Metropolis Magazine

Metropolis Magazine Based in Tokyo, Metropolis is Japan's No.1 English-language magazine. Welcome to the Metropolis page!

Whether you're a local resident or an admirer from overseas, our aim is to make it easy for you to keep up-to-date on all things to do with Japan. Tokyo is our home turf, but we update our page with the latest news, trends, photos, travel and events from all around Japan.

📖❄️Our Metropolis Winter 2025 Issue is out now and the theme is “Tradition”.Winter in Japan is framed by traditions, fro...
18/12/2025

📖❄️

Our Metropolis Winter 2025 Issue is out now and the theme is “Tradition”.

Winter in Japan is framed by traditions, from centuries-old New Year rituals to newer customs like Christmas.
Japan and tradition are often treated as inseparable. From the evolution of matcha to the long-standing crafts of incense and washi paper, as well as the rethinking of social norms that shape daily life, this one word gathers so many thoughts and stories. Curl up and let this season’s traditions unfold.

Read this issue’s stories by picking up a magazine copy around Tokyo (locations below) or online.

(Foreword by Takeshi Dylan Sadachi)

🍋🍋‍🟩Winter in Japan is extra zesty 💅Mostly because it’s peak citrus season…Did you know Japan is home to over 100 variet...
17/12/2025

🍋🍋‍🟩

Winter in Japan is extra zesty 💅
Mostly because it’s peak citrus season…

Did you know Japan is home to over 100 varieties and cultivars of citrus fruits?

Yuzu has become a staple in hipster establishments around the world as a shortcut for “Japanesey” flavor.
But Japan’s citrus scene goes way beyond that. Here are a few picks.

Check out the article for the full list.

Slides by Justine de Lame

🤫🖨️New season loading… see you tomorrow.
11/12/2025

🤫🖨️
New season loading… see you tomorrow.

🎄🫖【Christmas Afternoon Teas in Tokyo 2025】Every winter, Tokyo’s top hotels and cafés trade their usual menus for seasona...
11/12/2025

🎄🫖
【Christmas Afternoon Teas in Tokyo 2025】

Every winter, Tokyo’s top hotels and cafés trade their usual menus for seasonal afternoon teas that celebrate the quieter joys of the holidays: rich chocolate, fresh strawberries, warm scones and long conversations over tea.

🎄🍷Tokyo has turned December into one long Christmas crawl. From full-on Christmas markets to small food truck festivals,...
04/12/2025

🎄🍷
Tokyo has turned December into one long Christmas crawl.

From full-on Christmas markets to small food truck festivals, you could spend most of the month moving from mulled wine to illuminations and back again.

Here’s a breakdown of the main Christmas markets in and around Tokyo this year.

🎥🎞️【A Guide to the Best Indepenent Cinemas in Tokyo】Does anyone even watch films anymore?One would assume that cinemas a...
02/12/2025

🎥🎞️
【A Guide to the Best Indepenent Cinemas in Tokyo】

Does anyone even watch films anymore?

One would assume that cinemas are something of the past, but in Tokyo, it is quite the opposite. There are not enough days in the week, pennies in the pot, or popcorn in the bag to suffice my appetite for immersing in the holy art of film, but in Tokyo, I have always found the perfect place to slip away for a few hours, away from reality and into whatever world I fancied entering that day.

In this guide, we have compiled a selection of my favorite small cinemas in Tokyo, complimented by a great guide we found online, which is in Japanese but acts as a simple map of smaller Tokyo cinemas. This is by no means an exhaustive list but we hope that it will encourage you to visit a smaller cinema and introduce yourself to a film that will stay with you as you re-enter the real world.

By Tomi Haffety

🏢🌳【Haikyo, and the Urban Explorers of Japan】In Japan, the past tends to disappear without ceremony. Buildings are demoli...
27/11/2025

🏢🌳
【Haikyo, and the Urban Explorers of Japan】

In Japan, the past tends to disappear without ceremony. Buildings are demolished, rebuilt, and modernized at a relentless pace. Space in cities is limited, and the future doesn’t wait around for anyone. Even iconic landmarks like Osaka Castle, which looks centuries old, was rebuilt in 1931, making it less than 100 years old. Frequent earthquakes, fires, and war damage have made rebuilding a constant in Japanese history.

But amid this endless march forward, one subculture quietly resists: Haikyo.

