Kat Joplin

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Articles

Thinning up top? Hair loss in Japan is not the end.

Nov 15, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

There’s mischief brewing one fall night. Someone pours some sake and another neatly stacks mochi on a dish with maple leaves as shamisen music softly plays from a smartphone speaker. “What a nice evening for moon viewing,” a friend says. “Yep, that sure is a nice moon,” says the other, gesturing not to the sky but to my smooth cranium. “Big and round.”
Japan’s nasty summer has left you with a nastier sunburn. Now what?

Aug 30, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

What started as a day in the park or fun at the beach has landed you with a red, burning, peeling, itchy battle wound that makes you wonder if humans were actually meant to live on Earth at all. Sunburns are a major cause of skin cancer and premature aging.
Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy

Jul 12, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

Durian Lollobrigida didn’t name himself after “the king of all fruits” for nothing; his resume boasts the titles singer, actor, TV host and drag queen. And over the past few years, Lollobrigida has transformed from a local hero for Tokyo’s gay community into an increasingly familiar figure in mainstream media.
Parasols are an age-old solution to today’s crippling heat

Jul 5, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

While many cultures take sun protection seriously, Japan has surpassed every other in its umbrella and parasol consumption, selling . They can be a terror at times — especially when wielded by a shaky elder on a bike — but daily life in Japan has built itself around their use: stands outside every convenience store, plastic umbrella bags at the entryway of department stores on rainy days, and anti-theft umbrella lockers at some establishments.
How to make it as an English-language author in Japan

Jun 30, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

Travelers, adventurers, academics and dreamers — attend any Japan Writers Conference and you’ll know that the expatriate community is alive with writers of every stripe, but breaking into the industry can be a tricky business. All too many of my friends and acquaintances in Japan fall under the self-described “aspiring writers” label: people who write in private, but have yet to successfully pitch and publish an article, short story or — most formidable — a full-blown book.
Retro barbers, executive facials: Pamper dad with a Tokyo spa day

Jun 11, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

My father can be a tough customer when it comes to gift-giving, and Father’s Day is no exception. I believe this is born partly from his anti-materialist hippie roots and partly from social standards that discourage men from analyzing their own wants and needs. Luckily, my dad is a huge knife and cooking fanatic, so this Father’s Day, I’m getting him a cheese slicer. But not all the dads, grandpas and father figures in our lives have such easy-to-shop-for niches.
K-beauty or J-beauty? The two 'are not so different these days.'

Jun 8, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

Glossy skin, straight bleach-tinted hair, a famous face: South Korea's beauty industry has come to dominate the world over — Japan included. From 2017 to 2023, Korean cosmetology exports have increased 219%, totaling more than $530 billion (about ¥82.6 trillion) and surpassing Japan’s import of French beauty products for the first time.
Drag Kings are ready for their reigning era

Apr 25, 2024 | gaytimes.co.uk | Kat Joplin |Sam Damshenas |Jordan Robledo |Zoya Raza-Sheikh

Drag Get ready for our drag king takeover: a special digital feature photographed by Rebecca Thomas at London’s iconic Bistrotheque.
Outmost - LGBTQ+ travel

Apr 24, 2024 | gaytimes.co.uk | Kat Joplin |Nicole Garcia Merida |Fran Tirado |Alice Morey

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‘Drag is my superpower’: A night of pride for Filipino kings and queens

Apr 20, 2024 | japantimes.co.jp | Kat Joplin

The rooftop bar Commune in Shibuya's Parco building feels more like a club, packed with screaming fans. On stage, drag king Derek Toro’s hair is full of gold glitter as he flaunts his shogun-style robes with a katana for a microphone tucked into a lapel. Opposite Toro, drag queen Auja Vougsh fans herself — she’s worked up a sweat in her rhinestoned bodysuit, green and black wig and opera gloves. Fans of each performer chant the names of their favorite, nearly drowning out the DJ.