Jasmina Mitrovic

Tokyo is very good at hiding small portals in plain sight. Between the polished shopping complexes, convenience stores and extremely serious office buildings, there are parks where giant concrete elephants become slides, a blue robot waits in the middle of a housing complex, and an enormous banana casually sits in a Nerima neighbourhood like it has always paid rent there. These are children’s parks, technically, but they also work as tiny public art detours, lunch-break escape routes, scroll-break spots – and proof that Tokyo’s best weirdness is often hiding in a residential backstreet. Bring kids, bring a camera, bring a snack, or just bring your tired adult brain and let it look at giant ogre for five minutes. Sometimes that is enough. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best things to do in Tokyo with kids

From Shogun and shokunin to city pop and Pokémon, Japan’s already Godzilla-sized global cultural footprint is still growing – not least thanks to a hungry new generation of artists and artisans who aren’t content with competing domestically, instead setting their sights on capturing the hearts and feeds of the world from the get-go. Here are a few names you’re bound to hear more about very soon.

タイムアウト東京 > レストラン&カフェ >東京、絶品ホットドッグ7選 ホットドッグといえばアメリカのファストフードの定番だが、東京ではこのジューシーな王道グルメが独自の進化を遂げている。 マスタードやピクルス、野菜を細かく刻んだ「レリッシュ」だけでシンプルに味わう伝統的なスタイルから、バンズからこぼれ落ちそうなほど具材を詰め込んだボリューム満点の一品まで、その種類は実に多彩。中には原宿や歌舞伎町を移動しながら営業する本格的な屋台もあり、昔ながらのストリートフードの魅力を今に伝えている。 屋外での食事が楽しいシーズン。わざわざ足を運ぶ価値のある名店を、タイムアウト東京英語版編集部が厳選して紹介する。 関連記事『タイムアウト「世界のベストバーガー」ランキングで東京の「smash things」が1位』

タイムアウト東京 > ショッピング＆スタイル >東京、個性派セレクトショップ23選 東京は「デザイナーの都」というだけではなく、人々が服装を言語のように捉えて身にまとっているという意味でも、真の「ファッションの都」といえる。東京のファッションを理解するには、スマートフォンの画面をひたすら追うよりも、ファッションに情熱を注ぐスタッフがいる場所へ直行するのがいいだろう。 そのユニークで多様なカルチャーは原宿を中心に、東京各地で息づいている。ここでは、ファストファッションに頼らず個性を磨きたい人に向けて、独自のコミュニティを象徴する23のセレクトショップをタイムアウト東京英語版編集部が厳選して紹介する。 関連記事『原宿・神宮前、個性派セレクトショップ10選』

タイムアウト東京 > ショッピング＆スタイル >原宿・神宮前、個性派セレクトショップ13選 東京は、信号待ちの人やコンビニエンスストアの客の服装にさえ深いこだわりが宿る「ファッションの都」だ。ここでは服が一種の言語として機能しており、個性はブランド名ではなく、細部への選択や着こなしに表れる。街には多様な細分化したシーンが混在し、それぞれが独自のスタイルを追求している。 その無数のファッションシーンが世界最大級の密度で凝縮されているのが、原宿・神宮前エリアだ。この街のファッションを理解するにはスマートフォンをスクロールするより、独自の視点を持つショップへ足を運んで情熱的なスタッフと触れ合うのが一番である。 ここでは、ファストファッションに頼らず個性を磨きたい人へ向けて、タイムアウト英語版編集部が厳選した13のショップを紹介する。 関連記事『1000枚超のビンテージTシャツが集結する「大Tシャツ展」が開催』

As the weather gets hotter, we’re all starting to itch for reasons to be outside. Parks fill up, terraces get crowded, and suddenly that mid-stroll konbini chicken just isn’t hitting the spot. Tokyo might not be famous for eating while walking, but the city has plenty of places making a solid case for a little street meat, whether you’re posted up on a bench, hovering outside a cart or doing the discreet sidewalk shuffle with sauce on your hand. The hot dog might be a North American staple, but Tokyo has taken the fat and juicy classic in its own direction. Across the city, you’ll find everything from traditional dogs with mustard and relish to overstuffed glizzies piled with chilli, cheese, salsa, pickles and whatever else can reasonably fit inside a bun. There’s even a proper cart guy moving between Harajuku and Kabukicho, keeping the old-school street food dream alive.Whether you’re craving a taste of home, looking for something to eat in the sun or just want to know where Tokyo’s best glizzy is hiding, these are the hot dogs worth crossing town for. RECOMMENDED: 28 best cheap eats in Tokyo – all for ¥1,200 or less

