Tokyo Just Got A New Godzilla Statue
While this statue isn’t life-sized, this is a fitting tribute to a giant of Japanese cinema. The Shin Godzilla statue went up in Tokyo’s Hibiya, where Toho Studios was born. The plaza was p…
The archive
banzaitokyo's articles — page 60
Browse banzaitokyo's articles in the Akihabara archive.
Katsuko Saruhashi turned radioactive fallout into a scientific legacy
In 1957, Saruhashi became the first woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in Japan. Her work focused on measuring the molecules in seawater — like carbon dioxide, oxygen, and also radioactive molecules…
California should emulate Tokyo, where housing stayed ahead of population growth
Tokyo prevented a housing shortage by building more and building up. Interestingly, it appears that this change was instigated by Japan’s national government, which since the 1980s has assumed more a…
Naoto Fukasawa inserts Issey Miyake store into 132-year-old Kyoto townhouse
Machiya are a type of townhouse that were once common in Kyoto but are now becoming scarce, as owners often shy away from conducting expensive repairs, and instead choose to build contemporary replac…
Gaijin Engineer in Tokyo
Being a foreign software engineer in Tokyo has its ups and downs. If you work in a company of foreigners you’re mostly shielded from the experience, but if you work in an actual Japanese company ther…
Fukushima professor develops rubber that can make and store power from light and vibration
Kunio Shimada, a professor of fluid mechanics and energy engineering at Fukushima University, has developed a special rubber that can generate electricity from solar and kinetic energy and save the p…
An art lover's guide to Tokyo
The Japanese art scene is like no other in the world – and Tokyo is at the glowing centre of it. Combining a rich artistic history, a vibrant visual culture and a 21st-century penchant for …
Apple to open Shinjuku store in Tokyo on Apr. 7
Known also as "R128," the shop will be based on the first floor of the Shinjuku Marui Main Building, a department store not far from Shinjuku Station and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government B…
Low inflation drops Tokyo out of world's top 10 most expensive cities and into tie with Osaka for 11th
Singapore remains the world’s most expensive city for the fifth consecutive year, with Paris, Zurich and Hong Kong following closely behind, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey published…
Stopping Suicide: Japan’s Darkest Demon
I began by asking Annesley why March historically sees such a high number of suicides in Japan. “In Japan, March comes right before the start of the new fiscal and academic year. Anxiety and fear pea…