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Shyam Bhardwa
Musical act Petalhead, comprised of Jaime Alise (left) and Riku Ogura, performs at More Than Music’s beachside event in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Aug 25, 2025
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
Since 2018, Tokyo-based duo Justin Sachs and Atsuko Sunaga have been organizing live shows and curating a community with shared passions.
Kinga Skiers (left) co-founded the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs in 2023. The organization aims to provide the capital’s homeless population with food and other essentials.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Aug 18, 2025
Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time
Since 2023, the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs has been supplying vegetarian meals and everyday goods to homeless people across the city.
Held from June 7-8, the Japan Rapid Chess Championships is the latest major event put on by the country's chess supporters who hope to capitalize on the game's global momentum.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 14, 2025
Under shogi’s shadow, Tokyo’s chess lovers make their move
Japan has long resisted the lure of chess, but the stage is being set for the country’s first-ever grandmaster, one expert says.
Sogo Fitness believes there's no point in working out if you're not having a good time and making new friends while you're doing it.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 1, 2024
Blurring the lines between fitness and social club
Sogo Fitness started with a simple goal — create a community through social events based around keeping fit and healthy.
While Magic: The Gathering is popular with card game aficionados the world over, the community in Japan is split along some unexpected lines.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2023
Diehards and casuals clash in Tokyo’s Magic: The Gathering community
The Commander format is widely popular across Europe and the United States, but Japan’s Magic community hasn’t quite followed the same path.
At the Warhammer Store & Cafe in Tokyo's Akihabara neighborhood, fans of the tabletop franchise have room to paint, discuss lore and, of course, battle it out on spacious tables.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 11, 2023
At new Tokyo hub, Warhammer fans bond over dice rolls and paint
“A few months ago, me and a lot of the guys I’m now playing with didn’t even know what Warhammer really was," says one fan from a new Akihabara store.
Tokyo now boasts five different Quidditch teams, while universities in Osaka and Kyoto also play host to their own clubs.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Nov 4, 2023
'Accio broomstick!' Quidditch is back and open to everyone
From relatively humble beginnings, Quidditch has continued to grow in popularity across Japan.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past