iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I was stuck on the train with a dead phone and got a serious case of secondhand doomscroll syndrome

Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Very revealing dive into the government’s plan to make anime/manga/games a pillar of the economy. Japan already is a “story superpower.” If it wants to stay that way leaders need to tackle structural problems rather than pray for AI magic to fix them. annatachibana.substack.com/p/japan-want...

annatachibana.substack.com

Japan wants to be a “story superpower.” Can the people who make the stories afford to keep making them?

I opened one ministry's plan to make anime and games a 20-trillion-yen export. The people who make them were mostly in the footnotes.

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Reposted by Matt Alt

Mark Goodrich @markgoodrich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Only 3 chapters in but Pure Invention by @mattalt.bsky.social alread my feels like it will be my favourite non-fiction book I read this year. The cover is superb as well.

Cover of Pure Invention by Matt Alt in 3 colours of pale red, white and black divided into panels like a manga with aspects of Japanese pop culture in each one.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

RIP Toyohiro Akiyama, whose jaunt to space and back down to Earth mirrored the rise and fall of Japan’s Bubble economy. The 1990 trip could also be considered humanity's most ambitious livestreaming stunt. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/the-salary...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

The Salaryman Spaceman

A rocket-powered rise and fall that mirrored Japan’s own

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

It was an honor to blurb Ryuichi Sakamoto’s book, and a shock to see my name alongside William Gibson, Pedro Almodóvar, and more. Sakamoto did more than put Japanese pop on the map; the aural bridges he built between Far East and West transformed the way the world listens to music. amzn.to/4AxhhpW

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Let’s play “spot Nakano from Shinjuku”!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A few years back, I wrote about Tokyo’s legendary Bubble-era disco scene. One of said discos was Turia, which featured an interior designed by Syd Mead, of “Blade Runner” fame. A concept painting recently surfaced and it is glorious. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/gal-den-of...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Lots to cover on this latest episode of the Pure TokyoScope podcast with @patrickmacias.bsky.social and myself. A snap monster election to determine the next great kaiju; Japan being so cool that drug mules are willing to go for free; and heaps of Sizzlean©! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The Japanese government's attempts to transform anime, manga, games, and films into the nation's economic engine rely on a lot of wishful thinking. I sat down with the Institute of Geoeconomics to discuss how to build a fantasy-industrial complex: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxlo...

youtube.com

Japan's Content Industry and Geoeconomics: What Comes After Soft Power?

YouTube video by 地経学研究所 / Institute of Geoeconomics

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Patrick Macias @patrickmacias.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Now it can be sold! The Wicked Priest Collection is available now from Arrow Video! The 5 film set features a pair of extras featuring @mattalt.bsky.social and me! www.arrowvideo.com/p/blu-ray/wi...

youtube.com

Wicked Priest | Official Trailer

YouTube video by Arrow Video

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John Ricciardi @johntv.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Love listening to @mattalt.bsky.social talk about this kinda stuff, if you haven't checked out Pure Invention, you really should (and obviously peep this video first)

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Kyle McLain @farmboyinjapan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I'm finally able share my big project at work! While I don't appear on camera, this video was my idea, I pitched this idea internally at my think tank, got together the necessary speakers, and worked to refine the scope and focus of the conversation. I'm thrilled to share this video with everyone!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

youtube.com

Japan's Content Industry and Geoeconomics: What Comes After Soft Power?

YouTube video by 地経学研究所 / Institute of Geoeconomics

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A packed Pure Tokyscope podcast just dropped! Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I to say sayonara to the Gundam Unicorn statue at Odaiba; sayonara to hacked data at Mandarake; and sayonara to the collection of a controversial Thai pioneer of tokusatsu cinema. www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Let us not forget the FIRST time the White House crossed paths with Japanese video games

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

It is pretty wild seeing someone who launched his entire political career based on Japan-bashing have to rely so heavily on Japanese content to appeal to his base.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Japan has had some success in petitioning foreign governments to take down pirate sites. But what do you do when the pirate IS a foreign government? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/the-presid...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

