• Wed. Jan 8th, 2025

Japan Subculture Research Center

A guide to the Japanese underworld, Japanese pop-culture, yakuza and everything dark under the sun.

Dark Side of the Sun

  • Home
  • As Japan moves toward recognizing joint custody, a father nourishes hope for reunion…

As Japan moves toward recognizing joint custody, a father nourishes hope for reunion…

Under the convention, the parents of abducted children will have a legal framework to request their children to be returned if they do not face grave danger, including domestic violence.…

Meet 281: Japan’s Anti-Nuke Lone Ranger turning protest into art

after the accident, 281 wanted to find an outlet for his anger and a way to contribute to the anti-nuclear movement. It was then that he turned to street art.

Viva la Révolucion? The Japanese Communist Party: Still Red And Not Dead

The JCP has won government recognition of workplace injuries and fatalities, and its legal assistance has helped secure compensation for workers and their families in several instances of such accidents.…

Doglegs disabled pro-wrestling: The fight club that wants you to stare

The members of Doglegs, the self-described "superhandicapped" pro wrestling league, aren't looking for your pity, however. They want you to watch, wide-eyed, and feel the power, the ability, and the…

The Incomplete Transsexual—a photo essay from Sanya

Tokyo, by Dan Ryan It was a little like the scenario in that Kinks song “Lola”, but only in passing. I met her in a little place called Seoul Bar,…

Japan Lax Nuclear Security Could Make It The Land Of The Melting Sun

Japan has more than 50 gigantic nuclear “pressure cookers” ripe for exploitation by terrorists. In Japan, getting access to a nuclear power plant is very simple: fill out a job…

Sayonara Speed Tribes (暴走族サヨナラ) opens April 12. Run & catch it!

Japan's infamous 'Speed Tribes' - kamikaze styled biker gangs- have, for decades, delighted would-be rebels and terrorized the general public. Idolized in the underground, demonized by the mass media and…

Yakuza Comix 3: The complicated world of Japanese suicide, which is sometimes homicide

Japan has a fascination with death and suicide. But sometimes suicide here isn't simply motivated by "honor" nor is it actually suicide.

Corporal Punishment Getting Punished in Japan; Don’t throw pens at the kids!

The Japanese language is rich with expressions and words that extol the virtues of corporal punishment aka taibatsu (体罰) but the penchant some older Japanese have for slapping their younger…

Sometimes death is a matter of inches; a meditation on tsunami, guns & loss

I feel funny writing about personal things, but the anniversary of the tsunami in Japan had me thinking a lot about loss, and the unexpected events that change our lives…