Akita Prefecture, located in the northern Tohoku region of Japan, is known not only for its natural beauty but also…
Paul McInnesDecember 3, 2024
I don’t particularly like new stuff. It makes me sad, for example, to think of factories churning out an ever-growing…
Richard Koyama-DanielsOctober 22, 2024
As a boy in the early 1980s, I would spend many happy hours in the art supplies and stationery section…
Richard Koyama-DanielsSeptember 5, 2024
If you ask the average Tokyoite about Tokyo Daibutsu 東京大仏 or Tokyo’s Giant Buddha, do not be surprised by the…
Toshiko SakuraiSeptember 2, 2024
I’ve known Michail Gkinis for not far off 20 years now. A maverick of design, he’s a graduate of the…
Paul McInnesAugust 29, 2024
Just a short walk from the Gojo Bridge, site of the warrior-monk Benkei’s fateful 1,000th duel, there is a typically…
Richard Koyama-DanielsAugust 16, 2024
Over the years, one of the least wasteful ways I have found to waste my time, has been to head…
Richard Koyama-DanielsJuly 4, 2024
It's not rare for Japanese subcultures to expand overseas and then explode in the West. Manga, anime, and video games…
Anna ToccoliAugust 9, 2022
I was waiting for my dinner, sitting on the tatami floor at a ryokan in Oita prefecture. I didn't know…
Maria PeñascalDecember 10, 2021
Kanji. The bane of students of Japanese, of certain carefree T-shirt designers and tattoo artists victims of customers lacking enough…
Toshiko SakuraiJanuary 14, 2021
Japan started to celebrate Christmas after World War II due to Western influence. As it comes from the Christian tradition,…
Maria PeñascalDecember 18, 2020
I have always loved winter and snow even more. Coming from the south of France, where it barely snows once…
Joachim DucosDecember 18, 2020