The President’s New Arcade

Apparently, Making America Great Again requires Japanese video games

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Reposted by Matt Alt

Paul Nadeau @pauljnadeau.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Polisci's disinterest in Gamergate and gamer culture is leaving the field critically unable to understand the current moment

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

One of the biggest threats to Japan's fantasy-industrial complex is that bad actors can co-opt your nation's content for propaganda purposes. The latest bad actor is the White House, which is using Sega's logo, Sonic's music, and more to promote their ragebait arcade:

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I for the latest episode of the Pure Tokyoscope podcast for a sneak peek at the new Chiikawa movie, a lookback at the late, great voice actor Peter Cullen of Optimus Prime fame, and more. www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

This is a really interesting take by @hirokoyoda.bsky.social, in her essay about the differences between Japanese and English pronouns. blog.hirokoyoda.com/p/infinite-me

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The Pure Tokyoscope podcast, hosted by @patrickmacias.bsky.social and myself, is your one-stop shop for all things pop Japan. In the latest, we journey to Nakano, Tokyo, to see what might be the greatest collection of yokai ephemera ever auctioned: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

tokyoscope.blog

Pure TokyoScope Podcast 176: Yokai Attack at Nakano Broadway!

Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Localizers are the ones who give franchises their linguistic "faces" abroad, and they've long been undervalued by the publishers who benefit from their work. Hats off to Jan for using her moment to drop some truthbombs on a room full of industry insiders (and congrats on winning Best Translation!)

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Loving the photo Asahi chose to illustrate their article about the government closing down the Cool Japan fund:

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Patrick Macias @patrickmacias.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Let's make this a wicked city! My copy of the new 5-film Wicked Priest Collection from Arrow Video has arrived in #Japan! @mattalt.bsky.social and I contributed a pair of video extras to the set! DIG 'EM! www.arrowvideo.com/p/blu-ray/wi...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I finally did it -- I found the model for the Super Mario mushroom! @hirokoyoda.bsky.social and I were deep in the mountains of Yamanashi when I spotted it in a valley. It's called benitengu-dake (crimson tengu mushroom) and is highly toxic.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I made this in 2006 but it bears repeating again. Here's a map of all the major super robot bases in Japan:

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Voltron. Kamen Rider. Power Rangers. Chogokin and Godaikin. If you don't know Katsushi Murakami, who passed last week, you can't talk Japanese design. His aesthetics redefined play around the globe. @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I discuss his legacy here! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Bidding farewell to a titan of toy design. If you played with robots in the Seventies and Eighties, you probably know his handiwork. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/toy-story

blog.pureinventionbook.com

Toy Story

A farewell to Katsushi Murakami, an architect of Japan's giant robots -- and soft power

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Peak Japan: a Canadian dispensary using the name of the capital city of a nation where cannabis is illegal

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Join me, @patrickmacias.bsky.social, and "very special guests" Ultraman, all three of The Mysterians, Slim Goodbody, McGruff the Crime Dog, and Leonard Nimoy's mid-Seventies mustache for the latest episode of PURE TOKYOSCOPE! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

tokyoscope.blog

Pure TokyoScope Podcast 174: Sixty Years of Ultraman! The Mysterians in 4K!

Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

How to become a Japanese DJ in just a few easy steps

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This is a really odd translation of this new term for an extremely hot day. The NYT renders 酷暑日 (kokushobi) as “cruel heat day.” But that implies an agency that weather cannot have. “Brutally hot day” is a better localization.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

The newest episode of Pure Tokyoscope is a gas gas gas as @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I plunge into the two hottest drops in Japanese pop culture of the moment: the new remakes of “The Human Vapor” and “Ghost in the Shell”: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

tokyoscope.blog

Pure TokyoScope Podcast 173: The Human Vapor! New Ghost in the Shell Anime! Totally Insane Toy Collections!

Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Licca-chan, which outsells Barbie in Japan, is set to make a comeback to the US this year. Licca-chan was designed by the woman who worked on the very first Barbie dolls, which for some reason Mattel doesn’t want you to know were made entirely in Japan. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/an-america...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

An American Icon, Made in Japan

Barbie has a secret: she may have been dreamed up in the US, but she came to life in a Tokyo hotel room.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

This is a really cool site that compiles Japanese station melodies, and profiles the musician who made some of the most famous ones. The 1989 ones really brought back memories. sheets.works/data-viz/bel...

sheets.works

Station Melodies of Greater Tokyo

A listening museum documenting the departure melodies (hassha melodies) of Greater Tokyo's train stations. Archives 2,400+ stations, from the Yamanote loop to the Chichibu peaks.

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Patrick Macias @patrickmacias.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Episode 172 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! This time, @mattalt.bsky.social and I talk about the life and times of the late showbiz legend Akihiro Miwa. Also: Ultra problems for Ultraman and Doraemon, plus Japan’s ice cream cartel! Listen now at: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

tokyoscope.blog

Pure TokyoScope Podcast 172: Goodbye Akihiro Miwa, a Japanese Showbiz Legend!

Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Now that the Japanese government has officially registered “Japanese tea” as a regional brand, it’s time to revive the debate about whether the same should be done for anime and manga, which are arguably even MORE copied globally. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/anime-is-t...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

Anime is the Champagne of Japan

Ersatz "anime" abounds. It's time to make "Japanese Anime" a protected designation.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

On the latest episode of Pure Tokyoscope, @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I reminisce about the legendary Miwa Akihiro, who passed away last week. Why isn’t “Black Lizard” out on Blu-Ray?!? www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I was in the ABC Radio National lobby when this was recorded LOL!!!!

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Jeff Abbott @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The last of the 10 most important books that have inspired my career is also the most recent. Eight Million Ways to Happiness by @hirokoyoda.bsky.social has inspired me more than I can express in words. I wish I could write like her. I recommended this to the El Paso Catholic Bishop a few weeks ago.

My favorite book I’ve read this year, Eight Million Ways to Happiness

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I checked in on the New Cool Japan Strategy. It isn’t going too well. blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/meet-the-n...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

Fight! Japanese Bureaucrat

Meet the New Cool Japan Strategy: same as the old Cool Japan strategy

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

This week marks the sixtieth anniversary of the debut of a global classic: Ultraman! To celebrate, I interviewed one of my childhood heroines, Hiroko Sakurai, who played Akiko Fuji of the Science Patrol. Read it here! allabout-japan.com/en/article/1...

allabout-japan.com

For Every Ultraman . . . There's an Ultra Woman | All About Japan

In the classic sixties TV show Ultraman, Hiroko Sakurai played Akiko Fuji, the female lead to the super-sized superhero. In an exclusive interview marking the show's 60th anniversary, she shares her m...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

So let’s take a little look under the hood of the New Cool Japan Strategy: blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/meet-the-n...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

Meet the New Cool Japan Strategy

Same as the old Cool Japan strategy

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Hear me out. It's time for an UNCOOL Japan Fund. Who's in? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/make-japan...

blog.pureinventionbook.com

Make Japan Uncool Again

Japan's best pop culture isn't "cool." It's dorky, weird, and out-there.

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

On this Very Specual Episode of Pure Tokyoscope, @patrickmacias.bsky.social discuss Princess Leia and Obi-Wan doing the “fent fold” on Nakano Broadway. www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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Patrick Macias @patrickmacias.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Episode 171 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! This time, it’s a real-life Toy Story as @mattalt.bsky.social and I ransack the post-apocalyptic remains of Nakano Broadway in search of kaiju and robots. Listen now to the full episode at: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

tokyoscope.blog

Pure TokyoScope Podcast 171: My Posse's On (Nakano) Broadway

Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Can you spot the shopkeeper in this pic taken by my friend, the photographer Irwin Wong? It’s a perfect example of the cutter spaces I wrote about several years ago for @aeon.co. aeon.co/essays/the-l...

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Matt Alt @mattalt.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The latest PURE TOKYOSCOPE is here! Are the Skull Tanks coming for Cool Japan? Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I to find out. www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...

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