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November 21, 2024
 

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Louise George Kittaka

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Louise George Kittaka
Originally from New Zealand, Louise George Kittaka is a bilingual writer based in Tokyo. She contributes to a wide range of news and information media, as well as Japan’s educational publishing sector. When she isn’t at her computer, Louise loves exploring waterfalls, going to cake buffets and collecting anything related to the Aliens movie franchise.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 9, 2017
Thank you, Jean Pearce, for helping us get things done in Japan
If the U.S. had Ann Landers and Dear Abby, and Britain had Marge Proops, then Japan had Jean Pearce — someone who transcended the title of 'columnist' and became a media icon for generations of readers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 18, 2017
Explicit porn pamphlets on display for all to see in Japan's hotels
This week's topic comes courtesy of M.J., who contacted Lifelines after her uncomfortable experience at a Tokyo hotel with her family.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 21, 2017
Don't bank on Japan's lenders making it easy to relocate abroad
A reader shares her experiences with internet banking upon leaving Japan on a temporary basis.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 14, 2017
Unions can offer a hand in dealing with recalcitrant employers
This week's query comes from A.R., who is having some problems with a less-than-cooperative former employer
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2017
'A Girls' Guide to the Islands': A touching reflection on travel, art and parent-teen relationships
Touring art museums with a teenager may not sound like everyone's idea of a good time, and at the beginning of this pocket-sized memoir, Shikoku-based writer Suzanne Kamata finds herself wondering how she can renege on a promise to take her daughter to a Yayoi Kusama art exhibit in Osaka.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 26, 2017
Help for those seeking left-behind parents in Japan
Two adult daughters contacted Lifelines hoping to get help with issues related to their fathers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 16, 2017
Schizophrenia support exists in Japan, but state is wary of stepping in
A reader asks, 'Is there some system in Japan for the police, ambulance or hospital to take an unwilling schizophrenic patient to hospital?'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 25, 2017
'The Sound of the Mountain': Yasunari Kawabata's slow-burning meditation on getting older
The first Japanese winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1968, Yasunari Kawabata, deals with the gradual decline that comes with aging in "The Sound of the Mountain."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 11, 2017
'Twenty-four Eyes': A quiet commentary on the inhumanity of war
Any list of Japan's top 10 films invariably includes the 1954 movie version of "Twenty-four Eyes," directed by Keisuke Kinoshita and starring Hideko Takamine in one of her signature roles as schoolteacher Hisako Oishi.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 5, 2017
What's a visitor with a food allergy to do in Japan?
A selection of foreign nationals coping with food allergies in Japan offer tips for visitors to Japan facing the same challenges.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 5, 2017
No free ride for foreign drivers with disabilities on Japan's expressways
British tourist N.W. contacted Lifelines about benefits for disabled drivers in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 7, 2017
'Falling into the Dragon's Mouth': a poetic tale of overcoming school bullies
In her third verse novel, Japan-based writer Holly Thompson tackles the topical issue of bullying. Her protagonist, likable American sixth-grader Jason Parker, struggles to fit in at his Japanese elementary school after moving from America to a seaside community on the Shonan coast in Kanagawa Prefecture....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 31, 2016
Misuzu Kaneko: A deeper empathy for the natural world
In her brief life, Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930) produced a body of work with themes that are every bit as relevant today as when she first put pen to paper nearly 100 years ago. Ostensibly a writer of poems for children, Kaneko's work reveals a deep respect for the environment and an awareness...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 17, 2016
'Goodbye Tsugumi': Banana Yoshimoto's portrait of a feisty young woman in '80s Japan
Banana Yoshimoto found fame in 1988 when her wildly successful debut novel "Kitchen" was published. Her unique take on contemporary themes and ability to conjure up feisty yet vulnerable heroines was what attracted readers — two aspects that reappear in "Goodbye Tsugumi," her 1989 novel that chronicles...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 7, 2016
Japan's taxman sticks his OAR in, looking for leviable expat assets held abroad
Experts answer readers' queries about the overseas assets reporting law aimed at taxing wealth held outside Japan.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 4, 2016
Riding while foreign on JR Kyushu can be a costly business
A problem regarding buying JR train tickets in Kyushu and a reminder to travelers to get the correct travel documents before booking their flights to Canada.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 30, 2016
Long-term foreign Japan residents must declare overseas assets — and could be taxed on them
Foreign residents who have been in Japan for more five years are required to report any assets held abroad and may have to pay tax on them if their combined value tops ¥50 million.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 22, 2016
'Identity, Gender and Teaching English in Japan': 10 women share stories from the front lines
Diane Hawley Nagatomo, an associate professor at Ochanomizu University, combines meticulous research with rich narratives in her new work, "Identity, Gender and Teaching English in Japan." At its heart are the stories of 10 non-Japanese women working in the English education industry in Japan, ranging...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 28, 2016
Medecins Sans Frontieres Japan calls for end to deadly attacks on hospitals
MSF Japan has launched a campaign, 'Don't Attack Hospitals,' as well a petition asking for the people of Japan to support MSF in their advocacy efforts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 21, 2016
Body image and the foreign female in Japan: survey shows frustration with one-size-fits-all thinking
Survey of nearly 600 women reveals that many feel society places pressure on them to meet narrow Japanese definition of beauty.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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