Ponytail Journal

I had always admired the work by Naoki Hayashi who creates beautiful life-size stamps of dead fish using the Gyotaku method. His waste-not values,“ catch it, print it, and eat it.” His work that resonated with the overfishing crisis in his hometown of Hawaii got me looking deeper into the world of G…

There’s something about Japan’s geography that lends itself to the world of fantasy. If the snowcapped peaks of Takayama are akin to the north wall in A Game of Thrones, then Kyushu is something like the stretch of land between Rivendell and Mordor, with its fantastical floating waterfalls and spewing volcanoes. This week on the journal, we’ll zip across Kyushu from the jagged cliffs of Takachiho gorge to the southern coast where the sea meets the sky, to see if we can find a little bit of magic to bring back home.

Our pal Yumiko Sakuma takes us on a ride through a delicious, psychedelic, and progressive arts festival in Kagoshima - where some of the biggest creative talents in the Tokyo music, fashion, food, and craft scene brave the hottest month for the funnest time ever.

To continue the grand tour of our favourite little beach getaway, Hayama, we’re taking you for a spot of coffee and organic spam at Soda cafe. Inside you’ll find a neatly organised trophy room of their favourite things - longboards, braided necklaces, colourful injection moulded skateboards, and a bunch of delicious goodies that make you feel like this is really an extension of their home.

Matt is the editor of Trim, a beautiful surf publication from sunny Hawaii, so travelling between Japan and the Pacific paradise, he has latched onto a wonderful way of being. In his magazine, you’ll find great archival imagery of early indigenous surfing all the way to some superb boards shaped by water spirits who have found passion in craft. We asked him a few things about what floats his boat

Leave judgements by the sliding beep-y door, we bring you our guide to much convenience. An essential part of life in Tokyo.