The Creative Force Behind f5ve

A Conversation with Crystalline Structures

What’s New

Featured
STREET In London - When Harajuku’s Icon Turned His Lens Overseas
Fashion
STREET In London - When Harajuku’s Icon Turned His Lens Overseas
Fashion

Before Harajuku, Shoichi Aoki archived the world’s fashion.

Fashion
The Creative Force Behind f5ve - A Conversation with Crystalline Structures
Music & Film
The Creative Force Behind f5ve - A Conversation with Crystalline Structures
Music & Film

While f5ve draws in the world, Crystalline Structures creates their universe.

Music & Film
1-Bit Nostalgia - Super Kaylo Demakes Pop Culture Classics
Art & Design
1-Bit Nostalgia - Super Kaylo Demakes Pop Culture Classics
Art & Design

Step into nostalgia with Super Kaylo’s enchanting 1-bit demakes.

Art & Design
Oze’s Bokka - Inside the World of Japan’s Mountain Porters
Craftsmanship
Oze’s Bokka - Inside the World of Japan’s Mountain Porters
Craftsmanship

How the Bokka of Oze keep the porter tradition alive.

Craftsmanship
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Creator Spotlight

Follow a day in the life of Japanese creators

Fashion Diary

Yutaro Saito’s monthly fashion column

Manga & Anime

Featured
The Rise, Rupture, and Collapse of Gainax
Manga & anime
The Rise, Rupture, and Collapse of Gainax
Manga & anime

Inside the legacy of one of anime’s most iconic studios.

Manga & anime
Jazz in Anime – How Cowboy Bebop set the Standard
Manga & anime
Jazz in Anime – How Cowboy Bebop set the Standard
Manga & anime

Tracing how jazz evolved from Lupin’s charm to Bebop’s sci-fi western universe.

Manga & anime
Satoshi Kon’s Final Gift - How Paprika Rewrote Dreams
Manga & anime
Satoshi Kon’s Final Gift - How Paprika Rewrote Dreams
Manga & anime

The culmination of Kon’s experiments in psychological animation.

Manga & anime
Yukinaga Yamada - Preserving the Analog Soul of Manga
Manga & anime
Yukinaga Yamada - Preserving the Analog Soul of Manga
Manga & anime

How Yukinaga continues traditional techniques by working entirely in analog.

Manga & anime

Art & Design

Featured
1-Bit Nostalgia - Super Kaylo Demakes Pop Culture Classics
Art & Design
1-Bit Nostalgia - Super Kaylo Demakes Pop Culture Classics
Art & Design

Step into nostalgia with Super Kaylo’s enchanting 1-bit demakes.

Art & Design
Japan as Interface - Vaporwave Art Culture of the 1990s
Art & Design
Japan as Interface - Vaporwave Art Culture of the 1990s
Art & Design

The future Japan once sold returned as archived fantasy.

Art & Design
Yoshinao Satoh’s PAPERS - Collage Animation Before the Digital Age
Art & Design
Yoshinao Satoh’s PAPERS - Collage Animation Before the Digital Age
Art & Design

Revisiting a handmade animation era with 1991’s ‘PAPERS’.

Art & Design
Superflat - Takashi Murakami’s Cultural Theory
Art & Design
Superflat - Takashi Murakami’s Cultural Theory
Art & Design

Explaining the glue between anime, fine art, toys, and fashion.

Art & Design

Fashion

Featured
STREET In London - When Harajuku’s Icon Turned His Lens Overseas
Fashion
STREET In London - When Harajuku’s Icon Turned His Lens Overseas
Fashion

Before Harajuku, Shoichi Aoki archived the world’s fashion.

Fashion
A Visit to Sabae - Inside Japan’s Eyewear Craft with 817 BLANC LNT
Fashion
A Visit to Sabae - Inside Japan’s Eyewear Craft with 817 BLANC LNT
Fashion

A look inside Sabae’s eyewear craftsmanship with BLANC.

