Summer specials.
In today's episode, Toshio Maeda a manga artist famous for his erotic works such as Urotsukidoji and La Blue Girl that are known all over the world, is taking us to Fewture Shop, a figure shop located in Akihabara that showcases many…
In this summer special mangaka episode, we introduce a young and talented mangaka, Shoichi Haga. He is taking us to Cork's office, where he works and to one of his favorite cafe, the Mame-Hico cafe in Shibuya. Cork is a mangaka and…
In today's summer special manga episode 3, Kenji Ōiwa, a famous mangaka known for Assassin's creed IV, Goth,Welcome the the N.H.K will introduce us the JR's Chūō line during rush hour time. Then we'll go visit his atelier in Nakano where…
Our first Summer Special episode features film director Noboru Iguchi, famous in the horror, gore & splatter genres with titles such as The Machine Girl, Robo Geisha or Dead Sushi. Together we will first head to the Toshimaen amusement…
The second episode of our summer special series features Yoshihiro Nishimura, film director and effects artist on many horror films, including Tokyo Gore Police. We will hear his thoughts about his work and on the Japanese film industry.…
Digital artist, Yusuke Shigeta is taking us to the Yokosuka art museum in Kanagawa prefecture. An exhibition was held during the 2014 summer holidays called "KiRaKiRa ZaWaZaWa HaRaHaRa" where parents could enjoy art with their children.…
The tea ceremony master, Soryo Matsumura is taking us to the Sankeien Garden in Yokohama, and to his own teahouse "Shuhally". The Sankeien Garden(三渓園) is an artificial garden built about 100 years ago by Hara Sankei. In this episode, we…
Michihito Fujii, a film director from Babel Label is taking us to the Akagi Shrine which is one of the most elevated spots in Kagurazaka. Kagurazaka is a very inspiring city for artists and has an atmosphere very similar to Kyoto. The…
The designer Hima Kawagoe's brand called "Seitekisatui" (Sex and Death) is showcased at the department store PARCO at Shibuya during the Shibukaru Festival that is featuring female creators. Hima Kawagoe shows us her bestseller "Memeo",…
Motohiro Inaba and Rio Asano take us to the publishing house “Cotonoha” situated in the sweet and retro neighborhood of Nagahara. “Machi no Techo Ikegami-sen” is a magazine published by “Cotonoha”. Ikegami line is a railway line that…
Professor Sakamoto is a composer who has the perfect pitch in his ear. He plays video game musics with a Nintendo console strapped to his head where he inserts cartridges. He also composes original songs in the chiptune or chip sound…
Kyoka is a musician who creates electronic music. She uses bass and high-pitched sounds in order to bring out the basses. She also creates works using light, reflections and colors where she tries to express the same emotions as with…
Today, Arisa Katayama the leader of the "Walking Bicycle" project is taking us to her favorite cafe "Hanabi" situated in Nakameguro. Riding the Walking Bicycle, a new vehicle which mixes the stepping movement with an electric bicycle,…
Today, Riyoo Kim, a ceramic artist is taking us to "Spiral", a multi-purpose cultural center situated in Omotesando, where he is helding an exhibition. Various exhibitions, salons and other contemporary art projects are held there.…
In this episode, Fuyuki Kanai, an illustrator is introducing us to PARK SHOP and GALLERY located in Hirai, in the Edogawa ward. He is holding an exhibition called "PARCHIVE" that is commemorating the opening of the gallery. Hirai is an…
Today the cookie artist Ayaka Matsuno is taking us to a Korean restaurant called "Pungumu" situated in Shin-Okubo, close to Shinjuku. Shin-Okubo is known as the Korean district. There you can find K-pop and beauty products, and also…
Today the comic duo "Montblancs" is taking us to a neko cafe in Ebisu called "Nyafe Melange" and to "Theater D", a live house where they usually perform. Montblancs (モンブランズ) is a duo composed of Daisuke Kita and Kazutaka Aizawa. They…
Today Take0920you, a video game streamer on Youtube, is taking us to Akihabara, to the Kanda Myojin Shrine and to the retro game shop "Friends"! The video game streaming culture is growing more and more in Japan and Take has been…
Today the photographer Rui Hashimoto is taking us to the Le Déco gallery in Shibuya, where he is holding every year the SOUND SHOOTER exhibition. The Le Déco gallery is on the opposite side of Shibuya's popular locations, such as Center…
Today the singer and cosplayer Umikun will be showing us the cosplay event acosta! at Ikebukuro. The organiser of the acosta! event is a company (Acosta) that rent studio to cosplayer who take their pictures there. Everything that a…
