Books Mar 14, 2020
'Factory Girls': Verses for the workers, who toiled all day long
by Kris Kosaka
Takako Arai's newest poetry anthology in English, "Factory Girls," takes readers into the vanishing world of Japan's textile industry.
National Jan 16, 2020
In first poem reading of Reiwa Era, Japan's emperor speaks of hope for children's futures
Emperor Naruhito expressed his hope for a bright future for children in his poem recited Thursday at the first New Year's Poetry Reading Ceremony held since he ascended to the chrysanthemum throne last year. The theme of this year's waka poems was nozomi (hope). Empress Masako, ...
People | WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN? Dec 28, 2019
Soramaru Takayama: There's much poetry in Vegan Pudding & Co.
by Jae Lee
After four years of traveling the world, poet Soramaru Takayama finds Vancouver a welcoming place for creativity and veganism.
National / History | THE LIVING PAST Dec 14, 2019
Poetic escapism for the end of the year
by Michael Hoffman
If the year-end seems less festive than foreboding, escape through the poems of the "Koshinsu," Japan's earliest poetic anthologies.
Books Nov 30, 2019
'Travels with a Writing Brush': 1,000 years of travel writing, united by a poetic thread
by Kris Kosaka
From "The Tale of Genji" to Matsuo Basho, Meredith McKinney travels across Japan through 1,000 years of Japanese poetry.
Books / Reviews | RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN Oct 12, 2019
'Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems': Wit and wisdom in 14 lines or fewer
by Kris Kosaka
In "Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems," editor Philip Rowland shows there's more to the short form poetry genre than haiku or tanka.
National Apr 9, 2019
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 ...
Our Lives | TELLING LIVES Apr 3, 2019
Joy Waller's 'Pause :: Heartbeat' tackles intimacy and solitude in Tokyo
by Rebecca Saunders
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 ...
Books Mar 2, 2019
William I. Elliott's lifetime passion for Japanese poetry
by Kris Kosaka
A chance encounter with Shuntaro Tanikawa's poem, "Humanism," set William I. Elliott on the path to make modern Japanese poetry accessible to all.
Books / Reviews | ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES Mar 2, 2019
Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart': A window into modern Japanese poetry
by Kris Kosaka
Noted Japanese literary critic and writer Kenkichi Yamamoto's "The Singing Heart" provides a satisfying, thematic introduction to modern Japanese poetry.
Books / Reviews | RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN Feb 9, 2019
by Louise George Kittaka
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.
Books | WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN Jan 19, 2019
Takako Arai's poetry is a relentless 'dance of language'
by Kris Kosaka
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.