Japan
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Sumo’s away day shook London. Could it ever take off?
Hakkeyoi — Touching down at the Royal Albert Hall, the Grand Sumo Tournament marked the second time an official five-day tournament has ever taken place outside of Japan. Ella Glossop investigates whether the sport could ever find mainstream success on British soil.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Motoyuki Daifu’s chaotic vision of the Japanese family home
My family is a pubis — Growing up in a cramped, working-class household, the Japanese photographer decided to turn his camera onto his own surroundings. His new monograph explores tensions in the traditional family unit, but also the importance finding one’s place within it.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Inside Japan’s ’90s gabber and hardcore underground
Manga Corps — A new book published by Italian hardcore artist Gabber Eleganza archives ephemera and flyers from the early days of gabber and hardcore from Tokyo and Osaka, which has gone on to have an outsized influence on popular music today.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Daido Moriyama’s first four photobooks to be published in English for the first time
Quartet — A new anthology collates Japan, A Photo Theater, A Hunter, Farewell Photography and Light and Shadow, alongside journal entries and memoranda.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Inside the fight against Japan’s ‘nuisance streamer’ epidemic
The business of brain rot — Taking advantage of a culture of tolerance and unwritten social rules, streamers searching for virality are increasingly targeting the far east country with outlandish stunts and pranks. As outrage builds towards foreign creators, ‘responsible streamers’ are speaking up.
Written by: Sophie Holloway
A new documentary explores Japan’s radical post-war photography and arts scene
Avant-Garde Pioneers — Focusing on the likes of Daidō Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Eikoh Hosoe and many more, the film highlights the swell of creativity in the ’60s, at a time of huge economic change coupled with cultural tensions.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Surreal scenes from the streets of Tokyo
A new book by photographer Feng Li uses images of strange encounters to explore the historical centre of street photography.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In search of authentic Japanese rope bondage culture
(NSFW) Shibari’s popularity has boomed worldwide. Yet in Tokyo, Kinbaku remains an underground affair, connected to the sex industry and practiced by cult icons like Akira Naka.
Written by: Manami Okazaki
Inside Japan’s most notorious Love Hotel
Tokyo’s Alpha Inn has provided a vital home for underground erotic expression and Japan’s BDSM community – but can this iconic space survive?
Written by: Manami Okazaki
Photos documenting Japan’s underground subcultures
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
Documenting the tradition of Japan’s female pearl divers
The ama — Photographer Stefan Dotter recalls travelling to the city of Toba to capture a community of women who are among the very few keeping an ancient deep-sea diving custom alive.
Written by: Huck
