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
YUKOKU: Patriotism or the Rite of Love and Death
We take a look at controversial figure Yukio Mishima’s 1966 film, Yukoku - often seen as a cinematic dress rehearsal for his own attempted coup and ritual suicide 4 years later
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
GUNKAN-JIMA: Japan’s ghost town at sea
We take a look at Japan’s abandoned ghost town floating at sea on a battleship shaped island
KINGYO-BU: the goldfish club
In 2012, the KINGYOBU (“goldfish club”) transformed phone booths in Osaka into standing aquariums, providing a visual break from the monotony of city life
RETROSPECTIVE: Hot-Dog PRESS 1981
NAKAGIN CAPSULE: an endangered species
With demolition looking increasingly likely, we take a look at Kurokawa Kisho’s paragon of Metabolist design
SAYAMA HILLS: Miyazaki’s world on the edge of Tokyo
Escape the noise of Tokyo and reconnect with nature in the park that inspired Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro
ELEMENTAL CHURCHES: Tadao Ando’s holy trinity
Wind, water & light - the three churches that contributed to the rise of architectural luminary Tadao Ando
JIMBOCHO: the heart of Tokyo’s book scene
Lose yourself exploring second hand stores in Tokyo’s book heaven
POCARI SWEAT: From underdog to cultural touchstone
The rise of the iconic drink from a struggling unknown to a symbol of faux nostalgia
SUN TRIBE: The disillusioned youth of postwar Japan
The mid 1950s exploration of youth, nihilism & sex that sent older generations into a state of complete moral panic
OKUTAMA: An interface between nature & architecture
Look no further than a non-descript fire station in Okutama to see the symbiosis between nature & architecture that runs to the core of Japanese design
MIA MIA: Redefining the Tokyo coffee scene
The unlikely Australian-Japanese cafe heralding a new era of Tokyo coffee shops
EYES ON: Yanaka
Yanaka is showing signs of modernization - but it’s managing it in a way that tastefully integrates with the traditional ‘shitamachi’ atmosphere
Grab a Western Brunch at Tractor, Nakameguro
The best spot in Tokyo to cure your hangover with a greasy bacon & egg roll