Comparing the changing landscape of Akihabara today and ten years ago
December 21, 2017
/
William
Tokyo can sometimes seem less of a city than a polymorphous, ever-changing organism. Each month brings new buildings and infrastructure, all in the name of a constant cycle of construction, ...
Japan’s first gel nail tryvertising concept shop JellyNail
December 20, 2017
/
Japan Trends
The first tryvertising gel nail concept shop opened in Japan on December 13th.
JellyNail is located in Daikanyama, the high-end retail district on the edge of Shibuya. Customers can drop in and ...
Tsutaya opens new coworking and relaxation space in Shinjuku
December 13, 2017
/
William
The rental DVD, books and entertainment retail chain Tsutaya once had a large branch on the east of Shinjuku Station. This was demolished a few years ago and reopened as a leaner branch with other ...
Karaoke continues to evolve. From wedding cosplay karaoke services to karaoke boxes combined with convenience stores, the archetypal modern Japanese leisure activity has survived so long because it ...
Social Media Omamori Amulet Set
Traditional talismans for the internet
Apparently not put off by Takeshi Kitano's viral send-up of him last year, President Donald Trump has been visiting Japan on the first leg of his Asian tour.
In addition to enjoying golf with ...
After yet another typhoon in a very rainy October spoiled the weekend closest to Halloween, thousands of people in Tokyo seized the chance to celebrate All Hallows' Eve on October 31st itself despite ...
One of the big changes in the Tokyo landscape in recent years has been the ongoing gentrification of the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku. Long a no-go zone unless you wanted to visit one of the less ...
In the varied and colorful world of Japanese coffee, consumers today can opt for canned coffee from a vending machine, a cheap cup of regular joe from the 7-Eleven, something more expensive from ...
The fashion brand Stella McCartney has shot a stunning new promotional video in Japan.
Directed by the fashion filmmaker Marie Schuller, the video advertises the Stella McCartney autumn-winter ...
Japanese education tends to get a bad rap. Class sizes are large and the learning famously leans towards passing tests with only the "correct" answers rather than encouraging student participation or ...
Ishoku-hada extreme body painting subculture invades Tokyo again
September 14, 2017
/
Japan Trends
When gravure idol (glamor model) Miyako Akane kickstarted a new body painting cosplay subculture back in June, certain sections of the web went nuts. While this is hardly a genuine trend -- a handful ...
Meet Lulu Hashimoto, a living doll fashion model
September 7, 2017
/
William
Everyone knows that Japan has a lot of dolls: from luxury silicone sex dolls to Licca-chan and Hinamatsuri Festival dolls.
Kigurumi is a kind of cosplay or costume play where participants dress up ...
Mount Fuji Eraser
The Mount Fuji Eraser is a fun and clever way to bring this icon of Japan into your home or work stationery set. As you use the cuboid eraser, the shape of Fuji gradually comes into view and you find yourself holding Japan's most famous peak.
Last week the Japanese media was caught off-guard by the announcement that the actress Emi Takei and singer Takahiro from the pop group Exile had got married, and that Takei is ...
Japan is suffering from a phenomenon known as "umi-banare" -- literally, "moving away from the sea" -- whereby fewer and fewer people visiting Japan's beaches to take advantage of one the country's ...
Japan's society is aging -- and rapidly. With the second-highest life expectancy in the world combined with a falling birth rate, the numbers of retirees and older citizens will only continue to ...