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November 23, 2024
 

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Iain Maloney
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 8, 2022
Exciting translations and books about Japan to bookmark for 2022
From Yoko Tawada's “Scattered All Over the Earth” to Sayaka Murata's “Life Ceremony,” this year's new releases are sure to brighten up your 2022.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 31, 2021
‘The Easy Life in Kamusari’: Leave the city behind, the mountains are calling
In Shion Miura's novel, a young man from Yokohama finds it difficult to fit in with a rural mountain community, but he soon discovers there's more to life than the trappings of city living.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 11, 2021
‘Lady Joker: Volume One’: A crime thriller opus’ weighty first half
Kaoru Takamura isn't playing around with “Lady Joker,” her two-part novel that reveals the social and economic inequities in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2021
‘Things Remembered and Things Forgotten’: History, memory and cultural identity
Kyoko Nakajima's latest collection of translated short stories explores the ties connecting Japan's past to its present. Ghosts are involved in more ways than one.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 25, 2021
‘Lonely Castle in the Mirror’ helps us face the consequences of bullying
Mizuki Tsujimura's touching novel about teenage bullying in the Tokyo suburbs illuminates the importance of compassion and reaching out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2021
‘Terminal Boredom’ is a treasure trove of Izumi Suzuki’s subversive science fiction
Izumi Suzuki, a prolific writer of speculative science fiction and a counterculture figure in the 1970s and '80s, has gone largely overlooked by modern readers — until now.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 20, 2021
In ‘Klara and the Sun,’ Kazuo Ishiguro questions what it means to be human
There’s a moment in “Klara and the Sun,” Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, in which the protagonist, Klara, and another character, The Father, are discussing whether artificial intelligence may ever fully replicate what it means to be human. The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 6, 2021
‘When The Waves Came’: Personal accounts from the 3/11 disaster zone
At the heart of M.W. Larson's book of March 11, 2011, and its aftermath are the stories of the individuals who lived through the disaster, bringing to light all that was lost that day.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 6, 2021
‘The Investigation’: With poetry, hope prevails within prison walls
South Korean author Jung-myung Lee's thriller set in a prison in Fukuoka during World War II explores the power of literature and humanity in the darkest of times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 30, 2021
'Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration' creates the man anew
One of the joys of reading about history is the way in which each generation interprets the past through its own perspective. This isn’t simply new facts coming to light or official documents being unsealed — rather, it’s the historian’s equivalent of “the observer effect” in physics: It’s...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 11, 2021
Dealing with a dire diagnosis in a new country
When Niall Breathnach came down with a rare ailment he was sure to get several opinions before seeking a path for treatment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 2, 2021
Exciting books and translations from Japan to look out for in 2021
It's time to put 2020 behind us and look ahead to a new year with a new reading list. Here's a selection of intriguing titles coming out in the next 12 months.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 28, 2020
Craft brewer Sean Collett: 'If you chase two rabbits, you'll catch neither'
The founders of Two Rabbits Brewing Company have brought their corner of the craft beer market to Shiga Prefecture, a perfect place to burrow down.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 21, 2020
‘The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives’: Personal stories present a fresh perspective on Japan
Christopher Harding scales Japan's history down to the level of the individual with portraits of the eminent as well as the overlooked.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 26, 2020
‘The Hole’: A fitting metaphor for a restrictive society
Hiroko Oyamada's novel is a moving and subtle study of the pressures and expectations placed on women.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 12, 2020
'The Japanese Sake Bible': Sake production is 'a business that's all about families'
“The Japanese Sake Bible” delves deep into the history and culture of Japan's national drink, as well as the stories of the people who make it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 6, 2020
‘Echo on the Bay’ review: Weird doesn’t quite do it
“Weird” and “quirky” are adjectives readily bandied about when reviewing Japanese literature. So what happens when something truly bizarre comes along?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020
Japanese books to get you through a lockdown
With "staying in" now the new "going out," housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you’re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics’ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 14, 2020
'Underground': The thematic keystone to Haruki Murakami's oeuvre
In the 20 years that have passed since the publication of Haruki Murakami's nonfiction 'Underground,' it remains both an outlier and a springboard for the career that would follow.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 8, 2020
'The Japanese Linguistic Landscape': Essays on language by the man behind 'Reiwa'
For the student lost in the midst of memorizing kanji, it's easy to forget that languages are molded not just by the sharp corners of reality but also by the careful caressing of poets. What a joy it is then to have this window into the poetic beauty behind some "quintessential words."
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Saitama court bans demonstrations over anti-Kurd hate speech
Kurdish people in Japan in 2015. A court injunction has banned acts that defame the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and are disrespectful, such as putting up banner flags or handing out fliers with hate speech like “Refugees should go back to their home countries.”
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.

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