Noah Oskow
@noahoskow.bsky.social
JPN translator, Global Studies MA, former JET. 10年間以上日本に滞在。Minnesotaיהודי מ. 🇺🇸🇯🇵🇩🇪🇦🇹 Ghibli stan. EiC/writer at Unseen Japan, head of UJ Tours.
Writing/making videos on intercultural meeting points and lesser-known historical junctures in Japan.
Writing/making videos on intercultural meeting points and lesser-known historical junctures in Japan.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
in my own experience only, as LLMs get “better,” all I am seeing is the production of texts that are just as wrong as they ever were, in ways that are just as fatally bad, but which now appear more consistently plausible to someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about
November 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
in my own experience only, as LLMs get “better,” all I am seeing is the production of texts that are just as wrong as they ever were, in ways that are just as fatally bad, but which now appear more consistently plausible to someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about
Reposted by Noah Oskow
New video! Kitano Takeshi, otherwise known as "Beat" Takeshi, is one of the most famous entertainers in Japan. He's also beloved abroad as a film director. Join us as we examine and rank every one of his 20 varied, amazing, frustrating, but rarely boring movies.
youtu.be/uDB5mZfzSEc
youtu.be/uDB5mZfzSEc
Kitano Takeshi: The Complete Ranked Filmography
YouTube video by Unseen Japan
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
New video! Kitano Takeshi, otherwise known as "Beat" Takeshi, is one of the most famous entertainers in Japan. He's also beloved abroad as a film director. Join us as we examine and rank every one of his 20 varied, amazing, frustrating, but rarely boring movies.
youtu.be/uDB5mZfzSEc
youtu.be/uDB5mZfzSEc
Reposted by Noah Oskow
The La Brea Tar Pits translates to The The Tar Pits Tar Pits
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 4:42 AM
The La Brea Tar Pits translates to The The Tar Pits Tar Pits
Just when I'd thought I'd encountered the funniest of historical British names, I discover this guy.
November 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Just when I'd thought I'd encountered the funniest of historical British names, I discover this guy.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Japan continues debating restrictions on foreign residents and immigration. At the same time, data shows, labor shortages mean some towns here now have foreign populations over 10%, with one even exceeding 36%.
buff.ly/2Z3Qh0o
buff.ly/2Z3Qh0o
A Changing Japan: Foreign Residents Surpass 10% in Some Areas - Unseen Japan
As debate surges around immigration, new data shows some towns in Japan have foreign populations as high as 36%.
unseen-japan.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Japan continues debating restrictions on foreign residents and immigration. At the same time, data shows, labor shortages mean some towns here now have foreign populations over 10%, with one even exceeding 36%.
buff.ly/2Z3Qh0o
buff.ly/2Z3Qh0o
Reposted by Noah Oskow
I'm on strike now with other ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) working in Kyoto Prefecture High Schools via the dispatch company ALTIA CENTRAL. Our salaries, low at 240,000 yen per month, were cut this year to 210,000, and we can't sustain our lives anymore.
Please support us!
Please support us!
November 15, 2025 at 3:17 AM
I'm on strike now with other ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) working in Kyoto Prefecture High Schools via the dispatch company ALTIA CENTRAL. Our salaries, low at 240,000 yen per month, were cut this year to 210,000, and we can't sustain our lives anymore.
Please support us!
Please support us!
Reposted by Noah Oskow
I've read thirty or so pages of this book and I think it's essential reading for anyone trying to understand current trends in Japanese politics.
Religious studies scholar Shimada Hiromi has a new book on Sanseito out this week
He details how Sanseito adopts tactics already proven effective by Komeito (which Shimada has studied for decades)
And by JCP and Reiwa (Furuya Tsunehira’s book from last month is also good on the Reiwa connection)
He details how Sanseito adopts tactics already proven effective by Komeito (which Shimada has studied for decades)
And by JCP and Reiwa (Furuya Tsunehira’s book from last month is also good on the Reiwa connection)
November 14, 2025 at 6:53 AM
I've read thirty or so pages of this book and I think it's essential reading for anyone trying to understand current trends in Japanese politics.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
People have misunderstood Kamiya. He's really just complaining about these machines.
November 11, 2025 at 11:54 PM
People have misunderstood Kamiya. He's really just complaining about these machines.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
We've still got Teruyo Nogami, Kurosawa's assistant-turned-documentarian, and who is 98.
We've got Kyōko Kagawa at 93, youngster Akira Terao at 78.
