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December 21, 2024
 

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Iain Maloney
Yoko Tawada's novella “Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel” is something of an intellectual love letter to a poet who greatly influenced the author.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 28, 2024
'Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel': Yoko Tawada's work defies comparison
The author's latest book to be translated into English is simply Tawadaesque: peerless, unique and incomparable.
In “A Gentleman from Japan,” Thomas Lockley lays out the history of English exploration around the globe during the 16th century, delving into the life of the first recorded Japanese person to set foot in the United Kingdom, the United States and South America.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2024
'A Gentleman from Japan': A journey of firsts in the age of exploration
Written in fast, novelistic prose, Thomas Lockley uses the thread of one Japanese man’s experience to guide his readers into a complex world of suspicion and danger.
Historian Frederik Cryns’ “In the Service of the Shogun” is a biography of William Adams, the inspiration for the character John Blackthorne (played by Cosmo Jarvis) in “Shogun.” Cryns also served as a historical adviser on the FX TV series.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 4, 2024
'Shogun' adviser dives into main character's real-life counterpart for new book
After working on the FX TV series, historian Frederik Cryns explores the life of William Adams in detail for his biography, "In the Service of the Shogun."
Fiction such as Asako Yuzuki’s “Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder” and nonfiction like Robert Whiting’s "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders who Shaped Modern Japan” are just a taste of 2024's exciting releases.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 11, 2024
Anticipated translations and books about Japan to brighten your 2024
From debut novels to classic crime thrillers, the year ahead promises a wealth of must-read titles to add to your reading list.
David Joiner’s books all share a detailed focus on local arts and crafts . In his latest book, “The Heron Catchers,” "kutaniyaki" ceramics of Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, take center stage.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 12, 2023
Location is everything in 'The Heron Catchers'
Author David Joiner ties the local crafts and literary history of Ishikawa Prefecture's Yamanaka Onsen into his new novel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2023
The curious case of Fuminori Nakamura's genre misalignment
Little do English-language readers know, the author of 'The Rope Artist' and other critically acclaimed books writes on much more than crime.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 6, 2023
'Mister Timeless Blyth' traces the indelible influences of Zen and poetry
Alan Spence's new novel, which was nearly 10 years in the making, follows the life of R.H. Blyth, a British scholar who helped bring Japanese poetry to the West.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 28, 2023
Translations and books about Japan for your 2023 reading list
From Osamu Dazai to Yu Miri, the year ahead promises of trove of books about Japan and newly translated literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 20, 2022
'The Samurai Castle Master': Long-maligned samurai gets overdue redemption
Chris Glenn's new book on Todo Takatora portrays him as an intelligent and honest warrior worthy of Tokugawa Ieyasu's trust, rather than the disloyal man his enemies made him out to be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 15, 2022
Kaoru Takamura's thrilling whydunit saga comes to a close
English readers can finally solve the puzzle of the author's magnum opus with the release of 'Lady Joker: Volume Two,' compellingly translated by Marie Iida and Allison Markin Powell.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 21, 2022
Independent publisher gives short stories their due with 'Storybook ND' series
New Directions spotlights short fiction with a new translated series featuring Yoko Tawada and Osamu Dazai.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 10, 2022
The oddities and pleasures of a bygone Japan come to life in 'Kyoto Stories'
Author Steve Alpert mines his personal experiences in his novel about the escapades of a young American student in the old capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2022
Revisiting Jun'ichiro Tanizaki’s flawed families in 'Longing and Other Stories'
The centerpiece of 'Longing and Other Stories' is 'Sorrows of a Heretic,' which can be viewed as a self-deprecating satire thanks to the narcissism of its protagonist.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2022
Trips to Kamusari bring diminishing returns
While the latest in the 'Kamusari' series is full of information on folk culture, the story could use a slightly better narrator.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 27, 2022
'Scattered All Over the Earth': Yoko Tawada's utopia rejects present-day conventions
The Japanese writer's latest release is a thoroughly modern novel that reflects the seismic changes technology and globalization have wrought on humanity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 27, 2022
'Vou: Visual Poetry Tokio 1958-1978' is a work of art, 20 years in the making
Editor Taylor Mignon's collection of Japanese visual poetry highlights artists who are of key importance to understanding 20th-century Japanese poetry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 5, 2022
'The Battle of Sekigahara' retraces Japan's historic samurai conflict
Chris Glenn's new book brings one of the most significant events in Japanese history to life in a blow-by-blow account of the battle that took place in 1600.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 30, 2022
'Rip It Up': Enter the kaleidoscopic world of Ko Machida
Daniel Joseph's translation of the punk rock artist turned author's novella, 'Rip It Up,' opens the door to a more avant-garde, experimental kind of Japanese literature for English readers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 23, 2022
Fuminori Nakamura: ‘The darkness of fiction can be healing’
The author delves deep into the mind of a murderer and the monstrous depths of humanity in his complex thriller “My Annihilation,” his latest novel to be translated into English.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 22, 2022
‘Kanazawa’ is a tribute to life outside of Japan’s well-known cities
For author David Joiner, the rich history and culture of the city of Kanazawa is as much a part of his novel as its characters, who face the challenges of an international marriage.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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