“A young Latino man in Los Angeles teams up with a Japanese restaurateur to try to bring karaoke to America.”
Japan
Posted inEditor's Pick
Honky-Tonk Tokyo
Country music became popular in Japan after World War II. Today, Tokyo has a vibrant underground country music scene.
Posted inFeatured, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Uncategorized
Japan’s Lonely Cherry Blossoms
Millions of people turn out to see Japan’s famous sakura blossoms. This year, Covid-19 kept the usual crowds at home, though the blossom makes a fitting metaphor for evanescence.
Posted inCurrent Events, Featured, Highlight, Quote Posts, Quotes
‘Hand to hand to hand’: How Coronavirus Spread Aboard the Diamond Princess
“…the ship…provided the world’s best data set on the virus, confirming crucial facts about how the disease spread, especially through asymptomatic carriers.”
Posted inStory
Japan: A Longform Reading List of Longform Writing
Armchair travel is more important than ever, now that pandemic has forced us to stay indoors. Reading can take you across the ocean.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Featured, Nonfiction, Story
Escaping Coronavirus Lockdown Through a Stranger’s Solitary Walks on YouTube
Under self-quarantine, Aaron Gilbreath ‘moves’ freely with the help of Rambalac’s video travelogues.
Posted inFeatured, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
Can Japan Break Its Addiction to Disposable Packaging?
One of the most technologically advanced countries in the world pays a high ecological price for its many culinary conveniences.
Posted inNonfiction
Can We Ever Make It Suntory Time Again?
Excellent Japanese whiskies were easy to come by, until suddenly they weren’t. What happened? And why can’t one whisky aficionado let go?
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, History, Nonfiction, Story
The Corpse Rider
“I could see the ghosts,” recalled Lafcadio Hearn about his early childhood. Late in life, he became a celebrated chronicler of Japan’s folk tales: stories of strange demons and lingering visitations.
Posted inCurrent Events, Essays & Criticism, Feature, Featured, Story, Travel
Notes on Citizenship
Nina Li Coomes reckons with the quandary of citizenship and the meaning of home.