Alex Miller– Author –
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The Roaring Silence: Why Japan Can’t Quit Pachinko
You hear it before you see it. It’s a sound unlike any other in Japan, a country celebrated for its tranquil gardens and serene temples. This is the opposite of serenity. It’s a waterfall of metallic clatter, a tidal wave of crashing, ri... -
More Than a Photo Booth: The Enduring Social World of Purikura
Walk into the games floor of any major electronics store in Japan, or find a dedicated arcade—a ge-sen—and you’ll hear it. A cacophony of digital chirps, upbeat J-pop, and the high-pitched, encouraging voices of unseen digital guides. Yo... -
Golden Age Dreaming: Why Japan’s Youth is Nostalgic for an Era They Never Knew
You see it bubbling up everywhere in Tokyo, a ghost from a past that refuses to stay buried. It’s in the warm, analogue glow of a newly opened but old-looking coffee shop, the kind with dark wood panelling and vinyl spinning softly in th... -
Exploring Iaidō: A Modern Samurai Practice for Stillness and Focus
Ask someone to picture a samurai sword, and their mind probably jumps to a scene from a movie. Two warriors, a clash of steel, a dramatic, lightning-fast draw that ends a duel before it even begins. It’s an image of explosive violence, o... -
The Ghost in the Machine: Why Japan’s City Pop is the Soundtrack to a Future That Never Happened
Ever stumble across a piece of music that feels like a memory you don't actually have? You press play on a YouTube recommendation, something with a pastel-hued anime still from the 80s as its cover. A crisp, funky bassline kicks in, foll... -
The Loudest Sanctuaries in Japan
Someone recently asked me why Japanese arcades are still a thing. It’s a fair question. We live in an age where photorealistic gaming worlds can be streamed to our televisions, where we can connect with friends on the other side of the p... -
From the Streets to the Screen: Why Anime Can’t Get Enough of the Yankī
If you've spent any amount of time watching anime or reading manga, you've met him. He’s leaning against a school wall, hair slicked back into an impeccable pompadour, his black school uniform jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape... -
Beyond Fresh: Why ‘Shun’ Is the True Soul of Japanese Food
You’ve been to Japan. Maybe a few times. You’ve dutifully eaten ramen in winter and shaved ice in summer. You’ve nodded knowingly when someone mentions that Japanese food is “very seasonal.” You get it. Or, at least, you think you do. Th... -
Concrete Dreams: The Quiet Obsession of Japan’s Danchi Photographers
Take a train out of any major Japanese city, and you’ll eventually see them. Rising from the suburban landscape in stoic formation, they are vast collections of concrete apartment blocks, uniform and relentlessly geometric. Balconies rep... -
The Art of the Fake Feast: How Japan’s Plastic Food Became a National Obsession
Walk down almost any commercial street in Japan, from a bustling Tokyo shotengai to a quiet lane in a provincial town, and you’ll see them. Gleaming in glass display cases, arranged with geometric precision, are perfect plates of food. A... -
Waking Up the Body: Japan’s Ritual of Foraging for Spring’s Bitterness
When you think of spring in Japan, your mind probably leaps to cherry blossoms. You picture seas of pale pink petals, picnics under blooming trees, and maybe a sakura-flavoured latte. It’s a beautiful, gentle, almost sweet image of the s... -
The Heartbeat of the Neighborhood: Why Japan’s Shotengai Are More Than Just Streets
Walk out of any major train station in Japan, and you’ll likely be greeted by a familiar landscape of gleaming department stores, minimalist Apple outlets, and global fashion brands. The streets are wide, the buildings are tall, and the ...
