Stories from Quick Reads and Japan
Tokyo Marches in Solidarity With US Protesters #TOKYO4FERGUSON
On December 6th the African American Youth Travel Program (AAYTP) organised a protest against police brutality, racism and injustice in solidarity with the protests around the world.
Adorably Ugly Cats Take Over Tokyo Train
Winners of a popular contest have taken over trains in Tokyo. The goal of the contest? The most adorably ugly cats (busukawa neko) in Japan.
Is the ‘Sky Cycle’ Japan's Weirdest Theme-Park Ride?
Every nation has its own unique theme-park customs, and some build them in rather unexpected places. Meet Japan's "Sky Cycle" ride in Okayama Prefecture's Brazilian Washuzan Highland park.
Japan's Internet Runs on Cats and Dogs
It's said that the internet runs on cats. Japan is no different, although cute dogs can quickly become the subject of massively popular memes too.
Hirotan Forest, an Increasingly Rare ‘Satoyama’ School Connecting Rural Japanese Kids to Nature
As farming communities shrink because of Japan's ageing population, parents in one rural community has resurrected a "satoyama" school to put their children in touch with the land.
Fashion Week Turns World's Gaze on Tokyo
The six-day Mercedes Fashion Week kicked off in Tokyo on October 13 and culminated on October 19. Fashion Week is all about launching hot new 2015 fashions from the planet's biggest brands, with daily runway events and fashion exhibitions. For nearly 20 years Mercedes Benz has sponsored “fashion weeks” all over...
Non-Japanese Who Stayed in Sendai After 3.11 Earthquake Walk for Recovery
Despite being uncertain of what the future might bring, dozens of non-Japanese people decided to remain in their adopted home of Sendai, a coastal city located in the north of Japan hit by massive tsunami triggered by the earthquake of March 11, 2011. Sharing the footsteps to recovery, those standing together...
China's National Mahjong Team Loses To Japan
Mahjong, originated from China is considered a national game. The fact that China's national mahjony team lost the the fifth Open Mahjong Championship in France and finished in 37th place out of 51 teams came as a shock to the country. Worse, the individual title was claimed by a Japanese...
VIRAL VIDEO: ‘But We're Speaking Japanese’
A video skit of a Japanese waitress serving a group of foreign-looking customers who speak Japanese has gone viral. The clip has resonated among many Japanese-speaking expats who occasionally experience how local Japanese communicate with foreigners based not on the language they are speaking but on how they look. Watch the...
Japan's Yu Terasawa Named ‘Information Hero’ by Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders, a France-based non-governmental organization that defends freedom of information and freedom of the press, has for the first time created a list of 100 Information Heroes. From Japan, Yu Terasawa was among them. He is an investigative journalist and has written books exposing police corruption. Reporters Without Borders...
Japan's Citizen Media Meet at Mikawa Medifes 2014
Citizen media makers in Japan are gathering in the Mikawa region of Japan's Aichi prefecture this weekend for the 12th annual citizen media conference Mikawa Medifes 2014 [ja]. Dozens of sessions about civic media will be held at the Kariya City Cultural Center from May 3 to 5, 2014. Themed in...
Remote Hubs in Asia for NETmundial Internet Governance Meeting
NETmundial, which will bring together people from a variety of backgrounds to discuss the principles of Internet governance, is set to be held in São Paulo on 23 and 24 April 2014. It will also have 33 remote hubs in 31 cities spread throughout 22 countries that will allow for...
Manga “1F” Takes You Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant
A manga by artist going by the name Kazuto Tatsuta takes readers inside the crippled nuclear plant of Fukushima Dai-Ichi, or ichi efu (1F) – as insiders dubbed it – a place he himself worked in 2012, a decision he took in a period of financial struggle. The graphic novel...
Lies and Falsehoods Keep the World Go ‘Round in Japan
Twitter user @suzaks1 criticized [ja] the amount of lies and inaccuracies that are making Japanese headlines: ホテルの食材も北の国のレールも何処かの役場の書類もクラッシックの楽曲も国が誇るトップレベルの研究所や有名大学院で博士なるための論文も、みんな虚偽だらけ虚偽まみれ。それでも回っちゃってる変な国。原発だって爆発して当然だわ。国土汚染しても嘘の上塗りで皆を騙せられる便利な国。こえ～ — 須崎真一NoMyCar,NoNukes (@suzaks1) 2014, 3月 14 [Japan is a] country covered in lies: fake ingredients on the menu of top Japanese hotels, railway gauges fabricated in Hokkaido, major symphony music by a fraud composer, and...
Join IGF Japan to Discuss Internet Governance
IGF Japan, the Japanese chapter of the Internet Governance Forum, where people involved in web come together to discuss Internet governance challenges, will be held on March 14, 2014 at Aoyama Gakuin University. Sessions cover topics such as personal data and privacy, emerging generic top-level domains in Japan, and global online...
VIDEO: Fashion Resistance to Militarism
The “Fashion Resistance to Militarism” [ja], a fashion show organized by Asian Women’s Association, a non-profit women's right organization to call attention to the issue of violence against women, took place on December 1, 2013. The full video is now available here.
Ethnic North Korean Schools in Japan Face Ever-Hostile Situation
‘Koreans living in Japan‘ is a vague word glueing very different groups together under the same umbrella term. Based on their affiliation to North/South Korea and the timing of diaspora (whether it happened before/after the Japanese imperial rule during the World War 2 ear), each sub-group goes by a different name,...
Art Arises From Snow-Covered Tokyo
The heaviest snowfall in 45 years hit Tokyo over the weekend. The unusual amount of snow triggered traffic accidents, killing 11 and injuring thousands, and travel was disrupted across the country. However, amid the cold and white, some used the snow to create beautiful, fun and sometimes strange artwork. RocketNews24...
Heavy Snowfall Brings Playtime to Tokyo
Heavy snowstorms hit Japan on Feb 8, 2014. Twenty seven centimeters of snow fell in central Tokyo, for the first time in 45 years. Moro Miya, a writer and a blogger who specializes in introducing Japanese culture to Chinese readers, collected the photos of snowmen and snow-animals that were posted...
Is Japan Alone? Survey on Dance Regulations and Clubbing
Fresh off writing a series of posts on dance club regulations in Japan for Tokyo's city life magazine Time Out, James Hadfield is taking a survey on clubbers around the world: In light of the ongoing controversy regarding clubbing in Japan, where clubs continue to be shut down and harassed...
Korean Comfort Women Issue Explained by Cartoon
A special exhibition on ‘comfort women‘- Korean girls forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese army during the World War 2 era- was featured at one of the leading cartoon festivals in France. It made several headlines as the Japanese government tried to block it, but failed. Korean net users...
