• Thu. Dec 19th, 2024

Japan Subculture Research Center

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

Pop Culture

  • Home
  • Tatsumi: Not all comics (or movies) are for children. The Post-War Life & Loves of A Manga God

Tatsumi: Not all comics (or movies) are for children. The Post-War Life & Loves of A Manga God

Tatsumi is an animated gekiga film of sorts, inspired by and based on Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s life. In order to create the film, director Eric Khoo had his animators reproduce specific…

It's no ordinary sale. It's a FUCKIN' SALE!

Zarina Yamaguchi discovers the ultimate clearance sale in Osaka, Japan: A FUCKIN' SALE!

Year of The Dragon Begins With Earthquake But Godzilla Remains Dormant

Major earthquake fails to waken Godzilla from his slumbers. Prime Minister assures Japanese populace Godzilla not technically a dragon.

What do Clint, John and Hayao have in common? Tokyo International Film Festival Quiz#1

So maybe now you're asking, who is Akira Kurosawa?

Japan-related blogs now have a homebase!

Your most favoritest Japanese underworld guide and yakuza blog, Japan Subculture Research Center (<— us!) has recently been listed on the brand-new Japan Blog Directory! The Directory is only 2…

Ghost in The Shell (攻殻機動隊): A classic film of Japanese sci-fi animation with universal themes

Will it ever be possible to emulate true humanity through technology?

The Hollywood Reporter: Japan's Entertainment World And The Yakuza

Even Hollywood is taking in interest in Japan's entertainment industry links to the mob. Meanwhile, police are now asking for an explanation of the underworld ties from Shimada’s powerful agency,…

Japanese TV Star Shimada Shinsuke retires before yakuza ties exposed

Popular comedian Shimada Shinsuke had extensive dealings with an organized crime boss and retired hastily before the details were written up in a weekly magazine.

Whoot! What? Wut! German Fashion finds a home in Tokyo

Japan Subculture Research Center is going through puberty and heading towards adulthood. After a long discussion with the Japan Subculture Research Center team, we’ve decided to expand the blog to…

Death by Pufferfish: A short story by Mayumi Shimose Poe

Jake’s note: In a departure from our usual hard-boiled news about Japan, we’re honored to be republishing a fascinating short story that illustrates many cultural aspects of Japanese society and…