Japan, in full colour
花火
HANABI
Anime, manga, music, games, food & the neon street life of modern Japan.
Latest dispatches
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Harajuku Forever: Tokyo’s Fearless Street Style
For thirty years, one neighbourhood has manufactured trends then discarded them.
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Konbini, Kissaten & the Genius of the Everyday Meal
Japan’s most radical culinary idea: the ordinary meal, done perfectly.
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Inside Japan’s Arcade Renaissance
While arcades died everywhere else, Japan kept the coins dropping.
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City Pop’s Second Wave
An algorithm resurrected the sound of 1980s Tokyo. The longing did the rest.
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Manga: The Quiet Empire
Nearly every story begins as ink on cheap newsprint — and that’s the secret.
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The Endless Summer of Anime
How Japanese animation quietly became the world’s default visual language.