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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 / Stage
Aug 23, 2016
Flamenco fusion set to fire up Tokyo
Surrender to the heat of September as the Antonio Gades Company brings its sultry blend of ballet and flamenco to Tokyo, showcasing three of its classic works in two separate programs at Bunkamura's magnificent Orchard Hall.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 6, 2016
The life of Osamu Tezuka, Japan’s ‘god of manga’
Osamu Tezuka, the "god of manga," was born in 1928 in Osaka Prefecture. Though he showed early promise as a young artist and storyteller, no one could have imagined how successful he would become. Tezuka is a hero in Japan, a pioneer on equal standing with the world's other great illustrators and animators,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 2, 2016
'The Anatomy of Dependence': Excavating the foundations of Japanese behavior
Takeo Doi's "The Anatomy of Dependence," first published in 1971 and translated into English two years later, remains one of the definitive books about Japanese behavior.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 25, 2016
Gary Snyder: Asia's heavy toll on nature
Enter the mind of American poet and scholar Gary Snyder and watch as time pulls back, perspectives shift and an epoch passes in a single blink. His newest book of prose, "The Great Clod," is a series of essays on Asia's ecological history, combining culture and politics in a way that is, unsurprisingly,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 25, 2016
'Singular Rebellion': the award-winning story of a salaryman gone wild
If you want to get a sense of Japan's upper-crust sensibilities during the 20th century, pick up the 1972 Tanizaki Prize-winner, "Singular Rebellion," by Saiichi Maruya. It is decidedly slow-paced, but the careful prose peels back the layers of Japanese social conventions to reveal a rebellious spirit....
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 22, 2016
Andy Blankenbeuhler on directing and choreographing 'Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat'
What were the particular challenges of reworking "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"? From the very start it was decided we would not be using a children's choir. Often times the show is told to young children on stage, and that device becomes the window into the piece. It took me a little...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 21, 2016
'Joseph' cuts a cool dash
Embrace the summer heat with a rousing musical journey across the arid deserts of the Book of Genesis, as Theatre Orb in Tokyo presents a revival of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," the first publicly performed musical by those masters of the genre, Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2016
Novelist Hideo Furukawa views the Fukushima disaster through nonhuman eyes
After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, critically acclaimed writer Hideo Furukawa experienced an unsettling "imagination meltdown."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2016
'Phoenix': Osamu Tezuka's epoch-spanning manga masterpiece
"Hi no Tori" ("Phoenix" ) is a 12-part masterpiece by manga legend Osamu Tezuka. Started in 1954, Tezuka worked on the manga until his death in 1989. Acclaimed for both its story and style, "Phoenix" rises above the greatness of Tezuka's "Astro Boy" or "Black Jack" — it was, in translator Frederik...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2016
'Japaneseness: A Guide to 76 Values and Virtues'
Love it or hate it, Yoji Yamakuse's explanation of the concepts fundamental to Japanese behavior, "Japaneseness: A Guide to Values and Virtues," deserves a read.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 24, 2016
The Royal Ballet brings two classic romances set to sparkle afresh
In the competitive melee of world-class dance, the Royal Ballet keeps on its toes. Since 2011, when Christopher Wheeldon's groundbreaking "Alice in Wonderland" became its first new, full-length work in 16 years, the company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, has been continually...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 30, 2016
'Barbed Wire Baseball' brings the story of Kenichi Zenimura to life
"Barbed Wire Baseball" is an informative and imaginative retelling of the true story of Kenichi "Zeni" Zenimura (1900-68), the father of Japanese-American baseball.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 3, 2016
An open letter to Japanese womankind
Some advice on how to take the best parts of the stereotypes without becoming one yourself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 22, 2016
Dance icon sets a challenge
Running with the bulls during the annual San Fermin fiesta in the Spanish city of Pamplona, or joining a traditional Ainu festival on Lake Akan in Hokkaido, may seem unusual ways for a choreographer to research — but not if the artist in question is Motoko Hirayama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 12, 2016
'High-Stakes Schooling' paints a troubling picture of Japan's education system
In "High-Stakes Schooling," an important book for anyone interested in Japanese education within a global context, U.S. professor of education Christopher Bjork offers a comprehensive and comparative look into Japan's recent educational reforms. Bjork analyzes the impact of the controversial and deliberate...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 5, 2016
'Requiem' chronicles the thoughts of a Japanese girl in the ashes of World War II
Eavesdropping on a dying girl's inner monologue makes for a painful but powerful reading experience in this classic of Japanese young adult literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 27, 2016
Tokyo's literature festival resurfaces
The Tokyo International Literary Festival got off to a good start. Both the inaugural 2013 event and the 2014 edition were successful, an auspicious beginning to forging cultural and artistic connections between Eastern and Western writers on a global stage. But since the festival's forced hiatus in...
CULTURE / Books
Feb 6, 2016
Once Upon a Time in Japan
"Once Upon a Time in Japan" is an ideal introduction to Japanese folktales. Published by Tuttle with NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the stories in this children's storybook were chosen from a popular series produced by Radio Japan, NHK World's radio service broadcast globally in 18 different languages....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 23, 2016
Barefoot Gen
With the recent announcement by North Korean authorities that they had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Keiji Nakazawa's classic anti-nuclear manga, "Barefoot Gen," once again deserves a full reading — both for newcomers or for those revisiting its brilliance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 26, 2015
Flipping back through the good reads of 2015
Before we turn the page on the year, here's a selection of our reviewers' favorite books.
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.

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