Journal

Wabi-Sabi and Kintsugi: Why Japan Repairs Bowls in Gold
Wabi-sabi gets translated as rustic charm and sold as a candle aesthetic. The real idea is stranger and much more useful. Read more...
Oni, Tengu and Kitsune: The Three Masks on Japanese Streetwear
Three faces turn up on almost every Japanese-inspired graphic. They are not interchangeable, and they do not mean what most designs assume. Read more...
What Is a Training Arc? The Anime Trope That Took Over the Gym
How a storytelling device from 1980s shonen manga became the way a generation talks about going to the gym. Read more...
Sub vs Dub: Why the Argument Refuses to Die
Two decades on, anime fans still cannot agree. Here is what each side is actually arguing about, and why both are partly right. Read more...
Nana Korobi Ya Oki: Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight
The maths of Japan's most quoted proverb does not add up until you understand what the eighth rise is counting. Read more...
What Does Ganbatte Mean? The Word Japan Says Instead of Good Luck
Ganbatte is usually translated as good luck, which is almost the opposite of what it says. Here is what the word actually means and when Japanese speakers use it. Read more...
Why We Don't Sell Licensed Anime Merch
If you came here looking for a specific series, we do not have it and we are not going to. Here is the honest reason, and what we sell instead. Read more...
Kitsune, Daruma and Maneki-neko: The Folklore Behind the Merch
The fox mask, the round red doll and the waving cat all mean something specific. What they are, where they come from, and what they are commonly mistaken for. Read more...
What to Wear to Your First Anime Convention
You do not need a costume. What you do need is footwear you can stand in for ten hours and a bag that does not wreck your shoulder. Read more...
How to Build an Anime Desk Setup Without It Looking Cluttered
A desk you use every day has different rules to a shelf you look at. How to build a themed setup that still works as a desk. Read more...
Wall Scroll, Poster or Canvas: What to Actually Hang
They cost different amounts, last different lengths of time, and suit different walls. A straight comparison of the three, including what each one is bad at. Read more...
Anime Room Decor That Actually Works in a Small Bedroom
Most anime room inspiration online is photographed in a large room with good light. Here is how to get the same effect in a small bedroom or a dorm without it turning into clutter. Read more...
What the Kanji on Your Anime Merch Actually Says
Most kanji printed on anime merch is either wrong, meaningless, or says something nobody would choose on purpose. Here is what the common ones really mean. Read more...