• Tue. Apr 29th, 2025

Japan Subculture Research Center

A guide to the Japanese underworld, Japanese pop-culture, yakuza and everything dark under the sun.

Japan’s Pakuchi (Coriander) Craze is Just Crazy! But Also Crazy Delicious!

Pakuchi or ‘パクチー’ is derived from a Thai sounding word ‘Pakchee’ meaning coriander. It is an herb seen in many Thai dishes, either sprinkled on top or put in the…

6 murderers are paroled in a small Japanese town. Will they bring the place back to life or bring more death? See “The Scythian Lamb”

Rumor has it that since the early nineties, rural towns have been recruiting parolees to become part of the local populace. This information cannot be verified. The people involved will…

Japan’s Season Of Culinary Death Is Almost Over; Goodbye And Thanks For All The Mochi

Mochi are a glutinous Japanese specialty, often turned into a dessert, made from pounded steamed rice that Japanese usually eat to celebrate the coming New Year and other festive occassions.…

The Anger You Feel Towards A You Tuber Won’t Stop Another Suicide in Japan. What could?

" Logan Paul is an idiot, but imagine if all the internet's anger towards him was re-directed to the Japanese government to hold them accountable for a culture of suicide…

Banzai To Japanese Print Media! Kaori Shoji’s Picks For Excellence In Japan’s Written Word World 2017

As far as bad years go, 2017 pretty much did us in and it's not even over yet. Still, the news isn't all bad, at least in the Japanese publication…

Another tragic case of death from overwork (過労死) highlights a culture of labor abuse. Reform is needed.

The father of two children, the karoshi victim, was hired as an engineer working at the company’s plant in his hometown of Oshu in 1989. After being assigned to sales…

Write Hard To Live Free: Happy Year Of The (Watch)Dog! 番犬報道の年ですよ!謹賀新年

That doesn’t mean the society doesn’t have problems, such as child poverty, gender inequality and discrimination against: the handicapped, women, foreigners, especially Korean Japanese. Japan has a pestilent well-entrenched mob.…

Hey, Baby? You’re fired, don’t come back. Maternity Harassment (MATAHARA) and The Working Woman in Japan

According to Japanese Trade Union Confederation, matahara is an abbreviation of “maternity harassment.” The word refers to mental or physical harassment that some workingwomen go through when they announce to…

Paternity Harassment Press Conference At (Labor Ministry/厚労省記者クラブ) today at 3PM

Paternity Harassment Press Conference At (Labor Ministry/厚労省記者クラブ) today at 3PM

Hope and Love in Hell: Former North Korean Captive Charles Jenkins Speaks

I regretted every single day I defected from the U.S. army until I met my wife. After that, I thought, “Well, if I wasn’t here, it would have been hard…