Hello Kitty / 50 years of style and friendship

 

From a simple coin purse to a cultural phenomenon, Hello Kitty's journey is beautifully echoed in the playful decor of this pink sanctuary, making every moment a celebration of joy

Hello Kitty: 50 years of style and friendship

The rise of a global icon and its economic and commercial impact

23 DECEMBER 2024, 

LUCAS FRADE

In 2024, Hello Kitty celebrated its 50th anniversary, solidifying its presence as a global icon of fashion, beauty, and culture. Created by Sanrio in 1974, Hello Kitty started as a simple character, but its message of friendship, positivity, and inclusion transformed it into a cultural phenomenon. Over the decades, the mouthless kitten with a red bow has transcended the status of a children's mascot to become a figure present in more than 130 countries, with over 50,000 different products, ranging from toys and accessories to luxury items and beauty collaborations. 

Sailor Moon, standing confidently in her iconic outfit, a style that has inspired countless fashion lines, cosplay, and even high-fashion collections, merging the worlds of anime and contemporary fashion

Naoko Takeuchi and the fashion universe of Sailor Moon

How a love for fashion transformed a manga franchise into a global icon 

23 JUNE 2025, 

LUCAS FRADE

Naoko Takeuchi is a name that shines as brightly as the silver blades depicted in the adventures of Sailor Moon. The creator of one of the most beloved franchises in the world of manga and anime, Naoko was born on March 15, 1967, in Kōfu, Japan. A chemistry graduate from Kyoritsu University, she seemed destined for a scientific career. However, fate had other plans: her passion for storytelling and drawing led her into the manga world. This leap from an analytical to an imaginative universe was the first sign that Naoko was destined to break paradigms. And that’s exactly what she did. 

Traditional Japanese fashion up to the 20th century

Women dressed in traditional Japanese attire: elegant kimonos with vibrant colors and intricate floral patterns are present in Japan's streets even nowadays

Traditional Japanese fashion up to the 20th century

From ancestral ritual to modern aesthetic identity

23 APRIL 2026, 

LUCAS FRADE

Traditional Japanese fashion is the result of a complex historical process shaped by cultural isolation, rigid social hierarchies, deep spirituality, and a unique relationship between the body and nature. Unlike the Western world, where fashion changes rapidly under the influence of markets and consumption, Japanese clothing evolved gradually, prioritizing function and symbolism. Each garment carries social, religious, and philosophical meanings that go far beyond aesthetics, revealing ways of life, values, and structures of power.

Geishas / Captivating Japan's cultural legacy

Kyoto geiko Toshimana, adorned in full makeup and a katsura wig, elegantly holds a Nō mask on the picturesque Kawamura Noh Stage, Japan

Geishas: captivating Japan's cultural legacy

Exploring the timeless artistry and tradition of Japan's female entertainers and hostesses

12 AUGUST 2024, 

ORSOLYA ANTONI

Embarking on a journey to immerse yourself in Japan's rich culture and traditions is a privilege every traveller should cherish. Among the most exclusive experiences is the opportunity to be entertained by traditional Japanese female performers and hostesses. With their captivating dances and enchanting personalities, they create an experience that is truly unique to Japan. Don't miss out on this chance to delve into the depths of Japanese culture and create memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Pink Japanese lanterns adorn the vibrant cherry blossom trees in full bloom against the backdrop of Tokyo, Japan's picturesque landscape

Embracing imperfection: celebrating Sakura 

Exploring Hanami: Japan's Wabi-Sabi tradition of cherry blossom festivities

12 JULY 2024, 

ORSOLYA ANTONI

One of my favourite seasons is spring. It signifies the beginning of a fresh new year for me. When everything comes back to life, the trees are in full bloom, and the ground is covered in nice green grass, it's a time for new beginnings and new lives. There's a certain magic in the air when warm sunshine, a gentle breeze, and fresh air combine. Imagine experiencing this in Japan, where Sakura, the most enchanting season of the year, unfolds. The beauty of Sakura is a sight to behold, a spectacle that draws you in and leaves you in awe.

 

Katsushika Hokusai / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

(Credit: Katsushika Hokusai / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Hokusai and the wave that swept the world

Jason Farago
9 April 2015

Without the Japanese printmaker Hokusai, Impressionism might never have happened. Jason Farago examines the moment when European art started turning Japanese.

