Tokyo-based American writer and translator Matt Alt appears at Melbourne Writers Festival (7-10 May) and Sydney Writers' Festival (17-24 May). Credit: Matt Alt/photo AC
Matt Alt is an American writer and translator based in Tokyo. He began learning Japanese in the 1980s, at a time when ‘Japan-bashing’—fuelled by factors such as trade friction between Japan and the US—was at its peak. What kept him going was his encounter with Japanese toys when he was around five or six years old. His desire to learn more about Japan and its pop culture, and to understand them better, never wavered.
Matt Alt is an American writer and translator based in Tokyo. He began learning Japanese in the 1980s, at a time when ‘Japan-bashing’—fuelled by factors such as trade friction between Japan and the US—was at its peak. What kept him going was his encounter with Japanese toys when he was around five or six years old. His desire to learn more about Japan and its pop culture, and to understand them better, never wavered.
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