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November 22, 2024
 

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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 / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 18, 2017
'The Broken Commandment': Toson Shimazaki's humanist bildungsroman of a 'burakumin'
A classic from 1906, Toson Shimazaki's "The Broken Commandment" follows the ideological struggles of a young teacher, Ushimatsu Segawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 4, 2017
'Blue Bamboo: Japanese Tales of Fantasy': Between the fantasy and reality of Osamu Dazai
Osamu Dazai packs wry humor and warm humanity into seven short stories, as his collection, "Blue Bamboo," inventively blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 14, 2017
'A Hundred Years of Japanese Film': Donald Richie gives us the long shot
Donald Richie didn't just open a window on Japanese cinema — the renowned film critic broke down a wall and put in a cultural door.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage / Backstage Pass
Oct 12, 2017
Dance forms mix in pair of shows
Like many art forms in our rapidly shrinking world, dance is constantly experimenting with variants of the cross-cultural, extending and blending boundaries into innovative re-imaginings of genre. Choreographers such as Akram Khan, an English dancer of Bangladeshi descent, have found great success by...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 7, 2017
'Kotan Chronicles: Selected Poems 1928-1943': Translating poetry about the Ainu and frontier life in Hokkaido
Poetry can be a vital record of the past. Anarchist and poet Genzo Sarashina (1904-1985) was the son of first-generation Japanese settlers in Hokkaido. Later he became an expert on Ainu culture, working tirelessly to conserve the language, fables and songs of Japan's indigenous peoples and publishing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 7, 2017
'Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan': Donald Keene's memoir is not to be missed
For insight into the heart of Japan, pick up Donald Keene's memoir, "Chronicles of My Life."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 23, 2017
'One Piece': Manga still popular, influential after two decades
Eiichiro Oda's long-running contemporary manga "One Piece" is the undisputed king of Japanese pop culture today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 16, 2017
'The Book of Five Rings': The text that showed many a Japanophile 'the way'
Legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi authored this book in the last years of his life, expanding his 'two heavens as one' double-sword strategies into a complete life philosophy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 9, 2017
'All She Was Worth': Step into a world of loan sharks and debt in modern Japan
Give the lingering late-summer heat the slip and duck into the shadows with 'All She Was Worth,' a classic Japanese crime mystery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 29, 2017
'Japanese Reflections on World War II and the American Occupation': War through the eyes of everyday Oita citizens
The deafening report of war is such that the cries of its victims are often hard to hear, even decades later.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 22, 2017
'Tokyo Geek's Guide': Mapping the epicenter of 'otaku' culture
Anyone on the lookout for "weird Japan" culture, take note.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 8, 2017
'Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8': 'The Reason I Jump' author returns with new English collection
The accomplishments of Japanese poet, novelist and essayist Naoki Higashida are impressive. He's published more than 20 books in Japanese, pens a popular blog and is seeing the release this month of his second book in English — all before his 25th birthday in August.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 10, 2017
'Milky Way Railroad': A beautiful if unfinished inquiry into meaning and happiness
This beloved classic of Japanese children's literature is testimony to the difficulties of translation. The title, variously called "Night on the Galactic Railway" or "Fantasy Railroad in the Stars," is a good example.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 31, 2017
Puppeteer pulls the strings from the sticks of Toyama, with a point to prove
From Toyama to schools far and wide, Jack Lee Randall lives his lesson — that art can thrive wherever people are.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 17, 2017
Dance troupe Condors summon teen spirit for new show '17's Map'
Sitting down with Condors frontman Ryohei Kondo, he says something a bit surprising: “’17’s Map’ is a work in progress.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 13, 2017
'Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era' encapsulates feudal Japan
Those with an interest in feudal Japan are urged not to miss Eiji Yoshikawa's samurai epic, "Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era" — just don't expect historical accuracy. In telling the story of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1685), the famed swordsman and author of "The Book of Five Rings," Yoshikawa's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 6, 2017
'Target Tokyo: The Story of the Sorge Spy Ring': Uncovering a little-known chapter in history
Even some dedicated Japanophiles are unaware of an important international espionage ring that operated in Tokyo before and during World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 29, 2017
'Beauty and Sadness': Yasunari Kawabata's last published novel explores the extremes of human emotion
Yasunari Kawabata's last published novel plumbs the depths of human emotion
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 19, 2017
With parents' support, kids in Japan stamp out stuttering
Thanks to the tireless efforts of an international team of women, an Australian program to tackle speech disfluencies is changing lives in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 15, 2017
'The Just Bento Cookbook': Riffing on the theme of the Japanese packed lunch
Nourishment means nurturing in Japan, and nowhere does this hold more true than in the daily bento.
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.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
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.

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