In the beginning was the wave. The blue and white tsunami, ascending from the left of the composition like a massive claw, descends pitilessly on Mount Fuji – the most august mountain in Japan, turned in Katsushika Hokusai’s vision into a small and vulnerable hillock. Under the Wave off Kanagawa, one of Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, has been an icon of Japan since the print was first struck in 1830–31, yet it forms part of a complex global network of art, commerce, and politics. Its intense blue comes from Hokusai’s pioneering use of Prussian Blue ink – a foreign pigment, imported, probably via China, from England or Germany. The wave, from the beginning, stretched beyond Japan. Soon, it would crash over Europe.

 

Kintsugi is a Japanese art form of putting broken pieces back together, a bowl is an example

The beauty of wabi-sabi and Kintsugi 

Kintsugi and wabi-sabi methods intersect art, philosophy and science

10 JUNE 2023, 

VALENTINA RUFUS

We are not perfect yet we are Kintsugi.

Kintsugi, also known as Kintsukuroi, is a Japanese art form that involves repairing broken pottery using lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum. While Kintsugi is primarily a visual art form, it is also rooted in both science and philosophy and has been used as a metaphor for resilience.

 

An image from the film 'Plan 75,' by Chie Hayakawa.

See, read and listen to modern Japan

Just two decades ago, the island country was seen as being so far away. But nowadays, it’s much closer culturally, while also forming part of the imagination of youth

Fujiwara no Michinaga: Powerful Statesman and Emotional Diarist

Kobayashi Akira 

FEB 27, 2024

The statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga has a reputation for arrogance, due to a famous poem expressing self-satisfaction over his power. However, his diary reveals him as a multifaceted character.

The Path to Advancement

The powerful statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga is associated with the poem celebrating his political triumph, written in 1018, while he was in his early fifties: Kono yo o ba / wagayo to zo omou / mochizuki no / kaketaru koto mo / nashi to omoeba (This world / belongs to me— / lacking in / nothing like the / full moon). Many readers view the poem in a negative light, interpreting the pride Michinaga expresses in his power as hubris.

 

The Trustees of the British Museum

'Fabled knights of old': The true story of Japan's mysterious samurai

Matthew Wilson
26 February 2026

From medieval beginnings, the samurai have inspired art, fiction and films, from Shōgun to Star Wars. But their true story is more complex and surprising than we might realise.

Samurai-era artworks and arms go on display

 

Bradford District Museums and Galleries

Bridge at Fukui by Katsuhsika Hokusai is part of the exhibition

Samurai-era artworks and arms go on display

Grace Wood

8 November 2025

A collection of rarely-seen Japanese artefacts and artworks is to go on display.

The exhibition focusing on samurai-era Japan at Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley will feature pictures from masters such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige as well as a sword dating back to 1200AD.

Blue Eye Samurai: historian explains what the Netflix series gets right and wrong about real Edo‑period Japan

Ruth StarrPublished: December 5, 2023 4.56pm GMT

Warning: this article includes spoilers for Blue Eye Samurai.

Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai is an anime series set during the opening decades of Japan’s Edo period(1603–1867), also known as the Tokugawa period. Among other subjects, the series addresses the role of samurai, what life was like for women and people of mixed heritage, and violence in Edo-period Japan – with varying degrees of accuracy.

 

Seven Samurai at 70: the greatest action film of all time

: September 30, 2024 8.51pm 

Directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, 1954’s Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Shichinin no Samurai), is a technical and creative watershed of the action genre and world cinema. 

Van Gogh and Japan / The prints that shaped the artist

 

The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

Van Gogh and Japan: the prints that shaped the artist

Alastair Sooke
11 June 2018

A new exhibition reveals how the artist borrowed techniques from Japanese prints and incorporated them into his portraits, writes Alastair Sooke.

In February 1888, Vincent van Gogh left Paris, where he had been living for a couple of years, and headed for the city of Arles in Provence, in southern France. Exhausted by his time in the metropolis, and eager to recover some self-composure, he was seeking a simpler life that, he hoped, would revitalise both himself and his art. He was also keen to establish a community of artists, and felt excited by the possibilities.