Matthew Bell
@matthewjbell.bsky.social
Radio journalist with The World public radio program at GBH Boston - TheWorld.org
Watching Asia, the Middle East and religion. Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
Watching Asia, the Middle East and religion. Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
South Korean workers detained by ICE last week have arrived back home — apnews.com/article/sout...
September 12, 2025 at 11:57 AM
South Korean workers detained by ICE last week have arrived back home — apnews.com/article/sout...
Tibetans from Greater Boston took part in events today celebrating the 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. Pretty big turnout at the Kurukulla Center in Medford for a tea ceremony led by Geshe Tinley.
July 6, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Tibetans from Greater Boston took part in events today celebrating the 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. Pretty big turnout at the Kurukulla Center in Medford for a tea ceremony led by Geshe Tinley.
It was such a pleasure to meet and interview Shizue Takahashi in Tokyo when I was there recently. Her husband Kazumasa was killed in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. For 30 years, she's been an outspoken advocate for the victims. Listen up on today's @theworld.org for our story.
March 19, 2025 at 1:57 PM
It was such a pleasure to meet and interview Shizue Takahashi in Tokyo when I was there recently. Her husband Kazumasa was killed in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. For 30 years, she's been an outspoken advocate for the victims. Listen up on today's @theworld.org for our story.
One final note. This is a Boulevardier that I ordered at a music bar in Kyoto. It was excellent.
February 25, 2025 at 7:57 PM
One final note. This is a Boulevardier that I ordered at a music bar in Kyoto. It was excellent.
Most of the music I heard at listening lounges was jazz, soul, funk, American roots music, some blues, and a bit of classic rock. But one place in Tokyo just plays classical music. Café Lion opened in the 1920s. It's only open during the day, doesn't serve alcohol, and feels like Hogwarts inside.
February 25, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Most of the music I heard at listening lounges was jazz, soul, funk, American roots music, some blues, and a bit of classic rock. But one place in Tokyo just plays classical music. Café Lion opened in the 1920s. It's only open during the day, doesn't serve alcohol, and feels like Hogwarts inside.
What a pleasure meeting Nobuo Miyamae, the 57 year-old owner of the Little Soul Café in Tokyo. The place is tiny, but he has somehow managed to fit something like 14,000 records in there, along with an astounding array of top shelf liquor from around the globe. Miya - as he's known - is very chill.
February 25, 2025 at 7:18 PM
What a pleasure meeting Nobuo Miyamae, the 57 year-old owner of the Little Soul Café in Tokyo. The place is tiny, but he has somehow managed to fit something like 14,000 records in there, along with an astounding array of top shelf liquor from around the globe. Miya - as he's known - is very chill.
Shuya Okino has been in the music business for more than 30 years. He's a very cool cat. Look at that jacket! He also runs a nightclub in Tokyo and gave me a short history lesson about Japan's "jazz kissas" - or jazz cafés - that started in the 1950s. Jazz got popular then but records were pricey.
February 25, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Shuya Okino has been in the music business for more than 30 years. He's a very cool cat. Look at that jacket! He also runs a nightclub in Tokyo and gave me a short history lesson about Japan's "jazz kissas" - or jazz cafés - that started in the 1950s. Jazz got popular then but records were pricey.
Bar Martha is a popular spot in Tokyo. It's been open for 10+ years. It's got pretty strict rules: no photos, minimal talking, cover charge, and no music requests. They wouldn't talk with me for my story. But honestly, it's fantastic. The vintage McIntosh tubes amps & Tannoy speakers are dope.
February 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Bar Martha is a popular spot in Tokyo. It's been open for 10+ years. It's got pretty strict rules: no photos, minimal talking, cover charge, and no music requests. They wouldn't talk with me for my story. But honestly, it's fantastic. The vintage McIntosh tubes amps & Tannoy speakers are dope.
I know everything in the news is terrible right now, but here's a fun story I was lucky to be able to work on recently in Tokyo. It's about the listening lounges - aka music bars - that are really popular in Japan, and starting to catch on elsewhere. They've actually been around a long time.
February 25, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I know everything in the news is terrible right now, but here's a fun story I was lucky to be able to work on recently in Tokyo. It's about the listening lounges - aka music bars - that are really popular in Japan, and starting to catch on elsewhere. They've actually been around a long time.
Greater Boston is full of creative clever people. Sometimes people refer to it as the “innovation hub.”
February 20, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Greater Boston is full of creative clever people. Sometimes people refer to it as the “innovation hub.”
When I visited Kyoto last month, there were lots of tourists out and about. But that was in January, the middle of winter. I understand that it gets really packed during the warmer months. It's easy to see why people want to visit there though. What an amazing place.
February 13, 2025 at 9:53 PM
When I visited Kyoto last month, there were lots of tourists out and about. But that was in January, the middle of winter. I understand that it gets really packed during the warmer months. It's easy to see why people want to visit there though. What an amazing place.
When I visited Kyoto last month, there were lots of tourists out and about. But that was in January, the middle of winter. I understand that it gets really packed during the warmer months. It's easy to see why people want to visit there though. What an amazing place.
