Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 25/03/2026How does the war in Iran look from Asia? My take: 022
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 20/02/202620+ years of capturing Japan on canvas. Really enjoyed this conversation with Carl Randall. 052
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Interesting weekend coming up in Japan. By way of an appetiser, here's my piece for @lrb.co.uk. 020
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Do go and see the British Museum's spellbinding new Samurai exhibition if you have a chance. Meanwhile, my essay for Engelsberg Ideas on the origins and legacies of Japan's warrior class: 064
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 29/01/2026Congratulations to @olegb.bsky.social on a five-star review of the new Samurai exhibition at the British Museum. Opens on 3rd Feb. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...theguardian.comSamurai review: Japan’s lethal warrior class are shown in all their sexy, demonic gloryExtraordinary battle armour, complete with moustachioed masks, enlivens this scintillating show, which brilliantly captures the theatrical side of a chivalrous epoch 1154
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 26/01/2026My review of @hirokoyoda.bsky.social ‘s excellent new book: 141
Reposted by Chris HardingSmart Cookies podcast @smartcookies.bsky.social · 27/12/2025As someone who's moved to JAPAN 🎌 not too long ago, I always wanted to explore the country's fascinating MODERN history... Thanks to @drchrisharding.bsky.social I finally got the chance! Check out our FULL CONVO here 👇🏻 YT: youtu.be/prqPJ4_jdaU Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f... 021
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 22/12/2025Such a great series. @philipgoff.bsky.social was excellent, as was Gilbert Markus talking about 'Is God Nothing?' (of interest to anyone thinking about inter-religious dialogue and concepts of the divine). @takeshimorisato.bsky.social @theosthinktank.bsky.social 053
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 11/10/2025Japan is losing more than 2,000 people every day to population decline. Is automation the answer? This week's Substack post: www.chrishardingjapan.com/p/can-vendin...chrishardingjapan.comCan Vending Machines Save Japan?Part II: Salvation Through Automation 030
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 07/10/2025Japan's famous vending machines look like late 20th-century tech. In fact, they're both decades and centuries older. They may also hold the key to the country's future. www.chrishardingjapan.com/p/can-vendin...chrishardingjapan.comCan Vending Machines Save Japan?Part I: Trust meets High Technology 020
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 24/09/2025Promises to be an interesting evening - do come! 030
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 14/09/2025‘The sense in Japan of a society and culture under threat and in need of defending is set to be a potent force in politics for a good while to come.’ My piece for @thetimes.com today: www.thetimes.com/world/asia/a...thetimes.comTourists love Japan, but under the surface it’s a Land of Rising AngerNationalism and discontent are bubbling over in this country of high taxes and resentment against its sometimes obnoxious visitors 050
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 12/09/2025One of the things that first drew me to Japan was its philosophy: growing out of myths, rituals and an awareness of impermanence, and worked into everyday life & art. A short 🧵 for anyone new to this... @takeshimorisato.bsky.social 121
Reposted by Chris HardingTobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 08/09/2025A new Today in Japanese Politics: The first candidates announce their intentions as the LDP debates how to elect a new leader. Plus, a milestone meeting of defense ministers in Seoul. open.substack.com/pub/observin...open.substack.comThe first day of the post-Ishiba era | Today in Japanese PoliticsThe LDP leadership race takes shape 092
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 08/09/2025Another one for the 'and they wonder why Japanese people don't like tourists' file... www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09...japantimes.co.jpAnger in Japan after Instagrammer drinks burial site offeringOn Tuesday, the Australian Embassy warned on Facebook that travelers must ensure 'appropriate behavior' while visiting Japan, without explicitly referring to the incident. 020
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 08/09/2025Ishiba is off! Japan's PM is stepping down, following two disastrous sets of election results on his watch. A battle for the soul of the LDP - still Japan's largest party, despite its recent woes - ensues. Backstory: www.historywithchrisharding.com/p/rise-of-th... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukJapan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resignsThe prime minister had struggled to inspire confidence as Japan faced economic headwinds. 010
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 05/09/2025For someone not previously much interested in Japanese politics, the last few weeks and months have been fascinating - and maybe historic. A short 🧵 for anyone curious about what's going on. 100
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 05/09/2025A side to Japan that not many people have seen - even if they've heard of @yokoono.bsky.social Fascinating stuff! 033
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 04/09/2025Pride of place this morning at our local @waterstones.bsky.social. And no, I didn’t put it there… 😂 @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social 0110
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 03/09/2025At the risk of bringing the tone down on Bluesky... 1. The Exchange of Fire 2. The Screen Defence 3. The Fart Bomb 4. The Drive-By 5. Teamwork The Top Five moves in Japan's celebrated 'fart battle' artistic tradition. More here (& turn up the sound) 👉 instagram.com/p/DOI3JtMDJ0B/ 010
Reposted by Chris HardingEngelsberg Ideas @engelsbergideas.bsky.social · 02/04/2025Gaming Japan’s bloody past | @drchrisharding.bsky.social engelsbergideas.com/notebook/gam...engelsbergideas.comGaming Japan's bloody pastControversies over the latest instalment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, set during Japan’s bloody Sengoku jidai, or ‘era of warring states’ (c.1467-1600), show why the past should not be sanitised... 083
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 29/03/2025For anyone after a Saturday samurai fix, here's @thehistoryguy.bsky.social talking to one of the historical advisors for Disney's #Shogun: shows.acast.com/dansnowshist...shows.acast.comThe Real Shogun: The English Navigator Who Became a Samurai | Dan Snow's History HitHow a sailor from Kent rose through the ranks of Japanese society to become the first Western samurai. 020
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 28/03/2025Can Japan hang onto its 'nice things'...? My weekly post for IlluminAsia. www.illuminasia.org/p/bin-lorrie...illuminasia.orgBin Lorries and the Fraying of Japan's Social ContractCan Japan hang onto its 'nice things'? 020
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 22/03/2025Some thoughts on the hoo-ha over #AssassinsCreedShadows. #AssassinsCreed #ACShadows 030
Reposted by Chris HardingJames O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 21/03/2025“We just wanted to see the historic electric substation.” 312428
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 21/03/2025This is well worth a read. 30 years on, it remains one of the most shocking moments in postwar Japanese history - both the attack itself, on the Tokyo underground, and the fact that ordinary, intelligent young people had seen so little future for themselves in Japan that they joined a cult. 021
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 21/03/2025Great piece on the re-enchantment phenomenon - of which I suspect the #TelepathyTapes are a part, with their criticism of scientific materialism and push for Idealism. 000
Chris Harding @drchrisharding.bsky.social · 21/03/2025What the controversy over Assassin’s Creed Shadows gets wrong - does Japan’s prime minister need a history lesson? www.illuminasia.org/p/assassins-...illuminasia.orgAssassin's Creed and Japan's Slasher-in-ChiefDoes Japan's Prime Minister Need a History Lesson? 131