Vol.2
Forest of Thought
Only Osaka Lost Foreign Guests as Japanese Stays Rose｜First Signs of a Way Out of Inbound Dependence
Foreign visitors to Japan in 2025 numbered about 42.68 million, and the government has declared it will expand the figure to 60 million by 2030. While Tokyo and Kyoto head toward collapse under their dependence on inbound tourism, Osaka Prefecture alone saw Japanese stays rise 4.2% and has begun to search for a way out of that dependence.
Kunitsukami Project
Hemp Named an Act, Not a Plant｜Mashiho Chiri and the Cords of the Torihama Shell Mound
A cord regarded as the world's oldest use of hemp has been found at the Torihama shell mound. Mashiho Chiri established that the Ainu language once had no term for "the plant itself." The ancients did not give names in order to identify objects. An act was always there.
KINEMA 2400
Where to Begin with Classic Japanese Cinema｜Tokyo Story, Seven Samurai, and Ugetsu
Japanese films released in theaters since the dawn of cinema in 1896 number about 48,000. For anyone who does not know what to watch first, the way in is the masterpieces of the great directors of the second golden age. Shochiku's Tokyo Story, Toho's Seven Samurai, and Daiei's Ugetsu are the three starting points.