According to data from the Immigration Bureau of Japan, which is part of the Ministry of Justice, the number of registered foreign nationals living in Japan as of December 2008 was 2,152,973 people. About 20 percent of this figure, or some 416,000 persons, currently reside in the Kansai Region. For the non-Japanese population of Kansai, Kansai Time Out (KTO) has been an important source of information over a number of years. With content that ranges from life-necessity information such as employment adverts and medical services, etc., along with coverage of topics such as music, travel, and current events, KTO is a community magazine that offers a wide variety of articles to its readership.
First published in 1977, KTO is the oldest English language information magazine in Japan. "With almost no English language media available back then, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for non-Japanese residents to obtain reliable information about the communities in which they lived," says Christopher Stevens, who joined the KTO editorial team some 11 years ago, and has been serving as editor-in-chief since 2003. "KTO's original mission was to commit itself to local non-Japanese communities by delivering necessary information to them." The magazine started life as a 4-page, newspaper-style publication featuring only the very minimum of information. However, the number of pages as well as the volume of information contained kept growing over time in response to reader requests such as "Where can I try XX in Japan?" or "Where can I find YY cooking ingredient?" After going through several updates and changes in both size and page volume, KTO is currently published as a 72-page, irregular-size A4 magazine.

According to Christopher Stevens, the most significant feature of KTO is its targeting of a wide range of Japan-focused themes, with a special emphasis on the Kansai Region. For example, recent issues have covered popular topics ranging from Kyoto tourist spots and sushi, through to serious news such as the increasing levels of cannabis abuse and old-age care issues in Japan. Articles in KTO often cover subjects of which even Japanese are not well aware; examples of such are the controversy surrounding the Utoro District and the Nabari poisoning incident. "Many of our readers are long-term residents of Japan and therefore possess a strong interest in things happening in the country," says Stevens. "Including me, such individuals desire a deeper and more complex coverage of stories, to a degree not offered by overseas media’s reporting on Japan. This is the case whether such stories are about Japanese culture or some other social issue in this country."

KTO’s ability to cover stories is no wonder if you consider that the magazine’s non-Japanese writers are all specialists, probably more knowledgeable regarding their own areas of Japanese expertise than the wider Japanese population. Their number includes a university professor specializing in Japanese crime, an authority on B-grade movies, a Buddhist statue aficionado, a sumo writer, and so on. While these writers write articles in response to requests from KTO editors, they also bring ideas for future articles to KTO. "We sometimes tell our writers what we are looking for and we may make necessary revisions or additions to articles submitted for publication. In principle, however, we use as much of the original copy as possible," says Stevens. On the flip side of such a relaxed editorial policy, KTO occasionally receives complaints from readers about the provocative articles and photographs the magazine features. "In one case, we used a painting of a naked woman by Tadanori Yokoo for the front cover of an issue, and this really aggravated some pornography-sensitive American readers who demanded that we explain why we used the picture." There is the fact that some things are acceptable in Japanese culture while being unacceptable in other cultures, the question is, however, do such instances cause conflict in editorial policy? "Remember that we are in Japan, not in the United States," laughs Stevens. "We follow a line of action that is in keeping with what we think is acceptable in this country."

I asked Stevens to name any topics related to Kansai that attract the non-Japanese population while going largely unappreciated by the Japanese themselves. "Underground culture is definitely one such topic," answers Stevens. "For example, BOREDOMS and other underground music performers from Osaka are more recognized overseas than here in Japan. There are also a number of unique and excellent clubs in the Kansai Region, such as Bears and Fandango. These topics all deserve more exposure and should be introduced further to areas outside Kansai. Many non-Japanese are also interested in knowing about the "dirty underbelly" of Japanese society, areas such as Nishinari and Shinsekai here in Kansai. I, myself, once wrote a report for KTO about Nishinari, although I think Shinsekai has become too sophisticated these days and it is not as interesting as it once was."

In Steven’s opinion, Kansai outperforms Tokyo both in terms of the food culture and the people's friendly, passionate nature. "When I talk to people from Tokyo, they are often less expressive, and this makes it hard for me to appreciate what they are truly thinking," laughs Stevens. "In the United States, from which I originally came, there is a similar rivalry existing between people on the East Coast in places like New York, and people living on the West Coast in the State of California. It seems to be a universal phenomenon that people divide themselves into regional-based groups, this is something that really interests me."

During the past 30 some years since the KTO’s inception, the information tools available to foreign residents in Japan have evolved significantly. It is much easier today to obtain a variety of information in English, thanks to the development of the Internet. Other English information magazines and newspapers targeting non-Japanese have been established as well. Through this transition, according to Stevens, KTO has started adding more "unwanted" information to content rather than "wanted" information. "Many of our staff members, in some way, have unusual tastes and they are not so interested in mainstream themes. We would not select topics that other media are likely to cover. On the other hand, we also understand that it would do us no good if we only included topics of fringe interest in the magazine. The unique qualities of KTO are found in the balance struck between information that is sought-after by our readership, and more unusual stories that would not make the copy of other media."
On the corner of the front cover of every issue of KTO, there is a Japanese sentence that translates to; "Kansai Time Out is a bridge that connects foreign countries and Japan." According to Stevens, it is also the magazine's mission to feature more information that would inspire its Japanese readership. "Many Japanese, for example, have a stereotypical image that equates foreign residents of Japan to being English teachers. The reality, however, is quite different. Some non-Japanese residents of Japan are business owners, while others may be carpenters and so on. I think it is our job to discover and introduce such people and their lives to our Japanese readership. Although our main target is non-Japanese residents in Japan, a primary goal of KTO is to find the best way by which to introduce, in English, all the wonderful things that happen in Japan, especially here in the Kansai Region, to both other parts of the country and other areas of the world. Many tourist guides published outside Japan use their own in-house writers who would probably visit Japan for a short period of time and write articles that often include misunderstandings and misinformation regarding the country. By contrast, the great thing about KTO is that all of our writers are actual residents of Japan and therefore they are able to uncover and deliver some fascinating local stories that would never be noticed by overseas-based tourist guide writers."

It is the non-Japanese viewpoint from which KTO has continued to observe changes in Japan and Kansai. The magazine successfully captures Kansai as a treasure trove packed with refreshing surprises that Japanese themselves have rarely noticed. While it is often said that Kansai is losing its energy, KTO may help find clues for revitalization, clues that the Japanese themselves could never imagine. KTO is sold at major book stores in the Kansai Region and Kinokuniya chain stores around the world. It is also available from KTO's homepage. Whether you are Japanese or non-Japanese, KTO invites readers to experience an in-depth look at the Kansai lifestyle.