Exhibition in Fukuoka Prefecture explores origins of Reiwa, name of Japan's next era
An exhibition exploring the origins of Reiwa, the name selected for the forthcoming era, opened Tuesday at a museum in Fukuoka Prefecture, where poems about plum blossom viewing that inspired the era name are said to have been written. The event, which runs through June ...
Joy Waller's 'Pause :: Heartbeat' tackles intimacy and solitude in Tokyo
The solitude of losing yourself in techno, pink-tiled facades and rooftops as far as the eye can see, nocturnal intimacy and secret pockets of drug use — this is the lonely underbelly of Tokyo that Joy Waller puts into words in "Pause :: Hearbeat." It's ...
William I. Elliott's lifetime passion for Japanese poetry
A chance encounter with Shuntaro Tanikawa's poem, "Humanism," set William I. Elliott on the path to make modern Japanese poetry accessible to all.
Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart': A window into modern Japanese poetry
Noted Japanese literary critic and writer Kenkichi Yamamoto's "The Singing Heart" provides a satisfying, thematic introduction to modern Japanese poetry.
A new edition of popular contemporary poet Makoto Ooka's "Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets" includes the original Japanese texts of each poem, early drafts, photos from the poet's life and a new introduction by translator Janine Beichman.
Takako Arai's poetry is a relentless 'dance of language'
Takako Arai's poems unravel complicated lives in an ever-widening mesh of humanity, her style retaining an energy and optimism despite her visceral, often disturbing subject matter.
In the final annual New Year's Poetry Reading Ceremony before his abdication, Emperor Akihito reflected Wednesday on sunflowers, which have become associated with a major earthquake in the nation. The choice of topic has been said to indicate his ongoing commitment those affected by the ...
'Isako Isako': No punches pulled when confronting internment
Mia Ayumi Malhotra's collection of poetry, "Isako Isako," is a carefully controlled whirlwind of ideas and impressions that reminds us that the scars laid down today will still be visible generations from now
Smile as you study:/ Sharp salaryman senryu/ satirize the slog
Highlights from the 31st Senryu for Salaried Workers Contest riff on the situations employees encounter at the office, home or both.
'The Penguin Book of Haiku': Morsels of poetry from the mountaintop to the gutter
According to author and translator Adam L. Kern, there's a pervasive myth that haiku is only nature poetry, that it is always serious and connected to Zen, that there are hardly any women haiku poets. But haiku covers far greater ground.
Lifetime devoted to haiku nets Scottish poet prestigious honor
Haiku poet and novelist Alan Spence was honored with an Order of the Rising Sun for "contributions to developing haiku poetry in the United Kingdom and promoting mutual understanding between Japan and the United Kingdom."
Earliest-known version of the 'Odyssey' discovered in Greece
An ancient tablet engraved with 13 verses of the Odyssey has been unearthed in southern Greece in what is possibly the earliest-recorded trace of the epic poem. The clay slab is believed to date back to the third century, during the Roman era. "If this date ...
