japanamerica

I'll be chatting with the Head of Content Strategy & Global Partnerships at anime streaming site Crunchyroll , Alden Mitchell Budill , this Thursday, July 8th from 2pm PST (with online access thru July 13th) at A-JAPAN — an exclusive content showcase of the hottest IP from Japan, incl. manga, TV and film. The event is hosted by Amuse Group USA, Inc. and actor-streamer Erika Ishii. Online registration is free here . A-JAPAN 2021 Teaser from Amuse Group USA on Vimeo .

LETTER FROM TOKYO, JUNE 2021: CHOOSING ONSEN OVER OLYMPICS  My favorite kind of getaway is a stay at an onsen-yado (Japanese hot springs hotel). It used to rotate among my top three, but the pandemic has edged it into first place. An onsen-yado relieves you of the burden of choice as soon as you step inside. Your shoes and luggage are whisked away. You are quietly ushered to your room. Padding through the halls, you are told when your dinner will be served and shown what you will wear: a robe, a sash, slippers—with two-toed tabi socks optional. No matching of ties to dinner jackets or puzzles over pumps or flats.  Then you soak in hot, mineral-rich water that transforms your joints into gentle friends of your body. Early June is a good time for hitting onsen. Spring holidays are over but the kids are still in school, and tsuyu ’s rainy season grays take the edges off. In Tokyo, May’s bracing sun can make everyone look hurried and feel hyperactive. June reminds you—what’s the point?—b