Two years ago, I was walking through Tokyo’s Shinjuku district when I was slapped across the face by a thousand rainbows. The Pride parade was in full force, singing and dancing and owning its vibe with, well, pride. To contrast this, the lead up to the Seoul Queer Festival has been marred with pre-emptive protests …
Willow Heath
I was twenty-five and living in Shanghai when I discovered coffee. After two years together at the time, Jess had finally convinced me to try it. Naturally, after having taken my first sip, I pledged a lifetime of prayer to the coffee gods and vowed to experience everything the world of coffee had to offer …
When I was living in Inagi-shi, a once-upon-a-time small city now swallowed up by the swell of suburban Tokyo, I would enter the convenience store next to my apartment every morning and buy a sugar-soaked bun to walk to the station with. The convenience store woman who served me each and every morning at 8 …
Translated from the Mandarin by Darryl Sterk Living in twenty-first century Korea, the animosity levied against Japan by much of the population still holds true today, even amongst many young people. This animosity of course stems from Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Such hostility is arguably understandable, but one article that appeared …
As a twenty-something who has, not for a moment, put learning and discovery behind him, I have spent several years now glued quite earnestly to YouTube as a means of studying things that escaped me as a child. Much like the housekeeper of The Housekeeper and the Professor, one of those things I missed out …
Dystopian fiction is arguably the most impactful, clever, and chilling kind of storytelling we have, but it has dipped in quality in recent years. That is until now, as we get a glimpse into the very near future with Yoko Tawada’s The Last Children of Tokyo or The Emissary in the US. It can take …
Translated from the Japanese by Anne Ishii For the bulk of his career, fifty-four-year-old manga artist Gengoroh Tagame has focussed his creative energy into producing gay erotica. He has been a driving force for gay men in the world of Japanese art, influencing countless gay writers and artists. Tagame has now come out with something …
One thing that is globally known about China, and is undeniably true, is its strict censorship laws and the control which the government has over its media, stretching as far as its social networks. Censorship in China I remember being in Shanghai in 2015 when a tragic accident occurred in Tianjin as an explosion took …
The Palace can be seen at Jeongdong Theatre, Seoul. A beautiful location with a lovely cafe to chat about the show after. We absolutely loved this play (and you can see why in great detail below). It’s on until July 2018 so you have plenty of time to go see it. Honestly, I was open-mouthed …
Wherever you were born and raised, you know that World War II changed everything. You may not have been alive before WWII to know this first hand, but you studied history and you spoke to your grandparents who likely lived through a recession, and possibly a subsequent economic boom depending on where you are from. …