Articles
Explore hidden gaps in Japanese culture
Filter by category
Search specific topic
An emotional blueprint evolved into wearable architecture.
Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s cult classic gets a second life.
How Hara Kazuaki documents the daily lives of her kids in Nagano.
Shin Hanga preserved traditional aesthetics while negotiating Western influence and change.
How Yukinaga continues traditional techniques by working entirely in analog.
Rediscovering traditional indigo dyeing through a new generation.
Explaining the glue between anime, fine art, toys, and fashion.
Wenders wanders a city racing forward, searching for Ozu’s stillness.
The insanely detailed cardboard creations of Aidakko Sishou.
Ihei Kimura captured life’s raw beauty through unfiltered moments.
Japan’s hidden graffiti world, balancing creativity and legality.
The creative chaos of 90s Harajuku immortalized by iconic fashion magazines.
These quirky little creatures say more than words ever could.
From arcades to consoles, Japan turned early 3D polygons into cultural icons.
From Ukiyo-e’s decline rose the Sōsaku Hanga movement.
OZ became the prototype for our online selves.
How FRUiTS and Chiaki Ito formed the base for a cel shade Tokyo.
Tracing how jazz evolved from Lupin’s charm to Bebop’s sci-fi western universe.
Dive into the world of Japan’s female divers.
A chaotic genius who bent postwar Japan’s manga into delirium.
Runways, vintage book treasures, and konbini snacks, the final days of Fashion Week Tokyo.
Nujabes' Impact on Anime’s most Iconic Soundtrack.
Tradition becomes design as Kai Mackenzie refines heritage into form.
Danielle Sinai explores what it means to get lost in Tokyo.
A quarter century later, Fukasaku’s dystopian pulp classic still provokes.
Dive into the first three days of Fashion Week Tokyo.
Kyoto-based artist nouseskou merges digital distorted patterns with nature and body.
This post office welcomes letters never meant to be delivered.
A conversation on Kureha’s surreal mirror world.
Fashion
An emotional blueprint evolved into wearable architecture.
Rediscovering traditional indigo dyeing through a new generation.
The creative chaos of 90s Harajuku immortalized by iconic fashion magazines.
Runways, vintage book treasures, and konbini snacks, the final days of Fashion Week Tokyo.
Tradition becomes design as Kai Mackenzie refines heritage into form.
Dive into the first three days of Fashion Week Tokyo.
Yutaro Saito’s sixth column joins a man who cleans Tokyo voluntarily.
Precision and subtlety define the understated power of Tokyo’s uniforms.
How Japan’s charm culture keeps creating new trends.
Yutaro Saito’s fifth column joins a man who wears what he eats.
The ordinary unravels gently in Mihara’s layered emotional silhouettes.
Masculinity here is soft-spoken, styled, and rooted in routine.
Yutaro Saito’s fourth column joins a man on a worldwide fishing trip.
Streetwear’s silent coder, remixing chaos into something strangely coherent.
Born in post-war Kobe, reborn on Tarantino’s blood-soaked set.
Pickyou is single-handedly revolutionizing the second hand scene.
Yutaro Saito’s third column finds quiet strength in Crocs.
A collaboration that explored identity through fashion, music, and performance.
Yazawa’s manga wears its heart out loud, stitched in Westwood’s tartan.
How a carabiner on a belt says more than designer logos.
What are Japanese designers thinking about?
Genderless kei blends comfort, color, and confidence with effortless charm.
A knit cap, pink jacket, and 40,000 kilometers later.
Yutaro Saito captures the quiet confidence of aging in fashion.
IM MEN turns fabric into wearable flight.
SEVESKIG redefines impermanence through wabi-sabi, yakihaku, and Roujin Z.
Musician-turned-designer Sophie Powers takes her first step into fashion in Tokyo.
Where marble motifs and avant-garde collide: Mikage Shin finds the spaces in between.
Goro Takahashi bridged cultures, crafting Harajuku’s timeless silver legacy.
Art & Design
Shin Hanga preserved traditional aesthetics while negotiating Western influence and change.
Music & Film
Manga & Anime
From doujinshi roots to global icons, the revolutionary impact of CLAMP on the world of manga.
How Japan Led the Early Poly Art Style
From arcades to consoles, Japan turned early 3D polygons into cultural icons.
The Culture That Shaped Jet Set Radio
How FRUiTS and Chiaki Ito formed the base for a cel shade Tokyo.
Honcho Kei Truck Game - A Love Letter to Japan’s Tiny Workhorse
Your own rusty kei truck and the endless countryside—Honcho is pure Showa charm.
The Subtle PS2 Ad Campaign That Took Japan by Storm
How Sony turned quiet curiosity into a cultural phenomenon.
Heisei Kids’ Youth - StreetPass and the Memories of the 3DS
Where strangers became allies, and commutes turned legendary.
The Philosophy Behind Scorpion From Mortal Kombat - A Path Of Fire
A fiery path of revenge and honor shapes Scorpion’s legacy.
Yuka Kuramochi Cosplays as Chun-Li from Street Fighter
How Red Bull Japan brought Street Fighter's Chun-Li to life.
Japanese Game Designers That Aren’t Hideo Kojima
Discover Japan’s game design legends shaping the industry beyond Kojima.
Ghost of Yotei - What We Know About Ghost of Tsushima’s Long-Awaited Sequel
A new Ghost rises in the 17th-century Japanese wilderness.
Nintendo Museum Opening in Kyoto
Explore gaming history and innovation at the new Nintendo Museum Kyoto.
The Social Media Charm of Hideo Kojima
The unfiltered yet iconic social media presence of Hideo Kojima.
The Complete Guide to Hideo Kojima’s Games
Discover Hideo Kojima’s iconic games that revolutionized storytelling and gameplay.
Hideo Kojima - Japan's Maestro of Game Design
How Hideo Kojima redefined gaming with innovative storytelling and cinematic gameplay.
The True Story behind Ghost of Tsushima
Explore Tsushima's true story of samurai bravery and Mongol threats.
Jet Set Radio - Tokyo in Cel-Shade
Dive into the game that embraced Japanese pop culture and uses Tokyo as its playground: Jet Set Radio.
Gunpei Yokoi - Humility in the World of Video Games
The story of the man that revolutionized the world of video game entertainment forever.
Snatcher - Hideo Kojima's ode to Blade Runner
Explore one of Hideo Kojima’s revolutionary titles that laid the foundation for his future work.
The culmination of Kon’s experiments in psychological animation.