Have you ever wanted to travel back in time to experience Tokyo nightlife in the 80s? Unfortunately I can’t help with that; the best I can do is recommend this lovely culture piece that chronicles Tokyo’s decade of excess, after hours — where teenagers packed into daylight discos and venues resembled spaceships, crash-landed in the heart of Roppongi.
Other highlights from the archives:
Japan already has words for hot days (natsubi), very hot days (manatsubi) and extremely hot days (moshobi). Now, there’s a new term for brutally hot days — where the temperature reaches over 40°C (104°F).
A rare look inside the legendary Arimasuton Building, a bizarre and beautiful concrete masterpiece built entirely by hand.
The fascinating history of Japan’s oldest sex shop, which was so popular during the Edo period that it even appeared in ukiyo-e prints.
— Callie Beusman, Editorial Director
There was a time when people in Tokyo not only worked hard, but also partied just as hard. From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, even the asphalt streets seemed lacquered with possibility. The economy was booming, and the nights stretched endlessly, glittering with neon signs, alcohol, rhinestones and fantasy. This was a city intoxicated by its own potential. And the high — while it lasted — was electric.
In the 80s, nightclubs shimmered like Tokyo’s answer to the Jazz Age: a playground for the newly rich, where money flowed as freely as the Dom Pérignon.
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Other highlights:
JAPAN LIFE
The new term reflects rising temperatures, and comes alongside stronger heatstroke alerts.
DESIGN
Take a rare look inside the Arimasuton Building — an architectural marvel lovingly hand-constructed out of concrete.
HISTORY
On the whole, Edo was a very sex-positive city, and Yotsumeya was a huge part of everyday life.
Travel in Japan:
From shrines designed by Kengo Kuma to towering neon torii gates.
A hidden gem in Yamanashi that’s become a thriving cultural center, with art galleries, gourmet food and its own craft beer brewery.
A beautiful and unearthly place of grief and healing, the sacred temple and its surroundings attract both mourners and sightseers.