Today the twin sisters Ema and Eri Tanioku, Harajuku tourism ambasadors introduce us to the not so well known Harajuku, called Ura-Harajuku. First we will visit the cafe Natural Stance, where they usually go after their shopping. For…
In this episode, a Japanese animation legend, Shichiro Kobayashi who worked on more than a hundred animes as an art director and production designer is taking us to Akiruno-shi, situated at one hour from Tokyo. We will first take a walk…
In today's episode, we will meet Showta Mori, a crazy inventor from Japan who also work as a film director Showta Mori will take us to Asakusa where we'll take a ride on a boat and then he will introduce us the Hama-Rikyu garden. From…
In today’s episode, we will meet the whole crew of TEMPURA KIDZ, a pop dance group in Japan’s fashion mecca Harajuku. The young and cheerful members of TEMPURA KIDZ will take us to the shop SPINNS, then to the karaoke box located inside…
In today’s episode, Paranel, an artist and musician will be taking us to visit his friend at animation studio 4℃, in Kichijoji and to the office of his record label. Ten years ago, Paranel created, his own record label, LOW HIGH WHO?. It…
In today’s episode, Daijū Ishikawa will take us to the Cultural Center Tokyo Culture Culture situated in Odaiba and he will also introduce us the robot competition Hebocon of which he is the creator. Tokyo Culture Culture is a talk live…
In today’s episode, singer-songwriter Miku Sawai will guide us in Shimo-kitazawa and introduce us to vintage clothes shop HAIGHT&ASHBURY. Shimo-kitazawa is a popular aera among young people with many music venue, theaters, record shops,…
In today’s episode, one of Japanese animation’s living legends, Manabu Ōhashi, will take us to Asagaya visit the Laputa Cinema located in Asagaya, a unique cinema showing old Japanese film where he goes often. Laputa, with its unique…
In today’s episode, we are visiting Osaka with Swery65, creator of the world renowned games Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, who will take us to some of his favorites places, some of which had a large influence on his…
In today’s episode, Masaki Maenosono, lead vocal and drummer in the Japanese rock band 8otto, is taking us for a visit Sakai, his home town where we will go and have some delicious local delicacies. While introducing us to his career in…
In today’s episode, Naoko Shinpo, accessory designer and founder of the Ni-Sankaku brand, is taking us to the Yutori-chan bar, located in the Misono Building, home to many mysterious bars. She will introduce us to her work and creations,…
In today’s episode, Chuya Koyama, creator of the worldwide hit manga "Space Brothers", that has been adapted in a feature film and an anime, is taking us to the FabCafe, a café and a digital creative space located in Shibuya. The FabCafe…
Hikaru Cho is a young artist and designer, which is famous for her ultra realistic body painting work, creating surprising trompe-l'oeil and optical illusions. In today’s episode, she will be taking us to the Cinema Two, located in…
DE DE MOUSE is an electronic musician based in Tokyo, famous for his psychedelic music universe and dynamic live performances. In today’s episode, DE DE MOUSE will take us to Tama New Town, a recent city that grew from ground up after…
Hiroto Ikeuchi is a Tokyo-based artist, specialized in the creation of dioramas using parts from plastic models. Recently, he also started to create accessories such as earphones or headphones using the same concept. During this episode,…
DJ Mayumi is a Japanese female DJ who is also mixing CD compilations, and track maker specialized in hip hop, R&B, reggae and EDM. She released ten CD at Universal Music Japan and one original album. DJ Mayumi loves to walk and drive in…
Kenji Kawai is a world-renowned music composer who made dozens of soundtrack for movies, anime, TV series or games such as Ghost in the Shell, Avalon, Patlabor, The Ring, Ranma 1/2, and many more. He will introduce us to the…
Gajumaru is a duo of comedians and "butt-artists" based in Tokyo, part of the prestigious Office Kitano agency. In this episode, they will introduce Shimokitazawa, an area various subcultures cross paths and where aspiring artists come to…
Yuka Fukuma works for the Tokiwa-so project, who supports young mangaka aspiring to become professionals. Named after the famous Tokiwa-so house that hosted Tezuka Osamu, among other worldwide famous mangaka, Tokiwa-so counts 27…
KYOTARO is an artist based in Tokyo who works in various fields, such as illustration or fashion, and also did collaborations with world-renowned artists such Katsuya Terada. Today she will introduce us to her work by visiting two of her…
