author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 01, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@ericdmargolis

Eric Margolis
Eric Margolis is a writer, book editor and translator from Japanese who is based in Nagoya. His writing has been published in The Japan Times, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Slate, The New Republic, Tokyo Weekender and elsewhere.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 29, 2022
Cherry blossoms, cranes and the language of Japanese symbols
The bald eagle of the United States and the orchids of China have deeper meanings in their respective cultures. What items do the Japanese give symbolic weight to?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2022
Li Kotomi's 'Solo Dance' flows across prose and borders
A beautiful translation by Arthur Reiji Morris of 'Solo Dance' will solidify Li Kotomi's place in the next generation of Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 15, 2022
Yukio Mishima's dark satire obscures the light of humanity
'Beautiful Star,' a novel that the writer considered to be his masterpiece, is an absurd parody of society.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 6, 2022
The ‘nuclear’ terms you should know when discussing current affairs
Nuclear issues are always in the news. If you want to get into discussions on these topics, it's good to know your vocabulary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 3, 2022
Chesil's coming-of-age tale gives voice to the silenced
'The Color of the Sky Is the Shape of the Heart' is a short but heartfelt novel that tells an explicitly Zainichi story.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 5, 2022
The murky metaphors of 'Drive My Car' are a good way to venture into reading Japanese
Metaphors and similes are an important part of any language, but they're also a huge part of “Drive My Car.” Here's a look at how to break them down in Japanese.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 24, 2022
Landed a gig teaching in Japan? You may need a crash course in curriculum creation
Schools that are under strain from both budget shortfalls and the pandemic don't have time to walk new teachers through every step of the process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 21, 2022
Translator trip-ups: What do they mean for learning Japanese?
Have you ever had trouble precisely translating a word? While it may prove difficult in the moment, you're likely getting a free lesson in Japanese culture.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 17, 2022
What you need to know about the omicron surge in Japan
The number of new COVID-19 cases is rising and while you're not as likely to be hospitalized, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 13, 2021
Park life: Growing Japan's green spaces through private investment
Green spaces nationwide increased fivefold between 1970 and 2010, but that growth has slowed to a trickle over the past decade.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 6, 2021
An Afghan in Japan's plea to the world
What would you do if you woke up safe and sound in Japan only to learn that your home country was collapsing into chaos?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 28, 2021
What temples and shrines mean to an outsider
Temples and shrines offer a closeness with nature that can provide spiritual comfort to those who are far from their own religious communities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 26, 2021
When Japanese borrows the words from another language, but not their meanings
Loanwords can prove tricky in Japanese. Once a word is imported, it can take on a whole other meaning to that of the language it originated in.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 3, 2021
How Japan is already being impacted by climate change
Japan Times contributor Eric Margolis walks us through how Japan is already being affected by climate change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 4, 2021
Creativity and collaboration flourish at the Japan Writers Conference
Being held online for its second year, the Japan Writers Conference helps budding artists with the practicalities of the creative process.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 30, 2021
Words that mean how they sound: The power of onomatopoeia
You may not understand exactly what's being said when you hear onomatopoeic words in Japanese, but you'll most likely have an idea of what they mean based on how they sound.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 20, 2021
New job? Be sure to read the fine print
Foreign teachers of English in Japan are good at sharing cautionary tales on messenger boards, but the best thing you can do to avoid any pitfalls is read your contract.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 6, 2021
Using Japanese to discuss victory and defeat at the Tokyo Olympics
It's not accurate to say that anyone who doesn't medal at the Olympics is a loser, but the language of winning and losing is very much a part of Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 23, 2021
Explore the vocabulary of beginnings ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics may have you thinking about new beginnings and fresh starts. It's time to raise the curtain on some new vocabulary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 9, 2021
Grow your Japanese with care, like the plants in a garden
Before you start planting seeds, make sure you know if you want 'yasai' or 'hana' — and make sure you know what those even are.
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.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
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
By Johan Brooks

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high
Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER