Tag Archives: Japan

White Paper: The History of City Pop and Its Global Cultural Impact

Posted on November 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract City Pop—an umbrella term for a wide range of urban, cosmopolitan Japanese popular music from the late 1970s through the 1980s—has undergone one of the most striking afterlives in modern musical history. Once considered a niche domestic genre reflecting … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Ramen as Both Poverty Food and Prestige Cuisine – Analyzing the Divergence Between Low-End and High-Concept Ramen

Posted on November 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Ramen occupies a rare dual position in global food culture. It is simultaneously: A staple of impoverished households, students, the working poor, disaster victims, and cash-strapped families, serving as a key symbol of austerity and resilience; and A … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Japanese Warrior Ghost Plays, Buddhist Concepts of Wrongful Clinging, and Shinto Ideals of Harmony and Purification

Posted on October 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper explores the intersection of Japanese warrior ghost plays—especially those found in Noh theatre—with Buddhist and Shinto philosophical frameworks. These plays, known for their tragic depictions of restless spirits (yūrei) of fallen warriors, serve not only … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Effects of Logistical Failures on Japan’s Army, Civilians, and Prisoners of War in World War II

Posted on September 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary From 1942 onward, Japan’s war effort was progressively crippled less by decisive battlefield defeats than by the grinding collapse of its logistics. A small, fragile merchant fleet; late and weak convoy protection; interservice rivalry; doctrinal overconfidence in “spirit” … Continue reading →

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Seasonal Employment of Ninjas and Its Relationship with the Regional Economy of Warring States Japan

Posted on June 21, 2025 by nathanalbright

The phenomenon of ninja activity in the Sengoku period (c. 1467–1600) of Japan has long fascinated historians and laypeople alike, with much attention given to their covert operations, espionage, sabotage, and occasional assassinations. Less often discussed, however, is the economic … Continue reading →

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More Than Just Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Offensives Of Winter 1941-1942

Posted on December 8, 2024 by nathanalbright

Japan’s December 1941 offensive represented a coordinated series of attacks across the Pacific theater, designed to neutralize American military power and secure access to critical resources. The operation encompassed multiple simultaneous strikes spanning thousands of miles, from Hawaii to British … Continue reading →

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The Path To Pearl Harbor, or, The Failure Of Diplomacy

Posted on December 7, 2024 by nathanalbright

Introduction The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, represented the culmination of decades of deteriorating relations between the United States and Japan. This breakdown reflected complex interactions between economic warfare, racial preconceptions, intelligence failures, and diplomatic impasse. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: War On Our Doorstep

Posted on August 21, 2024 by nathanalbright

War On Our Doorstep: The Unknown Campaign On North America’s West Coast, by Brendan Coyle It would not be entirely fair to say that the campaign on North America’s west coast during World War II was unknown. If, for example, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Orphan Tsunami Of 1700

Posted on February 12, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Orphan Tsunami Of 1700: Japanese Clues to A Parent Earthquake In North America, by Brian F. Atwater, Musumi-Rokkaku Satoko, Satake Kenji, Tsuji Yoshinobu, Ueda Kzue, and David K. Yamaguchi Properly speaking, the material in this book could easily have been … Continue reading →

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A Heavy Burden For An Apple To Bear

Posted on March 26, 2022 by nathanalbright

Recently, I found myself looking around on YouTube for interesting videos to watch and I came across a video where someone dressed up as an apple mascot was playing absolutely insane drumming riffs to a somewhat childish J-pop song. After … Continue reading →

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