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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
Oct 8, 2014
Hit play reveals a wife and mistress baring all
English playwright David Hare's acclaimed 2002 West End hit "The Breath of Life" this week launches a new series titled "Drama for Two: the power of dialogue" at the New National Theatre Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014
Read up on books about books about Japan
Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 20, 2014
Nip the Bud, Shoot the Kids
Fiercely lyrical and tenderly dark, Kenzaburo Oe's "Nip the Bud, Shoot the Kids" marked the literary ascent of a Japanese writer whose star continues to shine internationally and at home. Written when he was just 23 years old, the 1958 novel can be read as existential coming-of-age, an indictment of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 17, 2014
Tokyo Ballet's 'Don Quixote' revels in its Russian roots
From its inception, the ballet "Don Quixote" has been a global collaboration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 3, 2014
Bourne's 'Swan Lake' puts a dance revolution on stage
To the delight of the nation's ballet fans, "Swan Lake" will shortly be gracing the Tokyo summer for two weeks — not in its traditional classical form, but in the new-classic guise of "Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake," a revolutionary twist on ballet's most tried-and-true tutu tale.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 27, 2014
Tokyo Ballet turns 50 with a glorious Gala of thanks
Ahead of The Tokyo Ballet's official 50th anniversary on Aug. 30, its website is already garlanded with tributes from international dancers and choreographers such as Sweden's Mats Ek and Britain's Akram Khan — and even from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 23, 2014
A Great Valley Under the Stars
A vibrant collection of subdued observation, the poems in this small volume, "A Great Valley Under the Stars," contemplate meaning everywhere — from a truck-stop toilet, over stones in the New Mexican desert and under the great expanse of sky referenced in the title.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?
Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jul 20, 2014
NPO chief builds a barrier-free world for the disabled and disadvantaged
The founder of two nonprofit organizations in Japan working across Asia, Michiyo Yoshida has become an expert on international philanthropy, teaching courses on NPOs at universities in Sapporo and traveling all over the nation to counsel others.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 14, 2014
'I am Catherine Jane': a book whose value transcends its style
The memoir of Catherine Fisher's horrific 'triple rape' and her tireless 12-year crusade for justice must be supported.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 5, 2014
Sake Confidential: A Beyond-the-Basics Guide to Understanding, Tasting, Selection & Enjoyment
This book is not just for sake lovers; it's a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture. Exploring sake from a variety of perspectives in short but informative essays, John Gauntner here distills his 25 years of knowledge and experience living and working with this quintessential Japanese beverage....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 5, 2014
From the Japanese
This fourth volume of poetry from Tokyo resident Paul Rossiter conveys his 40-year relationship with Japan in collected poems both thoughtful and thought-provoking. These range from the impressions of a startled first-time tourist in 1969 through to Rossiter's visits to Ishinomaki in Tohoku in December...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 18, 2014
NNTT reprises hit 'Rokumeikan' opera based on Mishima play
Midway through the second act of the opera "Rokumeikan," Countess Asako, the wife of Count Kageyama, the conservative government leader, turns to her former lover Einosuke Kiyohara, who heads the progressive opposition party, and emotes in song: "No, we do not talk of politics; it is of love we speak."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2014
One woman's mark on the nation's Constitution
In December 2012, 89-year-old Beate Sirota Gordon knew she was dying. The women's rights advocate and tireless promoter of cross-cultural exchange in the arts was ill at home in the New York borough of Manhattan. Yet, she pulled herself out of bed one morning, dressed formally and sat in a chair to await...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 11, 2014
David Bintley bows out with a 'Pagoda' set in Japan
Challenge is intrinsic to artistic creation, but David Bintley relishes it so much that he specializes in conceiving the unlikely.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 24, 2014
Small presses fill a niche in books about Japan
Isobar Press (Tokyo)Speciality: Poetry
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 23, 2014
Farm life leads to healthy business for Dutch expat
Outdoorsy expatriate lured by the beauty of Hokkaido sets up in Niseko. Sound familiar?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 10, 2014
Kokoro
Peering into the great human divide between the isolated self and the need for emotional validation, Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro" is a psychological glimpse into the "heart of things" that defies easy categorization: It is not a love story, although it retells a love story; it's not a coming-of-age tale,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 10, 2014
What the Sky Arranges
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 1, 2014
A golden time to dine outdoors
Now is the golden season in Tokyo: balmy days, mellow temperatures, low humidity and no mosquitoes. There's nothing better than a nice, leisurely (and maybe even boozy) lunch outside — dinner, too, as long as you bring a warm jacket or throw.

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