タイムアウト東京 > ホテル > 東京近郊、最高にクールなラブホテル7選 日本のラブホテルは、単なる宿泊施設という枠を超え、街のいたるところで強烈な存在感を放つ「多機能エンターテインメント空間」へと変貌を遂げている。ちょっとした仮眠や出張時の宿としてはもちろん、充実のフードメニューを頼んで女子会を楽しんだり、コスチュームをレンタルして非日常のキャラクターになりきれたりする場所としても機能しているのだ。 中には、感度の高いファッション写真のロケ地に選ばれたり、アートプロジェクトとコラボレーションを展開したりする名店も存在する。用途を限定しないその自由度の高さから、本来の目的で一度も使ったことがない若者たちの間でも、現在はカルト的な人気を博すほどだ。 ラブホテルが提供するもの、それは「ファンタジー」にほかならない。昨今流行の無難なミニマリズムをあっさりと投げ捨て、掲げたコンセプトの世界観をこれでもかと徹底的に作り込む。万人受けする均一なホスピタリティーばかりが目指されがちな都市において、過剰さや好奇心、最高の意味での「悪趣味（バッドテイスト）」を堂々と全肯定してくれる空間なのだ。 日常を抜け出して刺激が欲しいなら、今週末はラブホテルでステイケーションを決め込んでみるのはどうだろう。世間の行楽シーズンや休日でも変わらない安心のシステムで迎えてくれる。いつもと違う刺激的な冒険を求め、これから紹介するユニークな空間へ一歩足を踏み入れてみてほしい。 関連記事『東京、昭和レトロなラブホテル6選』

タイムアウト東京 > ナイトライフ > 東京・大阪・京都で今、行くべきナイトライフスポット6選 夜をどう過ごすかで、旅の深さが変わる。音楽に身を委ねるのも、温泉で疲れを癒やすのも、カウンターでグラスを傾けるのも、その街を知るための手がかりになる。 ここでは、こだわりのサウンドに浸れるミュージックバー、「原宿カルチャー」を感じられるレストラン、アートギャラリーとギャルバーを兼ねた歌舞伎町らしいヴェニュー、梅田の夜空を望む健康増進施設、「ダンスミュージック好きの聖地」と評されるクラブ、京都らしい食材を用いた実験的なカクテルを提供するバーなど、東西6ヴェニューを厳選して紹介する。 関連記事『東京のベストバー28選』『大阪、ベストカクテルバー4選』

Trying to pin hen-kawa down too neatly defeats the point. Somewhere between weird and cute, the concept lives in the gap between polished and not, exuding the charm that comes from something being slightly off, slightly too much, slightly unafraid of looking a little strange. Tokyo has always had pockets of this energy, but Ikebukuro wears it more openly than most. The area on the east side of the station pulls anime culture right to the surface: figure shops, cosplay supply stores, maid cafés stacked between convenience stores and karaoke boxes. The western side runs darker and quieter. Between the two, something genuinely odd has always been allowed to exist here. RECOMMENDED: 55 things to do in Ikebukuro

Messy, stylish and impossible to keep up with, the after-dark scene in Japan’s big cities is always evolving. This list is your shortcut to a handful of the places that matter right now – from a bar-meets-art-gallery in the heart of Tokyo’s neon-lit Kabukicho to Kyoto’s most ambitious new cocktail den and a 24-hour hot-spring haven in Osaka.

「変かわ」を明確に定義しようとすると、その本質を見失う。「奇妙」と「かわいい」の狭間に存在するこの概念は、かわいいの中心からは外れていて、過剰で、奇妙に見えることを恐れない。そして、いびつなものに宿り、人々を引き寄せる強烈な魅力を放っている。 池袋は「変かわ」のエネルギーを他のどの都市よりも堂々とまとっている街だ。駅の東側はアニメ文化を地表にまで噴出させ、西側は東側とは異なるディープさと奇妙な静けさを併せ持つ。 ここでは、他の街ではなかなか出合えない、ひと筋縄ではいかないヴェニューを紹介する。

Love hotels in Japan are not your run-of-the-mill highway rest stops. They exist in every part of every major Japanese city, tucked behind club districts, stacked above convenience stores, announced by signage that can at times be more suggestive than discreet. The name does most of the heavy lifting, and yes, their primary function is exactly what it sounds like. But things don’t stop there. Many of these establishments have expanded their use cases to the point where the love hotel has become something closer to a multi-functional venue: you can check into one to take a nap, use it for a business trip, host a girls' night with a full à la carte menu, throw a birthday party, or rent a costume and stay in character for the entire visit. Some of the best properties have been shot by fashion photographers, collaborated with art institutions, and built cult followings among people who have never once used them for their original purpose. While privacy is the core concept, so is mood. Love hotels deal in fantasy; the chance to step out of your life for a few hours and ‘rest’ in whatever way the word takes meaning to you. That is especially true of themed love hotels, where the room is not just somewhere to sleep, but the whole reason to go. These places forgo ‘tasteful’ minimalism, truly committing to whatever bit they advertise – which is exactly why their continued existence is so important. In a city where hospitality largely aims for neutrality, themed love hotels still allow

