Stone Bridge Press publisher talks with author and reviewer Stephen Mansfield about his work and the current state of writing about Japan for an international audience.

Author, editor, podcaster, and cultural critic and observer Patrick Macias talks about manga, anime, and the general state of pop culture in Japan.

Steve Beimel, a long-time resident of Kyoto, is the driving force behind Japan Craft 21, whose goal is to preserve and nourish Japanese crafts. Here he discusses the variety and significance of crafts in Japan and what makes them so special.

Translator Mark Gibeau and publisher Peter Goodman discuss Mark’s translation of Osamu Dazai’s "Ningen Shikkaku,” which Stone Bridge published as "A Shameful Life" (elsewhere known as "No Longer Human")

Author John Dougill talks about his 3,000-km train trip from Hokkaido to Kyushu along the west coast of Japan and his observations and adventures along the way.

Managing editor Meg Taylor talks about MONKEY, an annual anthology that showcases translations of works by top Japanese writers and that has recently launched a new fiction-in-translation imprint with Stone Bridge Press.

Helen McCarthy, one of the key figures in the introduction of anime culture into the English-reading world back in the age of VHS and basement viewing parties, looks at how the medium has changed over the years and become a profit center for big streaming corporations while at the same time (mostly) hanging on to its creative vitality.

Japan is officially open with no pandemic restrictions! Author Gilles Poitras offers first travel impressions of Tokyo, based on his new book "Tokyo Stroll."

Sake expert Jim Rion, author of the new book "Discovering Yamaguchi Sake," talks about local Yamaguchi brews as well as some sake basics and insight into brewing and ingredients.

Landscape architect Marc Peter Keane, based in Kyoto, talks about art and aesthetics in Japanese gardens.

Japan resident David Joiner, author of Kanazawa and The Heron Catchers, talks about writing novels set in Japan the writing process, and crafting Japanese sensibility in English prose.

Author Gregg Krech talks about "Naikan"--"inside looking" -- a structured form of self-reflection that helps us understand our place in the world.

Do kanji spark joy? Or just drive you nuts? Eve Kushner, author of Crazy for Kanji, talks about her fascination with the Japanese writing system.

A discussion of ramen, sushi, and more with Gil Asakawa, author of the just-published Tabemasho! Let's Eat! A Tasty History of Japanese Food in America.

Winnie Bird, author of Eating Wild Japan, talks about writing her book and meeting the Japanese rural dwellers who gather plants and nuts from the countryside to prepare and serve as part of their regular cuisine.

It’s summer 2022 and Japan is set to open to tourists again after two years of pandemic-caused isolation. Top of anyone’s travel list is Tokyo, and who better to look at cool things to do there than Gilles Poitras, author of the forthcoming Stone Bridge book Tokyo Stroll: A Guide to City Sidetracks and Easy Excursions. He talks with publisher Peter Goodman about where to go, where to stay, and how to wander.