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Jan 8, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Tomoko Otake |Kathryn Wortley |Eric Dion Margolis
Without a doubt, one of the most epic things to do in Japan is スキー. And no, that’s not 好き (suki, like/love), but sukī (skiing) — although falling in love is certainly up there, too. Given the famous powder and countless mountains and resorts from Hiroshima to Hokkaido, you can’t go wrong with スキー and スノーボード (sunōbōdo, snowboarding) in 冬 (fuyu, winter). In all honesty, these are not activities that require a ton of Japanese knowledge.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
metropolisjapan.com | Eric Dion Margolis
All of the articles in our Fresh Ink series highlight the English-language debuts of never-before-translated works of prominent Japanese writers. Saho Terao is a musician and writer who floats between the real and the ethereal.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Eric Dion Margolis
As of the final week in October, the newest round of COVID-19 vaccinations were starting to be administered in Japan, and the virus was still very much present around the country. Japan had around 8,000 active cases of 新型コロナウイルス (shingata koronauirusu, COVID-19) and over 800 hospitalized with severe infections — though these numbers are also down from both one month and one full year ago. This 減少 (genshō, decrease) is the good news. The bad news?
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Eric Dion Margolis
Translating video games can lead to surprising linguistic innovation. When Jeremy Blaustein had to translate “現地調達” (genchi chōtatsu, local acquisitions) for Metal Gear Solid, he coined the term OSP or “on-site procurement,” a term that went on to be used by other games and continues to be used today. Video game translation can also be political and controversial.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Alex Martin |Nithin Coca |Eric Dion Margolis
星を眺める (Hoshi o nagameru, to gaze at the stars), 天体観測 (tentai kansoku, astronomical observation) — while stars are the same everywhere, the words used to describe them are very different. There are so many things to see up there in the 夜空 (yozora, night sky), also known as 宇宙 (uchū, outer space) in Japanese, that if you’d like to take part in a good stargazing session, you’ll need a few basic tools — and, of course, some space-related vocabulary. Most importantly, we have 星 (hoshi, star).
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Aug 31, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Eric Dion Margolis
As the recipient of literary accolades ranging from the Akutagawa and Yomiuri prizes to the Shirley Jackson and the American Book awards, Yoko Ogawa is one of the most accomplished Japanese authors of the past 30 years. She is also arguably one of the most eclectic. In Japanese, Ogawa has published at least 52 books with around 19 different publishers, covering remarkably wide-ranging genres and themes, including 14 works of nonfiction plus a translation.
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Aug 20, 2024 | 
metropolisjapan.com | Eric Dion Margolis
There is no English-language author who could weave an authentic tale about a legendary Japanese prince’s journey to the West. And no, not the European west – the west of Hindustan, or India, the birthplace of Buddhism. No Japanese person ever had reached this place, at least as of the year 865, when the novel “Takaoka’s Travels” takes place. But that is the power of translation.
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Aug 15, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Eric Dion Margolis
As we hit the latter part of August and head into September, there’s one question you may hear more and more: 夏休みはどこかに行きましたか？ (Natsu yasumi wa dokoka ni ikimashita ka?, Did you go anywhere over summer vacation?)There’s a lot to explore in Japan, including 47 都道府県 (todōfuken, administrative divisions), 百名山 (hyakumeizan, 100 famous mountains), 260 inhabited 島 (shima, islands) and over 13,000 無人島 (mujintō, uninhabited islands).
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Aug 8, 2024 | 
metropolisjapan.com | Eric Dion Margolis
Osamu Dazai is one of Japan’s literary legends: a tormented and embittered man who drowned himself in the Tamagawa Canal, but who lived on to inspire generations with his earthy, all-too-honest style and gut-wrenching plots. He wrote a number of tiny, fragmentary stories in newspapers and magazines over the course of his life, which have been extensively cataloged and uploaded in the public domain at Aozora Bunko. “The Defeat of Thought” is a dizzyingly bizarre and experimental piece.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
metropolisjapan.com | Eric Dion Margolis
In the previous installment of the Fresh Ink series, we presented a translated excerpt of a story by the proletariat girls’ writer Kitagawa Chiyo. “The Silk Sandals” is a working-class moral fable, written by Kitagawa to teach young children harsh lessons about the world. This excerpt introduces the conclusion to the story. Thus far in the story, five girls have gathered around their favorite teacher Miss Sakaru, who is quitting her job.