Roa is a rock band founded in 2014 currently based in Tokyo. The band was formed by 6 members, one of them playing the shamisen (Japanese traditional string instrument), adding a Japanese touch to their Western rock influence. Today, we…
In today’s episode, we spend a day with SUDA51, a world renowned video game creator famous for No More Heroes, killer7 or Lollipop Chainsaw, games produced by his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture. Our first stop is the Jingu Batting Dome,…
In a new Game Creator special, we spend a day with Ishiwatari Daisuke, creator of the world-renowned versus fighting game series “Guilty Gear”. We will first explore Ishiwatari’s work environment, where he not only directs the Guilty…
In this last episode of our Game Creator special series, we spend a day with Keiichiro Toyama, creator of the Gravity Rush series, the SIREN series and Silent Hill. We will follow Toyama from his commute to work, passing through the…
In this new episode of toco toco, we will spend a day with YellowYellow, a design and contemporary artist based in Tokyo. As his name suggests, YellowYellow’s work is solely oriented toward the use of the yellow colour, and he regularly…
In this episode, we follow Murahama Shoji, who is an animation producer currently working as a manager at the Emon Studio. After working at Gainax on acclaimed anime series and founding the Gonzo studio, Murahama is now working on several…
KAE is an accessory designer based in Tokyo, working under her brand High-Me Tokyo. In this episode, we will follow her in two unique stores she likes in the city in order to learn more about her inspirations behind her work. Our first…
Nukeme is a fashion designer based in Tokyo. He works on various creative projects, that recently include a collaboration with Urusei Yatsura license and other projects leveraging new technologies. His latest creations feature glitch art,…
In this episode, we will spend the day with ShiShi Yamazaki, an animation artist based in Tokyo. First, we will head towards Machida, located in Tokyo's suburbs, where ShiShi was born and raised. Machida, located in the southwest of…
In this episode, we will spend the day with KASHIWA Daisuke, a musician and composer based near Tokyo. First, we will head to Hino, located in the Tokyo suburbs to the big temple complex Takahata Fudoson. KASHIWA, having lived just…
In this episode, we will spend the day with Shinji Tsuchimochi, an illustrator based in Tokyo. Tsuchimochi studied Japanese painting in Tama Art University, and cites ukiyo-e painter Hiroshige as one of his favourite artists. He decided…
Our first episode of the year features UME, a two-person mangaka unit based in Tokyo composed of writer Takahiro Ozawa and artist Asako Seo. UME is behind the Tokyo Toy Box series, which takes place in the game industry. The manga was a…
In this episode, we will follow Fuudo, a pro eSports player, currently playing Street Fighter V, among other titles. Our first stop will be at the Dengeki offices, where Fuudo used to work. Dengeki is one of Japan’s largest gaming media…
In this episode, we will spend the day with contemporary artist Kazuki Umezawa, also known as UmeLabo, where he will tell us about his inspirations and his work. First, we will follow him to the Chaos*Lounge Gotanda Atelier, a space…
In this episode, we follow Katsura Hashino, director of various RPG games including episodes of the world-renown Persona series, he will introduce us to philosophy and his work. Starting from Shibuya’s Center Gai, we will hop on the…
In this episode, we spend the day with Manao Kagawa, a young shogi professional player. Shogi, that we can simply describe as Japanese chess, is a Japanese board strategy game that shares the same roots as chess. Kagawa started playing in…
In this episode, we spend the day in Osaka with Yoko Taro, director of the famous Drakengard and NieR series. Our first stop will be at PlatinumGames, the studio that was in charge of developing Yoko’s most recent title: NieR: Automata.…
In this episode, we follow Enami Masaaki, creator and designer at EDITMODE, which produces THE KING OF GAMES brand, and Chikano, who handles photography and the brand’s website. THE KING OF GAMES is a brand that creates original apparel…
In this episode, we spend the day with Etsuko Ichihara, media artist and self-proclaimed “fantasy director”. Ichihara has worked on various projects combining Japanese tradition to modern technologies to create unique interactive…
