Soseki, widely viewed as Japan's greatest literary figure, was a complicated man. A new full-length biography by John Nathan, 'Soseki: Modern Japan's Greatest Novelist,' sheds light on the challenging, and often painful, life of this literary giant.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 14, 2018

A decade after Lehman's collapse: Is history repeating itself?

Greed on Wall Street, malfeasance among mortgage lenders, ineffective regulators, profligate American home buyers, overregulation, underregulation — the list of potential causes of the 2008 financial crisis is both exhaustive and contradictory.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 7, 2018

Exploring the bare difference between a truth and a lie

"Kill one man, and you're a murderer. Kill millions, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 30, 2018

British, Japanese or somewhere in between? Kazuo Ishiguro questions nationhood from the 'third space'

Ishiguro has always seen himself as a British writer and dislikes being pegged to his Japanese origins. Still, he admits that the matter is complex.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 22, 2018

Japan's pop culture and literature drive soft power

Anime, manga and Haruki Murakami may form an unlikely trinity, but outside of Japan they're responsible for filling Japanese Studies departments and sprawling convention halls with generations of the devoted.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji