The Story So Far in Fukushima On 11th March 2011, the Tohoku Earthquake (magnitude 9) hit the north-eastern coast of Japan, leading to 15,000 deaths and a subsequent eight-metre high tsunami which devastated several coastal towns and caused the overheating – and subsequent three meltdowns – of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since this dark day, Fukushima...
Here’s our next instalment of ‘Meet the Translator‘, where we aim to talk to translators from around the world. We’re catching up with Louise Heal Kawai, a Japanese to English literary translator. Louise comes from Manchester, UK and is based in Yokohama, Japan. Her most recently translated work is the gripping Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama. Her...
What makes Sega’s Yakuza games the kings of the living, breathing open world? A pinch of love, a dash of passion, and the fascinating real-life counterpart Kabukicho. As has been mentioned previously by the greatest showman in games media, Jim Sterling, open worlds in this generation of video games have gotten bigger and bigger, sacrificing substance for scope...
Kamakura Guide – An Easy Daytrip from Tokyo Kamakura is a small, historically-rich, quaint little town that sits an hour south of Tokyo, on the other side of Yokohama. It is one of the most popular day-trip destinations for residents of Tokyo and tourists hoping to see more of the old ‘samurai Japan’ that we often think of when we picture the land of the rising...
Welcome to ‘Bookstores Around the World‘ where we share some of our favourite independent bookshops we’ve found on our travels. @Wonder, Tokyo Tokyo’s Jimbocho district is renowned for its 300+ bookstores, each offering something unique and exciting. What sets @Wonder apart, however, is its alleyway entrance, bookended (pardon the pun) by near...
When we picture Kyoto, the first thing that jumps to mind are the shrines, bamboo forests, and geisha. It’s hard to believe that a couple of hours outside of the city proper will take you to landscapes to so vastly different, where people live a traditional lifestyle far away from the modern aspects of Japan we know of, or the highly polished tourist trail that we...
It was a little over a year ago that a fourth type of chocolate was created by a genius team of Swiss-Belgian chocolatiers. And Japan – ever the lover of gimmicky foods and eccentric flavours – has leapt on ruby chocolate like you wouldn’t believe. Earlier this year Japan began selling the ruby chocolate flavour of KitKat, and now the ANA InterContinental Tokyo has...
Written by Yukiko Motoya | Translated by Asa Yoneda ‘Tomoko had married him of her own free will. Some of her friends had advised her to reconsider, but most people didn’t even seem to notice that he was straw.’ Two months ago I had already decided on my favourite novel, and novelist, of 2018: Convenience Store Woman and its author Sayaka Murata. I loved this book...
Japan Story by Christopher Harding For any curious lover of history, searching for an enlightening but comprehensive history of Japan, there are many places to look. Just last year, Jonathan Clements published his excellent A Brief History of Japan, which does exactly as it says on the tin. Another book to capture the hearts of many a Japanophile is David Pilling’s...
Directed by Eric Khoo | Japan, Singapore, France Masato, a young ramen chef in Takasaki, Japan, is struck by the sudden death of his father. Feeling lost and alone, he leaves for Singapore, to learn more of his Singaporean mother who died when he was only ten years old. He aims learn how to make the traditional Singaporean Bak Kut Teh and combine it with his...
