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April 01, 2025
 

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Kris Kosaka

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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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Jan 16, 2021
Jeffrey Angles: Being a translator is an honor and a responsibility
Not only is Jeffrey Angles an award-winning translator of contemporary Japanese works, he’s also an award-winning Japanese poet. In 2017, the American writer received the Yomiuri Prize for Literature for his collection of poems written in Japanese, "Watashi no hizukehenkosen" (“My International Date...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 26, 2020
‘Love Child’: A labor of love 20 years in the making
Rakuko Rubin's collection of short stories that traverse bicultural themes and universal mileposts in life was translated by her husband, Jay Rubin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2020 in review
Dec 19, 2020
Our critics’ favorite books published in 2020
As 2021 approaches, six Japan Times book reviewers look back on their top reads released in English this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Dec 12, 2020
For Meredith McKinney, translations must be ‘as natural as breathing’
Inspired by haiku translated by R.H. Blythe, Meredith McKinney studied Japanese, moved to Kyoto and eventually built up a career in translating Japanese literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 28, 2020
'There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job': How hard is it to find meaning in the modern workplace?
In Kikuko Tsumura's surreal and humorous novel, “There's No Such Things as an Easy Job,” an unnamed narrator sets her sights on trivial work after giving up her 14-year career.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Nov 14, 2020
Michael Emmerich: Wisely navigating the levels of translation
The UCLA professor and professional translator says there is a distinct pleasure in developing work in prose styles that are not his own.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 31, 2020
Calling out the U.S. military for ‘Poisoning the Pacific’
Journalist Jon Mitchell has spent 10 years probing the contamination of the Asia-Pacific region by the American and Japanese governments.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Oct 17, 2020
Motoyuki Shibata is always ready to listen to writers’ voices
The founder of the literary magazine Monkey says a translator's first priority should be to honor the pleasure of reading.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 3, 2020
Sayaka Murata's 'Earthlings': Alienated misfits fight against the ties that bind
Sayaka Murata's latest novel is an incisive expose of societal pressures and expectations, and touches on taboo topics such as abuse and incest.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 26, 2020
‘Reconciliation’ is an exemplar of the introspective I-novel genre
Naoya Shiga's confessional, autobiographical novella stands the test of time with its themes of relationships, grief and aging.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Sep 19, 2020
Polly Barton: A heart set on literary translation
The Bristol-based translator balances art-related texts with literary translation and has just finished her first original work, “Fifty Sounds.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 5, 2020
‘Astral Season, Beastly Season’: The ambiguity and conflicting extremes of being a teenager
Poet Tahi Saihate's novel centered on adolescence offers an authentic yet compassionate view of searching for meaning and human connections.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
Aug 22, 2020
Jay Rubin: An academic’s path to translation
To introduce our readers to translators of Japanese literature, we'll be highlighting one working translator each month, starting with Jay Rubin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 8, 2020
Chilling Japanese ghost tales with contemporary twists to help you beat the summer heat
Here's a look at modern takes on Japanese ghost stories that will give you chills and thrills during Japan's spookiest time of year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 8, 2020
‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’: New translation of Japan’s favorite witch delivers
Emily Balistrieri's English translation brings the magical adventures of an adolescent witch to a new generation of readers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2020
‘Hojoki’: The paradox of desire and detachment in recluse literature
Kamo no Chomei's 'Hojoki' taps into the universal appeal and cognitive dissonance of a fundamental question of Buddhism: Can humans ever eliminate desire and attachment?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2020
'Breasts and Eggs': Not just some elevated piece of literary chick-lit
“Breasts and Eggs” emerges as a triumph of storytelling that champions the power of storge (Greek for familial love) — between sisters, between father and son or mother and daughter, between friends and colleagues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Apr 18, 2020
Satoshi Kitamura’s key to children’s literature? Making complex ideas simple
To round out our series on Japanese children's books, this month we profile Satoshi Kitamura, who has authored more than 20 books in his award-winning career as a writer and illustrator of children's literature.
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.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Mar 28, 2020
'The Salaryman' review: Spilling the secrets of Japan's everyman
Alongside its humor, Michael Thuresson's recent memoir, "The Salaryman," provides an insightful look at Japan's corporate workforce. In 2008, Thuresson was a 32-year-old product manager at a small LA software startup who suddenly landed a high-paying job with a Japanese corporation of over 50,000 employees....
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
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