I was added to a "bad people" moderation list after I reposted two articles by Matt Alt about a certain technology as it relates to Japan and pop culture, but which apparently didn't pass someone's purity test. -->
Michael Vito・マイケル ヴィート
@michaelvito.bsky.social
Place-based engagement, transit, urbanism, anime pilgrimage (seichijunrei, butaitanbou), anime tourism, ramen. 街づくり、公共交通機関、アーバニズム、聖地巡礼、舞台探訪、コンテンツツーリズ、ラーメン。 Shanghai・EN/日本語/中文 https://likeafishinwater.com/
Tokyo’s walkable neighbourhood streets blur the line between road and gathering place, belonging to everyone.
【 #C108新刊 告知】夏コミ2日目(8/16) 東3マ-26b「つればし」にて、蓮ノ空聖地巡礼本の新刊「蓮旅2026～蓮ノ空舞台案内～」を頒布します！ 105期までの舞台情報に対応しており、特集は「能登の旅」です。 初めての方からリピーターまで、石川県を楽しめるフルカラー80Pです！ メロンブックス様にて委託中です！ www.melonbooks.co.jp/detail/detai... #蓮ノ空 #C108
Too bad I can't go myself. Over the years I visited the Haruhi locations a few times and heard some stories from friends. But I would love to learn more about how everything started and what it was like for someone living in the area. nishinomiya-style.jp/blog/2026/07...
2026年8月30日（日）14時〜『時空間』：涼宮ハルヒって何？っていう方も、涼宮ハルヒのファンの方もご一緒に20年を振り返るイベントに参加してみませんか？？ – 西宮流 (にしのみやスタイル)
2026年8月30日（日）14時〜『時空間』：涼宮ハルヒって何？っていう方も、涼宮ハルヒのファンの方もご一緒に20年を振り返ってみませんか？？ 日時：2026年8月30日（日）14時〜16時 場所：アクタ西宮東館６階／西宮市民・大学共創プラザホール（西宮北口駅から徒歩2分） 参加費：無料（当日ドネーションあり）
nishinomiya-style.jp
"when you want to remember me, just yank up the music really loud, as loud as you can get it, and just head bang"
Sharon remembers Ozzy Osbourne one year on from his death
Sharon Osbourne shares with the BBC her memories and hopes for the future.
bbc.com
築140年を超える「おおかみこどもの花の家」は、大規模な修繕が必要になりました。そこで皆様のお力をお借りしたく、クラウドファンディングに取り組むことにいたします。 2026年8月3日からの開始で、詳細は近日公開（ただいま準備中）。ご協力よろしくお願いします。
It's that day of the year again. tbh: It still hurts and I feel sad every time I remember what happened. The people we lost brought so much joy into many of our lives. I will always be grateful for the encouragement and kindness they showed through their works. That's how I want to remember them.
I refused to update to iOS 26 on an iPhone SE3 after I saw it on other devices and it triggered eye strain/dizziness. After patiently waiting over half a year, they finally restored the option to install the latest iOS 18 security update. I won this round, Apple.
Night-blooming cat tree looking good this year, too bsky.app/profile/mich...
Michael Vito・マイケル ヴィート@michaelvito.bsky.social · 9mo agoFound a tree with a night-blooming cat
When you ask the musician to wash the dishes
Ramen Manji / Ramen Mitsuyoshi, Guangyuan Xi Lu shop
So let’s take a little look under the hood of the New Cool Japan Strategy: blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/meet-the-n...
Meet the New Cool Japan Strategy
Same as the old Cool Japan strategy
blog.pureinventionbook.com
Here is a cultural thing. In Japan, there are things called "Kisha clubs" (Reporter clubs). Companies give access to these kisha clubs with the understanding they will be able to vet and edit anything published. Otherwise access is pulled Many JP pubs expect things to run the same way here Nope
Lynzee Loveridge@annlynzee.bsky.social · 2mo agoFandom outlets: if you cave under pressure from Japanese companies when reporting on PUBLIC EVENTS, you're not doing journalism. You're playing fanboy access games.
Fandom outlets: if you cave under pressure from Japanese companies when reporting on PUBLIC EVENTS, you're not doing journalism. You're playing fanboy access games.
I think I need to revisit Iwakiyama-jinja next time I am in Hirosaki. Unfortunately this won't happen before spring of next year. The cover art for the new #FlyingWitch volume seems to be inspired by a place just one stop down the line from the shrine on the No. 30 bus (百沢東口).
Update: KADOKAWA president Takeshi Natsuno survived today’s shareholder showdown, but barely by corporate #Japan standards. His reappointment passed with 59.68% support, down from 90.25% last year, after activist investor Oasis pushed for his removal over weak performance and governance concerns.
Today in #Japan, KADOKAWA faces a shareholder showdown over its “mass-produce IP” strategy. Activist investor Oasis is pushing to oust president Takeshi Natsuno, while critics point to falling profits, fewer manga and anime hits, and a 7000-title target that may have stretched the company too thin.
The much-mocked and derided Cool Japan Fund may finally be running out of steam. The public-private fund’s cumulative losses reportedly topped ¥50 billion (about $310 million) in FY2025, missing government targets, and officials are now preparing to consider abolition or a merger with another fund.
TokyoScope News: Japanese social media is reacting to the coming closures of Hands and Seibu in #Shibuya, with users debating whether #Tokyo’s famous district is losing the stores and street culture that made it feel unique. Full story: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/shibuya-fa...
Lots of shock + disbelief from netizens in #Japan over the planned closing of Shibuya Hands, formerly Tokyu Hands, after 48 years. Most point to Amazon + the proliferation of 100 yen shops as the cause of its demise. Hands was ground zero for crafts + DIY projects for decades. But what about Donki?
RIP Hands Shibuya (formerly Tokyu Hands) which is closing down in November after 48 years. Seems like the sort of place that web shopping put the whammy on, but they always did interesting pop-up shops with local brands and vendors. www.yomiuri.co.jp/economy/2026...
ハンズ渋谷店が１１月に閉店、「東急」時代からの旗艦店で４８年の歴史に幕
【読売新聞】 生活雑貨チェーンを展開するハンズは２５日、旗艦店の渋谷店（東京都渋谷区）を１１月に閉店すると発表した。渋谷店は１９７８年に開店し、４８年の歴史に幕を下ろすことになる。ハンズは閉店の理由を「賃貸借契約の満了に伴うもの」と
yomiuri.co.jp
Hear me out. It's time for an UNCOOL Japan Fund. Who's in? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/make-japan...
Make Japan Uncool Again
Japan's best pop culture isn't "cool." It's dorky, weird, and out-there.
blog.pureinventionbook.com
The Japanese government is intent on creating the world’s first fantasy-industrial complex, an economy built atop content production and export. It has zero idea of the trouble it is about to get into. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/hug-of-death
Hug of death
Will Japan's content industries survive the government's efforts to promote them?
blog.pureinventionbook.com