author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 01, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Kris Kosaka

Meta

Kris Kosaka
Kris Kosaka, a resident of Japan since 1996, contributes regularly to The Japan Times. She is a lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University in the Faculty of International Studies.
The Mikomotojima Lighthouse in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, was designed by Richard Henry Brunton, a Scotsman who was employed by the Meiji government to build lighthouses across Japan in the 19th century. In "The Japan Lights," author Iain Maloney connects his personal travels and experiences in Japan to Brunton's pursuits.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 1, 2023
'The Japan Lights' traces a journey of self-discovery in the wake of 3/11
Iain Maloney's wise book connects his travels in Japan to the pursuits of Richard Henry Brunton, a Scotsman who built lighthouses across the country.
Cuban American soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as Violetta in a restaging of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” directed by Sofia Coppola in her opera directing debut in 2016
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 8, 2023
Rome Opera's tragic heroes resonate in modern times
For its Japan tour, the company will perform lavish productions of "La Traviata," directed by Sofia Coppola, and "Tosca," by Franco Zeffirelli.
Karen Hill Anton's “A Thousand Graces" centers on a young woman who takes her first steps toward adulthood by leaving her home in the countryside to go to college and live on her own terms.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2023
An intimate portrayal of resisting society’s expectations
Set in the 1970s, Karen Hill Anton’s novel captures a woman’s emotional struggle to bear the pressures of Japanese society while pursuing her dreams.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 17, 2023
The quotidian madness of Mieko Kanai’s 'Mild Vertigo'
Originally published in 1997, “Mild Vertigo” is just as relevant today in its unpacking of meaning within the ennui of our often stultifying, consumer-driven modern age.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2023
‘How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart’: Welcome sustenance for the Japan memoir genre
Author Florentyna Leow offers descriptive musings and pithy wisdom about love, food and Japan’s historical city as she traces the dissolution of a friendship in her new collection of essays.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2023
'Love at Six Thousand Degrees': Slow burn affair unfurls identity and trauma
Maki Kashimada's novel, which centers on two strangers whose sexual connection is complemented by their intimate conversations, is a fitting introduction to her work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 14, 2023
'Honeybees and Distant Thunder' is an ode to nature informing art and life
Riku Onda's vibrant novel follows four characters as they navigate the pressures and joys of competing in a piano contest and examines the idea of genius in the world of classical music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 8, 2023
‘A Kamigata Anthology’: Everyday enjoyments of everyday people
The collection chronicles the rise of the “commoner arts' through genres like travelogs, poetry and easy-reading books that entertained the masses during the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 26, 2023
'Pink Waves': Poetry in conversation with grief and inspiration
Artist Sawako Nakayasu’s poetic composition, which was constructed in front of an audience over three days, offers a raw response to her sources of inspiration and her spectators.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 11, 2023
'The Tatami Galaxy' is an imaginative romp through parallel worlds
Tomihiko Morimi’s rollicking novel about a disillusioned college student searching for his ideal life infuses looping narratives with lightly philosophical insights into choice and destiny.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 5, 2023
'Idol, Burning' spotlights obsession and disillusion in a digital world
Rin Usami's novel about a teenage superfan of a J-pop idol plays with ideas of who we worship, what we find meaningful and what brings us love, connection and purpose.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 29, 2023
Matsuo Basho's complete works reveal the sensuality and innovation of a master poet
Andrew Fitzsimons offers carefully considered translations of the poet’s works, including his famous haiku about a frog in a pond, in “Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 22, 2023
'An Open Parenthesis' finds music in the silences
Philip Rowland’s new collection of poems contains nine interwoven sequences that allow the entries to be read as both separate entities and parts of a complete work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 1, 2022
New Monkey imprint broadens the reach of contemporary Japanese literature
Stone Bridge Press and Monkey magazine have joined forces to expand the literary landscape of Asian writings in translation.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 16, 2022
'The Shining Sea': A layered exploration of fate and free will
Master of horror Koji Suzuki's psychological thriller showcases his ability to write across genres and examine destiny and individual freedom.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 13, 2022
A new life is born from a lie in Emi Yagi's 'Diary of a Void'
Emi Yagi's debut novel, which won the prestigious Osamu Dazai Prize in 2020, offers a penetrating look at the pressures of Japan's work culture and gender expectations.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 17, 2022
‘Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight’: Riku Onda's layered novel deftly juggles genres
Riku Onda's novel shifts from murder mystery to psychological thriller to philosophical dialogue, examining ideas of attraction, truth and memory.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 12, 2022
'All the Lovers in the Night' ignites a spark of hope for lonely hearts
Author Mieko Kawakami imagines love reflecting the properties of light in her latest English release about the universality of loneliness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 8, 2022
Kotaro Isaka's killer instinct for a rollicking good time
The 'Three Assassins' author skillfully plays with the thriller genre, mixing literary fiction with high-octane fun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 27, 2022
‘Don't Worry’: Take a breather from the corporate grind with Zen lessons
Shunmyo Masuno's book of compassionate teachings addresses those who find it difficult to relieve stress, specifically the people caught up in the busyness of corporate life.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Yamagata’s Zao Onsen Ski Resort is a classic beauty
Yamagata’s Zao Onsen Ski Resort is a classic beauty

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER