In Praise of Inauthenticity: Ghost in the Shell
In Japan, which has made cultural appropriation a national strategy for the last 150 years, such thinking makes no sense
North Korean Assassination: The Novel!
“Through the seething jungles of Mindanao, across the baking emptiness of Mongolia and into the Dear Leader’s personal pleasure dome.”
From Endo to Dylan: TV Ads Bridge the Cultural Divide
Ground-breaking film director Nagisa Oshima, peddled cockroach-repellent and air-freshener.
Martin Scorsese’s Searing “Silence”
Scorsese’s favoured milieu is the “mean streets” of inner city America, where he grew up, with their violence, profanity and crime
Karma Chameleon: William Empson in Japan
According to the puritanical ethos of the times, this was evidence of gross immorality.
Mao, Trump or Kate? The Value Of Modern Monarchy
We don’t lay off our children or siblings in favour of lower cost alternatives.
Godzilla vs. The Japanese Constitution
Would it be constitutional, the prime minister wonders as the 380 foot behemoth wreaks havoc in central Tokyo?
Silver Satisfaction for Ageing Asia
In Asia, 60 years old is the new 40. In Europe it’s time to wind down for a multi-decade vacation at tax-payers’ expense
The Dead City: Japan’s Isle of Modern Ruin
It is a useful reminder that everything familiar to us will one day be obsolescent too, ourselves included.
The End of the Night: Maki’s Travelling Blues
“When Terayama first heard her sing “When the Night Ends” he felt as if an electric shock had run through him…”