Bee Bop highschool: Koko yotaro elegy (1986).

Man gets hit in the face by volleyball on Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle (1989). hollywoodjapanfile

A photo of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, captured mid-flight before its tragic crash on Aug 12, 1985. The worst single-aircraft disaster in history claimed that 520 lives. Note the vertical stabilizer that is largely missing.

Johatsu, or "evaporation," is a striking Japanese phenomenon in which individuals, overwhelmed by challenges like failed marriages, crippling debt, unemployment, or personal setbacks, choose to silently abandon their lives. They vanish without a trace, retreating into anonymity and often living off the grid, free from the burdens of their past. In Japan, this act reflects a desperate escape from societal pressures and the stigma of failure. Adding to this, discreet companies known as "yonige-ya" (night movers) offer services to "reset" a person’s life—helping them relocate, erase their tracks, and start anew under the cover of darkness.

Time lapse map of every nuclear bomb test (1945-1998). Made by a Japanese computer artist named Isao Hashimoto.

Sony MZ-R37 and Sony MiniDiscs (1999). solhrafn

Vagabond (1998) manga.

Japanese singer and actor Takuya Kimura (1997).

"Sunset Glow at Otemon Gate" (1952) ukiyo-e work by Japanese artist Hasui Kawase.

A FamilyMart in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, Japan (early 1990s).

Brad Pitt in a Japanese commercial for Roots Canned Coffee (2000).

Nissan Skyline 2000 GT Turbo (1981).

A Hiroshima survivor reveals the burns on her back, seared in the precise pattern of the kimono she was wearing at the moment of the atomic bomb's detonation (1945).

"Yugi Summons Slifer" scene from the Japanese anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (2001).

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995).

Women walking under the cherry blossoms with parasols (wagasa) in Japan (1960s).

Japanese singer Anri performing "I Can't Stop the Loneliness" (1984).

"Peace - The Earth, belonging to nobody" (1989) by Japanese graphic designer Shin Matsunaga.

Japanese model and actress Sayoko Yamaguchi for Ryuko Tsushin Magazine (1975).

A collapse scene from Japanese television drama series 1 Litre of Tears (2005). It follows Aya Ikeuchi (Erika Sawajiri), a 15-year-old diagnosed with an incurable disease that erodes her motor skills. She faces loss and love with classmate Haruto (Ryo Nishikido), supported by her family. Aya’s diary captures her resilience until her passing at 25.

NiGHTS into Dreams...(1996) Japanese cover.