Our Lives | BLACK EYE Aug 19, 2018
Whatever the role, if it's tough, 'Chuck can do it'
by Baye McNeil
Bothered by the acting parts offered to black people in Japan, action man Chuck Johnson started his own production company.
NEWSWORTHY
Our Lives | TELLING LIVES May 9, 2018
Swedish life coach channels force of positive thinking
by Kajsa Skarsgard
The soft sound of bodies moving in thick cotton fabric and naked feet stroking the dojo floor is interrupted by loud shouts, causing a man passing by on his bike to turn his head. Through the large windows, he watches the children and adults ...
Books / Reviews Sep 16, 2017
'Bushido and the Art of Living': Lessons from Japan's 'way of the warrior'
by Stephen Mansfield
What we learn by the end of this urbanely written, empirically tested book is that Bushido is not merely a set of strategies for combat but a system of thinking eminently suited to preparing us for life and all its concealed hazards.
Books / Reviews | ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES Sep 16, 2017
'The Book of Five Rings': The text that showed many a Japanophile 'the way'
by Kris Kosaka
Legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi authored this book in the last years of his life, expanding his "two heavens as one" double-sword strategies into a complete life philosophy.
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Feb 11, 2017
Let kids seize the day, and an opponent
by Danielle Demetriou
It's an all too familiar sight: my two young children, exhausted after a long day at nursery, return home and proceed to jump up and down, bounce off walls and throw toys at each other's heads in a rush of post-containment energy. For a long ...
Our Lives | TELLING LIVES Oct 12, 2016
Godiva chief finds modern business lessons in the ancient art of the bow
by Stephen Mansfield
Arriving in Japan in 1985, Jerome Chouchan wasted little time enrolling in an archery dojo in Tokyo, a first step that has taken him to the elevated title of renshi and the rank of fifth dan.
Our Lives | TELLING LIVES Oct 12, 2016
For Godiva boss, outcome follows form, in business as in archery
by Richard Solomon
In his book titled "Target," Jerome Chouchan shares how the philosophy of Japanese archery increased company performance and made business more enjoyable.
Olympics / Summer Olympics / Judo Feb 16, 2016
Female Japanese judoka coaching Brazil team at Rio Olympics
by Kensuke Shima
A Japanese judo instructor working for Brazil's national team is bringing cultural and technical experience to her pupils as they ramp up their training program for the 2016 Olympics. "As my team members are improving their physical condition, all they need from me now is ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT May 20, 2015
Know the way of the sword, know thyself: a kendo primer
by Tyler Rothmar
With Tokyo poised to host the world championships for the first time since the inaugural competition in 1970, here's all you need to know to get the most out of the bouts.
National Aug 28, 2014
Martial arts tricks ease pain for new moms
by Sawako Obara
Wrist tendinitis and back pain are among the physical ailments that often affect new mothers, usually from the lifting and carrying required in caring for babies. To provide relief, a physical therapist in Japan has drawn up a parenting regimen that combines techniques from ...
Books / Reviews May 10, 2014
Bringing the wisdom of samurai into the modern world
by Tyler Rothmar
The astrophysicist Carl Sagan famously called writing "perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs." "Books," he said, "break the shackles of time." In that sense, reading "Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai" ...