Why are picture books still growing in Japan? In a shrinking market, one genre keeps rising. Tomorrow’s Weekend Tokyo looks at read-aloud culture, language, and why stories pass from parent to child. 10-sec trailer below. Weekend Tokyo #015 — Out 7PM JST. substack.com/@letterfromt...

Is quitting your job really a “freedom” in Japan? Today’s Workday Tokyo explores the Mômuri resignation agency scandal— 40,000+ resignations, a police raid, whistleblowers, and a major law firm now entering the market. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Quitting your job is legal in Japan. But is it actually possible? Tomorrow’s Workday Tokyo explores the rise of resignation proxy agencies, the Mômuri investigation, and what “freedom at work” really means today. Out tomorrow at 7PM JST. substack.com/profile/1107...

My son’s LEGO creation “Robotess, the Transforming Robot” Nov 30, 2025 #LEGO

Who really decides the future—the tech, or the rules beneath it? Today’s Wisdom Tokyo explores the quiet battlefield of global standards. If that sparks your curiosity, here’s the new piece👇 open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

What parts of our urban life are worth keeping warm? Tokyo’s sento are holding prices still — yet moving culture forward. Young successors, community hubs, anime collabs, and even lessons from ancient Rome. substack.com/@letterfromt...

“Can a society fall behind its own future?” New Workday Tokyo is out: Japan’s 11 Trillion-Yen Future. The maglev can hit 500 km/h — yet Japan still can’t decide when it will open. A story about technology, time, and the systems that move slower than both. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

My son’s LEGO creation “Arc Deluxe Dragon” Nov 22, 2025 #lego

What would your life look like if moving — even a little — became harder? Weekend Tokyo #013 is now live. Japan is slowing down: young people priced out of travel, seniors losing their daily routes, and a society quietly forgetting how to move. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Weekend Tokyo #013 drops tomorrow (7PM JST). Here’s the trailer for “The Country That Stopped Moving.” Japan is slowing down — young people priced out of travel, seniors losing their daily routes. What happens when a whole nation stops moving? substack.com/@letterfromt...

What if a gym made more money from subscriptions than from workouts? Workday Tokyo #012 looks at Curves — a fitness chain where over 60% of revenue now comes from recurring protein sales. A new model for aging well in Japan. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

What happens when a car-making nation stops training mechanics? Japan’s talent pipeline is thinning just as EVs demand new skills. My new piece explains why it matters. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

What happens to a country when it stops producing mechanics? Tonight’s Wisdom Tokyo #004 looks at Japan’s shrinking pipeline of skilled auto technicians — and why it matters more than most people realize. 10-second teaser below. Full story at 7PM JST. 👉 letterfromtokyo.substack.com

When was the last time a piece of paper meant something to you? Tokyo is quietly returning to print — GOAT, POPEYE/BRUTUS, ZINEs, indie shops. Just published a new Weekend Tokyo on this “return to paper.” If it speaks to you, I’d be glad if you read it. letterfromtokyo.substack.com/p/weekend-to...

Weekend Tokyo #012 drops tomorrow at 7PM JST. Here’s a short Sora trailer on Tokyo’s “return to paper” — from GOAT to ZINE culture. If you don’t want to miss it, subscribe to Letter from Tokyo. substack.com/@letterfromt...

🎞️ Workday Tokyo #011 — The Tech of Leisure From keirin to pachinko, Japan’s public gambling is being rewritten through tech and time. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

From rails to bearlands, Japan moves at two speeds — the rhythm of the city, and the silence of the wild. 🎞️ A new Letter from Tokyo out now. 🔗 letterfromtokyo.substack.com

Japan is entering a new phase: police rifles, government hunters, and a shrinking line between humans and bears. From coexistence to control—this is Bearland Japan. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Nintendo boosts Switch 2 forecast to 19M units for FY2026 — revenue to hit a record ¥2.25T (~$15B). Exactly the hardware-first, software-later strategy we covered in Wisdom Tokyo. 🎮 Read the full piece open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Workday Tokyo #011 is out. 🚇 Japan, the Country of Rails — and Cars. From subways that profit in 40 years to trucks that pay off in one — how Japan’s cities move at two speeds. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

“Kokuhō (National Treasure)” goes global. The U.S. trailer just dropped — taking kabuki and keiko (practice) to the world stage. Read more: youtu.be/p6k9Y-irvOE?... 🎥 Watch: youtu.be/p6k9Y-irvOE?... #kokuho #kabuki #japan

