Japanese Zoku: Finding Your Tribe The literal definiton of the Japanese suffix “-zoku” translates to “tribe”. However, it takes on a more nebulous meaning when describing subcultures in modern and contemporary Japan. Take the “bosozoku“, or motorcycle gangs. One of Japan’s more commonly known zoku, they took inspiration from American chopper motorcycles and greaser culture. In this three-part series, we’ll introduce some other Japanese zoku that people outside Japan may be less familiar with. These lists are general overviews and are by no means exhaustive. For this first part, we will look at ..read more

Where once there might have been silence, the voices of the benshi rang out in the cinemas of early 20th century Japan. Narrators have long been present in performance arts like kabuki and noh, adding aural color to the action on stage. So, when the first silent films arrived in Japan, it seemed natural, and indeed necessary, to have narrators for them as well. While other countries employed live narrators, only in Japan did katsudou benshi (活動弁士), or benshi for short, become a permanent fixture in silent cinema. The result was a birth of a skilled profession and cinematic tradition unique to ..read more

Where is the best place to live in Japan as a foreign resident? Naturally, what matters most of all is what you value personally. For exactly that reason, it’s essential to look beyond Tokyo alone. I decided to use hard data to investigate which Japanese cities are best for immigrants and expats alike. For this exercise, existing Japanese livability rankings won’t be of much help. Desirability rankings are typically topped by Yokohama and Sapporo. But measuring how desirable a location is has little to do with how good that place is to actually live in. Measures of satisfaction are more reliab ..read more

You’ve probably heard these sarcastic remarks before, over an image of two amorous same-sex people: “Oh yes, what could be better than this, gals being pals” and “oh my god, they were roommates!” These words are, generally, a reaction to queer-erasing historians. The type who are sure President Buchanan was just a lifelong bachelor with a good buddy named William R. King. Or that famed pirate Anne Bonny and companion Mary Read were just the best of platonic friends. A modern-day lesbian pride banner. (source) Yet the reality is that there is plenty of queerness in history, and Japane ..read more

Life During the Pandemic I originally began writing this essay three weeks ago. While I always intended for it to be an op-ed, I initially tried to take the same approach I usually take with these longer pieces: neutral, well-rounded, and thoroughly researched. As I wrote this essay, however, something changed. Despite a desire to do my journalistic due diligence, I felt my personal feelings — feelings intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic — welling up inside me. The truth is, I’m simply beside myself as I think about my life as a foreigner in Japan. A Year and a Half of Frustration I’ve writte ..read more

This article on the JLPT reading section is part of Krys Suzuki’s series on preparing for the famous and infamously difficult Japanese Language Proficiency Test. The JLPT reading section is likely the most difficult part of the entire test. (Yes, even more difficult than the kanji). Why? While all other questions are relatively straightforward, reading comprehension questions tend to be abstract. What Makes the JLPT Reading Section Difficult? What makes the JLPT reading section so difficult is that, unlike kanji and vocabulary questions, there isn’t always one concrete answer. Readi ..read more

This week kicked off an important annual period in Japanese tradition with the celebration of Tsukimi — moon viewing. The importance of the moon in Japan is apparent in its prevalence in customs and art forms. From rituals and ancient poems to songs and popular anime (Sailor Moon, anyone?), the moon is a key figure. But where did this love for the moon come from? And how does the portrayal of the moon in Japan’s mythology differ from that of other countries? The first volume of the iconic manga Sailor Moon. Picture used here under fair use. The First Moon-Viewing in Japan The history of moon-v ..read more

This week sees the official start of the season known in Japan as tsukimi (月見), or “moon viewing” – one among many beloved holidays in Japan. Historically, tsukimi is associated with the day called juugoya (十五夜), or “full moon viewing”. In the historical calendar, this date fell on August 15th (juugoya literally means “night of the 15th”). It changes by year in the Gregorian calendar; this year, it’s set for September 21st. A Chinese tradition by origin, it’s said that the historical purpose of juugoya is to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful autumn harvest while appreciating the beauty o ..read more

A cafegoer enjoys Melonpan and Coffee in 2015. (CC 2.0, source) This story is about the beloved Japanese sweet bun, Melonpan (メロンパン). However, it’s also a story about cultural and ethnic diaspora. Now, a diaspora – the dispersion of a people beyond their indigenous lands – can span the entire world. Paradoxically, however, they often tend to also be small, highly interconnected places. This story is about the Armenian Diaspora and Japan. And yet, this story brings together Armenian history, American history, Japanese history– including a Tohoku connection– as well as my own personal history. I ..read more

Journalist Ito Shiori shined a spotlight on the shameful stigma surrounding rape in Japan when she went public with her own rape in 2017. That same year, she published her memoir Black Box, chronicling her quest for justice; both for herself and for other sexual assault victims. That groundbreaking memoir is now out in English by Feminist Press. Masterfully translated by Allison Markin Powell, Black Box: The Memoir That Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement is a seamless blend of memoir and exposé. Told by a prosecutor her assault was a “black box,” and therefore impossible to prosecute, Ito extends ..read more