Untapping the power that lies between fashion and costume
"Fashion and costume can offer freedom, protection, power. Sometimes they can even change the world." So says Chiaki Shimizu, a textile designer who is on a mission to prove that fashion is an underutilized resource for social change. Pull on a favorite sweater and feel the ...
The art of dressing up as characters from anime, manga, video games or TV shows has evolved into a global phenomenon.
In pictures: The rain, the pain and the fun of Tokyo Marathon 2019
Low temperatures and persistent rain put a slight damper on the celebratory aspect of the 13th Tokyo Marathon but at least it didn't harm the runners' overall performances. The winner — Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese — clocked the event's second-best time ever, and a record ...
From cosplay fan to idol, Yuriko Tiger's journey has been a colorful one
It was 1964 when 19-year-old ye-ye singer Sylvie Vartan captured the hearts of Japanese cinemagoers in the French film "Cherchez l'idole," released here as "Aidoru o Sagase" and in English as "The Chase." Her track from that film, "La plus belle pour aller danser," ...
Defining the Heisei Era: Examining the rise of otaku culture
With the number of children shrinking, popular entertainment naturally began targeting the otaku population that didn't hesitate to open their wallets for material many considered juvenile.
Halloween revelers overturn small truck near famed Shibuya 'scramble crossing' in Tokyo
Separately, five people were arrested for alleged groping or similar offenses over the weekend, police said.
Halloween in Tokyo's Shibuya: Where did all the wicked wackiness get started?
Japan's rowdy, cosplay-themed Halloween celebrations have become famous around the world, with young people congregating in city hot spots and theme parks where they snap selfies in outrageous outfits and ghoulish get-ups. In recent years, thousands of revelers — dressed up in supergraphic costumes to ...
Japan's cosplay culture proving a hit in typically conservative India
Cosplay culture is gaining popularity in conservative India, where the Japanese hobby has drawn comparisons with a Hindu festival tradition. Comic Con India, a cosplay and pop culture event, has been held since 2011 in major cities and proven to be a hit, especially among ...
Tokyo Comic Con calls on Hollywood's big guns for star power
As we sit down for an interview, Tokyo Comic Convention Committee Chairman Mitsuaki Munegumi casually points to a glass case in the center of the room. "There's actually a real 'Star Wars' lightsaber in there," he says, and reaches over. He pulls out a hilt ...
Tokyo's first Russian-style maid cafe
Twelve men sit in silence at a new cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku district as three women dressed in Russian attire start serving a sour-looking plate of borscht. The men have each paid ¥15,000 to attend this soft opening of ItaCafe, which bills itself as the ...
Twenty years ago, two new video game trade shows launched in Tokyo with the hopes of capturing the attention — and yen — of gamers in Japan. The first Tokyo Game Show (TGS) took place from Aug. 22 to 24, 1996, and was followed ...
Superhero Ultraman thwarted by JR Meguro Station staff
Superhero Ultraman was spotted around JR Meguro Station in Tokyo last week and again on Tuesday. Awed eyewitnesses spoke in hushed tones as Ultraman, or a fan dressed as him, entered the station and then turned around and left after station staff asked him to ...
