Prince Genji’s Pole Dances & Romances: Japanese Literature Sways to LIfe
Thus the stage is set for a mystical Nutcracker meets Noh plus comedy, improvisational dance, strip-tease, burlesque and the finest aerial arts and acrobatics. Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji…
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Jake Adelstein
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DJ Police, Save Me Mama Fraud, Big Data: The Words of 2013 Japan
母さん助けて詐欺 — Kāsan tasukete sagi. “Mom, I need help!” frauds are the latest version of scams to target mainly elderly Japanese people. The perpetrator calls the victim claiming to be…
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Book Review: Tokyo Underworld–a classic on the dark side of Japan
There are very few gaijin (foreigners) who know what happens on the dark side of the rising sun like Robert Whiting. Whiting is an American author and journalist living in…
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Japanese rockers sing the truth about post-meltdown Fukushima. Is anyone listening?
"We're living in a material world. A radioactive material world, " jokes the lead singer. "This isn't the future we hoped for." They released their second mini-album "Living in a…
Tokyo Vice: Interview with Jake Adelstein
The thing about the worst of the yakuza—and they're not all evil—is that you can't worry only about your own physical safety. There's a chance that your friends or loved…
What We Wear About When We Think About Clothes: Musings on Japanese Fashion
Back in the late 20th century, the word on the street about Japanese fashion was that it had the lowest f*ckability points in the world. "I wouldn't want to bed…
Top 10 “Trendy” Words To Understand 30 Years Of Modern Japan
① Cabaret Club/キャバクラ (1985) ② It's best to have a healthy husband, who is rarely home/亭主元気で留守がいい (1986) ③Sexual Harassment/セクシュアル・ハラスメント 同義語 セクハラ (1988) ④Old guy girl/オヤジギャル (1990)
“What are the criteria of these possible secrets?” “Well…it’s a secret.” Japan’s Kafkaesque Special Secret Protection Bill threatens to destroy freedom of speech
“this bill represents a great threat to journalism.” A person investigating a state secret and revealing it could be prosecuted and jailed to up to 10 years. The criteria for…
Charity Flea Market for Tohoku November 17 (Tokyo): volunteer, shop, help :D
IMA, a Tokyo-based group that welcomes volunteers of all ages, Japanese and international, will sponsor a Fall flea market, bake sale and full day of workshops on 11/17. IMA welcomes…
日本外国特派員協会「特定秘密保護法案」に抗議「報道の自由」への脅威と糾弾
その上、「特定秘密保護法案」は政府の政策に関する取材でも「不適切な方法」を用いてはならない、とジャーナリストに対する脅し文句も含まれています。これは、報道メディアに対する直接的な威嚇の如しであり、個別のケースにおいて許せないほどに拡大解釈ができるようになっています。