Raj Mahtani

Yokohama, Japan
Contact

Professional Experience

Based in Yokohama, Japan, I translate books, marketing proposals, and contribute stories to publications on an array of topics related to culture, travel, and business in Japan. My aim is to offer lateral and eclectic glimpses into what makes this nation so dynamic and inspired.

Expertise

Reporter
2 Years
Other, Specify
15 Years

Industries


Advertising agency
15 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

10 Years

Showcase

Articles published

A guide to various dives in Tokyo for wide-eyed wanderers.
A first-person account of a bus journey in India.
A report on cellular-phone advertising in Japan.
An account of how poetry readings made waves within Japan's expat community during the mid '90s.
A profile of the artist, Ainee Powells, a breakbeats musician.
A profile of Issey Ogata, a Japanese actor famous for his one-man vignettes.
A profile of a techno pop duo, making waves in the J-Pop scene.

Books translated

Authored by a sugarcraft expert, this visually rich guide is filled with tips on how to apply icing to design adorable cookies. The many sample cookies featured are very charming.
A coming of age story about a starry-eyed girl navigating the uncharted waters of love and hate. Set in France and Japan, the novel, as described by Yasmine La Salle of The Japan Times, "decodes the inner working of what it means to truly help someone."
Acclaimed Japanese author Randy Taguchi's collection of four unforgettable stories of redemption, discovery, loss, and remembrance. Mount Fuji, Japan's sacred peak, stands sentinel in each of them.
This is a Japanese religious scholar's work that spans eons, challenges established historical and anthropological views, and places weight on an occult tome, as well as on visions of the author's own astral journeys (Illuminatus, anyone?). So here's the humble disclaimer from this translator: The views expressed in this book are the author's alone. Having said that, I hope you will still consider looking into it for its many fascinating parts, including the detailed accounts of Japanese mythology, its tantalizing argument that Yahweh is a female deity, and for the sheer entertainment that comes from reading about the transmigration of souls, secret societies, and cataclysmic earthquakes that promise to transform not only the topography of the earth, but the conflict-ridden status quo of the Middle East for good. If anything, it should prove to be a mind-boggling diversion for your inner conspiracy theorist. A tall glass of absinthe on the rocks, if you will.
A collection of essays by marketing theorists and practitioners. One of the highlights of this book is a fascinating, anecdotal account of how a Coca Cola executive in Japan developed the hit product, Karada Meguri-cha, which literally translates to Body Circulation Tea. His quest ultimately led him to China, where he sought advice from esoteric herbalists.
A visual self-help guide to life. Mostly pictures and moving prose.
A former flight attendant muses on the humanity that unfolded 39,000 feet in the air.