TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES — Every February, locals and tourists gather in Sapporo, Japan for a week of festivities celebrating the Sapporo Snow Festival. This year’s event, running from February 4th to the 11th, will mark the 70th anniversary of the festival. For its 70th Anniversary, the Snow Festival featured over 200…
Full Article Japan: When it Comes to Snow, It’s the Northern Regions That Are in the Spotlight!
KAISARA WALTON WRITES — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China some six weeks ago certainly set a positive tone internationally. At the same time, though, it marked China’s continual growth on the world stage. That’s good for Japan, and China, perhaps. But shouldn’t the United States be concerned?…
Full Article JAPAN: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Visit to China – A Foreshadowing of the Future
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – According to the Pew Research Center, more than 70% of Americans worry about the future of robotics. Based on the results of this survey, few will be enthusiastic to hear that robots are officially one step closer to taking over the world. Case in point: By…
Full Article JAPAN: Robots Set to Take Over the World
DYLAN RAMOS WRITES – Looks like all those prayers and shrine visits fans made for Yuzuru Hanyu’s victory sure paid off. Oh, and more than a bit of practice, I’m sure. As for what happened on February 17, Jack Gallagher might have already put it best for The Japan Times,…
Full Article JAPAN: YUZURU HANYU, ICING HIS PLACE IN THE PANTHEON OF SKATING LEGENDS
DYLAN RAMOS WRITES – In early January, a tanker carrying 32 people and nearly a million barrels of condensate — an ultra-light, highly flammable oil — was struck by a Chinese bulk freighter east of Shanghai. The freighter, Sanchi, caught fire and burned for nearly a week as it floated…
Full Article EAST ASIA: OIL SPILL IN EAST SEA– A QUIET DISASTER
JACQUELINE DILANCHYAN WRITES – Japan’s Kei Nishikori made a highly anticipated return to professional tennis this January, but it wasn’t the expected Australian Open, this season’s first Grand Slam, where he made his awaited comeback. Instead, Nishikori made his comeback at the ATP Challenger Tour Event in Newport Beach, which…
Full Article JAPAN: Japan’s Nishikori Returning to ATP… the Smart Way
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, invited Ivanka Trump to speak about female empowerment at the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo recently. Ivanka Trump, daughter of current U.S. President Donald Trump– a man infamous for repeated offenses and disrespectful comments against women – spoke about the…
Full Article JAPAN: IVANKA TRUMP AND SHINZO ABE AND THE LAND OF THE RISING BALONEY!
TOKYO (excerpted, courtesy of the Washington Post) — Yuka Ogata wanted to make a point about the challenges working women face in Japan. The men on the Kumamoto Municipal Assembly proved her point for her — entirely inadvertently. The 42-year-old assembly member, on her first day back at work after…
Full Article JAPAN: OH BABY! YOU REALLY HAVEN’T COME SUCH A LONG WAY
KATRINA CROSBY WRITES – On one side of you, there is a zombie, and on the other– a futuristic robot. All at once, a sexy cop smiles from across the aisle while she slips back into conversation with Sailor Moon. Where is this? None other than one of Japan’s infamous…
Full Article JAPAN: SCARY HALLOWEEN TRAINS BACK ON TRACK
CJ STONE WRITES – In the aftermath of the Las Vegas mass shooting that left more than 50 people dea, a debate is underway over why such acts continue to occur. In the process, “the media” is being singled out by some for, if not causing the problem, at least…
Full Article JAPAN: MEDIA TO BLAME FOR MASS SHOOTINGS? JAPAN SAYS NO!
KATRINA CROSBY WRITES – Everyone can recognize that signature disk — its circular shape with its slight grooves and its deep black color. The vinyl record, in all its glory, is a true musical phenomenon. Generations old and young acknowledge it as the pinnacle of music platforms. While older folks…
Full Article JAPAN: TABLES HAVE TURNED FOR SONY MUSIC
RYAN DAO WRITES — After a long 12-year hiatus, the legendary king of monsters makes his triumphant return of the silver screen with “Shin Godzilla” (“Shin Gojira,” or internationally known as “Godzilla Resurgence”), a modern-take on a classic Japanese icon. “Shin Godzilla” is the 29th installment in the Godzilla franchise…
Full Article JAPAN: GODZILLA’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – It was quite a familial setting – he sat at the head of the table over lunch as he recounted episodes in his 83 years of life in a calm but assured manner. No, this was not my grandfather, but renowned Japanese journalist, Fumio Matsuo. There…
Full Article JAPAN: JOURNALIST FORETELLS
KATE BARKLEY WRITES – Pens, apples, and pineapples were ordinary items until they came to comprise a PPAP or Pen Pineapple Apple Pen in DJ Kosaka Daimaou’s viral video. Posted almost over a month ago on August 25th, Japanese comedian/DJ Kosaka Daimaou sings about combining fruits with pens in a…
Full Article JAPAN: FUNNY ASIAN MEN TAKE OVER THE INTERNET
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – Japan and Saudi Arabia each want a better economy. To get there, they’ve just doubled down on closer bilateral relations and deeper cultural ties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Tokyo September 1 to sign a handful of agreements…
Full Article JAPAN AND SAUDI ARABIA: THE TIES THAT BIND
GUEST LULLY MIURA WRITES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO – Koike Yuriko became the first female governor of Tokyo in a surprise landslide earlier this month. The election was held following a money scandal involving the former governor. While Koike’s victory is a step forward for women in Japan, it could…
Full Article JAPAN: THE NEWEST POLITICAL STAR