Presented by Komiyama and Sabukaru, ‘The Japanese Tattoo’ explores the history and living culture of wabori through photography, archival materials and traditional works. The exhibition centres on three figures who have shaped Japanese tattooing across different generations. Horihide played a major role in introducing Japanese tattooing to the wider world, building relationships with artists including Sailor Jerry and Don Ed Hardy. Asakusa Horikazu represents the technical skill, craftsmanship and cultural weight of traditional wabori, while Horicho II continues the respected Horicho lineage and its commitment to tebori. The exhibition is curated by cultural researcher and journalist Manami ‘Maki’ Okazaki, whose decades of work have documented Japanese subcultures through extensive research, personal relationships and a deep archive. Rather than treating tattooing as a finished image alone, the exhibition looks at the wider culture surrounding it: the techniques passed down between artists, the rituals of the studio, the communities built around the craft and the histories carried on the body. A programme of related events will also take place during the exhibition, including a live tattooing session by Horicho II on July 4 and a conversation with Horihide and Manami Okazaki on July 11. ‘The Japanese Tattoo’ runs from July 4 to July 20 2026, at Komiyama Tokyo G.

Not to be confused with Iriya near Ueno, this Iriya is in Adachi – and it has a strange, bone-coloured squid-like playground structure that looks like a fossil, a shell, a spaceship and a sea creature all at once. Adachi is famous among playground obsessives for its many ‘tako-san’ slides, but Iriya Central Park is special because it has an ‘ika-san’ slide: a squid, not an octopus.The park is larger than some of the tiny novelty playgrounds on this list, with a multipurpose ground, play area, swings, a sandpit and standard equipment alongside the sculptural slide. That makes it better for actual playing.

Banana Park is exactly what it sounds like and somehow still funnier in person. Hidden in a residential part of Nerima, the park is built around a large yellow banana-shaped play structure, with banana benches and smaller banana-themed pieces. This is not a huge destination park with endless facilities, so don’t come expecting a full day of entertainment. Its charm is in how specific it is. A banana slide in a quiet Tokyo neighbourhood is already enough. It’s perfect for a short photo stop, a tiny detour with kids, or anyone building a personal archive of Tokyo’s strangest public design decisions. Bonus points if you bring an actual banana from the conbini and eat it there.

Every neighbourhood deserves a resident robot. Oji 6-chome Children’s Playground, also known locally as Robot Park, is watched over by a big blue retro robot whose arms double as playground equipment. One arm works as the stairs, the other as the slide, and the head becomes a cockpit-like platform where small children can live out their pilot fantasy. Gundam, anyone?Besides the bot there’s more standard playground pieces too, including swings, a sandpit and bars, but the robot is obviously the main character. It has the chunky, slightly handmade look of a children’s TV prop from another era – not slick, and absolutely better for it. It’s good for kids, obviously, but also for anyone who enjoys Tokyo’s quieter residential oddities: the kind of thing you would never find unless someone told you it existed.

Tachikawa’s Oni Park does not ease you in. Its centrepiece is a giant red demon head with striped horns, heavy brows and an open mouth that children can run straight into. It is part slide, part monster, part public nightmare in the cutest possible way. From the right angle, it looks like the park has been swallowed by folklore, ready to devour you up. Officially called Nishiki Second Park, this is one of the more famous parks on the list. It has appeared in pop culture, including scenes connected to manga/dramas: Saint Young Men, Gokusen and Nagi’s Long Vacation. The oni is loud, theatrical and very shootable, especially if you want something with more personality than the usual ‘pretty park’ background.

Homeys first built its name with burgers before opening its hot dog stand in Kagurazaka, bringing the same American diner mood into a smaller, more glizzy-focused format. The shop is best known for strange, spectacular flavour combinations that you probably won’t find anywhere else in Tokyo. Its specialty is stacked flavours, the kind of hot dog that feels less like a quick snack and more like going to a theme park where every ride involves a splash mountain of flavour. The buns are worth mentioning too. Homeys serves its dogs on black and red buns using cacao and cayenne pepper, which started as a playful Halloween thing before becoming part of the regular menu. The nacho dog is the one to get, served on your choice of black or red bun. It has the fun, slightly ridiculous feeling a good loaded hot dog should have, but it still feels put together rather than chaotic. Homeys wants to make hot dogs feel more like a proper gourmet option in Tokyo, not just a snack you buy when nothing else is open. The coloured bun helps, obviously. A normal beige bun could never.

