Japanese Culture Archives

Gachapon: Tracing the evolution of Japan’s colorful toy capsules

Interesting Things, Japanese Culture / James Miyashita

Where else but Japan could you buy a miniature version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” figure crouching over a squat toilet, horror-struck? It’s one of thousands of ingeniously designed trinkets you can buy for a pittance from toy machines across the nation. They’re subversive, beautifully crafted and often hilarious. They are gachapon. “Gachapon” refers both to […]

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Obon: The Japanese Festival of the Dead

It is this time of the year when Japan suddenly turns tranquil, trains get empty and cemetaries start blooming with flowers. It’s Obon — the Japanese summer festival of welcoming back ancestors’ spirits and returning to one’s family roots. On a par with celebrating the New Year’s holidays in terms of importance and meticulous preparations, obon —