Pandemic Diaries: Reading Over 1,300 Chapters of Hajime no Ippo As far as pandemic-related stay-at-home hobbies go, I wasn’t able to get on the sourdough…
The Best Love Haiku to Read to Your Valentine In between musings on cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, and frogs jumping in ponds, Japan’s literary…
10 Questions With Melodie Cook and Louise George Kittaka, Editors of “Intercultural Families and Schooling in Japan: Experiences, Issues, and Challenges” For most international families living in Japan, the question of whether they should send their…
Karen Hill Anton’s ‘The View From Breast Pocket Mountain’ is the Book Every Expat Should Read (+ Giveaway!) I am terribly overdue in sharing this review of The View From Breast Pocket Mountain, Karen Hill Anton’s…
6 Questions With Polly Barton, Translator of ‘There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job’ For someone who moved to Niigata Prefecture at the age of 21 with hardly a…
Andi Brooks’ “Ghostly Tales of Japan” Delivers Spine-chilling, Yokai-filled Flash Fiction Inspired by the folklore tales and urban legends of Japan, and encouraged by his son’s early…
Photographer Irwin Wong Documents the Rich Traditions of Japanese Craftsmen in New Book “Handmade in Japan” They say God doesn’t give with both hands, but Irwin Wong has a double dose…
Yume Lion Dreams: Takashi Murakami Publishes First Children’s Book Reading books together creates one of the most important bonds between a parent and a…
The 5 Key Genres of Japanese Manga (And The 18 Titles Everyone Should Read) With manga being as synonymous with Japanese culture as sushi and haiku, it can be…
Sushi is Identity: New Book “Sushi Shokunin” Brings to Life the Stories, Dishes and Life Lessons of 20 Japanese Sushi Masters Ten years. According to every Japanese artisan I have interviewed over the last seven years,…
10 Questions With Yuki Tejima, Japanese-English Translator, Book Blogger and Writer I discovered Yuki Tejima thanks to Instagram and its (pesky at times) algorithm. It guided…
Red Circle Authors Shares Compelling Japanese Stories That Fit in Your Pocket If you’ve read everything there is to read in the “Japanese Authors” section of your…
3 New Japan-Based Comics to Follow this Summer Tokyo is an ocean of opportunities, and artists are especially appreciated here. From painters and…
Pandemic Recovery: Saving Tokyo’s Bookstores Printed editions of books, and the independent brick and mortar stores that sell them, are…
12 Heartwarming Children’s Books That Teach Kindness and Empathy For impressionable, wide-eyed, curious children, a book is a gateway to so much. Reading to…