10 Questions With Katsura Sunshine, Second Western Rakugo Comedian in History Katsura Sunshine made an immediate impression on me. His happy-go-lucky energy was tangible even through…
“I Believe Your Heart Can Be Your Home”: Finding Harmony with Sugizo Being in the presence of a rock god — even with strict social distancing measures…
Dave Spector – “Home is Where You Hang Your Hat” Dave Spector delivers a joke like a Mashiko potter throws a clay bowl – quick,…
Singer May J. Starts the New Year on a High Note May J., a Tokyo-born multicultural singer with her roots in Japan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, U.K.,…
A Quiet Challenge: New Mori Art Museum Director Mami Kataoka On Taking Charge of One of Tokyo’s Leading Institutions Amid a Pandemic In September 2019, just months before assuming her role as the new director of Mori…
Racism in Japan: A Conversation With Anthropology Professor John G. Russell In the early ‘80s, Harlem-native John G. Russell was at a Tokyo psychiatric ward, visiting the…
10 Questions with CWAJ President Jane Grimes It is always a pleasure to speak with Jane Grimes. With Southern charm and a…
Meet Michail Gkinis & The Genre-Defying Fashion Designer’s New Todoroki Atelier Todoroki is, arguably, one of Tokyo’s most charming areas. Famed for its lush valley and…
Zero as You Are: Miyuki Tokoi’s Documentary Spotlights Japan’s Ostracism of Gender Minorities Despite being born a female, Takamasa “Sky” Kobayashi entered middle school officially recognized as a…
“Jokes Are a Remote Form of Tickling”: An Interview With Jimmy Carr As Jimmy Carr prepares for his first show in Tokyo next month, we called him…
A Conversation with Ryu Murakami The acclaimed author’s latest book, Japanese Traditional Events, is a marked departure from the noir…
Piko Taro Pens His Way to a Guinness World Record Stealing SMAP and AKB48’s thunder, Piko Taro has unquestionably been 2016’s biggest headline-maker in the…
Hirokazu Koreeda On The Problem With Japanese Cinema Hirokazu Koreeda is one of the few local movie directors who’s pushing for original scripts…
Owl City: Interview From a humble bedroom recording studio in small town Owatonna, Minnesota (AKA Owl City), singer-songwriter…