For years, the images of Nahoko Takato haunted me. In the early weeks of April 2004, not one day went by in Japan without seeing her robed in black, blindfolded and physically threatened at knifepoint by the Iraqi radicals Saraya-Al-Mujahedeen. On April 7, three young Japanese were kidnapped in Fallujah. The terrorists demanded that the…

On the stage and small screen, actress Sahel Rosa has an alluring presence that demands you notice her. With her expressive eyes and quiet confidence, she is able to breathe life into the characters she plays with such ease and grace that it’s hard to believe she is only 23. But she is no ordinary…

Sumo has had a rough couple of years. As many readers of J-Select will be aware, mid-2007, saw the sport come under the media and even governmental spotlight cast by investigations into the (now proven) hazing death of a young rikishi in Tokitsukaze Beya. Later that same year, yokozuna grand champion Asashoryu of Mongolia had…

Gregariously holding court in the lobby of the famed Tokyo America Club, a posh private facility situated in the quiet confines of Tokyo’s Minato-ku, the organization’s newly-minted President enthusiastically greets club members and strangers alike in a manner that can only be described as uniquely American. The broad smile, easy manner and genuinely engaged demeanor…

Buddhism first arrived in Japan via the Korean Peninsula in the 6th century CE, and prompted immediate controversy at the Imperial court. Its proponents (those with connections on the continent) advocated the strengths of Chinese government, culture, and Confucianism. Its detractors (notably military clans, and those involved with Shinto rituals) opposed the alien religion. Despite…

The Olympic Games, or specifically the Ancient Olympics or Olympiad as it’s sometimes known, dates back to 776 BC and although it’s exact origins are still a question of some debate it is widely believed that the primeval games which involved a fusion of artistic competition, festival and pageantry, actually derived from Greek Mythology with…

Kyoto no doubt once had strong rural features, and even today its hills and streams, though meticulously incorporated into the cultural landscape as civilizing features, can be sensed. For a more intimate vision of how nature, agriculture and high culture once co-existed, a visit to Ohara, just forty-five minutes from Kyoto Station by bus, is…

The yakuza are a source of fascination, but remain hidden in a world shrouded with secrecy that most Japanese people are completely naïve about. Author Shoko Tendo writes explicitly about her life as a yakuza boss’ daughter in her novel Yakuza Moon, and lifts the lid on this subterranean society. Having sold over 100, 000…

Although the Japanese are well-represented in professional major league baseball in North America, with dozens of players playing this year, they are woefully under-represented in other sports such as hockey, football and basketball. Hockey can be forgiven as there is just not that much interest in the sport here and physical size is a factor…

One of the things Japan is most famous for is its ability to transform and recontextualize almost anything under the sun into something incredibly new and different while retaining the essential components of the original article. From the car revolution that still has Japan in the lead when it comes to hybrid technology, to the…