Rare footage from dilapidated Japanese social housing estate in Mito, Ibaraki

So what do you know about Japanese architecture? What comes to your mind? Wabi-sabi, tea houses, tatami, paper partitions, wooden temples or, perhaps, usual favourites of Archdaily and Dezeen like Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma and SANAA? Well, whatever it is, I want you to forget all of it, at least for now. Deep inhale, slow exhale. Done? Great, now we’re set to go.

On one especially miserable 36 degrees C evening in Tokyo I was finally hit with a dramatic “I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE“ punch from an autonomous emergency thought generator at the back of my mind. “I’M FLEEING UP NORTH”, it said. As an obedient empty human shell I was at the time, I agreed.

My ultimate longread about things that make Japan so different from the West and possible reasons behind them. Visually pleasing but twisted from the inside: I give you my warmest welcome to the dark sides of Japan!.

On Tokyo urban choreography with its ridiculously high level of safety and ridiculously weird exceptions.

Japanese art universities are nothing like you would expect.

One's first encounter with Japan is a rare treasure of an experience: no matter where you go next, you'll never be THAT visually overwhelmed.