December 21, 2024

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COMMUNITY

Issues

Without Japanese outdoorsman George Masa, America might not have the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — so why do so many people in Japan not know he existed?

COMMUNITY / Issues

Oct 7, 2024

The forgotten Japanese naturalist who created a U.S. national park

By Drew Damron

George Masa was an enigmatic figure, but his contributions to preserving America's natural beauty are unassailable.

An archival photo depicting a CWAJ board meeting from April 6, 1966

COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element

Aug 15, 2024

From the division of war, 75 years of intercultural aid

By Waka Konohana

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the mission of the College Women’s Association of Japan remains straightforward yet ambitious: Women supporting women.

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.

COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform

Aug 9, 2024

In search of the ‘Japanese dream’

By Thu-Huong Ha

You've likely heard of the American dream. In Japan, where no such concept exists, immigrants forge their own ideals.

More tourists than ever are guided around Japan based on the content they consume online, but can those same creators help direct them to less-populated areas of the country?

COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element

Jul 29, 2024

Influencers helped cause overtourism. Can they help fix it?

By Jane Pipkin

“I don't want to use filters or put out content just for the sake of views and followers,” one content creator says. “I want to show people what the real Japan is.”

In 2023, Bryan Eastlake (left) began a three-year contract with the local Takahama tourism association to write, post photos and otherwise promote the small town in northern Kyoto Prefecture to a wider audience.

COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element

May 20, 2024

The new vanguard of rural revitalization efforts in Japan

By Justin Randall

Currently, the Regional Revitalization Corps has around 200 foreign residents working in different industries around the country.

A general election must take place in the U.K. by late January 2025, which means plenty of time for expats abroad to register and vote.

COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element

Feb 26, 2024

As more U.K. expats get the vote, Japan’s ballot box stays closed

By Jordan Allen

As of Jan. 16, Brits abroad — including the more than 17,000 in Japan — are able to register to vote regardless of how long they have lived overseas.

Diagnosed at a young age with a rare variant of glycogen storage disease type IV, Mark Bookman went on to distinguish himself in academia in both the United States and Japan.

COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element

Feb 19, 2024

New film honors life and legacy of disability pioneer Mark Bookman

By Eric Margolis

Free screenings of THE new documentary on Japan-based disability rights advocate Mark Bookman will be held around Tokyo on Feb. 24, 25 and 27.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.

The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

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