February 3rd this year marked the holiday and festival of setsubun (“Seasonal Division”) in Japan. Setsubun marks the end of winter and beginning of spring,…

Setsubun (“Seasonal Division”) is a holiday and festival that marks the end of winter and beginning of spring in Japan, held on the day before…

As you may know, kawaii (cute) is an important aspect of modern Japanese culture. Osaka’s Sheraton Miyako Hotel has changed even scary demons (鬼 oni)…

Toru Narita is most famous his work on the Ultraman series, particularly his creative monster design, but took much inspiration from oni, the demons of…

On February 2nd, 2021, Japan celebrated the festival of Setsubun 節分, the day before the beginning of spring in the traditional calendar One of the…

Festival days in Japan are rooted in centuries-old customs that are still faithfully honored to this day. Two of the most festive and symbolic days…

Every year, Japan celebrates Setsubun (節分, “seasonal division”) on Feb 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, one day before the start of Spring according to the Japanese…

We’ve seen a number of interesting takes on masks in Japan lately, including glow-in-the dark gamer masks and transforming horror creature masks from a special…

Japanese oddity retailer Village Vanguard has definitely tried their hand at eccentric masks before, including polygon animal heads and almost terrifyingly realistic anime masks. Now…

Ultra-realistic dolls bring characters from Japanese folklore to life. There’s been quite a bit of surprise at how “creepily” realistic Japanese “love dolls” have become…

Ehomaki Origins: Naughty Games and Nori Sales Setsubun, the day before the beginning of spring in Japan, is mostly known for two traditional practices, one…

Those devilishly adorable and perennially popular twin maids of the light novel and anime Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World will be celebrating their…