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October 05, 2025
 

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LITERATURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 5, 2020
‘Astral Season, Beastly Season’: The ambiguity and conflicting extremes of being a teenager
Poet Tahi Saihate's novel centered on adolescence offers an authentic yet compassionate view of searching for meaning and human connections.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Aug 15, 2020
War ends and humanity remains resilient
Chaos, destruction u2026 humanity endures and yet, we seem stuck in repeating the same mistakes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Apr 18, 2020
Satoshi Kitamura’s key to children’s literature? Making complex ideas simple
To round out our series on Japanese children's books, this month we profile Satoshi Kitamura, who has authored more than 20 books in his award-winning career as a writer and illustrator of children's literature.
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 / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 22, 2020
'The Japanese Discovery of Chinese Fiction': A literary classic's outsize impact on Japan
In 'The Japanese Discovery of Chinese Fiction,' William C. Helberg delves into Japan's fascination with 'The Water Margin,' and how its influence spread beyond the confines of pure literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 25, 2020
Is Japan enjoying a new literary golden age?
The case for Yes
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 23, 2019
Let us put an end to Haruki Murakami's decade-long Nobel Prize pilgrimage
The 2010s have flown by and still there is no end in sight for Haruki Murakami's Nobel Prize drought. William Lang offers tips to end this sorry state of affairs.
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
Oct 26, 2019
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood won't close the chapter on books
Thousands of bibliophiles are expected to descend on Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood over the next week or so as the city celebrates the 60th anniversary of its largest secondhand book fair.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Jun 15, 2019
Children's author Kenji Miyazawa: Fundamental to the modern form
Author and poet Kenji Miyazawa's fantastical worldbuilding, poignant text and progressive morals laid the foundations of modern Japanese children's literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 8, 2019
'Modern Japanese Short Stories' review: A bridge between past and present
A classic introduction to the Japanese short story, 'Modern Japanese Short Stories' is a literary time capsule of postwar Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
May 25, 2019
Poop, realism and Ghibli: Enter the world of children's literature
To introduce our readers to this special subsection of Japanese literature, for the next 12 months, we'll be featuring one children's writer or illustrator on these pages each month.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2019
Museum devoted to Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki, shuttered in London in 2016, to reopen in Surrey
A museum in London devoted to renowned Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), which was closed over two years ago, is set to be revived in nearby Surrey in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2019
What's in a name? Reiwa reflects today's politics, Japan's cultural history and a social philosophy
Media hype over Reiwa, the newly announced name for the upcoming era, continued unabated Tuesday. At the same time, a majority of people appeared to happily welcome the name, which means "auspicious" (rei) and "peace" or "harmony" (wa).
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.
Takaichi poised to become Japan's first female PM after winning LDP poll
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Saturday.
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'
Plotter's signature customizable leather binder is just one of many products contributing to the ongoing boom in the popularity of Japanese stationery.
Retro-wrapped trains mark 100th anniversary of Tokyo's Yamanote Line
Trains decorated to resemble the 103 (left) and 205 series of trains that formerly ran on the Yamanote Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
One dead, one missing in Japan after bear attack
A bear warning sign. More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
Japan’s first foreign wine investor plants its roots in Hokkaido
Intrigued by Japanese wines, Burgundy winemaker Etienne de Montille decided to explore Hokkaido's wine scene, eventually setting up his outpost in Hakodate in 2017.
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
The summer kabuki came roaring back
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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