Doggs is a hot dog shop covered in Americana-style LED decor, run by Ary, a rapper who also goes by Stpaulers. The shop has been in Ekoda since 2015, serving handmade sausages inspired by America while keeping everything grounded in its own local community. On some weekends, Doggs hosts block parties outside the shop, turning the street into part of the experience. The sausages are handmade with domestic pork and no additives, and the menu stretches from New York-style classics to heavier BBQ-leaning options. The Queen’s BBQ is the special recommendation, but the plain dog might be the most serious one if you want to understand the base.

Tokyo has gourmet dogs, art dogs and heavily engineered dogs, but sometimes the best one is still a man, a grill and a bun. Kajuru Kenny, better known around Harajuku and Kabukicho as the hot dog cart guy, has been selling New York-style hot dogs for around 20 years. His setup is simple: an open-concept food truck, grilled sausages, soft buns and no unnecessary decoration. The staple hot dog is ¥600, handed straight from the grill to your hand, and that is most of the charm. Kenny is humble about it too. His pitch is basically: if you taste it, you’ll like it. No foam, no microgreens, no overthinking. Just a hot dog that tastes like a hot dog, which in Tokyo can feel weirdly rare. Follow him on Instagram to track where he is – usually between Harajuku, Kabukicho and the occasional event.

C.O.D stands for Cash on Delivery, though these days the name is more of a relic than a payment warning. The Kita-Aoyama shop has been open for around 40 years, which is exactly how it became the laid-back hot dog institution it is today: experience. The space has a loose California garage feel, with events, a DJ booth and a nighttime bar setup that closes whenever the person behind the bar decides the night is over. The dogs here lean more Tex-Mex than ballpark classic, with loaded toppings and a slightly messy, very satisfying energy. Go for the chilli cheese dog: warm, heavy, saucy and exactly the kind of thing you want when you’re pretending summer in Tokyo is less brutal than it is.

Skookum opened in 2021 with a pretty clear mission: make hot dogs feel like something worth travelling for. The owner previously worked in the hamburger world, but after seeing how many burger places already existed, wanted to do something with a little more surprise. The result is an artisan hot dog diner in Nakameguro where the sausage gets treated with the kind of attention usually reserved for much more serious food. The process involves smoking, drying, frying and boiling, with a lot of trial and error behind each dog. The idea is still easy eating, but the flavour is more layered than the usual bun-plus-sausage-plus-sauce formula. The namesake Skookum dog is the one to get, generously topped with house-made char siu-esque bacon, cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce, house-made BBQ sauce and tartar sauce. The word ‘skookum’ comes from Chinook Jargon and carries meanings like strong, powerful and impressive – which is a pretty intense name for a hot dog, but in this case, fair.

Opened in March 2026 inside Harajuku Quest, The Tunnel is a new food, music and culture spot from En One Tokyo, the team behind some of Harajuku’s coolest galleries, restaurants and hangouts. The space is designed like a real service area, bringing together different kinds of food, people and reasons to linger under one theme. Only here, the theme is less family road trip and more Harajuku culture tunnel with a sound system. Inside, you’ll find casual snacks crafted with culinary expertise, drinks, a soundproof setup and a hall in the back for exhibitions, pop-ups and events. It has the easy feeling of somewhere you can stop by quickly, but the cultural wiring of a place that will probably end up hosting half the neighbourhood’s DJs, artists and food people at some point. Go for a quick bite, stay for whatever is happening in the back, or just make it your default Harajuku pit stop when you don’t know where else to go. As they put it: とりあえずTunnelで.

Hailing from Seoul’s Gangnam, Kompakt Record Bar has become a haunt for culture starters, record enthusiasts, fashion kids and anyone who prefers their nights with a little more intention. In Korea, the bar has built its name around analogue sound, good drinks and the kind of easy atmosphere that makes for a fulfilling night out. Its simple logo tees have also travelled far beyond the bar itself, turning up on backs around the world like a quiet signal for those in the know. The Ikejiri Ohashi venue is its first location outside of its home city. Rather than planting itself in the obvious nightlife zones, the Tokyo branch settles into a more local pocket of the city, aiming to become a place for music, conversation and community rather than another room built only around the peak-hour rush of a club. Inside, the focus is on records. All music is played on analogue vinyl, with selectors moving across genres. They want patrons to feel familiar with the sound. For a ¥500 music charge, guests can catch a rotating line-up of domestic and international DJs on the decks. Fitted with the beautiful ‘ON8 Small Club System’ by NNNN x OJAS, and backed up by a hefty soundproof door, a night out here is sure to be nothing but smooth beats and smoother sailing.

