Miss Hokusai, the animated film about the daughter of famed ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, is premiering at the Angelica Film Center in New York City on Thursday October 13. And we’re super excited to be able to partner with the distributor GKIDS to offer our readers two pairs of tickets.
Nishiki-koi: a brand of sake inspired by an age old fraud
Back in the days when Japanese sake was delivered in barrels, rice was a precious commodity. And so was the sake that was made from this rice. In order to maximize profits, breweries would water down their sake before they delivered them to sake shops. And, in turn, sake shops would also water down their stock before selling it to consumers.
members of the Japanese punk rock band Hi-Standard
Fans of Japanese legendary punk rock band Hi-Standard were shocked when, just last week, the band announced that their 16-year hiatus was coming to an end. And the unexpected announcement came just one day before the band was planning to release a new single: another starting line.
Perhaps it’s too late (or too early?) to be thinking about cherry blossoms. But for one Japanese company, it’s been a year and a half journey developing this unique and beautiful cherry blossom pencil. Typically, pencils are hexagon-shaped. But with the help of a decades-old pencil factory in Tokyo, this sakura-shaped pencil has finally blossomed.
Japanese wood joinery dates back to the seventh century and is a craftsmanship technique that involves complicated, interlocking wooden joints that form bonds without the use of nails, screws or adhesives. Even until recent times when carpentry books began to be published, mastery of these woodworking techniques remained the fiercely guarded secret of family carpentry guilds.
By now you’ve surely seen those cool-looking fish-eye lens photos on Instagram. They’re usually taken from elevated heights, or beautiful surroundings (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, try the #theta or #insta360 hashtags). These are 360-degree photos, not to be mistaken with panorama photos, that can be captured using spherical video cameras. Some can even be attached to your smartphone.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, after a thoroughly tiring day of ginbura (roaming the streets of Ginza) we stepped into the elevator of a nondescript building and took it to the second floor. As the doors open and we stepped out, a heavy white canvas noren hung before us, signalling our temporary reprieve from the humidity, the tourists and the taxis.
In Edo-era Japan, several lettering styles known as Edomoji were invented for advertising purposes. One of these was Kakuji, a highly graphic style of lettering that was characterized by rectangular-shaped letters made of of only vertical and horizontal lines. Now, a team of designers have created a typeset called Mashikaku, comprised of over 9000 characters, which takes inspiration from the old letters and brings them into the 21st century.
There are many reasons to visit Spiral in Omotesando. For one thing, it was designed by legendary Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. And since it’s been over 30 years since it was built – a good lifetime by Japanese building standards – it’s ripe for demolition. And with numerous design shops and galleries, it’s almost impossible not to leave without some designy souvenir.
Spiral first opened in October of 1985 with the concept of connecting lifestyle and art. It was the brainchild of Yoshikata Tsukamoto, the founder of lingerie-maker Wacoal, and is owned and operated by a subsidiary. There are 9 floors, which can feel a bit intimidating, but we usually focus on the lower floors where you’ll find Mina-to (1F), a creative market and Spiral Market (2F), a shop that sources modern ceramics and other tableware from Japanese designers. Connecting the 1st and 2nd floors is the Spiral Garden. With its spiraling staircase (which is where the building gets its name), this space hosts rotating art exhibitions.
There are several restaurants and cafes in the building too, including the casual Spiral Café on the 1st floor, a tea house on the 5th and a more upscale restaurant on the 8th.
This may very well be the greatest thing on the internet right now. PPAP, which stands for Pen Pineapple Apple Pen, is an infectiously addictive song and dance created by singer-songwriter Piko-Taro. It has every ingredient for a viral youtube video: a simple but catchy track, an even simpler dance routine, nonsensical lyrics and of course the whole thing is hilarious. Watch the video and then we’ll discuss who exactly this mad genius is.
OrySnack: The Bar Where Bartenders Work From Home
Winners of Japan’s 2027 Packaging Design Awards
Tokyo is Gearing Up for an Art-Filled Fall. And the Entire City is Here for It
Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
The Ultra-Narrow Rakuragu Hotel Offers a Stylish Stay in Central Tokyo
