• Fri. Jan 10th, 2025

Japan Subculture Research Center

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

“Hashbrowns” are the 2012 Food of the Year says Japanese Diners Association

Hashbrowns refers to a dish of cooked potatoes, typically with onions added, that have been chopped into small pieces and fried until a golden brown. They are often served in…

The Cell Phone From Galapagos: Japan’s gara-kei (ガラケー) 

Japan kept making cell-phone that weren’t compatible with the rest of the world and only worked well within the confines of Japan. The development of Japanese cell-phone and mobile technology…

Japanese Tattoo Master: “The carving is one’s personal symbol..”

“People’s clothing are the ‘social symbols’ which allows other people to understand whether he/she is a Buddhist monk, a Christian priest, a salary man, or a medical doctor. Therefore the…

Update: Japanese Citizens Protest Against Japan’s Dolphin Hunting and Whale “Research”

The protestors claim these practices are inhumane, unhealthy, and a waste of taxpayer money. Right wing activists have organized a counter demonstration saying that, “Killing the practice of whale hunting…

In Japan, Tattoos Are Not Just For Yakuza Anymore

It is difficult to say whether the wabori Japanese traditional tattoo (入れ墨) hurts more or less than the electric needle tattoo. Pain is like tickle, it is not a feeling…

Happy New Year From Japan Subculture Research Center!

May we all be healthy May we all be safe May we all be grateful for what we have May we all live well

AIDA MAKOTO: Monument To Nothing (Art Exhibition Reviews)

One minute you feel as if you have accidentally walked into an apartment of a man with perverted interests, the next minute you feel as though you are visiting a…

The Best Articles About Japan 2012 (on our blog) :D

Hello Kitty, yakuza working in the nuclear industry, coffee and cigarettes, 2012 was a year chock full of news. Here are some of our favorite stories we ran in 2012.

Gambling. Dopamine.Sex. Drugs. Art. X-mas plans in Japan?

My favorite object of art was “Flight, Flee, Freeze.” Those are the three primary reactions we have to fear. There are objects of fear such as a spider and the…

Facebook Is Stalking You, Baby. (Notes From The Uncanny Valley, Japan)

There's a phenomenon in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence known as the "uncanny valley" hypothesis, which asserts that when computers and objects look or act very much like…