I have worked as a translator, journalist, and editor in a variety of capacities since 1991. As a translator, I have worked on materials ranging from a political science works about Prime Minister Koizumi (Routledge, 2009), to a history of Japanese diplomacy (JPIC, 2022), to a company history of Hitachi; from urban planning documents for various municipalities in the Kansai region to quality control materials for an automobile manufacturer; and from marketing materials and annual reports to tourism and museum brochures.

My journalism experience includes four years at a trade magazine covering the amusement machine business, one year at a Japanese newspaper, and two-and-a-half years as a general news reporter for the Associated Press. I have written about everything from video games and stock market crashes to Japanese election campaigns and people who restore old houses. I also edited a political science and international affairs journal for five years, and just to round out the picture am also completing a dissertation in modern Japanese history for the University of California, Berkeley.

For fun, I write music and play guitar in indie rock bands.  I also like to explore Tokyo by bicycle and investigate new cookbooks.

A native of Michigan, I have lived in Japan for over three decades. I taught in the Japanese school system for much of that time, doing translation on the side, while raising three children in a traditional extended family household.
I’ve recently retired from teaching, and I would like to start doing more translation work.
I’m also an artist. I mainly do watercolors of Japanese nature, and have exhibited some of my works in juried shows.
I write poetry too, including haiku and “tanka.” I’ve won some awards for it, and had some poems published. I’ve also contributed articles about Japanese customs to a website.
In my spare time I love to go hiking in the mountains and take photos of wild flowers and so on.

New Zealand citizen; permanent resident of Japan.

I’m from Los Angeles, California.

I studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and hold a BA in Japanese Language and Literature, along with a BA in Linguistics. I also studied at Tokyo International Christian University and hold a certificate in Japanese studies.

I have worked as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET program and as a freelance translator. Currently, I am a the managing editor for JAST Create. My specialities are manga translation and project management.

I am addicted to writing and Japanese hot springs. Luckily for me, these addictions are beneficial for my mental and physical health. Developing relationships with other avid writers would bring me joy. If interested in my writing, please look at my blog, or Google my name to read my online articles and to read about my textbooks. I look forward to comments and questions, so please contact me anytime.

I’m a British author and writer based in Tokyo, creating award-winning work for clients that have ranged from National Geographic Traveler and BBC Travel to CNBC, the Independent, and some 100 other media companies around the globe.

Feature length or short, I like to tell stories, whether that’s about the sumo bulls of the Oki Islands, the traditional paper-makers of Echizen or the cat that saved a Japanese railway. I enjoy more in-depth projects, too, working on a variety of travel- and culture-related branded content campaigns with companies such as BBC Story Works, the Economist and Reuters Plus. These have included scripting an animated short for the BBC and traveling extensively to create in-depth social media content on a year-long Facebook project for the region of Japan that was devastated by the 2011 tsunami.

I’ve also edited and updated close to 20 books on Japan (for Fodors, Dorling Kindersley, Insight Guides, and others) and have authored seven of my own, including Japanese Inns & Hot Springs and the NATJA 2018 Gold-winning Japan Traveler’s Companion.

Besides SWET, I’m a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalist Association.

Born in the UK, I came to Japan in 1994 to complete a MSc course in Japanese Studies. I work for a Japanese IT company. I passed level 1 of the JLPT a long time ago and I am registered as a translator (J to E) with one of Japan’s top translation companies, although I rarely do translation outside my day job. I write short stories and children’s stories.
Published March 2023 : “On The Beach” children’s story collection.
Coming 2023 : “The Winter Visitor” - another story in the “On The Beach” series.
Coming 2024 : “Takeout Sushi” short story collection for adults.
Website : https://www.greeninjapan.com/

Larry Greenberg grew up in New York and came to Japan in 1985 after earning a degree in international relations from Williams College in Massachusetts. After learning Japanese and working as a translator, Larry established Urban Connections in Tokyo in 1990. For over 25 years, the company has provided translation, interpreting, and other communication services to clients in corporate communications, public relations, and market research sectors. The company specializes in producing accurate, reliable, and polished translations with a team of translators, checkers, and editors with advanced knowledge of a myriad of subjects. As founder and CEO, Larry plays a hands-on role in the company, utilizing his expertise to meet the needs of diverse high-level clients, including Japanese government organizations and ministries, major corporations, NPOs, and technology and media companies.

President Aphacom Company, Ltd.
419, 4-2-5 Nishikasai, Edogawa-ku Tokyo, Japan 134-0088
03+813-5675-0853
ohagi2778[at]alphacom.jp

Business Information: Alphacom Company, Ltd. provides consultation, branding, and public relations planning services to a diverse clientele. Established in 1983, the Company operates as a translation and interpretation business and offers services during conferences to promote understanding among representatives of numerous nationalities. The Company mainly focuses on supply services in the area of marketing and sales promotions and operates four locations throughout Japan. Employing a staff of 15 professionals, Alphacom Company, Ltd. organizes exhibitions, promotes services, and provides management consultation. Mr. Hagiwara founded the Company and presently fulfills his responsibilities in the position of President. In this capacity, he creates the general goals and policies of the Company based upon consumer demand. Mr. Hagiwara also focuses on managing the completion of operations on a daily basis and planning the next area of the industry to expand operations. Working closely with the staff, he additionally schedules training and promotes maximum efficiency using innovative techniques. Looking toward the future, Mr. Hagiwara will draw upon his professional expertise to expand the operations of Alphacom Company, Ltd. into the Chinese market.

Career Steps:
President, Alphacom Company, Ltd. (1983-Present);Planning Division Manager, Asian Advertisers, Inc. (2000); Sales Division Manager, DHC (1978).Associations & Accomplishments: Japan Project Management

Association;
Japanese Association of Risk Management; Japan Society of Management Information; Japanese Association of Exhibition; Japan Event Producers Association.

Education:
Dokkyo University, Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (1975).

Personal Information:
Married to Noriko in 1979. One child: Yosuke. Mr. Hagiwara enjoys golf, reading, and watching sports events.

I’m a localization specialist, translator, and editor working in Tokyo.

Recently I’ve been involved in publications by the Tokyo National Museum, including editing the English edition of their catalog for the special exhibition “Izumo and Yamato: The Birth of Ancient Japan” (2019) and translating a supplementary book for the smaller, thematic exhibition “Korean Court Culture of the Joseon Dynasty” (2020).

Past publications include translations and editorial work for national publishers, including Shufunotomo and Gakken.

As I’ve improved as a translator and interpreter over the years, I’ve grown interested in the psychological adjustments bilingual speakers make when they speak each language and how these “psychological gaps” affect English compositions based on Japanese texts.

Published translations include

2020 various short short stories by Japanese authors including Mizuki Tsujimura, Kozue Osaki, Kanae Minato, Alice Arisugawa, Takemaru Abiko for Day to Day on Kodansha’s tree-novel.com
2019 The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
2019 Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada
2018 Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama
2017 Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami
2017 The island of Expectation by Ito Ogawa
2016 松本清張の「聞かなかった場所」A Quiet Place by Seicho Matsumoto, Bitter Lemon Press
2012 川上未映子「乳と卵」Excerpt from Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, Words Without Borders、August 2012
2012 富岡多恵子「波うつ土地」Building Waves by Taeko Tomioka, Dalkey Archive Press
2007 天藤湘子「極道な月　Yakuza Moon by Shoko Tendo, Kodansha International
2006 大道珠貴「ミルク」Milk, by Tamaki Daido, (appeared in short story anthology Inside) Kodansha International