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July 25, 2026
 

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51³Ô¹ÏÍøESE LITERATURE

Kasumi Asakura (left) and Chito Kosagawa won the 175th Naoki and Akutagawa Prizes, respectively, for their novels ¡°Kengwai¡± and ¡°Zonbi Kaishufu.¡±
CULTURE / Books
Jul 15, 2026
Chito Kosagawa and Kasumi Asakura win Japan¡¯s top literary prizes
Tech-dystopian fiction and a historical novel claimed Japan¡¯s highest literary honors on Wednesday.
Writer Kanako Nishi was born in Tehran and grew up partially in Cairo and Osaka.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 14, 2026
Author Kanako Nishi is ready for anything ¡ª even the world
The beloved writer is finally getting her due as ¡°Sakura,¡± her bestselling debut novel, comes out in English 20 years after its original release.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 1, 2022
New Monkey imprint broadens the reach of contemporary Japanese literature
Stone Bridge Press and Monkey magazine have joined forces to expand the literary landscape of Asian writings in translation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 31, 2020
Literary magazine Monkey serves up a full meal of delights
Monkey¡¯s inaugural volume features a who¡¯s who of contemporary Japanese literature, with a food theme to tie the contributions together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020
Japanese books to get you through a lockdown
With ¡°staying in¡± now the new ¡°going out,¡± housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you¡¯re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics¡¯ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 2, 2019
Our critics¡¯ favorite Japanese books of the decade
As 2020 approaches, The Japan Times¡¯ book reviewers look back at a decade of literature and their favorite and most impactful books written about Japan or by Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Jun 15, 2019
Children¡¯s author Kenji Miyazawa: Fundamental to the modern form
Author and poet Kenji Miyazawa¡¯s fantastical worldbuilding, poignant text and progressive morals laid the foundations of modern Japanese children¡¯s literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 8, 2019
¡®Modern Japanese Short Stories¡¯ review: A bridge between past and present
A classic introduction to the Japanese short story, ¡®Modern Japanese Short Stories¡¯ is a literary time capsule of postwar Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 22, 2018
Japan¡¯s pop culture and literature drive soft power
Anime, manga and Haruki Murakami may form an unlikely trinity, but outside of Japan they¡¯re responsible for filling Japanese Studies departments and sprawling convention halls with generations of the devoted.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 19, 2017
Ryunosuke Akutagawa: Writing in the shadows of Japan¡¯s literary giants
How a short but fruitful relationship with Natsume Soseki led to the most productive years of Akutagawa¡¯s tragic life.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History
Jan 1, 2015
Donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience
My first visit to Japan was very short, only a week or so in December 1945. Three months earlier, while on the island of Guam, I had heard the broadcast by the Emperor announcing the end of the war. Soon afterward, I was sent from Guam to China to serve as an interpreter between the Americans and the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014
Read up on books about books about Japan
Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn¡¯t usually have much to do with profit ¡ª it¡¯s all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / 51³Ô¹ÏÍø TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 17, 2014
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Tales of the Weird and the Strange
While many overseas scholars are attracted to the retrained aesthetics of Japanese arts and letters, it was the country¡¯s wild and wooly folklore that captivated Zack Davisson, an American writer and translator. While pursuing his masters degree in Japanese studies Davisson immersed himself in the mysterious...
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2013
Ranpo¡¯s novella of a desecrated grave continues to send shivers
There has long been a taste in Japan for the bizarre and abnormal. The experimental Taisho Era was no exception. A desire for sensory experience existed even in cinema. During a funeral scene, for example, an attendant might light sticks of incense in the theater, drawing the audience into the ritual....
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 30, 2012
The wonderful worlds of 100 waka
The scene: England, Boxing Day 2012. The archetypical Carters are relaxing after a cold turkey lunch (with bread sauce) and are watching the Royal Family¡¯s latest sonnets being read on the goggle-box. Time for a game!
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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