Prada and Gentle Monster have announced their first collaborative collection, bringing together two brands that understand the power of looking slightly out of this world. Rather than simply placing two logos on a pair of sunglasses, the collaboration feels more like a meeting of atmospheres. Prada’s controlled elegance is filtered through Gentle Monster’s cinematic, hyper-surreal lens, resulting in a collection that plays with light, structure and drama. The line-up features three eyewear designs, each built around sculptural lens shapes, three-dimensional details across the front and Gentle Monster’s titanium temples, finished with Prada’s iconic triangle logo. The silhouettes are polished but strange, refined but slightly unreal – the kind of sunglasses that look like they belong equally in a Milan showroom and inside a dream sequence. The campaign, starring actor and Prada ambassador Kentaro Sakaguchi, leans fully into that feeling. Built around the concept of books, the visuals blur the boundary between reality and imagination, with five surreal forces – earth, water, fire, air and love – released from the fingertips. Gentle Monster has become quite known for its fashion campaigns that look like short films rather than straightforward advertisements, and this collaboration is no exception. The result is a small cinematic universe: elegant, mysterious and charged with the feeling that something has just opened. Photo: Iicombined Japan Co., Ltd.Pop-up at Prada Aoyama To

Over the last few days, Shibuya has been hosting a Hunter Exam of its own. To commemorate Hunter x Hunter surpassing 100 million copies in circulation, publisher Shueisha has launched a special campaign titled ‘Shibuya Hunter-gai’, turning the neighbourhood into the venue for a treasure hunt. The campaign also coincides with the release of the manga’s latest volume, Volume 39, which arrives in Japan on July 3. From June 29 to July 5, a total of 115 characters from Yoshihiro Togashi’s legendary series appear across Shibuya as outdoor ads, hidden placements and QR-code-linked character sightings. The official campaign frames the whole thing in true Hunter x Hunter fashion: characters are hiding in the city using Zetsu, the Nen technique used to suppress one’s presence. Your job, naturally, is to use Gyo – the technique of focusing aura into the eyes – and find them. Time Out Technically, the hunt has already been solved. The official character list now shows 115 out of 115 sightings found, meaning the full map has been uncovered by faster, stronger and probably much better prepared Hunters than the rest of us. But that doesn’t mean the game is over. If anything, this is now the perfect time to test yourself without immediately checking the answers. Wander through Shibuya, keep your eyes open around Center-gai, Dogenzaka, Tower Records, Mega Don Quijote and the surrounding streets, and see how many characters you can spot before giving in and consulting the official list. For

Bandwagoner, die-hard fan or just here for the shared delusion of a room full of strangers screaming at a screen, there’s no escaping FIFA fever right now. The World Cup has been rolling through Tokyo one kick-off at a time, turning pubs into temporary embassies, cinemas into stadiums and a 1pm match into a perfectly reasonable excuse for a pint. Whether you want to support your home team, cheer on Japan with a crowd, warm up a bar stool or go full Bend It Like Beckham on an actual pitch afterwards, here’s where to watch the games and where to play one of your own. Where to watch The Footnik, Ebisu and OsakiA Tokyo football-viewing classic, The Footnik is exactly the kind of British pub you want when a match needs noise, beer and someone in the corner who knows far too much about group-stage mathematics. Both the Ebisu and Osaki locations are showing a heavy World Cup schedule, with reservations available online for bigger fixtures and some walk-in seating possible when matches are quieter. For Japan’s June 21 match against Tunisia, the pub is going all in, with paid standing and reserved-seat packages that include free-flow drinks. Don’t leave without ordering the fish and chips, which are basically part of the Footnik viewing ritual at this point.Address: Asahi Bldg 1F, 1-11-2 Ebisu, Shibuya (Ebisu); ThinkPark Bldg 1F, 2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa (Osaki) Good to know: Match schedules and reservation prices vary by fixture. Japan vs Tunisia is scheduled for June 21 at 1pm. Hobgob

In the manga universe, a few things are certain: anime adaptations will skip your favourite arc, release dates will wreck your sleep schedule, and Yoshihiro Togashi will eventually emerge from the shadows to drop new Hunter x Hunter chapters. After almost two years without updates, Hunter x Hunter is returning to Weekly Shonen Jump with chapter 411, landing in Japan on June 29 (and arriving for some international readers on June 28).For the uninitiated, Hunter x Hunter is Yoshihiro Togashi’s long-running fantasy-adventure manga, first serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998. On the surface, it begins as the story of Gon Freecss, a bright-eyed kid with lethal optimism and terrifying calf strength, who sets out to become a Hunter and find his father. Simple enough. Cute, even. Then the series slowly reveals itself to be one of the most intricate, morally slippery and psychologically unwell shonen stories ever put to page. This is a manga where a tournament arc can become a lesson in power systems, a kids’ adventure can turn into organised crime noir, and a cheerful protagonist can disappear from his own story while the plot gets swallowed by political warfare, royal succession drama and telekinetic energy abilities so complicated they should come with a PDF attachment. That, of course, is part of why fans keep waiting.Hunter x Hunter has never really moved like a normal manga. Its hiatuses have become so famous they are basically part of the brand, though reducing them to a me

