The Soft Architecture of Japanese Internet Girlhood

Hana Shimodate maps the soft worlds behind internet girl culture

What’s New

Featured
Ihei Kimura - The Lens that Rewrote Realism in Japanese Photography
Art & Design
Ihei Kimura - The Lens that Rewrote Realism in Japanese Photography
Art & Design

Ihei Kimura captured life’s raw beauty through unfiltered moments.

Art & Design
Tokyo’s New 1-Night Interactive Playground - Night Art Auction
Art & Design
Tokyo’s New 1-Night Interactive Playground - Night Art Auction
Art & Design

A new late-night art auction flipping the script for Tokyo’s creators.

Art & Design
Kiki Zou Maps a World Where Eating is Sexy
Culture
Kiki Zou Maps a World Where Eating is Sexy
Culture

A photographic celebration of the simple, sexy ritual of eating.

Culture
LITTERED MVMNTS -Shoji Yamasaki and the Choreography of What We Throw Away
Art & Design
LITTERED MVMNTS -Shoji Yamasaki and the Choreography of What We Throw Away
Art & Design

How Shoji Yamasaki uses moving trash to make people notice street waste.

Art & Design
More

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
Ihei Kimura - The Lens that Rewrote Realism in Japanese Photography
Art & Design
Ihei Kimura - The Lens that Rewrote Realism in Japanese Photography
Art & Design

Ihei Kimura captured life’s raw beauty through unfiltered moments.

Art & Design
Tokyo’s New 1-Night Interactive Playground - Night Art Auction
Art & Design
Tokyo’s New 1-Night Interactive Playground - Night Art Auction
Art & Design

A new late-night art auction flipping the script for Tokyo’s creators.

Art & Design
LITTERED MVMNTS -Shoji Yamasaki and the Choreography of What We Throw Away
Art & Design
LITTERED MVMNTS -Shoji Yamasaki and the Choreography of What We Throw Away
Art & Design

How Shoji Yamasaki uses moving trash to make people notice street waste.

Art & Design
Girl’s Room Diary - The Soft Architecture of Japanese Internet Girlhood
Art & Design
Girl’s Room Diary - The Soft Architecture of Japanese Internet Girlhood
Art & Design

Hana Shimodate maps the soft worlds behind internet girl culture.

Art & Design

Fashion

Featured
Shedding Roles, Arriving at Existence - mukcyen 26A/W ‘formed’
Fashion
Shedding Roles, Arriving at Existence - mukcyen 26A/W ‘formed’
Fashion

mukcyen’s new collection strips away roles while exploring identity.

Fashion
Y-3 Enters F1 Through Mercedes-AMG Petronas Collab
Fashion
Y-3 Enters F1 Through Mercedes-AMG Petronas Collab
Fashion

Y-3’s wolf motif returns as Formula 1 enters Yamamoto’s universe.

Fashion
FFFPOSTALSERVICE - On Recon in the Tea Fields of Shizuoka
Fashion
FFFPOSTALSERVICE - On Recon in the Tea Fields of Shizuoka
Fashion

Jonathan Choe on building a universe rooted in sci-fi and military symbolism.

Fashion
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

Music & Film

Featured
HAUSU – Japanese Cult Cinema’s Enduring Appeal
Music & Film
HAUSU – Japanese Cult Cinema’s Enduring Appeal
Music & Film

When Obayashi dropped one of Japan’s most unconventional horror films.

Music & Film
The Missing Post Office
Music & Film
The Missing Post Office
Music & Film

This post office welcomes letters never meant to be delivered.

Music & Film
GEZAN Beyond the Meaning of Words
Music & Film
GEZAN Beyond the Meaning of Words
Music & Film

GEZAN’s Mahito on getting lost in the world to come.

Music & Film
Tracing the Radical Corners of Asian Film
Music & Film
Tracing the Radical Corners of Asian Film
Music & Film

MUBI maps decades of radical filmmaking across Asia.

Music & Film

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
The Radio Pirates of Tokyo
Society
The Radio Pirates of Tokyo
Society

Pirate radios turned Tokyo’s streets into broadcast havens.

Society
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

Gaming

Featured
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
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
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