LILLY WEBBER WRITES – While Japanese animation has become popular in mainstream American culture and internationally as a result of the rising accessibility of anime, this has not always been the case. Due to the previous lack of access to options of watching anime in America, purchasing bootleg VHSs from…
Full Article JAPAN ANIME: WHY NETFLIX IS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE SHOWDOWN
TOM PLATE WRITES — There’s often little more than a thin line between admirable principle and annoying stubbornness, and that line is not always easy to identify. Lost in the miasma of mutually exclusive righteousness, each side says the other is wrong or evil or both. The tragic consequence is that…
Full Article Hong Kong: WHEN THE ‘PRINCIPLE’ OF THE THING IS THE PROBLEM OF THE THING
NILE BROWN WRITES — Broad shoulders, billowy trousers and bold neon colors permeate AMBUSH’s recently released Spring/Summer 2020 lookbook. At first look, it may appear that the Tokyo based fashion label has recontextualized styling techniques popularized in the 80s, but head designers Verbal and Yoon Ahn take it a bit…
Full Article AMBUSH IN TOKYO: FASHION GETS CORNERED BY CULTURE … BUT BY HAPPY DESIGN
TALIN DEROHANESSIANS WRITES –For the first time in nearly 40 years, a Catholic Pope visited Japan. The date was November 23, and the top items on the agenda were environmental protection and peace. While there Pope Francis met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace and with Shinzo Abe,…
Full Article JAPAN: PEACE-MESSAGE BEARING POPE FRANCIS DAZZLES TOKYO TOWN
TALIN DEROHANESSIANS WRITES — It’s no surprise that women in Japan are held to strict beauty and dress standards. Now they have been banned from wearing glasses to work. Working women already must follow a strict dress code, including high heels, which sparked the #KuToo movement. According to the Vision Council…
Full Article WITH OR WITHOUT GLASSES, ASIA’S WOMEN HAVE THEIR OWN VISION
TIA CARR WRITES– In recent times, the frequency of interstate armed conflicts has greatly decreased. However, we are seeing the rapid creation of alternative means of enforcing political will, most notably, the weaponization of trade. Ever since the waning of liberal orthodoxy in the global political economy, governments have been…
Full Article TRADE TANTRUMS: JAPAN AND South Korea, SUCH GOOD FRIENDS …
NILE BROWN WRITES –In June, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line of form-fitting, nude-colored undergarments, called “Skims,” made its debut. Finally. Back then Kardashian tweeted about her new shapewear line: “Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work.” Kimono? Where did that come from? Critics, fans, and…
Full Article JAPAN FASHION: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME?
DANIELA GUEVARA WRITES—Despite the country’s low crime rate, there has been a significant increase of 27% in sexual assault in Japan, specifically on public transportation. Women in crowded trains (and other public places) often face sexual harassment in the form of groping during their commutes. In fact, Japanese research shows…
Full Article JAPAN: RIDING THE RAILS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
TALIN DEROHANESSIAN WRITES— Women in the Japanese workforce are required to wear high heels in the office, and they are finally speaking out about it. In some work environments, this is an unwritten rule; in others, it is written in the company handbook. The 2-3-inch heel requirement at work has long…
Full Article JAPAN’S #KuToo: WHY DON’T MEN HAVE TO WEAR HIGH HEELS IN THE OFFICE, TOO?
JOSEPH LITTUA WRITES—Joji, a Japanese-Australian R&B singer, is not your classic success story. In fact, one might argue that he is not yet a star. But his transition from dark social commentary via his old Youtube Channel, TVFilthyFrank, to the music that he is known for today is somewhat astonishing.…
Full Article MUSIC REVIEW: IS ‘JOJI’ ABOUT TO BECOME ‘FILTHY’ RICH?!!
MICHELLE DOR WRITES– A 34-year- old man in Tokyo named Yusuke Taniguchi with something of a genius memory allegedly stole credit card information from 1,300 customers to enrich himself. While the total amount of loot didn’t actually make him rich, the amazing way that he did it has made him…
Full Article JAPAN: THE TOKYO MAN WHO TRIED TO CASH IN ON AN EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY
ANDREA PLATE WRITES – Retired Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath served 20 years in the Marines, flew 89 combat missions and dropped bombs on Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Now, she’s aiming for a bigger target: the Senate seat of Republican Majority leader Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving US Senator from the…
Full Article U.S. POLITICS: BOMB-DROPPING WOMEN FLYING HIGH IN AMERICA’S GENDER WARS
NICOLE ALAVERDIAN WRITES – The G20 Summit, held June 28th and 29th in Osaka, garnered the attention of the international community as top government officials from each member country came together to talk about pressing global issues. Some topics on the agenda: the trade war debacle and climate change. Japan,…
Full Article TOKYO: ARE YOU LEADING US, OR FOOLING US? ‘CLIMATE APARTHEID’ ASSERTS UN
ANNALISA DEL VECCHIO WRITES – During last year’s Pre-Fall 2019 show, creative director Kim Jones of Christian Dior collaborated with famed Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama to unveil a series of retro-futuristic fashion pieces featuring signature elements of both experts’ brands. Dior director Jones said in an interview that he was…
Full Article FASHION OF ASIA: Sorayama’s silver Mylar – erotic, hyperreal with displays of desire
TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES– Naomi Osaka, the number one ranked tennis player by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), is the first Asian person to hold the top ranking in singles. The winner of three grand titles is presently facing a challenge off the court–her dilemma? Her nationality. As a dual-citizen, she…
Full Article JAPAN: Will Naomi Osaka Pick Japanese Citizenship or American?