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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
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 10, 2019
A new approach to volunteering in Tohoku
When Angela Ortiz describes what it felt like to return to Aomori Prefecture five days after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, she uses words like "horror," "incredulous disbelief" and "intense curiosity."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 10, 2019
Earthquakes: What to do before, during and immediately after
Earthquakes are an ever-present danger in Japan so it is important to be thoroughly prepared in the eventuality that one strikes. Although many areas in Japan publish comprehensive guides in English and other languages — see "Tokyo Bousai" ("Disaster Preparedness Tokyo") published by the Tokyo Metropolitan...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 2, 2019
William I. Elliott's lifetime passion for Japanese poetry
A chance encounter with Shuntaro Tanikawa's poem, 'Humanism,' set William I. Elliott on the path to make modern Japanese poetry accessible to all.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 2, 2019
Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart': A window into modern Japanese poetry
Noted Japanese literary critic and writer Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart' provides a satisfying, thematic introduction to modern Japanese poetry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Feb 16, 2019
Discover new worlds beyond the 'here and now' with Nahoko Uehashi's inventive fictions
Nahoko Uehashi revolutionized the fantasy genre in Japan with her naturalistic works of fiction, using her background as a cultural anthropologist to craft realistic imaginary worlds that garnered her legions of fans across genders and ages.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 2, 2019
'The Lone Samurai': A meticulous portrait of warrior-legend Miyamoto Musashi
William Scott Wilson's definitive 2004 biography, 'The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi' stands out not only for its meticulous historical accuracy, but also for the author's expertise on samurai texts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Jan 19, 2019
Takako Arai's poetry is a relentless 'dance of language'
Takako Arai's poems unravel complicated lives in an ever-widening mesh of humanity, her style retaining an energy and optimism despite her visceral, often disturbing subject matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 29, 2018
Looking back on the dogged nature of canine fiction
To close out the Year of the Dog, why not read some of the best in canine literature in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 22, 2018
Red Circle Authors: Sending Japanese literature westward
Red Circle Authors is a 'home' for a group of established Japanese writers, helping to promote their work overseas while heightening awareness of the great depth and breadth of Japanese literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Dec 15, 2018
Bluestocking magazine: A call for women's empowerment, still resonant today
Covering issues such as poverty and unemployment, geisha prostitution, arranged marriages, legalizing abortion and women's suffrage, the controversial Bluestocking magazine engendered the birth of the 'new women' (shin-fujin) in Japan, and became a battle cry for wider reform.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 11, 2018
While ballet reigned supreme, a range of dance delighted fans in 2018
For a dance-loving country like Japan, every year brings delight in the variety of performances on offer, but the depth and breadth of 2018 on stage has been particularly grand for fans across a wide range of genres and movements.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 1, 2018
Escape from the everyday with Miyuki Miyabe's 'Brave Story'
Miyuki Miyabe's 'Brave Story' tackles pertinent adolescent issues that are juxtaposed against a supernatural realm of fantasy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Nov 24, 2018
'Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal': A triumphant artistic manifestation of Babymetal hits
'Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal,' illustrated by G.M.B. Chomichuk, is a surreal multigenre manga that elaborates on 'kawaii metal' band Babymetal's origin story.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Nov 17, 2018
Touching on themes of loss and longing, Kaori Ekuni's fiction retains a sense of lightness
A prolific writer with over 50 works published in Japanese since 1987, Ekuni's recent novel, 'Geckos, Frogs, and Butterflies,' won her the 2015 Tanizaki Prize. Her two works translated into English, 'Twinkle Twinkle' and 'God's Boat' address issues of loss and longing with both humor and wisdom.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2018
Deaf filmmaker Emilio Insolera flexes his superpowers with 'Sign Gene'
Emilio Insolera's "Sign Gene" gave the world its first deaf superheroes. But after writing, directing, producing and starring in the film himself, you might argue that Insolera is the one with the superpowers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 3, 2018
'The Old Bamboo-Hewer's Story': Deeply ingrained in the Japanese cultural imagination
"Taketori Monogatari," or "The Old Bamboo-Hewer's Story," is a fascinating piece of early Japanese literature, well worth the short read. Written in the 10th century, it is one of the earliest known Japanese prose narratives, and the story recounts the beloved folktale of the bamboo princess, Kaguya....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Oct 20, 2018
Fierce and inventive, Yuko Tsushima's oeuvre goes beyond the 'I-novel' genre
Early on, Yuko Tsushima broke the boundaries of the traditional Japanese I-novel, giving voice to a voiceless minority by authentically depicting the struggles of single mothers in society as a single mother herself.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Oct 13, 2018
Nahoko Uehashi's 'The Beast Player': Fantasy grounded in nature
Beautifully written, thought-provoking and utterly immersive, Nahoko Uehashi's 'The Beast Player' uses the genre of fantasy to question the political realities of human tyranny over the natural world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 6, 2018
'Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts': Deliciously sinister, beautifully illustrated supernatural tales
Hard-boiled, multifaceted writer Joel Rose paired up with the late Anthony Bourdain to pen 'Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts,' an illustrated collection of fright and food evoking the Japanese kaidan (ghost story) tradition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 29, 2018
John Okada's 'No-No Boy': Once overlooked, now a classic tale of identity
'No-No Boy,' a 1957 novel by Japanese-American writer John Okada, unravels the complicated, varied perspectives of Japanese-Americans in the aftermath of World War II under the shadow of the internment camps of the American northwest.
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.
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The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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