There comes a magazine that changes all the rules. In 1990 Elein Fleiss and Olivier Zahm created Purple, and over the last decade they have established it as a forum for some of the most innovative creators in the world to send their ideas... »STORY
Diplomats travel the globe representing their countries to the world. Pico Iyer travels to represent the world to his many readers. Whether from North Korea or Katmandu, Iyer’s writing describes the collision of cultures occurring in a... »STORY
The final of our three-part series on The Japanese Sento (Parts 1 & 2) Tokyo has cleverly disguised it’s Sento as lavish temples and the only evidence of their true identity, and the naked bathing inside, comes from the steam... »STORY
One of Murakami’s more recent books, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” mentions the Lake Saroma ‘Ultra’ Marathon in Hokkaido Prefecture. For more musings, indulge in our interview with the renowned novelist. From... »STORY
By the 1960s the Japanese fixation with French culture became plain. Mr. Iyami, a famous comic book character, beret-clad and boasting a philosophical stutter, appeared as a parody of the "French obsessed," and Japanese everywhere... »STORY