by yk_service | Apr 21, 2021 | Tokyo
Every nation has an identity, a narrative that it tells itself about its history, the character of its people, its preferences. Japan relies on an idealised collective imagination perhaps more than most, given its history of isolation and today’s continued resistance...
by yk_service | Apr 5, 2021 | Tokyo
To the very young, earlier generations’ lives must seem redolent of ancient history; and hearing too many details of pre-meme days either engenders a horrified shudder or absolute boredom. This is of course matched by their parents’ utter mystification at how they...
by yk_service | Mar 17, 2021 | Tokyo
It is natural, when contemplating the mysteries of youth culture, to think only about what is different, new or emerging. And Japan is of course home to a plethora of unusual sub-cultures that evoke fascination around the world. It can be just as interesting, however,...
by yk_service | Oct 15, 2020 | Tokyo
When thinking about a country, one’s mind tends to go straight to its largest cities: the metropolises of Tokyo, London, Seoul and Shanghai. And rightly so, since they tend to be the primary drivers of a nation’s economic growth: London, for example, generates about...
by yk_service | Oct 15, 2020 | Tokyo
Less than 25% of the Japanese population own a passport, and even among the younger generation outbound travel has dropped significantly since its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It is perhaps unsurprising that they then understand the tropes and perceptions...
by yk_service | Oct 15, 2020 | Tokyo
It doesn’t take a pandemic to make Tokyo a challenging place to live in the summer months. But when the trials of two people working from a tiny apartment in stifling heat got too much, I decamped to Okinawa and six weeks later am still here. If this sounds sybaritic,...
