The Japanese schoolgirl image was made famous by comic books and cartoons. But not everyone thinks they’re so kawaii (cute). What do Japanese women make of this archetype? Lisa Katayama met three young art stars whose work reclaims and re-invents female pop imagery, in some disturbing ways. But don’t call them feminists. → See a […]
What is essentially Japanese in design? One designer compares it to tofu. Architects Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Shigeru Ban, designer Reiko Sudo, and poet Shuntaro Tanikawa show Kurt Andersen how Japan brings tradition and innovation together. His search takes him through the streets of old Tokyo to an island in the Inland Sea. → See a […]
Travel writer Pico Iyer has lived in Japan for 20 years. And while he knows the locals still see him as an outsider, he told Kurt Andersen that this status helps him pay attention to his surroundings. → Watch a video of Kurt and Pico Iyer below (Originally aired: January 30, 2009)    […]
Recently, Kurt Andersen talked with the research scientists who partnered with Google to develop the Ngram Viewer. The Ngram Viewer sifts through millions of digitized books and documents, looking for patterns in word usage across centuries. Kurt asked for listeners’ suggestions for Ngram queries, and we got dozens of interesting results. Juan Martinez wanted to […]
The Tony Award-winning writer and performer (“Bridge & Tunnel”), briefs Kurt on her experiences at the Aspen Ideas Festival, a gathering of big thinkers who meet to tackle big problems. Sarah Jones transforms from a self-deprecating Brit to a Jewish grandmother, to a young male rapper. (Originally aired July 18, 2008) Â Â Â Â […]