There are a few things that somehow feel better in analogue: handwritten notes, old photo booths, train tickets you forgot were still in your pocket, and summer memories that don’t immediately disappear into the same camera roll as 500 firework photos you’re never going to look at again. Polaroid has always understood this. Since the brand introduced the world’s first instant camera in 1947, it has occupied a very specific place in pop culture: casual enough it could be a toy, but esteemed enough in the gallery-wall sense. A Polaroid is a tiny event. You press the button, the photo slides out, everyone screams a little, then you wait for the image to appear like it’s doing witchcraft in real time. In an age where every moment can be taken, edited, filtered and posted within 12 seconds, that delay adds a little spice of excitement. Photo: Analicia GracaTaken using selfie mirror feature Now, Polaroid is bringing that feeling into an even smaller format with the new Polaroid Go Generation 3, launched in Japan on June 5. Billed as the world’s smallest analogue instant camera, the Go Gen 3 keeps the classic Polaroid frame but shrinks it into a pocket-sized format that feels made for summer movement: beach bags, festival outfits, late-night konbini missions, hotel rooms, road trips, airport bathrooms, bad decisions, good outfits, better friends. Japan is particularly good at making you want to keep things. A receipt from a kissaten. A tiny charm from a shrine. A sticker from some

Takashi Murakami’s venture into rap continues with MNNK Bro., his ongoing project with JP The Wavy, and its latest release might be the duo’s most immersive world yet. Released on May 22, ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ turns the city’s expressway into a high-speed fever dream of anime, Y2K gloss, gyaru energy, gaming visuals and Japanese youth culture at full volume. The single is the fourth release from MNNK Bro., the unlikely but increasingly convincing unit formed by one of Japan’s most globally recognised contemporary artists and one of its most style-conscious rappers. On paper, Murakami alongside JP The Wavy could sound like a novelty. In practice, it has become something stranger and more interesting: a visual and sonic project where art-world surrealism, luxury fashion, internet aesthetics and Japanese hip-hop all crash into each other. Drawing on the world of Akira, ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ takes its name from the very real Metropolitan Expressway,  but in the track and video, the Shutoko becomes less of a road and more of a portal. It is late-night driving, neon reflection, speed, concrete, anime paranoia and the fantasy of Tokyo as a city that always looks better when it is slightly unreal. The music video, directed by New York duo BRTHR, pushes that world even further. Known for their stop-you-in-your-tracks visual style, BRTHR turn ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ into a barrage of references that feel deeply Japanese but globally fluent: anime speed lines, game-like motion, glossy Y2K styling, club-ki

Hailing from Seoul’s Gangnam, Kompakt Record Bar has become a haunt for culture starters, record enthusiasts, fashion kids and anyone who prefers their nights with a little more intention. In Korea, the bar has built its name around analogue sound, good drinks and the kind of easy atmosphere that makes for a fulfilling night out. Its simple logo tees have also travelled far beyond the bar itself, turning up on backs around the world like a quiet signal for those in the know. On May 15, Kompakt opened its first location outside of its home city in Tokyo’s Ikejiri-Ohashi. Rather than planting itself in the obvious nightlife zones, the Tokyo branch settles into a more local pocket of the city, aiming to become a place for music, conversation and community rather than another room built only around the peak-hour rush of a club.Inside, the focus is on records. All music is played on analogue vinyl, with selectors moving across genres. They want patrons to feel familiar with the sound. For a ¥500 music charge, guests can catch a rotating line-up of domestic and international DJs on the decks. Fitted with the beautiful ‘ON8 Small Club System’ by NNNN x OJAS, and backed up by a hefty soundproof door, a night out here is sure to be nothing but smooth beats and smoother sailing. Photo: Kisa ToyoshimaKompakt Record Bar Kompakt Tokyo was brought together with Beams in the mix, giving the Seoul-born bar a local landing point that makes sense for the neighbourhood and the crowd it’s lik

Sakura season is now in full swing, and Yoyogi has tipped from open green space into something closer to a temporary city. Every patch of grass seems to hold a different version of spring: some groups dressed like they planned their colour story around the trees weeks in advance, others got ready with the more realistic goal of sitting on the ground for several hours, chasing kids around, or surviving that awkward stretch of Tokyo weather where it looks warm until you stop moving. Hanami never really comes out looking like one thing.   Photo: Analicia Graca   Karen & Shiori, 26Karen and Shiori kept things easy, bright and sharply in tune with the day. Karen said her outfit was inspired by spring, while Shiori dressed more for picnic vibes, which felt visible before they even said it. In front of them sat a quiche and a prosciutto basil sandwich from Little Bakery Tokyo, the kind of spread that lands somewhere between casual lunch and soft launch for the season.  Photo: Analicia Graca A skipping-rope crew For this group, hanami dressing came down to doing it together. One of the girls said they matched because everyone was spending hanami together, while another said she knew she was going to be running around and still wanted to be fashionable. Their answers had the kind of logic only kids can get away with: part coordination, part practicality, part whatever feels right when the weather finally starts loosening up. Photo: Analicia Graca Farhida, Aisha, 10, Zahara, Rida

