Kim Kahan
Writing & Translation
I write and translate things around Japanese customs and subcultures, electronic music and art. I specialise in interviews (Japanese and English), with notable interviewees including photographer Mari Katayama; flower artist Makoto Azuma, and legendary Japanese drummers Kodo Taiko.
About Me: I moved to Japan in 2017, after leaving a corporate PR job and working sporadically in the electronic music sector. The plan was to live in Japan for a year, but I fell in love with the language and started working a semi-full time job while self-studying. In 2021 I passed the Japanese test (JLPT2) and I wrote my first long-form piece about tribal tattoos from the Ryukyu Islands.
Writing and Translation: Now a full-time freelancer in Japan, my work appears regularly in publications including: The Japan Times, Metropolis, Live Japan and Tokyo Cheapo. And also in music publications such as Resident Advisor, Mixmag and ele-king (Japan).
I am Features Writer at Tokyo Weekender, both print and online.
Reach me via email: kimjakahan[at]gmail[dot]com
Highlights:
- Makoto Azuma: Rule-Breaking Flower Artist Makoto Azuma in Tokyo Weekender.
- Iconic Duo: Matheus Katayama and Aisho Nakajima in Tokyo Weekender, speaking with queer pop singer Nakajima and his director Katayama.
- Mari Katayama: The Art of Living in Tokyo Weekender, a 6-page interview with the photographer.
- Japanese Tribal Tattoos in Metropolis, a 4-page feature about the recent Ainu tattoo trend.
- Reviving a Stigmatised Tradition in Metropolis, an interview with Hajicha tattoo artist, Moeko Heshiki.
- Perila and Ulla in Inverted Audio, album review.
- Amazing Okinawan Kokuto in Tokyo Treat, researched in Japanese and number one on Google for “kokuto black sugar”.
Kim Kahan 