LIFESTYLE

「時音」is an ongoing series since the launch of TOKION. We look to the future as we attend to the words of contemporary figures, who disseminate values that transcend time.

Spoon & Tamago is a Brooklyn-based web media that conveys Japanese art and design to the world in English. We asked its editor-in-chief, Johnny Waldman, about its background and perspective.

Welcome to the first installment of our brand new “Women and Science Fiction” series! The story of “Female Science Fiction” is also the story of women in general. Until the last decade ago or so, women SF writers were less likely to be featured or reviewed in the popular venues or to appear on must-read lists, and only very recently things are beginning to change. In this series, science fiction critic and anthologist Teruyuki Hashimoto will briefly examine and hold a spotlight on the state of gender balance and significant works by leading women science fiction writers.

This project asks creators about the allure of made-in-Japan brands and products. The fourth installment features Ryoko Hori, a therapist who runs RYOKO senses salon in Berlin.

Afrofuturism includes not only science fiction in written form, but also movies and music. The term was coined in 1993 and has kept developing since then. Here, science fiction critic and anthologist Teruyuki Hashimoto traces the genealogy of this discrete imagination.

Bookmarc manager Takeshi Mochida introduces his selection of books from the art and music scene that feel distinctly Japanese.

Hiroshi Uehara, the founder of brand 430, joined the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a BMX freestyle technical operations manager. He’s spent the majority of his life having some serious fun, starting from his teens, with BMX. How did Uehara get involved in a particular historical milestone for BMX? He spoke to us about his future and so on.

In this column series, SF book reviewer Teruyuki Hashimoto introduces old and new Science Fiction (SF). This article is about the origins of “Cyberpunk” and the pivotal role that Japan played in it.

Motoyoshi Kaburagi, the 8th generation owner of Kutani ware’s long-established pottery, Kaburagi Shoten, talks about the background of the combination of that famous graffiti and Kutani ware which is characterized by beautiful golden decorations.

Myochin Nakamura, who embraces a life as a farmer and monk in Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi Prefecture, talks about everything from his withdrawal from Ging Nang BOYZ to his current way of life.