Tag Archives: Beheiren

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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Pan-Asianism and the post-war Japanese radical Left: Some movements and tendencies

Posted on Dec 10, 2019 by William Andrews

What kinds of Asianist tendencies, or attitudes towards Asia, are visible in the post-war Japanese radical left? Is Pan-Asianism a useful framework for thinking about aspects of post-war left-wing activism in Japan? Drawing on a range of case studies, including … Continue reading →

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The Shinjuku West Gate Underground Plaza protest movement, 1969 and today: Japan’s invisible civil society and phatic silence in urban space

Posted on Sep 9, 2019 by William Andrews

Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is commonly described as the busiest train station in the world, used by millions of passengers daily.(1) A key component of the station is the West Gate (or West Exit) area, which comprises a long street … Continue reading →

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Preparations for Osaka 2025 World Expo spark local opposition and protests

Posted on Jan 21, 2019 by William Andrews

Patricia G. Steinhoff frequently talks about an “invisible civil society” in Japan: a wide and vibrant swath of social movements, particularly remnants from the radical cycle of protests in the 1960s and 1970s, that are essentially unknown and given little … Continue reading →

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Sweden, a new novel by Matthew Turner about the fascinating history of American Vietnam War deserters in Japan

Posted on Sep 17, 2018 by William Andrews

I uncovered many things during my brief and, so far, sole trip to Hawaii, though probably none that the regular visitor would expect. I was there to browse materials in the Kōji Takazawa Collection of Japanese Social Movement Materials at … Continue reading →

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