Category Archives: Japan

We Wuz Samurai

Posted on May 19, 2024 by JC

Recently Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next title in their overly-long-running series. This would normally attract little to no attention from me as I don’t particularly like the series and never have. The only two I played through to … Continue reading →

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New Light on a Delicate Subject

Posted on July 9, 2023 by JC

The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan by Ivan Morris Vintage (Reprint), May 21st, 2013 (Originally published in 1964) This began as a post related to a previous post on The Tale of Genji by Murasaki … Continue reading →

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Commentary on Western and Japanese Role-Playing Games

Posted on December 18, 2022 by JC

Western and Japanese RPGs are clearly distinct but share the same origins. The pioneering titles were the Ultima and Wizardry games which saw many sequels and many more imitators but both series have long been dormant.  These titles were influenced … Continue reading →

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A Jesuit on Japan

Posted on November 27, 2022 by JC

An infrequent topic on this blog has been Japan and the Japanese who for a variety of reasons remain fascinating to me. The main being that I am married to a Japanese woman with whom I have children and I … Continue reading →

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Beyond Donkey Kong Book Review

Posted on March 31, 2022 by JC

Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games by Ken Horowitz, McFarland, November 30th, 2020 I have previously reviewed Ken Horowitz’s first book Playing at the Next Level and also been a long time (though not regular), contributor to … Continue reading →

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A Review of Modern Japanese Short Stories

Posted on January 12, 2022 by JC

Modern Japanese Short Stories edited by Ivan Morris, Tuttle Publishing, August 1st, 2019 (first published in 1962) Modern Japanese Short Stories is a collection by twenty five Japanese authors with stories published from early to middle of the twentieth century. … Continue reading →

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Paying for Pleasance

Posted on November 27, 2021 by JC

One of the many cultural curiosities about Japan that I was never able to understand while living there was the existence of hostess bars and clubs. Such places are found all over the world but tend to be hidden from … Continue reading →

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Commentary on Vox Day’s Top 10 Novels

Posted on September 30, 2021 by JC

This was written over seven years ago and may be out of date given both time and the volumes of literature Vox Day seems to go through each year. However, having seen this some years ago. I set myself a … Continue reading →

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The Fascinating Backdrop

Posted on July 9, 2021 by JC

Lost in Translation is a 2003 film directed by Sophia Coppola and starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. From 1998’s Rushmore onwards, Murray transitioned into more dramatic roles and this is already one of his best remembered since this transition. … Continue reading →

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A Humble Book for a Humble Man

Posted on June 30, 2021 by JC

Ask Iwata, edited by Hobonichi, Viz Media, May 27th, 2021 Satoru Iwata was the CEO of Nintendo from 2002 until his unexpected death from cancer in 2015. He was only 55 when he died which is very young for the … Continue reading →

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