Our Interviews this Month For our August edition, we had the pleasure to interview two inspiring women. First, Kizu Takami, who uses her creativity and knowledge to promote better acceptance of people with disabilities in the Japanese society. Then, Midori Okuyama, whose job as a theater producer has led her to work with the famous butoh troupe Sankai Juku, and to introduce the Japanese entertainment arts all over the world.

Kizu Takami is the creator of Universal Movement. This Instagram account promotes a better understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities in Japanese society. To do so, she uses colorful illustrations and easy-to-read explanations. I have interviewed her to know more about her mission, her creative process, and her point of view about the place of people with disabilities in Japan. … Read more

Midori Okuyama is a Japanese theater producer who has always been involved with the Japanese performing arts. One of her main works is producing Sankai Juku, the most famous butoh dance company. In this interview, she talks about Japanese arts and how it is received by foreign audiences, explains to us what butoh is about, and how working with Sankai … Read more

Facing the Summer Here is our take on recurring summer questions such as "How can we deal with the Japanese heat?" or "What do the Obon celebrations exactly consist of?" Also, do not miss our unfiltered talk about our experiences navigating the sometimes opaque rules of the Japanese everyday life...

The Japanese summer heat, with its high humidity, is famous for being difficult to bear. Japanese people themselves have a hard time coping with it, and “Atsui ne,” is the seasonal start of most conversations. Summer 2020 is an exception in the sense that it is even worse than usual. The country is hit by an enormous heatwave, with temperature records … Read more

Every year, for a few days before and after August 15, trains and tourist resorts overflow with people. Not only are hotels and flights expensive, but they also become fully booked well ahead of time. For the Japanese, this period is the peak of summer vacation. But this period, called obon, is also much more. Since ancient times, obon has … Read more

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines social norms as “the informal rules that govern behavior in groups and societies.” As a country with a famously high-context culture, Japan is known for having an endless amount of unspoken rules that conjure up conflicting feelings of fascination and frustration among foreign visitors and residents. In this inaugural edition of Kokoro Media Unfiltered, … Read more