2010年代、「KAWAII MONSTER CAFE」は東京を象徴する人気スポットの一つだった。ネオンに彩られたその空間は、現実の竹下通りの中心にありながら、海外から見た「原宿ガール像」。まるでグウェン・ステファニー（Gwen Stefani）の世界観をそのまま具現化したかのような、熱狂的な幻想空間でもあった。 そこでは現実の東京にいながら、まるで別世界に迷い込んだかのような体験ができる。巨大なケーキ型メリーゴーラウンドがクラブさながらの照明の下に据えられ、空間はカラフルなゾーンに分かれ、モンスターガールズがその場全体を生きた舞台へと変える。料理さえも、キッチンで調理されたというより、ユニコーンから採取されたかのような怪しげな見た目をしていた。 Photo: Analicia GracaPictured: Kawaii Monster Founder Sebastian Masuda, sitting amount the Monster Girls and guests. 2021年、同店は閉店を発表し、原宿はその強烈な個性を放つランドマークの一つを失う。そして2026年2月13日、単なる復活というよりも進化を遂げる形で、「KAWAII MONSTER LAND」として帰ってきた。カフェを再構築し、アトラクションを中心とした新たな施設としてスタートを切る。 かつての空間が魅力的なカオスに満ちていたとすれば、今回は来場者の導線がよりスムーズに設計されている。「Magic Spiral Gate」を抜けると、「Choppy’s Mel-Tea Cup Ride」や「Kawaii Monster Carnival」、ゲーム感覚の体験スポット、フード＆ドリンクカウンターとバー「BAR Pink Mirage」を備えた「Colorful Snack Street」など、各エリアを順に巡る構成だ。「Harajuku Gift bazaar」ではグッズも販売されており、手ぶらで帰る人はいないだろう。 Photo: Analicia GracaNewly unveiled arcade games いくつかの変更はあるものの、主役は依然として「モンスターガールズ」だ。ハイパーキュートなパフォーマーたちが、原宿らしさを200％に引き上げたようなエネルギーを再び呼び戻す。スタイリングもより洗練され、現代のストリートファンタジーを想起させる世界観を表現している。 光沢感のあるサイバーゴススタイル、ブラックレースのグローブやメタル素材、大胆なグラフィックディテールに、ひと目では愛らしくに見えつつもどこか異質さを感じさせる人形のようなメイク。あるいは、ネオングリーンのレースやレインボーのフェイクファーカフス、ラインストーンをあしらったアーマーショルダーなどをまとったデコラスタイルも登場する。ハンドメイドの温もりを感じさせるレイヤードの質感が、ポップで祝祭的なムードを際立たせる。 さらに、フリルやリボン、パステルカラーのふんわりとした装飾、ハートのパッチ、キャンディカラーなど、スウィートロリータを思わせる要素も随所にちりばめられている。誇張されたウィッグやアクセサリーと相まって、原宿ならではのスタイルを色濃く反映したビジュアルが印象的だ。 Photo: Time Out TokyoThe Monster Girls from left to right* Candy, Crazy, Dolly, Natty, Baby KAWAII MONSTER CAFE

The Kawaii Monster Café was an OG Tokyo attraction of the 2010s; a neon fever dream that nailed the overseas, Gwen Stefani-tinted idea of ‘Harajuku girls’, in the middle of the real Takeshita Street. It was the closest thing Tokyo had to a portal: a mad-hatter wonderland where a giant cake carousel sat under club lighting, the space was split into colour-coded zones, and the Monster Girls turned the whole place into a living set. Even the food looked suspicious, like it had been harvested from a unicorn rather than cooked in a kitchen. Photo: Analicia GracaPictured: Kawaii Monster Founder Sebastian Masuda, sitting amount the Monster Girls and guests. In 2021, the café announced it would close for good, and Harajuku lost one of its most unapologetically loud landmarks. Now, it’s back, though with less revival and more renaissance – as Kawaii Monster Land, a rebuilt ‘attraction-first’ version of the original. If the old café was chaotic in a charming way, this one is clearly designed to move people through smoothly. You enter through the Magic Spiral Gate, then follow a set flow into different areas: Choppy’s Mel-Tea Cup Ride, a Kawaii Monster Carnival zone, game-like stops, and Colourful Snack Street, where the food-and-drink counter sits alongside a bar called Pink Mirage. There’s also a Harajuku Gift Bazaar for merch, because no one leaves a place like this empty-handed. Photo: Analicia GracaNewly unveiled arcade games Despite the few changes, the Monster Girls are still

