Benjamin Boas

Benjamin Boas (born 1983^[1]) is an American author, translator, and contemporary Japanese culture consultant. He has been appointed as a Cool Japan Ambassador by the Japanese government^[2] and as a Tourism Ambassador for Nakano, Tokyo.^[3]

Biography

Born in New York, he grew up with a fondness for Japanese games and comic books, which motivated him to study the Japanese language and culture.^[1][4][5] After graduating from Brown University, he studied at Kyoto University on a Fulbright scholarship from 2007. He has also held research positions at the University of Tokyo as a Monbukagakusho scholar, at the Osaka University of Commerce, and at the anthropology department at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus.^[6]

In 2015, he published his experiences of learning Japanese culture and language into a manga from Shogakukan. The same year, he was appointed as a Tourism Ambassador by the Nakano Tourism Association, to spread word about Nakano City.^[5]

In 2016, after Studio Ghibli commissioned him to write a critical essay on the Japanese government's self-promotion activities,^[7] he was appointed as a Cool Japan Ambassador by the Japanese Cabinet Office as part of their Cool Japan initiative.^[2] In this role, he regularly appears in programs on Japan's public broadcaster NHK, such as Tokyo Eye 2020^[8] and Journeys in Japan.^[9] While spreading the appeal of contemporary Japan through these activities, he also writes critically about how the country could improve its efforts,^[10] and has been quoted in news articles for his views of the Cool Japan strategy.^[11] He is a frequent speaker at universities and institutions in Japan and the United States.^[12][13][14]

Boas holds a 2nd-degree black belt and instructor certification for aikido from Yoshinkan.^[6] He also represents the United States in international competitions of mahjong and took third place in the 2007 Open European Mahjong Championship^[15][16] and second place in the 2008 European Riichi Championship.^[4][17]

Bibliography

Books

• Boas, Benjamin; Aoyagi, Chika (2015). 日本のことは、マンガとゲームで学びました。 [Learning Japan Through Manga and Video Games]. Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-388395-5.
• Boas, Benjamin; Aoyagi, Chika (2016). 大人のためのやり直し英会話 [Re-Learning English for Adults]. Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-388461-7.

Articles

• Boas, Benjamin (2010). "麻雀と法律の逆説的な関係--麻雀の健全化を阻害要因としての風適法とその取り締まり". Ōsaka Shōgyō Daigaku Amyūzumento Sangyō Kenkyūjo Kiyō (in Japanese). 12 (12). The Institute of Amusement Industry Studies, Osaka University of Commerce: 321–324. ISSN 1881-1949.
• Boas, Benjamin (2015). "'クールジャパン'はクールじゃない!?". Neppū. 'Cool Japan' is not cool!? (in Japanese). Vol. 13, no. 10. Koganei: Studio Ghibli. pp. 12–23.
• Boas, Benjamin (24 April 2016). "'Cool Japan' needs to listen to its target market". The Japan Times. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

Documentaries

• Journeys in Japan (NHK WORLD)
  • "Yanai: Old Town of Goldfish Lanterns"^[18]
• TOKYO EYE 2020 (NHK WORLD)
  • Jul. 2017 "Countdown to 2020: Enhancing Tourism with Technology"
  • Sep. 2017 "Nakano: A Subculture Paradise"
  • Jun. 2018 "A Martial Arts Tour of Tokyo"
  • Jan. 2019 "Exploring Tokyo Underground"

Translations

• Battleship Island Building No. 30, Between Dreams and Reality by Takahashi Masatsugu. Daiwa Shobo
• Dance Time (2016), directed by Mariko Nonaka^[19]