Let’s have a war! The reincarnation of a war criminal, The LDP, and militarising Japan
“Rich nation, strong army” (fukoku-kyohei) was the nineteenth-century slogan the ruling elite used to rapidly industrialize in the advent of the Meiji period to protect national interests against Western colonial…
Japan’s Peace Constitution, Article 9, And Why Abe Wants To Dismantle It: A short primer
RENUNCIATION OF WAR Article 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and…
State Shinto Nightmares in Abe’s Japan
Like many foreigners observing the Moritomo Gakuken scandal play out, I am fascinated by the interplay between Shinto, nationalism, and government. There are questions that come with the scandal: Why…
Abe-Japan’s Time Machine Back To The Nazi Era
In the summer of 2013, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, famous for his verbal gaffes declared in a speech to his political supporters, “Germany’s Weimar Constitution was…
Sex, Marshmallows and Cryptocurrency
Here is a trilogy of articles about porn, love, bondage, dominatrix, cryptocurrency, Japan and marshmallows. It’s been a hard week. BDSM For Cheap https://t.co/xxI3cAoHmN White Day https://t.co/ZCVtcurBcD The Price of…
Love Hotels Are Not Meeting Rooms. #MeToo doesn’t take off in Japan’s Hollywood
I’m a female actor in Tokyo. I thought I was safe from the filth of Hollywood, safe here in “innocent” Japan. But the truth is that Japan’s entertainment business is…
Japan’s Pakuchi (Coriander) Craze is Just Crazy! But Also Crazy Delicious!
Pakuchi or ‘パクチー’ is derived from a Thai sounding word ‘Pakchee’ meaning coriander. It is an herb seen in many Thai dishes, either sprinkled on top or put in the…
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6 murderers are paroled in a small Japanese town. Will they bring the place back to life or bring more death? See “The Scythian Lamb”
Rumor has it that since the early nineties, rural towns have been recruiting parolees to become part of the local populace. This information cannot be verified. The people involved will…
Japan’s Season Of Culinary Death Is Almost Over; Goodbye And Thanks For All The Mochi
Mochi are a glutinous Japanese specialty, often turned into a dessert, made from pounded steamed rice that Japanese usually eat to celebrate the coming New Year and other festive occassions.…
The Anger You Feel Towards A You Tuber Won’t Stop Another Suicide in Japan. What could?
" Logan Paul is an idiot, but imagine if all the internet's anger towards him was re-directed to the Japanese government to hold them accountable for a culture of suicide…