In a move you never expected, McDonald’s Japan and Street Fighter literally cross worlds with the ‘Street Burgers’ line-up dropping today (October 22), pulling familiar faces from Capcom’s universe into fast-food form. Ryu gets the burnt-garlic mayo egg teriyaki treatment, Chun-Li turns into a yurinchi-style chicken burger, and Ken plays the role he always has: excessive, triple-cheesed and golden. Each item lands in limited packaging that looks more like arcade signage than meal branding, while McFizz cups show Ryu and Ken mid-Hadoken. undefinedundefined It’s a collaboration that makes sense in the way Japan often does – nostalgia and convenience culture colliding in a perfectly designed impulse purchase. The tie-in extends beyond the counter too; players of Street Fighter 6 can unlock in-game bonuses connected to the campaign, making it one of those crossovers that bleeds through reality just enough to feel surreal. McDonald’s commercials have leaned into that, showing burgers exploding like special moves, filmed with the same confidence as a Capcom trailer. The collab runs nationwide starting October 22 2025, for a limited period. It’s easy to dismiss this kind of marketing as novelty, but Japan has turned novelty into an art form – knowing that a moment of play, no matter how commercial, still carries cultural weight.  The ‘Street Burgers’ collab is available at McDonald’s outlets nationwide. Check the website for full details. More

1990年代後半から2000年代初頭にかけて、矢沢あいの漫画は真の文化現象だった。彼女は、ファッションを「第二の言語」として操り、失恋が常に線路の向こう側で待ち構えているかのような独特の世界観を構築。『NANA』『Paradise Kiss』『ご近所物語』では、東京という都市のカフェも裏通りも一本のたばこまでもが、映画のワンシーンに見えるように切り取った。 そして、矢沢が描いたキャラクターたちは、「ヴィヴィアン」のタータンやイチゴ色のフリルに身を包み、喜びと絶望の間を漂いながら、孤独さえもスタイルとして昇華するかのように街を歩く。 紙面上では未完のまま止まっている物語もあるが、この街・東京では、その間も矢沢の世界の断片が息づいている。中には「聖地巡礼」として知られる場所もあれば、彼女の描く一コマがそのまま現実になったかのような場所もある。 『NANA』の熱心なファンであれ、あるいは矢沢の鋭い若者観やファッション感覚に引かれる者であれ、これら6つのスポットは、彼女の世界のフレームの中へと引き込んでくれるだろう。 多摩川沿いを「ホット・ガール・ウォーク」する Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 多摩川には、一度の夕暮れの間にロマンチックにもメランコリックにも揺れ動く空気が漂い、マジックアワーの水面には郊外の静かな輪郭と、遠くに広がるスカイラインの両方が映り込む。 ここでは、自分自身が変化の途上にいる登場人物であるかのように感じられる。選択のはざまに立ち、昨夜の会話を頭の中で繰り返したり、ノートに歌詞の断片を描きつけたりする。ギターを手にしたカップルが歩き、ランナーとすれ違う。気付けばその光景全体が、まるで矢沢の漫画の一場面を現実に重ね合わせたかのように見えてくるに違いない。 「Jackson Hole」のバーガーに時間を忘れる Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 『NANA』のファンにとって、「Jackson Hole」はハンバーガーショップではなく、むしろ巡礼地である。調布にあるこの居心地のよい店は、作品に組み込まれており、漫画の世界から現実へワープできる数少ない場所の一つだ。 ハンバーガーを注文し、ボックス席に腰を下ろせば、目の前のテーブル越しにハチや章司が座っている姿が目に浮かぶ。学校の課題について語り合ったり、複雑な恋模様を解きほぐしたりしているかもしれない。料理そのものは純粋なアメリカンだが、そこに漂う響く空気は間違いなく矢沢の世界そのものだろう。 下北沢でおそろいのコップを探す Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 下北沢に点在する古着店やビンテージショップは、矢沢の漫画世界に思いをはせるためにあるかのように思える。「東京レトロa.m.a.store」では、ハチらしさがぎゅっと詰まったイチゴ模様のガラスのコップを手に入れたり、彼女がインテリアの仕事をしていた頃を思わせるスタイリッシュな家具の中を歩き回ったりできる。 この街のキッチュとストリートウエアの鋭さが混ざり合う空気感は、矢沢作品の登場人物たちを忘れがたくしているあの絶妙な緊張感そのものであり、どの店も新しいサブプロット（副次的な筋書き）が生まれそうな気配をまとっている。  「喫茶小雪」でゆったりとした時間を過ごす Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 「喫茶小雪」は、まるで矢沢のヒロインのためにスケッチされ、生まれたかのようなカフェだ。昭和の趣に加え、繊細なイチゴケーキも楽しめ、懐かしさと2000年代のガーリーカルチャー