Category Archives: Essays

The Kumano Festival clock tower occupation and the hauntology of Kyoto University

Posted on Dec 27, 2021 by William Andrews

Hickory, dickory, dock, The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one. The mouse ran down. Hickory, dickory, dock. Boys and girls come out to play, The moon doth shine as bright as day. Leave your supper and leave … Continue reading →

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How has the coronavirus pandemic affected the civil society in Japan?

Posted on Dec 30, 2020 by William Andrews

The biggest non-news story of the year in Japan was surely the announcement of the “word of the year” as san mitsu, or the “three Cs” (confined and enclosed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings). The civil society is fragile … Continue reading →

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Recreating the Koza Riot, fifty years on

Posted on Dec 16, 2020 by William Andrews

On 12 December in the plaza outside the Ryūkyū Shimpo newspaper headquarters in Naha, Okinawa, a group of men overturned a car. They wore masks, not in the customary manner of camouflaged rioters, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, and … Continue reading →

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A short history of the Japanese hippie movement

Posted on Nov 17, 2020 by William Andrews

We might begin with a series of snapshots. Young people sniffing paint thinner in plastic bags around Shinjuku Station. Long-haired, bearded musicians like the Taj Mahal Travellers, embarking on a tour of Asia. Artists hanging out at trendy, edgy venues … Continue reading →

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Agnes Chow and the idolisation of female activists in Japan

Posted on Sep 21, 2020 by William Andrews

Following the civil unrest over the subsequently withdrawn extradition bill, the latest chapter in the protracted saga in Hong Kong was the passing of a new national security law. The pro-democracy, anti-Beijing protests in the former British colony have rightly … Continue reading →

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