Japan Subculture Research Center

Yesterday, June 23rd, marked one month before the opening of the “cursed” Tokyo 2020 Olympics and hundreds of residents marked the occasion by holding a protest in front of the…

In a departure from our usual somber posting, I’ve written an original prose-poem, which is for a friend’s upcoming “Where is the Romance” theme party in Tokyo–a pre-valentines’s day event.…

By Chihiro Kai “My evaluation of the Japanese COVID measures is that they are purely optimism based with no evidence, no grounds, as well as with very much a normative…

Though the typical Japanese yokai is often grotesque and loves to play pranks on humans, the Amabie is a beach chick that emerges from the sea to foretell epidemics. If…

By Chihiro Kai. Edited by Jake Adelstein Suddenly, Japan which was facing a severe fourth wave of coronavirus infections, serious illnesses and death seems to be out of the woods!…

This girl will be named Shoko, spirit in flight, and years later when I moved from place to place, hobby to hobby, man to man, she'd lament naming me so…

“The IOC should recognize that they are calling upon the athletes, the people of Japan and global citizens to take on these risks,” Ueyama said. “We will be facing a…

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike is considering calling off the Olympics. According to several sources in the Tokyo assembly, over the last week, Koike has had meetings with several top advisors…

Special contribution from Stephanie Yanez aka @KawaiiStephanie on Twitter 😭 Records* is an agency that specifically targets singers outside of Japan who have a passion for anime with hopes of…

Sure there will be no spectators at the Olympic games, that don't mean it's safe. There are 8 millions ways this could go sideways. You could have the virus go…