Journalist/book editor/translator. Edits Usotoki Rhetoric, Captain Corinth, more. Culture and climate. Japan Times, Vox, Slate. One of the socialist Jews.
I'M PUBLISHING A NOVEL!
Two Jewish teenagers embark on a road trip in search of a long-lost family bracelet, falling deep into family and American history. A Jewish Wangs vs. the World, if written by Safran Foer.
It's coming soon. Read about it here:
https://t.co/IPbCmjBaCJ
I'm now embarking on a new series of posts in which I review Tokyo neighborhoods to live in based on three years of exploration. First up: "Having That Tokyo® Lifestyle AKA Tokyo Maxxing"!
https://t.co/sFHy4AEpXL
@ UltraSuperNew Kura, Shibuya
15:00 - Multilingual poets: poetry reading and panel discussion about poetry as self-translation
Participants: Eric Margolis, Leo Elizabeth Takada, Kana Hozoji, Damiana De Gennaro, Aleksandra Priimak, Zoria Petkoska K., Yuki Tanaka.
Commentary: AI translation of literature should be questioned because literary translation requires human interpretation and cultural understanding that machines cannot provide. https://t.co/YzImZQlOx6
A few thoughts from the 2025-2026 winter season about skiing in Japan - on climate change, locals being priced out of top resorts, and more:
https://t.co/rfHHb6Je4q
Here are my top 10 published achievements of 2025! Included: magazine translations, feature articles on the climate crisis in Japan, and exciting new Japanese book releases.
https://t.co/7OS6DWTaxV
I updated my portfolio! Now it contains a representative sample of work I've done in journalism, translation, editing, and creative writing. Feel free to reach for additional samples of if you can't access any of the individual articles.
https://t.co/VmwOCIZ2Wd
Osamu Dazai / Translated by: Leo Elizabeth Takada
Three tales of ruin and loss: Osamu Dazai at his most tormented. This collection presents early works in translation. “Retrograde” life in reverse; “Das Gemeine” a writer with a violinist; “Blossom-Leaves and the Spirit Whistle”…
It means A LOT to see any Japanese people protesting or counter-protesting Sanseito.
Sometimes I am skeptical of protest movements in Japan, but these at least have the unmistakeable effect of making foreign residents here feel like they have allies.
I'm proud to share one of my biggest features in a while for the Japan Times: A deep dive into the seeming contradiction in the life of the Japanese tree - equal parts revered as a god, and cut down as a public nuisance.
https://t.co/X1a5gnV0kF
@demagogue_OSAWA The article contained a factual error that stated the number of total trees as the number of ginkgo trees. It has since been corrected.
What a TREAT - I sit down with prolific journalist, writer and book editor @ericdmargolis to discuss life in JAPAN, his favourite Japanese books, architecture and music... as well as his articles on dating and the "sacred" nature of trees in Japan 🇯🇵👇🏻
https://t.co/Eg3qcu0n0n
This Friday, Ryozan Park Lounge - I'll be talking about why and how two literary Japanese novels went viral in English - and what translation has to do with it
Fresh bread, international schools and a hint of bouillabaisse — is Tokyo's Hiroo neighborhood the ultimate expat dream, or a curated mirage? https://t.co/sse1Tn1tnJ
I literally – literally – don't know a single humanities professor, regardless of the kind of institution they teach at, who doesn't think students' reading abilities have fallen off a cliff. It's an emergency and in a sane world there would be Congressional hearings about this.