Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Cultural”
Bill Melega, M.Ed., NBPTS is a 24-year veteran teacher at Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, NC. He was named as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Educator of the Year in 2010 for his dedication to bringing world history to life in the classroom. A strong believer in “teaching through travel”, Bill has led his students on …
Pamela D. Winfield is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Elon University in NC. She is the author of Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kūkai and Dōgen on the Art of Enlightenment (Oxford University Press, 2013) which won the AAS-SEC Book Prize in 2015. She is also the co-editor (with Steven Heine) of Zen …
Hiroaki Kawakami and Hitomi Uehara are attorneys who have worked together for 10 years. They are attorneys for the elderly with dementia, helping to manage property and proceed with contracts under family court supervision. They are also solicitors who work with inheritance and the drafting of wills. Kawakami is the president (since 2010) and Uehara is the vice president of …
Kaizan Nitta was born on Okinoerabu Island, a remote island which is part of Kagoshima’s Amami archipelago. Just north of Okinawa, Okinoerabu is rooted in the Okinawan culture along with that of the other Ryukyu Islands. Here he learned to play the sanshin, a stringed instrument local to the Okinawan and Amami islands, from Tomiyasu Okita. In 2000, Kaizan became …
Since 2007, Hakusui Ogiyama has been studying Kinshin-ryu Satsuma Biwa under Osaka-based Kinshin-ryu biwa player Teisui Nakano. Hakusui specializes in the heroic performance and narration of the Satsuma Biwa, which draws on Samurai traditions. In addition to traditional classical music, she also uses modern Japanese to tell all kinds of new stories. This is called “Otogi Biwa,”which she uses to …
VTV is a YouTube Music Program to introduce Vtubers, VSingers, and Virtual Artists. There are not many opportunities for Visual Artists, so many are struggling with that situation. We created a place to introduce ourselves and there, everyone can have a chance if they submit their creations! There are two Programs, VTV Japan(Japanese) and VTV World(English). Please check our Official …
Norm Nakamura, A.K.A. Tokyo Lens, is a content creator based in Tokyo, Japan. After spending years (successfully) chasing his dream of becoming the apprentice of the Yoshida Brothers, he started content creation as a way to share the beauty that was around him, and document his journey along the way. Today, he works hand-in-hand with most of Japan’s top shamisen …
Producer Koji Nagai was born in Kobe, Japan. Since 1993, he has produced many musical, informational, and animated works for TV, such as Ace Attorney, Space Brothers, Space Brothers #0, Magic Kaito, The Kindaichi Case Files R, Kekkaishi, and Yashahime: Princess Half Demon. He is currently producing the 6th season of My Hero Academia, which is airing now. In April, …
Kazushige Yusa is a 2D and 3D animation writer, director, and illustrator. Yusa previously worked for Tatsunoko Production Company. He worked on pieces such as Urusei Yatsura, Touch, The Moomins and Ojarumaru. He also works on short films such as NHK’s Okaasan to Issho, Inai Inai Baa, and Pythagora Switch, and private tv company Renoa’s, Z Kai. In 2013, he …
Hiroshi Nagahama was born in 1970 in Saiki, Ooita, Japan and is an animator and director. He started his career at Madhouse Studio, where he worked on The Cockpit and Azuki-chan. After leaving Madhouse Studio, he became a freelancer, working on the conceptual design for Revolutionary Girl Utena. After that, he worked as the storyboard writer and animation director for …
