Your Doorway to Japan

Welcome to the New Nippon.com

James Singleton

Editor, translator, and writer. Graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Asian Studies. After three decades in Japan, still enjoys traveling side alleys and backroads in search of local history, culture, and dialects. Amateur foodie and culinary explorer with a black belt in homemade nattō. Joined Nippon.com in 2014.

LATEST
“Tokyo Junkie”: Robert Whiting’s Memoir of a Capital LifeINSIGHT | Apr 16, 2021
Fermented Friend or Foe: Unwinding the Tangled “Nattō” ThreadsCULTURE | Nov 18, 2020
“Nattō” Odyssey: Three Ways to Make Japan’s Famous Fermented Beans at HomeCULTURE | Oct 22, 2020
Games Workshop: Building a Hobby Empire in Japan One Figure at a Time INSIGHT | Jul 19, 2019
“This Great Stage of Fools”: After 25 Years, More Writings on Japan by Alan BoothINSIGHT | Apr 11, 2019
Leave the Bottle Behind! Raising a Cup to Japan’s Single-Serving SakeCULTURE | Nov 2, 2018
“Life After Manzanar”: Examining the Legacy of Japanese American IncarcerationCULTURE | Jul 18, 2018
Froggy Goes A-Roaming in “Tabikaeru”: Makers of Hit “Nekoatsume” Have New GameINSIGHT | Feb 2, 2018
How the Media Shaped Sumō’s Modern TraditionsINSIGHT | Jan 12, 2018
Buried by a Volcano: The Destructive Past of Japan’s Mount AsamaINSIGHT | Oct 6, 2017
Tokyo’s Little Mount FujisCULTURE | Feb 11, 2017
Soaring Dragons: Homemade Rockets Take Flight at Ryūsei FestivalINSIGHT | Dec 12, 2015
The Tightly Regulated “Independence” of Japanese ChildrenINSIGHT | Nov 21, 2015
Nurturing a Tradition with the Global Sushi ChallengeCULTURE | Sep 12, 2015
Wrap Your Lunch: Reinventing the Humble Rice Ball with “Onigirazu”CULTURE | Jul 6, 2015
Fill Your Phone with Cats: “Nekoatsume”CULTURE | Apr 17, 2015
The Sneeze Trees: Ridding Japanese Forests of PollenINSIGHT | Apr 4, 2015
Building Tokyo: The Story Behind the Capital's Red Brick LandmarksINSIGHT | Jan 30, 2015