Fashion
How EVISU Jeans Found 2000s Skate Culture
Fashion
How EVISU Jeans Found 2000s Skate Culture
Fashion

Japanese denim found its way from Kansai to US skate culture.

Fashion
ORIMI - From the Inside, for the Outsiders
Fashion
ORIMI - From the Inside, for the Outsiders
Fashion

Tokyo’s outsider spirit, Blue Spring, and emotion stitched into Elsewhere.

Fashion

Music & Film

Featured
The Creative Force Behind f5ve - A Conversation with Crystalline Structures
Music & Film
The Creative Force Behind f5ve - A Conversation with Crystalline Structures
Music & Film

While f5ve draws in the world, Crystalline Structures creates their universe.

Music & Film
Taroman - A Pure Homage to Tokusatsu
Music & Film
Taroman - A Pure Homage to Tokusatsu
Music & Film

The anarchic tribute that brings tokusatsu back from cultural oblivion.

Music & Film
Tokyo‑Ga - The Contrast of Japan in the 80s
Music & Film
Tokyo‑Ga - The Contrast of Japan in the 80s
Music & Film

Wenders wanders a city racing forward, searching for Ozu’s stillness.

Music & Film
The Nujabes Soundtrack that Crossed Cultures - Samurai Champloo
Music & Film, Manga & anime
The Nujabes Soundtrack that Crossed Cultures - Samurai Champloo
Music & Film, Manga & anime

Nujabes' Impact on Anime’s most Iconic Soundtrack.

Music & Film, Manga & anime

Food

Featured
The Nostalgic Magic of Kissaten
Food
The Nostalgic Magic of Kissaten
Food

How Kissaten keep resisting Japan’s rapid pace.

Food
A Culinary Journey from Okayama to Venice
Food
A Culinary Journey from Okayama to Venice
Food

Masa weaves Japanese soul into Venetian plates.

Food
Japanese Inspired Restaurants In The Heart Of Southern Brazil
Food
Japanese Inspired Restaurants In The Heart Of Southern Brazil
Food

Where Japanese traditions and fusion flavors redefine Brazilian dining.

Food
How Momofuku Ando Ignited The Instant Ramen Revolution
Food
How Momofuku Ando Ignited The Instant Ramen Revolution
Food

Born from post-war Japan’s hunger, the origin story of instant ramen.

Food

Society

Featured
Graffiti in Japan - Creativity, Cultural Tensions, and Legal Controls
Society
Graffiti in Japan - Creativity, Cultural Tensions, and Legal Controls
Society

Japan’s hidden graffiti world, balancing creativity and legality.

Society
The Otaku Girl Rooms by Shiori Kawamoto
Society
The Otaku Girl Rooms by Shiori Kawamoto
Society

Peek into Otaku ladies' vibrant, chaotic Daraku Rooms with Kawamoto.

Society
Children Full of Life – What It Means to Grow Up Human
Society
Children Full of Life – What It Means to Grow Up Human
Society

How one teacher made crying in class completely make sense.

Society
The Fight for Recognition as a Female Sumo
Society
The Fight for Recognition as a Female Sumo
Society

Sumo’s legacy grows richer when these women take their place.

Society

Gaming

Featured
How Japan Led the Early Poly Art Style
Gaming
How Japan Led the Early Poly Art Style
Gaming

From arcades to consoles, Japan turned early 3D polygons into cultural icons.

Gaming
The Culture That Shaped Jet Set Radio
Gaming
The Culture That Shaped Jet Set Radio
Gaming

How FRUiTS and Chiaki Ito formed the base for a cel shade Tokyo.

Gaming
Honcho Kei Truck Game - A Love Letter to Japan’s Tiny Workhorse
Gaming
Honcho Kei Truck Game - A Love Letter to Japan’s Tiny Workhorse
Gaming

Your own rusty kei truck and the endless countryside—Honcho is pure Showa charm.

Gaming
The Subtle PS2 Ad Campaign That Took Japan by Storm
Gaming
The Subtle PS2 Ad Campaign That Took Japan by Storm
Gaming

How Sony turned quiet curiosity into a cultural phenomenon.

Gaming