Chikayoshi Satomi, the man behind cult brand Punk Drunkers says, for him, the line between work and play is always blurred.

Museum curator Yayoi Motohashi on how she approaches exhibit design, her favorite works of art and a few guilty pleasures.

Name: Sosuke Kitamura Age: 59 Nationality: Japanese Occupation: Calligrapher Likes: Analog stuff, food, clothing, housing from 1960s Japan Dislikes: Digital stuff, especially touch screens 1. What do the kanji that comprise your first name mean? 宗 (so) means "to better oneself" and positively influence one's surroundings. My father chose a ...

Name: Mizuki Tanaka Age: 35 Nationality: Japanese Occupation: Sento (public bathhouse) mural painter Likes: Reading, art, movies Dislikes: Headaches 1. When did you first go to a public bathhouse and how did you like it? I went in my second year of university when I started to consider writing a ...

What brought you to Japan? I came here for the magic. Osaka is home to some of the best close-up magicians in the world. — Ben Daggers, magician Richard Brezina | COURTESY OF RICHARD BREZINA What's your favorite Japanese word or phrase? I like Japanese tongue-twisters; my ...

Luis Mendo's most embarassing moment is yet to come.

"I loved manga but there was no way to make a living (with it)," recalls manga translation pioneer Frederik Schodt.

"Kawaii" has more sense of affection than "kakkoii," says designer Nishio.

Tokyo street vendor on flexibility, lines for food and missing underwear.

"The koto is a plucked string instrument in which the sound and music really reflect the player."