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, ...
Soramaru Takayama: There's much poetry in Vegan Pudding & Co.
After four years of traveling the world, poet Soramaru Takayama finds Vancouver a welcoming place for creativity and veganism.
Poetic escapism for the end of the year
If the year-end seems less festive than foreboding, escape through the poems of the "Koshinsu," Japan's earliest poetic anthologies.
'Travels with a Writing Brush': 1,000 years of travel writing, united by a poetic thread
From "The Tale of Genji" to Matsuo Basho, Meredith McKinney travels across Japan through 1,000 years of Japanese poetry.
'Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems': Wit and wisdom in 14 lines or fewer
In "Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems," editor Philip Rowland shows there's more to the short form poetry genre than haiku or tanka.
Japanese student wins haiku award at U.N. International School in New York
Japanese high school senior Reo Okajima has won an award for a haiku in the Sustainable Development Goals category of a Haiku Festival at the United Nations International School in New York. The award ceremony took place Saturday. The contest was hosted mainly by UNIS ...
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.
