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December 27, 2024
 

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Matthew Chozick

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Matthew Chozick
Matthew Chozick writes widely about culture both in Japanese and English. He also appears regularly on Japanese television, holds a research fellowship at Kokugakuin University, dabbles in performance art and is the co-founder of a publishing start-up. You can keep up with his work on Twitter or at http://matthewchozick.com/
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 13, 2015
Cultural historian James Vardaman reflects on his journey into Japanese publishing
Between two sips of coffee, Waseda University professor James M. Vardaman comes clean to me about his decades of addiction.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 29, 2013
Good morning Miss Kita-Senju, konbanwa Japan
Perhaps there comes a day in many a man's life when he squints and says to himself something like this: 「まずいなぁ、もう少し度の強いメガネがあったら良かった。この距離だと、あの方が女装している北野武さんなのか、ミス・インターナショナルなのか、分からないや」("Mazui...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 29, 2011
Thanksgiving: food, family, but hold the 'chong chew' turkey
We are flying what seems like dangerously low over Boston Harbor. From my window seat, I see waves crash into rocks, spraying foam, and colorful boats with flapping sails. After touching down safely in the city, the pilot wishes us all a happy Thanksgiving.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 18, 2010
Why not give the oyaji gyagu a rest when in Rome
Perhaps it was the jisaboke (時差ぼけ, jetlag) or a lasagna-induced food coma, but it took time for my mind to register the scene before my eyes — a cosplaying gladiator speaking Japanese in front of the Coliseum in Rome. The Italian sentry — garbed in a feathered helmet, crimson cape and body...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 13, 2010
'Sambo' racism row reignites over kids' play
"Little Black Sambo, Sambo, Sambo/His face and hands are completely black/Even his butt is completely black."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Oct 27, 2009
Tokyoites foot bill for Metro finger-wagging
If you scoot around Japan's capital on Tokyo Metro, chances are you can call to your mind's eye Bunpei Yorifuji's manner posters. You've probably snickered at Yorifuji's innuendo-laden slogan "Please do it at home" and, like me, look forward to seeing his silly etiquette lessons debut each month in the...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 5, 2009
Why Murakami's best-selling '1Q84' is worth the wait
When Shinchosha decided not to run a pre-marketing campaign for Haruki Murakami's new and highly anticipated two-volume novel, the publishing house must have banked on the book creating its own hype. It worked. The void soon filled with publicity and media speculation about the book's only available...
Ex-PM Miyazawa aired doubts about China's democratization to Clinton in '93
Then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (left) and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton meet for talks at the White House on April 16, 1993.
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
Noto quake inspires more focus on getting disaster info to non-Japanese
International students and others participate in a disaster preparedness drill in Osaka City, where disaster information was conveyed in foreign languages.
Japan Airlines reports cyberattack on system, impacting flights
Japan Airlines jets at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in August. On Thursday, JAL announced its systems had been targeted in a cyberattack.
Government plans to sell more JGBs for first time in four years, draft shows
The latest sale plan of Japanese government bonds reflects the government's efforts to fill a huge hole left by the BOJ's diminishing presence in the JGB market.
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.
Start the new year not with one temple visit, but seven
At each shrine and temple, priests create festive, decorative go-shuin stamps, and you can collect the marks of all seven of the lucky gods on one piece of paper (called a shikishi) to serve as a good-luck talisman.
Small letter, big impact: A little 'tsu' makes all the difference
Casual Japanese usage increasingly sees the "i" at the end of exclamations like "yabai" (dangerous) replaced by a small "tsu."
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley

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