ben leighton 9/4/25 ben leighton 9/4/25

PURIKURA: the grandmother of the selfie

Discover the history of Purikura, the iconic Japanese photo booth that became the grandmother of the selfie. First launched in 1995 by Atlus and Sega, Purikura transformed sticker photos into a cultural craze—shaping youth trends, inspiring cell phone cameras, and paving the way for today’s selfies. From its explosive rise with SMAP’s endorsement to its lasting presence in arcades, karaoke shops, and train stations, Purikura remains a beloved piece of Japan’s pop culture.

ben leighton 11/8/22 ben leighton 11/8/22

SUKEBAN: delinquent girls

In the 1970s, Sukeban wreaked havoc on the streets of Japan armed with razor blades, bamboo swords, chains and their school uniforms

ben leighton 6/3/22 ben leighton 6/3/22

BURAIHA: The ‘decadents’ of Japan

Known as the “school of irresponsibility and decadence,” the ragtag Buraiha (無頼派) authors became notorious for their nihilistic attitudes and bohemian lifestyles

ben leighton 6/2/22 ben leighton 6/2/22

MIYUKI-ZOKU: Ginza’s dapper summer of 1964

The Miyuki-zoku youth brought dapper clothes and a sense of flair to Ginza for one hot summer in 1964

ben leighton 2/22/22 ben leighton 2/22/22

PAANTU FESTIVAL (パーントゥ)

A terrifying tradition on Miyako-jima sees 3 men dress as monsters and wander the town smearing mud on anyone and anything they see

ben leighton 2/17/22 ben leighton 2/17/22

NAKI SUMO: The Crying Baby Festival

This bizarre annual festival sees two sumo wrestlers hold a baby in a face off with the first to cry winning a blessing of good health

ben leighton 12/8/21 ben leighton 12/8/21

ERO-GURO NANSENSU

Ero-guro nansensu, was a movement that began in the 1930s and took its name from the English words Erotic, Grotesque Nonsense. It reached into all aspects of Japanese media, culture and art and continues in an adapted form today

will lavan 12/4/21 will lavan 12/4/21

KARASU-ZOKU (カラス族)

Lasting from 1982 to 1990, Karasu-zoku (‘crow tribe’) was a Japanese fashion subculture that consisted of wearing androgynous, all-black designer outfits and accessories

ben leighton 11/13/21 ben leighton 11/13/21

JAPAN’S MOST WANTED

Visit any Koban in Japan and you’ll be met with the same faces staring back at you – a wall of wanted posters, or Shimei Tehai (指名手配), showing the rewards offered for Japan’s most dangerous fugitives

ben leighton 11/11/21 ben leighton 11/11/21

SADA ABE: Japan’s Showa Sex Scandal

By the age of 31 - Sada Abe was the most notorious woman in Japan and at the center of a murderous sex scandal that shocked the Showa era public

ben leighton 8/22/21 ben leighton 8/22/21

COFFEE IN A CAN

Ready-to-drink canned coffee is ubiquitous with Japan. Filling every vending machine across the nation, it first became available in Japan in 1969 thanks to UCC Ueshima Coffee Co

ben leighton 8/9/21 ben leighton 8/9/21

KERA / KEROUAC MAGAZINE: For Eccentric Boys & Girls (1998-2017)

KERA (originally KEROUAC) Magazine first saw publication in 1998 and soon became the defining publication on Harajuku street culture

ben leighton 7/17/21 ben leighton 7/17/21

TOKYO STYLE: Raw Tokyo Living

Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s seminal 1993 book, TOKYO STYLE, is a collection of photographs that display the raw reality of living in Japan’s capital city

ben leighton 7/14/21 ben leighton 7/14/21

FLAMINGO BAR: Tokyo's Gaudy Artist Hangout

Now a shadow of its former self, FLAMINGO BAR in Roppongi was once a vivid crimson hangout for artists, burlesque dancers and advertising executives

ben leighton 7/13/21 ben leighton 7/13/21

1964 OLYMPICS: Tokyo’s Rebirth

1964, the first year that Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games, marked a turning point in post war Japanese society and, for many, announced the rebirth of the nation

ben leighton 7/11/21 ben leighton 7/11/21

SHINGO, AOMORI: Christ’s Tomb in Northern Japan

We take a look at Shingo - a town in Aomori Prefecture where it’s claimed by locals that Jesus spent the final years of life

ben leighton 5/31/21 ben leighton 5/31/21

DEMAEKI: Japan’s enduring contraption

With today’s reliance on apps for food delivery, it’s easy to think of it as an entirely modern phenomenon. In Japan however, food delivery, or demae (出前), goes back 300 years

ben leighton 5/25/21 ben leighton 5/25/21

YAMA-ICHI KOSO: Kansai’s bloody Yakuza war

The 1981 death of Kazuo Taoka - the “Godfather of Godfathers” - left a power void in the Yamaguchi yakuza and led to a crime war that would ravage the streets of Kansai for almost 10 years

ben leighton 5/16/21 ben leighton 5/16/21

RETROSPECTIVE: Hot-Dog PRESS 1981

ben leighton 5/10/21 ben leighton 5/10/21

JIMBOCHO: the heart of Tokyo’s book scene

Lose yourself exploring second hand stores in Tokyo’s book heaven