All of us like to receive compliments. The Japanese, I have noticed, particularly enjoy hearing praise from foreigners. Compliments in newspaper articles are especially...
The state of emergency in Japan was lifted on May 25. Now, with schools reopening, it is heartening to once again see gaggles of school...
Like many countries around the world, Japan has released citizens from the state of emergency it had imposed to fight COVID-19. Most of the population...
In early April, the American embassy in Tokyo sent out a health alert, urging its citizens to return to the United States as...
Japanese slapstick comedian, Ken Shimura, veteran in the entertainment industry, died of an illness caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 on Sunday March 29, his...
Shibuya Scramble — almost deserted. Empty favorite cherry blossom sites. Shopping centers with doors tightly shuttered. While images of empty streets and...
When you become a journalist, among the inspirational maxims you hear is that “news is the first draft of history.” It certainly is the...
A wild-haired and wild-eyed young man. In one hand, a cigarette; in the other, a baby. To his left, the musclebound figure of author Mishima...
Flawed people, troubled times. Conflict in the street, conflict in the soul. Dark secrets unravel in the neon-splattered backstreets of Soho (London) and Shibuya...
Christmas doesn’t have the same relevance in Japan compared to many other countries, but New Year’s celebration comes close enough. And with it comes a film...
We like to think that fans of music or movies or video games are pretty much the same all over the world, but, in reality,...
A healthy amount of cosplay was mixed into the three-day Tokyo Comic Con last weekend, alongside featured celebrity guests, artists, exhibitions, and limited-edition merchandise at...