But for *STARS* - actors who led those hard-hitting dramas and trend-setting genre films of the golden age - this is it. This is the end. RIP Nakadai.
We've got Kyōko Kagawa at 93, youngster Akira Terao at 78.
But for *STARS* - actors who led those hard-hitting dramas and trend-setting genre films of the golden age - this is it. This is the end. RIP Nakadai.
Farewell to one of brightest stars of the golden age of Japanese cinema: Nakadai Tatsuya, who starred in some of history's greatest films, has passed away at the age of 92. Major roles included those in Ran, Hara Kiri, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Kagemusha, The Human Condition, and many more.
November 11, 2025 at 2:22 PM
We've still got Teruyo Nogami, Kurosawa's assistant-turned-documentarian, and who is 98.
We've got Kyōko Kagawa at 93, youngster Akira Terao at 78.
But for *STARS* - actors who led those hard-hitting dramas and trend-setting genre films of the golden age - this is it. This is the end. RIP Nakadai.
We've got Kyōko Kagawa at 93, youngster Akira Terao at 78.
But for *STARS* - actors who led those hard-hitting dramas and trend-setting genre films of the golden age - this is it. This is the end. RIP Nakadai.
Nakadai was so much more than just a Mifune replacement in Kurosawa's final epics. He was a legendary presence working with Japan's greatest filmakers from the 60s to the 90s. I always love watching an older film and having him unexpectedly appear - as in Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
Farewell to one of brightest stars of the golden age of Japanese cinema: Nakadai Tatsuya, who starred in some of history's greatest films, has passed away at the age of 92. Major roles included those in Ran, Hara Kiri, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Kagemusha, The Human Condition, and many more.
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Nakadai was so much more than just a Mifune replacement in Kurosawa's final epics. He was a legendary presence working with Japan's greatest filmakers from the 60s to the 90s. I always love watching an older film and having him unexpectedly appear - as in Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Good news: Itō Shiori's BLACK BOX DIARIES, her documentary about her sexual assault case, will finally air in Japan over a year after its release. The screening was delayed after some challenged whether Itō had the rights to air certain footage.
buff.ly/RnrAB64
buff.ly/RnrAB64
Itō Shiori's BLACK BOX DIARIES Will (Finally) Release in Japan After Controversy - Unseen Japan
The film, released in October 2024, has yet to screen in the filmmaker's own country due to questions around the footage it used.
unseen-japan.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Good news: Itō Shiori's BLACK BOX DIARIES, her documentary about her sexual assault case, will finally air in Japan over a year after its release. The screening was delayed after some challenged whether Itō had the rights to air certain footage.
buff.ly/RnrAB64
buff.ly/RnrAB64
Yeah, when you get cursed out in Japanese, you know it.
November 7, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Yeah, when you get cursed out in Japanese, you know it.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Now that I think about it, it's rather apt that Twitter is now known as "X" because when you consider the symbol "X" (not the alphabet) in Japanese, JP people would typically think of ❌ (as in バツ、バッテン、ペケ) which is a symbol for wrongness and other meanings in the general direction of "failure".
November 6, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Now that I think about it, it's rather apt that Twitter is now known as "X" because when you consider the symbol "X" (not the alphabet) in Japanese, JP people would typically think of ❌ (as in バツ、バッテン、ペケ) which is a symbol for wrongness and other meanings in the general direction of "failure".
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Still planning your Japan 2026 cherry blossom trip? Avoid the crowds - let Unseen Japan Tours craft a custom itinerary suited to your interests and take you to the spots that only locals can usually access.
Visit Spots in Japan Most Tourists Can't - Unseen Japan Tours - Unseen Japan
Experience Japan with the Japan experts. Book your tour today with Unseen Japan Tours for a unique, guided experience.
buff.ly
November 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Still planning your Japan 2026 cherry blossom trip? Avoid the crowds - let Unseen Japan Tours craft a custom itinerary suited to your interests and take you to the spots that only locals can usually access.
Pretty special at nighttime.
November 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Pretty special at nighttime.
Back in Hiroshima for the second time in four days, and actually staying on the island of Miyajima for the first time. Watching the tide come in at Itsukushima Shrine is something special.
