Matt Alt

Last Updated: May 2, 2024

Matt Alt (born 1973) is an American journalist, translator, and writer renowned for his expertise in Japanese popular culture. He co-founded the localization company AltJapan Co., Ltd., and serves as a co-host on the NHK World television series Japanology Plus. Alt’s journey into Japanese culture began during his high school years at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland. He later pursued a double major in Japanese and International Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Alt’s television appearances include Tokyo Eye and Eigo de Shabera Night on NHK World-Japan. He gained international recognition for his coverage of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on American news networks like CBS and CNN. Following a profile on Begin Japanology in 2011, he became the co-host of its successor, Japanology Plus, in 2014.

In his personal life, Alt is married to writer and translator Hiroko Yoda, with whom he collaborates extensively, particularly in introducing Japan’s yokai culture to English-speaking audiences. Alt’s passion for Japanese culture extends to his collection of Jumbo Machinder toys, showcased at the Kennedy Center during the “Japan! Culture + Hyperculture Festival” in 2008. He has also ventured into acting, appearing in films like Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War and Tomoo Haraguchi’s Death Kappa. Alt served as a judge for the Manga Translation Battle from 2013 to 2015.

His contributions to the gaming industry include scriptwriting for games like World of Demons and translation work for titles such as Shenmue II and Dragon Quest VIII. Alt has also lent his voice to video games like Energy Airforce: aimStrike!

Born in Washington, DC, Alt continues to enrich cross-cultural understanding through his diverse body of work, leaving an indelible mark on the intersection of American and Japanese popular culture.