From the pioneer of J-Pop to serial predator: Johnny Kitagawa’s legacy of exploitation and control
East Asian popular culture is on the rise, spearheaded by the global phenomenon of the Hallyu wave. K-pop idol music has played a critical part in this: it’s experienced a…
Corporate Turmoil: The Ups and Downs of the Elevator Business
By Henry Rogers Fujitec, a major Japanese company that has been in business for the last 75 years, has come into the spotlight over the last couple of months. Fujitec…
“Tibet is one of the biggest prisons in the world” Filmmaker Exiled by China Speaks Out in Tokyo
By Henry Rogers Between 2007 and 2008, Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen traveled around Tibet, interviewing Tibetans about their plight against neighboring China. The resulting film, Leaving Fear Behind, was pivotal…
Ainu Nation’s Lawsuit For Fishing Rights Draws The Support of the International Indigenous Community
By Henry Rogers In Japan, Hokkaido has a reputation for being the place where everything is better: the beer, the skiing, the milk, the vegetables, even the hot springs. But…
Beyblades X Will Rock Your World!
Beyblades: A toy, or much more? By Henry Rogers Two children sit in a dark basement with stern looks on their faces. Between them sits an arena, a place where…
Taste Testing Blue Muffins for the World’s Largest Nutrition Study
A merciless curiosity to taste mysterious blue muffins led me to volunteer for the world’s largest nutrition study, Predict 2.
Washoku
Once they get married, Japanese women will do pretty much everything they want, because age - looming on the horizon like Godzilla lurching closer with each passing year - justifies…
Tokyo Comedy Bar Opens In Shibuya
After the past couple of years, we could all do with more laughs. Yet when Ben “BJ” Fox proposed opening a comedy venue in the middle of a pandemic, many…
Japan: The Shape Of Things To Come? Find out this Sunday (May 15)
This coming Sunday (May 15, starting 10am), sees a unique event at the Yokohama campus of Meiji Gakuin University and online via Zoom, called THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME, marking the…
May the Force Be With You (May 4th) Zen Wisdom From Star Wars! The Dao of Jedi
May 4th has become an iconic day for Star Wars fans across the universe. “May The 4th Be With You” becomes “May The Force Be With You” quite nicely. (If…