In Japanese, the word haikyo literally means ruins or abandoned buildings. But it also refers to a niche movement of urban explorers who seek out, photograph, and find beauty in these forgotten places.
While at odds with Japan’s obsession with cleanliness and renewal, Haikyo also taps into something deeply Japanese, influenced by traditional ideas like wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and decay, and mono no aware, the gentle awareness of life’s transience. Influenced by traditional philosophies and a reverence for the past, these urban explorers look back to appreciate what remains when the world moves on.

By Joe Pinner

🐧🚃JR East has confirmed that the beloved Suica penguin will “graduate (sotsugyo)” from its role by the end of the 2026 f...
13/11/2025

🐧🚃
JR East has confirmed that the beloved Suica penguin will “graduate (sotsugyo)” from its role by the end of the 2026 fiscal year.

Suica Penguin is an Adélie penguin who traveled to Tokyo from Antarctica and loves fish sausage. The penguin is said to be a “double” for each cardholder’s Suica card.

Since its introduction in 2001, the penguin has appeared in exhibitions, merchandise, apparel, confectionery, themed hotel rooms and many collaborations, becoming one of the most recognizable symbols of Japan’s public transport system.

Suica has been one of Japan’s most widely used IC cards since 2001. It runs on Sony’s FeliCa technology and is accepted on trains, buses, convenience stores, station shops, and many other cashless points across the country. The upcoming changes will introduce new payment options and raise the maximum charge limit.

JR East says a new character will accompany these updates, and more information about how the public can take part in the selection process will be shared in the future.

【Tokyo Illumination Guide for Winter 2025 – 2026】❄️Where to catch the best illuminations in the capital this winter❄️As ...
04/11/2025

【Tokyo Illumination Guide for Winter 2025 – 2026】

❄️Where to catch the best illuminations in the capital this winter❄️

As the nights grow longer and the chill sets in, elegant champagne-gold avenues and blue-hued tunnels illuminate the sky. Whether you’re planning a romantic evening stroll, a cozy outing with friends or a family weekend adventure, this year’s displays promise to make the city sparkle brighter than ever.

【TOMORROW】🎃Metropolis Halloween Party is Tomorrow!👻With Shibuya’s outdoor drinking now restricted and growing concerns a...
30/10/2025

【TOMORROW】
🎃Metropolis Halloween Party is Tomorrow!👻

With Shibuya’s outdoor drinking now restricted and growing concerns about respect for public spaces, we’re taking the celebration indoors to one of Tokyo’s largest concert halls.

Join us for a massive night of music, costumes, and community at Zepp Haneda, where you can party safely and in style.

【Tokyo Halloween Festival 2025】
When: Friday, October 31, 2025, 6–10 pm
Where: Zepp Haneda (Haneda Innovation City), 1-1-4 Haneda Airport, Ota-ku

https://metropolisjapan.com/halloween-festival-2025/

【Why Wooden Architecture Is Making a Comeback in Japan】Wooden architecture in Japan is reaching for the skies. Often res...
06/09/2025

【Why Wooden Architecture Is Making a Comeback in Japan】

Wooden architecture in Japan is reaching for the skies. Often reserved for low-rise buildings, timber is finding its way into taller and larger structures. As the country aims to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, wood is re-emerging as a green alternative to steel and concrete.

Japan’s forestry policy promotes responsible harvesting and replanting to balance timber production and ecosystem health. With forests covering 67% of the country, harvesting mature trees and replanting younger ones boosts carbon absorption and biodiversity. As trees age, they absorb less CO2, so harvesting them could actually boost climate change efforts.

Timber certification programs, such as those under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC), ensure that construction timber comes from well-managed forests. This creates a closed-loop system where forest resources are renewed and preserved for future generations. Japan’s locally produced timber reduces its carbon footprint associated with importing materials.

Timber has shaped traditional Japanese architecture for centuries, but postwar reconstruction favored cement and metal, especially for earthquake-resistant skyscrapers. Today, technological advancements and the push for sustainability are making high-rise wooden buildings an appealing option.

By Gendel Gento

Editor’s note:
The W350 Plan is a technology research and development project, not a finalized construction plan. It represents an architectural concept and vision for building a 350-meter wooden super high-rise.

(W350 Plan SUMITOMO FORESTRY & NIKKEN SEKKEI. Concept and Timber Engineering: Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. Architectural and Structural Design: Nikken Sekkei Ltd)

Cover: Grand Ring, Expo 2025

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