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 This tsunami devastated several coastal towns and caused the overheating – and subsequent three meltdowns – of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since this dark day, Fukushima has been …
Japan
Here’s our next installment 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 other …
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 showperson in games media, James Stephanie Sterling, open worlds in this generation of video games have gotten bigger and bigger, …
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 (see our other favourite day trips here) and tourists hoping to see more of the old ‘samurai Japan’ that we often …
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-endless shelves of second hand Japanese texts to peruse and admire, and the store’s attractive upstairs café. @Wonder is one of the newer bookstores in the …
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 …
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 …
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 for its daring to go against the norm, something that is often far more punk rock here in Japan than it is in the West. But as we …
For any curious lover of history, searching for an enlightening but comprehensive history of Japan, like what’s found here in Japan Story, 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 …
Directed by Eric Khoo 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 in hopes of learning more about his Singaporean mother who died when he was only ten years old. He aims to learn how to make the …