Culture
Photos documenting Japan’s underground subcultures
Cherry Blossom — From the Yakuza to a biker youth gang known as the Bosozoku, Bruce Gilden recounts capturing Tokyo and Osaka in the ‘90s.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Japan
Culture
Inside the soaring Pokémon trade fuelled by lockdown
Gotta Catch Em’ All — With the pandemic triggering widespread nostalgia, many have found themselves returning to childhood favourites like Pokémon, which turned 25 this year. And now, card traders are raking in hundreds of thousands by capitalising on the growing demand.
Written by: Gunseli Yalcinkaya
Culture
The dystopian megacities of anime architecture
Brave new world — A new book celebrating the creative process behind Japan's animated cityscapes offers both architectural escapism and bold imaginings of a near future.
Written by: Gunseli Yalcinkaya
Photography
Kai Fusayoshi reflects on a life shooting the streets of Kyoto
In his own words — After a fire destroyed his life's work, Japanese photographer Kai Fusayoshi was ready to give up. Now a new exhibition of his remaining work has him reflecting on the happier times and his incredible career.
Written by: Kai Fusayoshi (as told to Marigold Warner)
Culture
Gritty images of everyday life on the streets of Tokyo
Unexpected beauty — Photographer Tatsuo Suzuki discusses his compelling portraits of contemporary Tokyo, and finding fascination and tensions in the mundane.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Magazine
A humorous look at Japanese family life, in photos
No place like home — For over a decade, photographer Motoyuki Daifu has been documenting the lives of his loved ones, seeking out quiet moments of magic among the mundane.
Written by: Motoyuki Daifu
Photography
An outsider’s take on 21st century Japan
Independent Mysteries — Since first visiting as a tourist, photographer Michael Magers has been enchanted by Japan. His new book collates work from the past eight years, in which he‘s captured a country bursting with ‘endless possibility’.
Written by: Huck
Culture
The extraordinary rise of Japan's unlikely tattoo hero
The art of intimacy — Horiren 1st is one of the world’s most sought-after tattoo artists, celebrated for keeping the ancient Japanese method of Tebori alive. But in a country where body art is considered taboo, her journey to the top hasn’t been easy.
Written by: Michael Magers
Photography
Up close and personal with the women of the Yakuza
Partners in crime — For her series I give you my life (命預けます), photographer Chloé Jafé infiltrated the infamous Japanese crime syndicate, capturing the often overlooked lives of Yakuza wives.
Written by: Eva Clifford
Culture
Huck: The Hedonism Issue
Out now! — This issue is a celebration of pleasure-seeking at its purest: the lessons learned when ‘excess’ and ‘extreme’ become a way of life.
Written by: Huck
Travel
Inside London’s secret ’love hotels’
Under the covers — Already a big hit in Japan, daytime and by-the-hour hotel bookings are becoming more popular in Western cities – it’s just that not that many people know about them yet.
Written by: Jessica Furseth