Stories of humans in Japan
Henry Thurlow: From $1 Drawings to ONE PIECE Director
American animator Henry Thurlow on moving to Japan, starting at about a dollar a drawing, directing One Piece episode 1066, and why…
Peter Barakan: 52 Years in Japan, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and a Love-Hate Relationship with Tokyo
Broadcaster Peter Barakan on the phone call that brought him to Tokyo in 1974, helping Ryuichi Sakamoto with English lyrics sent by…
3,000 Bowls In: Brian MacDuckston’s Life in Ramen
American ramen expert Brian MacDuckston has eaten at some 3,000 ramen shops in Japan. He explains how ramen went global, and how…
Battodo Teacher Gensei Kamiide: Why Every Cut Begins With a Bow
Gensei Kamiide heads a Nishi-Tokyo branch of the All Japan Battodo Federation. He talks tatami targets, the history behind the sword, and…
Roland Kelts: Japanamerica, Tezuka, and the Two Japans
Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica, on a childhood between New York and Morioka, why anime is not a cartoon, the "two Japans,"…
Mizunami: A Slip Caster, a Designer, and the White Porcelain of Mino
In Mizunami, Gifu, a slip caster reads clay like a child's moods while a designer restores Sori Yanagi's 1975 tableware to its…
Seki: A Swordsmith, a Chef, and Japan’s 700-Year Blade Town
In Seki, Gifu, a fourth-generation swordsmith prays over his steel and a former chef sells the blades. Two men, one 700-year-old blade…
He Grew Up Hating Tatami. Now He Ships It to 30 Countries.
Fumio Kuboki inherited a dying craft in Fukushima. He found its future by first admitting he’d never understood it. Fumio Kuboki makes…
Tochinoshin: The Georgian Sumo Wrestler Who Rose to Ōzeki
Tochinoshin is the ring name of Levan Gorgadze, the Georgian former ozeki who wrestled professionally from 2006 until he retired in 2023.…
Weaving Tradition into Modern Life: The Art of Tsumami Zaiku
Interview by Leo The traditional Japanese craft of tsumami zaiku: the intricate art of folding and pinching square pieces of cloth into…
Michael Parker: 18 Seasons in Basketball and Life in Japan
Michael Parker is a professional basketball player in Japan. At the time of this interview, published in February 2026, he had played…
Shingo Nakamura’s 15-Year Journey to Going Full-Time: Choosing Music Over Stability
Interview by Leo Shingo Nakamura is a music producer and DJ based in Tokyo who makes progressive house and melodic house, usually…