February 13, 2025 at 9:52 PM
When I visited Kyoto last month, there were lots of tourists out and about. But that was in January, the middle of winter. I understand that it gets really packed during the warmer months. It's easy to see why people want to visit there though. What an amazing place.
It was a pleasure meeting Rev. Takafumi Kawakami from the Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, Japan. He's the 24th generation of Zen Buddhist priest there, and the 5th generation from his own family. We talked about what he's trying to do at the temple and some of his hopes for the future of Kyoto.
February 12, 2025 at 9:04 PM
It was a pleasure meeting Rev. Takafumi Kawakami from the Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, Japan. He's the 24th generation of Zen Buddhist priest there, and the 5th generation from his own family. We talked about what he's trying to do at the temple and some of his hopes for the future of Kyoto.
Here's a short video of the Korean 'gut' - shamanic ritual - that I was able to attend earlier this month in Seoul. Chung Soon Deok is the head shaman, inviting an annoyed mountain god to speak through her and, hopefully, help a local man recover from a stroke. The man's daughter-in-law hired Chung.
January 31, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Here's a short video of the Korean 'gut' - shamanic ritual - that I was able to attend earlier this month in Seoul. Chung Soon Deok is the head shaman, inviting an annoyed mountain god to speak through her and, hopefully, help a local man recover from a stroke. The man's daughter-in-law hired Chung.
Lee Song Jae is the head of an association of shamans, with 300,000 members across South Korea. He says Buddhists, Christians, politicians, all sorts of people seek out shamanic services, like divination, healing rituals, or prayer services. He says the way of the shaman is part of Koreans' DNA.
January 31, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Lee Song Jae is the head of an association of shamans, with 300,000 members across South Korea. He says Buddhists, Christians, politicians, all sorts of people seek out shamanic services, like divination, healing rituals, or prayer services. He says the way of the shaman is part of Koreans' DNA.
Chung Soon Deok (in red) has been a practicing shaman in South Korea for decades. She told me shamans are like intermediaries between the human world and the realm of gods, ghosts and spirits. Here, Chung was appeasing an annoyed mountain god, trying to help heal a man who'd recently had a stroke.
January 31, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Chung Soon Deok (in red) has been a practicing shaman in South Korea for decades. She told me shamans are like intermediaries between the human world and the realm of gods, ghosts and spirits. Here, Chung was appeasing an annoyed mountain god, trying to help heal a man who'd recently had a stroke.
Kim Dong Kyu is an expert on Korean religions at Sogang University in Seoul. He says South Koreans are ambivalent about shamans and their beliefs. They'll say shamans are not trustworthy and embrace outdated superstitions. But at the same time, many Koreans seek out shamanic services all the time.
January 31, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Kim Dong Kyu is an expert on Korean religions at Sogang University in Seoul. He says South Koreans are ambivalent about shamans and their beliefs. They'll say shamans are not trustworthy and embrace outdated superstitions. But at the same time, many Koreans seek out shamanic services all the time.
Goodbye for now, Japan. Hope to make it back here before too long.
January 28, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Goodbye for now, Japan. Hope to make it back here before too long.
Whole. Nother. Level.
January 25, 2025 at 5:09 AM
Whole. Nother. Level.
Taken from the bullet train this morning, Kyoto to Tokyo. Nice view of Mt. Fuji. And what an impressive train!
January 23, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Taken from the bullet train this morning, Kyoto to Tokyo. Nice view of Mt. Fuji. And what an impressive train!
My first visit to Japan, where it seems like a lot of people don’t bother locking up their bikes because there’s no need to. Ah, wow. This is incredible!
January 21, 2025 at 11:28 PM
My first visit to Japan, where it seems like a lot of people don’t bother locking up their bikes because there’s no need to. Ah, wow. This is incredible!
Boston doesn’t have a fish market like this.
January 17, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Boston doesn’t have a fish market like this.
Today, I was able to visit a shamanic ritual called a ‘gut’ in Seoul. The woman in red is a shaman - ‘mudang’ in Korean - and she is communicating with deities to help heal the other woman’s husband, who recently had a stroke.
January 17, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Today, I was able to visit a shamanic ritual called a ‘gut’ in Seoul. The woman in red is a shaman - ‘mudang’ in Korean - and she is communicating with deities to help heal the other woman’s husband, who recently had a stroke.
Tangun is credited as the founder of the first kingdom of Korea around 2300 BC. I learned a little about this today from a prominent Korean shaman, who told me that shamanism is embedded in the DNA of all Koreans.
January 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Tangun is credited as the founder of the first kingdom of Korea around 2300 BC. I learned a little about this today from a prominent Korean shaman, who told me that shamanism is embedded in the DNA of all Koreans.
Just down the road from the pro-Yoon rally, there was a small counter protest where people were calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to be arrested. People there told me that Yoon has to go. One woman told me, “He has to pay for his sins.” I think this guy’s sign says something like, “Arrest him.”
January 14, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Just down the road from the pro-Yoon rally, there was a small counter protest where people were calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to be arrested. People there told me that Yoon has to go. One woman told me, “He has to pay for his sins.” I think this guy’s sign says something like, “Arrest him.”