Science is the art of seeing reality without distraction. Politics—the need for the world to be a certain way—is one of science’s biggest enemies. This...
The Overlooked Itō Jakuchū When you hear the words “Japanese art,” what comes to mind? For some, it might be the sumptuous golds, haughty...
Flower petals fall, but the flower endures. The form perishes, but the being endures ー a saying of Buddhist philosopher Kaneko Daiei. Originally written...
This fascinating book is the story of the last generation of people to know the thriving metropolis of Edo before it became Tokyoーpeople who counted...
The Chinese novelist Yang Yi (real name Liu Qiao) — so far the only non-Japanese national to ever win the prestigious Akutagawa Prize (2008)...
Out of the way and nestled in the foothill forests of the Shima peninsula, Ise is home to the inner and outer Ise shrines. An...
The recently-released memoirs of United States President Donald J. Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton is causing a major storm, like other tell-all...
There is a new book out with original source information on Korean comfort women. American Soldiers Witnessed Korean Comfort Women-”Flowers of the War” (2020) contains...
It is a well-known story that Japan’s transformation from a largely closed nation, sakoku, into a powerful international presence in such a short period...
No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners is a short 127-page easy-to-read book that provides the reader with a tapestry of engaging experiences of a foreigner living...
The Japanese language school I attend in Yokohama has been conducting lessons online for over a month now. And despite my initial misgivings...
In January of this year, Mitsubishi Electric and NEC, both of whom do classified defense-related work for Japan’s Ministry of Defense, separately announced that they...