In this episode, we follow Kazutoshi Iida, the creator of the Aquanaut’s Holiday, Tail of the Sun and Doshin the Giant games, and lecturer at Ritsumeikan university, located in Kyoto. Our first stop will be at Rissei Cinema Project, a…
This episode features Tetsuya Noguchi, a Japanese artist who create 2D and 3D works, all centered around the samurai theme. He is currently based in Machida, where we will follow him to Tokyu Hands, a famous supply store chain, that…
In this episode, we follow Ei Wada, a young artist evolving in Tokyo, whose universe revolves between music and contemporary art. The instruments he uses for his compositions vary between open reel recorders and all types of old…
Our last episode of the season features Tetsuya Mizuguchi, game creator and founder of the Enhance Games studio. Mizuguchi is the creator behind the iconic Rez, recently remastered as Rez Infinite, he also created Lumines, Child of Eden…
toco toco’s new season starts with Mangaka & Illustrator legend Hisashi Eguchi. Our glimpse into Eguchi’s universe starts at Jimbocho, home of Shuheisha, one of Japan’s top publishing companies. We will follow Eguchi through the streets…
This episode features Soichi Terada, composer, arranger and one of Japan's house music pioneers. Under the beat of his music, we will learn more about his career, which was marked by music creation for the Ape Escape game or encounters…
Yoshiro Kimura is a game creator now turned indie, known for his work on moon, Chulip, Rule of Rose and more recently Dandy Dungeon and Million Onion Hotel. In this episode, Kimura will tell us about his career, a lifelong journey marked…
Akira Yasuda is a renowned illustrator and character design, known under the pen name “Akiman”, standing on a 30-year career working in the game and animation industry and as a freelance illustrator. He is known as the father of iconic…
Emi Kusano is the singer of the band Satellite Young, a “synthwave” music unit strongly inspired by the 80s, which she discovered through old music, clips and videos. We will follow her to Marubell-Do, a sanctuary of old photos of idols,…
AKI INOMATA is contemporary artist whose universe revolves around creating original works with animals and living creatures. Some of her most distinctive work includes building original "shelter" art pieces for hermit crabs or creating…
Jiro Ishii is a game creator, known for 428: Shibuya Scramble, a unique visual novel adventure game using live action sequences. His work extends beyond games as he is also an author and scenario writer, working on both anime, film and…
Yoshitoshi ABe is an illustrator, who also works as a mangaka, character designer, scriptwriter, in addition to teaching in university. He is renowned for his work in character design on iconic anime such as serial experiments lain or…
Chihei Hatakeyama is an ambient musician originally from the Kanagawa prefecture, now based in Tokyo. We will follow him to the roots of his universe, in the Kamakura and Enoshima areas, where he grew up. Originally inspired by bands…
Max Watanabe is a modeler, writer and founder of Max Factory, one of Japan’s leading figure manufacturing companies. Starting his career as a writer at a young age, we will learn about the beginnings of Max Factory, which started as a…
Koji Yamamura is an independent animator known for his short films such as Mount Head, A Country's Doctor or more recently Muybridge's Strings. After visiting his atelier, we will follow Yamamura in the Jiyugaoka area, where he set his…
Known for his work on alpinism manga “Kokou no Hito” or “Innocent”, set in the French Revolution, Shinichi Sakamoto is a mangaka with a unique approach, we spent time with him to discover the themes & motivations behind his work.
In this special episode of toco toco, we headed west to Osaka to follow Hideaki Itsuno, director of the upcoming Devil May Cry 5 and the duo Yasuhiro Anpo & Kazunori Kadoi, directors of the critically acclaimed and recently released…
AC-bu is an animator unit formed by Toru Adachi and Shunsuke Itakura, celebrating this year their 20th career anniversary. Their work spans over psychedelic music videos, commercials and animations that all share the unit’s concept of…
Atsushi Kaneko is a mangaka known for his work on Bambi, Soil, Wet Moon or Deathco. With a singular style rallying strong influences that range from punk rock and cinema to lowbrow art, Kaneko created his own universe, with themes…
Keiichi Okabe is a music composer who started his career at Namco. He is renowned for his work on the NieR series and Drakengard 3 game soundtracks. This is the final episode of the toco toco series. Thank you for supporting toco toco…