Category Archives: culture

Fun Link Friday: Cultural Icon Kokeshi

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Paula

Kokeshi (こけし) are a kind of traditional Japanese doll, typically created from a single block of wood with a long, cylindrical body and bulbous head. Although their origins are not known, you’ll find them as a staple in souvenir shops in … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Engaging Banality: Stories of the Salaried Life

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Paula

Engaging Banality: Stories of the Salaried Life By Kuroi Senji (Brill, 2017) Engaging Banality: Stories of the Salaried Life by Kuroi Senji features three of the best-known works of Kuroi Senji’s early career. “Hole and Sky” (1968), Time (1969) and Running Family (1970) received widespread critical … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: The Fabric of Indigeneity: Ainu Identity, Gender, and Settler Colonialism in Japan

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Paula

The Fabric of Indigeneity: Ainu Identity, Gender, and Settler Colonialism in Japan ann-elise lewallen For more information, please visit http://unmpress.com/books.php?ID=20000000007984 In present-day Japan Indigenous Ainu women stitch together ancestral values and global Indigenous activism to challenge bitter legacies of settler racism … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Twin Peaks Bento

Posted on August 11, 2017 by LM

Let’s learn how to make a Twin-Peaks themed bento with Twin Peaks star Kyle Maclachlan! Did you know that Twin Peaks was a hit in Japan? Here’s a vintage New York Times article from 1992 about the show’s popularity, and a Food52 article about … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War: A Transnational History

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Paula

Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War: A Transnational History Ethan Mark SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War draws upon written and oral Japanese, Indonesian, Dutch and English-language sources … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Post-Fascist Japan: Political Culture in Kamakura after the Second World War

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Paula

Post-Fascist Japan: Political Culture in Kamakura after the Second World War Laura Hein SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan In late 1945 local Japanese turned their energies toward creating new behaviors and institutions that would give young people better … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: The Uses of Literature in Modern Japan

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Paula

The Uses of Literature in Modern Japan Sari Kawana SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan The Uses of Literature in Modern Japan explores the varying uses of literature in Japan from the late Meiji period to the present, considering how … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Yoisho!

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Travis

People pulling one of the parade floats at Gion Matsuri back in 2010. Photo by Travis. There sure are a ton of “expressions that appear to be a common part of everyday Japanese life but are not usually taught in … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Lacquerware of Aizu-Wakamatsu

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Paula

A quickie fun link this week, given the holiday! You all know I’m a sucker for artisanry, so check out this video that was posted by the Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy in DC! It features the … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Postwar Emigration to South America from Japan and the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Paula

Postwar Emigration to South America from Japan and the Ryukyu Islands Pedro Iacobelli SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan Placing a distinct focus on the role of the sending state, this book examines the history of postwar Japan’s migration … Continue reading →

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