November 1, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Back in Hiroshima for the second time in four days, and actually staying on the island of Miyajima for the first time. Watching the tide come in at Itsukushima Shrine is something special.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Halloween's a day away; it's your last chance to indulge in Japanese horror before the holiday. Amongst the J-horror catalog, one classic holds perhaps more prestige than any other: Kwaidan, the eerily beautiful anthology film by director Kobayashi Masaki. Learn more in our vid: youtu.be/36hkBck_uNU
Kwaidan: A Filmic Venture into Uncanny Japan
YouTube video by Unseen Japan
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Halloween's a day away; it's your last chance to indulge in Japanese horror before the holiday. Amongst the J-horror catalog, one classic holds perhaps more prestige than any other: Kwaidan, the eerily beautiful anthology film by director Kobayashi Masaki. Learn more in our vid: youtu.be/36hkBck_uNU
Reposted by Noah Oskow
My absolute favorite thing about Rise of Skywalker is the character Ochi (who you won't recall because he's barely mentioned/featured but he ties the ENTIRE forward momentum of the plot together)
This is someone's explanation of Ochi and what he did
This is someone's explanation of Ochi and what he did
October 29, 2025 at 10:14 PM
My absolute favorite thing about Rise of Skywalker is the character Ochi (who you won't recall because he's barely mentioned/featured but he ties the ENTIRE forward momentum of the plot together)
This is someone's explanation of Ochi and what he did
This is someone's explanation of Ochi and what he did
Reposted by Noah Oskow
Saboru (to cut class) in Japanese is indeed a word with a foreign origin - something even native speakers of Japanese might not be aware of. But it's not your standard loan word. Learn how it came about during the age of labor protests and modernization.
Saboru: The Strange Origins of “Cutting Class” in Japanese - Unseen Japan
The creation of the 8-hour workday, an early 20th-century vogue for foreign words - all led to the most popular Japanese word many don't even realize is foreign in origin.
buff.ly
October 29, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Saboru (to cut class) in Japanese is indeed a word with a foreign origin - something even native speakers of Japanese might not be aware of. But it's not your standard loan word. Learn how it came about during the age of labor protests and modernization.
Yui, the baby, and I are currently doing a piecemeal walk around the entire Yamanote -- and Gaijin Mommy, as usual, your insight knows no bounds.
By none of the power vested in me, I propose that for the Yamanote line’s 100th birthday this weekend we temporarily wave all copyright restrictions and replace each station’s arrival/departure medley with the following tunes:
October 29, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Yui, the baby, and I are currently doing a piecemeal walk around the entire Yamanote -- and Gaijin Mommy, as usual, your insight knows no bounds.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
By none of the power vested in me, I propose that for the Yamanote line’s 100th birthday this weekend we temporarily wave all copyright restrictions and replace each station’s arrival/departure medley with the following tunes:
October 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM
By none of the power vested in me, I propose that for the Yamanote line’s 100th birthday this weekend we temporarily wave all copyright restrictions and replace each station’s arrival/departure medley with the following tunes:
Recently, really treasuring each time I get to go down to Osaka. Enjoying reconnecting with Japan’s great second city.
October 26, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Recently, really treasuring each time I get to go down to Osaka. Enjoying reconnecting with Japan’s great second city.
Reposted by Noah Oskow
More tourists say they're using AI translation to get around in their host countries. But many admit they don't actually like the experience. Here's why some businesses in Japan hate it too, and what you can do instead of talking through a machine.
buff.ly/9mYFLiP
buff.ly/9mYFLiP
Why AI Translation Makes For An Awkward Japan Trip - Unseen Japan
More tourists report using AI translation - even though many admit it sucks. Here are better alternatives than talking through a machine.
unseen-japan.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:55 PM
More tourists say they're using AI translation to get around in their host countries. But many admit they don't actually like the experience. Here's why some businesses in Japan hate it too, and what you can do instead of talking through a machine.
buff.ly/9mYFLiP
buff.ly/9mYFLiP
Reposted by Noah Oskow
RIP Tomiichi Murayama. I interviewed him in 2015 and found him to be a decent, principled man, still sharp as a tack in his nineties. “Japanese schools didn’t teach much history (of World War 2) because the government couldn’t decide if it was a good war or a bad war,” he said.
October 17, 2025 at 12:27 PM
RIP Tomiichi Murayama. I interviewed him in 2015 and found him to be a decent, principled man, still sharp as a tack in his nineties. “Japanese schools didn’t teach much history (of World War 2) because the government couldn’t decide if it was a good war or a bad war,” he said.
Reminder that in Japanese, this guy has the charming name of ウーパールーパー (Uupaaruupaa) thanks to a 1980s cup soba TV campaign.
Falls jemand heute schlechte Laune hat; hier ist die Aufmunterung:
October 16, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reminder that in Japanese, this guy has the charming name of ウーパールーパー (Uupaaruupaa) thanks to a 1980s cup soba TV campaign.