Mari Wakimoto

Working as a writer in Tokyo, Japan.
My interests include socialization and commnication of arts.
If there's any topic you want to read about Japan, let me know.

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Latest posts by Mari Wakimoto

As Japan's Star Fades, Many Struggle for Hope

  24 February 2013

As Japan's economic growth continues to shrink each year, the Japanese, who find themselves more and more disconnected from their families and friends thanks to grueling works days and the Internet's erosion of personal relationships, are finding it difficult to put on a happy face.

Historic ‘Tanka’ Poem Rises from Japan's Nuclear Ashes

  5 February 2013

Drawing from contemporary issues, a Japanese blogger writes an adaptation of a famous piece of tanka - a genre of Japanese poetry - originally published in 1957 by an avant-garde Japanese artist, Shuji Terayama. What will you hear in this piece which has been re-created more than half a century after its original?

Decades-old Banned Song Inspires Many in Japan

  23 January 2013

The Annual New Year's Eve music show by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) intrigued many because of a performance by Akihiro Miwa. He sang Yoitomake no Uta (Song for the Yoitomake) which had been banned from broadcasting in Japan for decades.

Japan's Independent Film Theaters are Disappearing

  30 December 2012

One after the other, independent movie theaters are going out of business in Japan. The wave of closing theaters has changed Tokyo's street scenes, people who gathered and spent their time at these old theaters, have lost their place.

Mending Japan and China Relations

  8 November 2012

Following anti-Japan protests in China, official ties between Japan and China are still at an impasse as of late October. While both governments are struggling to improve relations, some success has been seen among civil society. We take a look at some initiatives in this post.

Senkaku Dispute Widens Gulf Between Japan and China

  8 November 2012

Ever since the Japanese government purchased and nationalized three of the disputed Senkaku Islands a year ago, there have been widespread anti-Japan demonstrations in China. Among the hundreds of thousands of protesting across China, some have even resorted to violence. We take a look at some reactions from Japan to the protests and the widening gulf between both countries.

Japan: Imagining Future Japanese-Korean Relations with ‘Free Hugs’

  15 September 2012

A "free hugs" video filmed in Korea by a young Japanese man attracted another round of attention this summer. The creator's intent was to "prove that there is hope for the future of Japan and South Korea". The deterioration in international relations between the two countries, reported upon daily in the media, has been causing a stir recently.

Japan: Generational Gap of Hope in Tough Economy

  27 June 2012

Japan’s younger working generation are leading a very different life from their parents, who prospered in the ‘Bubble Economy’ of the 1980s and 1990s. This generation consumes less, works under stricter conditions, and have less ‘hope’ of their future. Here a working woman in Japan narrates her uneasiness towards her parents’ generation and the society built by them.