Wisdom Tokyo #003 — now live. 🎰 The Pachinko Industry: A Shrinking Giant and Its Hidden Core How Japan’s postwar “gray-zone capitalism” still survives in neon light. Available now for paid subscribers. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Weekend Tokyo #010 is out: “From Castles to Roofs — The Quiet Continuity of Clay and Synthetic Tiles.” From Tokugawa’s city castles to Aichi’s AI kilns — a story of soil, craft, and quiet endurance. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Now live on Workday Tokyo: “The Power of Uselessness — What Japan’s Makers and Robots Teach Us.” From Tokyo’s Maker Faire to Nobel discoveries — how Japan’s creativity thrives beyond “usefulness.” open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

New on Workday Tokyo: “The Power of Uselessness — What Japan’s Makers and Robots Teach Us.” From family tinkering at Maker Faire to Nobel discoveries — where Japan’s creativity begins as “uselessness.” 🕖 Out tomorrow at 7PM JST 🎞️ Trailer below ↓ 👉 Subscribe at letterfromtokyo.substack.com

This week on Letter from Tokyo: from the quiet glow of fire, to the chill of haunted places, to the strange beauty where culture, capital — and Koei — intertwine. 🎞️ A 10-second cinematic reflection — watch it here: 👉 letterfromtokyo.substack.com

【Weekend Tokyo#009】Haunted Japan: Ghost Houses, Guts Tests, and the Culture of Fear Why do haunted houses and “guts tests” still thrive in Japan? From department stores to ghost trains, fear isn’t just for fun — it’s culture. New article just dropped: open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

New on Wisdom Tokyo — Free Supplement After my latest story on Keiko Erikawa and Koei Tecmo’s two-tiered model of culture and capital, the company released its Integrated Report 2025 — and a day later, raised its forecast. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

🔥 New on Workday Tokyo “Designing the Flame — How Iwatani Is Redefining Fire” From propane kitchens to hydrogen dreams — and now, the rediscovery of fire itself. Read it here open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Wisdom Tokyo #002 — Out now. She turned history into play and investments into history. Meet Keiko Erikawa, the “Empress” behind Koei Tecmo’s empire. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

🆕 Weekend Tokyo #008 is out now: Living to 100 in Tokyo — A Blessing, or a Silent Limit? As Japan enters the age of 100-year lives, what does it mean to grow old in a hyper-urban city like Tokyo? open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

🎥 New essay goes live tonight at 7PM Japan Time (JST) — that’s early morning in the U.S., depending on your timezone. It’s about what it means to live to 100 — in Tokyo. I made this short teaser video using Sora. Subscribe now to get it delivered straight to your inbox once it’s up

After the hype fades, something real begins. 【Workday Tokyo#007】Beyond the “Trough of Disillusionment” open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

【Weekend Tokyo#007】Towers of the City and the Warnings in Place Names Tokyo keeps building upward — but the ground still remembers. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai wins the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. Each October, the world turns to books — but literature also lives quietly in small bookstores like Nikkiya Tsukihi in Tokyo. 🗞️ BBC News www.bbc.com/news/article... 👉 [Beyond Selling Books] substack.com/home/post/p-...

Japan built the tech for learning—but not the habit. Why do adults stop studying, even as AI transforms education? 【Workday Tokyo#006】Why Japanese Adults Don’t Learn open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Nintendo expands into Southeast Asia. EA goes private in a historic $55B buyout. TGS 2025 shows how Japan’s Big Five and global giants are reshaping the future of gaming. Read my latest essay: “Gaming’s Present and Future — Lessons from Tokyo Game Show 2025” open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

How Practice Keeps Culture Alive From Muay Thai to kabuki—and the Japanese idea of keiko. ✨ How do you practice in your life? substack.com/@letterfromt...

Update to my recent essay on #TheGetUpKids and the Emo Revival: I’ve added live performances and music videos from some Japanese and Korean bands I recommend today. The essay began with nostalgia, but it’s also about how new generations carry the sound forward. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

Baseball in Japan is like the NFL in the U.S. Now Netflix will stream the WBC exclusively. If it were your national sport, how would people react? open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

#TheGetUpKids are back in Japan—playing Something To Write Home About in full. From that show, I trace the Emo Revival and how Start Today became ZOZOTOWN. Did Emo shape your youth too? 【Weekend Tokyo #005】 The Get Up Kids, Emo Revival, and an E-Commerce Empire open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

🍂 New essay — Workday Tokyo #004 “Beyond the Showcase” From Japan’s sanma to Singapore’s efficiency and Seoul’s tourism push — Asia’s cities fight to sustain food culture. 👉 Can gastronomy survive by capital, or only at the everyday table? open.substack.com/pub/letterfr...

👋 First post here on Bluesky! I write weekly essays in my newsletter Weekend Tokyo. This week: Who Owns the Last Goodbye? — Japan’s aging society, costly cremations, and what I first saw as a 19-year-old film student. Serious, but universal. open.substack.com/pub/letterfr... #substack