Features

News

Sofiia surely lives the life every young girl dreams of. And when I say every young girl, I mean me. She's a cool Instagram star without the attitude, she's a chill model, and she has a dope photo with some legit monkey dude. Maybe I should crawl back into my mother's womb and restart my whole life. Perhaps that's the only way to become Sofiia in my new existence. Nevertheless, Sofiia recently went to beautiful Bangkok, you know, the capital…
Have you ever wished for a chance to remove those annoying PewDiePie videos? Or maybe you absolutely hate Grace Helbig, and want her to suffer until the end of time? Or you simply can't see any more adventures of Casey Neistat on some holiday island? You just can't anymore? No problem: YouTube just started a program to allow you to delete literally every video. They call it YouTube Heroes. So, what does this mean? You can add captions and subtitles…

Culture

Niconico is like the Japanese version of YouTube, where kids from around the country upload funny vlogs, strange karaoke clips, or their very own tracks. Japanese singer and rapper Daoko is one of those girls who became famous after using Niconico to promote themselves and their talents. And now, the 19-year-old Asian musician is a huge superstar in Japan. So, what does Daoko mean? Nope, it's not her real name, it was originally her web nickname that has been used until today. Daoko had caught the attention of multiple Japanese artists such as m-flo which lead to the collaboration of the two to produce an album in 2013. She also made the theme song for a movie and was nominated for Next Break Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. Daoko's new track is called 'Daisuki', and the music video is the mysterious (love?) story of a cyborg and a girl in hospital clothing. If you like Daoko's songs,…

Lifestyle

Photography

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Welcome to Thailand, the beautiful, natural, and sometimes even mysterious kingdom in Southeast Asia. Travellers who find their way to the country formerly known as Siam can experience groundbreaking hospitality, amazing landscapes, and wonderful people. Thailand has been a marvelous paradise ever since, with its very own peculiarities, dangers, and curiosities. Photographer Duran Levinson, who recently worked for VICE, Red Bull, and BMW, went to Thailand to capture the young and old faces of the Asian country, the colorful nightlife,…
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Be different, open your mind, think bold! Big fashion brands like Diesel, H&M, or Kenzo want you to be individual as fuck. Don't just be that normal boring cutie face, be someone special! Okay, if everyone tries to be special, everyone's normal again, but hey, who cares. For some brands, you're already a hero if you don't shave your armpits, but what do I know? Right. Denim company Diesel partnered up with photography enthusiast Terry Richardson, who already shot people…

Entertainment

Scarlett. Scarlett. Scarlett. I instantly fell in love with her butt at the beginning of 'Lost in Translation' and in her strong, rebellious, and somehow tomboyish personality shortly afterwards. Scarlett Johansson is the goddess of goddesses, in every imaginable way. Now she stars in the live-action adaption of the popular cyberpunk anime 'Ghost in the Shell' - and it's just wow. The movie takes place in a fictional, futuristic Japanese city and follows Scarlett and the members of a covert task force within the Japanese National Public Safety Commission made up of former detectives and military operatives. The task force fights cyber criminals in a dark, biotech future where the line between computers and humans is almost non-existent. In this post-cyberpunk iteration of a possible future, computer technology has advanced to the point that many members of the public possess cyber brains, a technology that allows them to interface their biological brain with various networks. The level of cyberization varies…

Fashion

Design

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Wow, just look at it! It's the much-anticipated Apple iPhone 7. Yeah, I know, you thought you don't need a new phone right now, your old phone is good enough for Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. But it's too late. You want it, the Apple iPhone 7! You don't need it, of course, but just look at this old piece of junk in your hand, do you really wanna keep living like that? Of course not! The iPhone 7 improves the…
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There are only a few games with really huge communities out there, but multiplayer online battle arena video game "League of Legends" is definitely one of them. By July 2012, League of Legends was the most played PC game in North America and Europe in terms of the number of hours played. As of January 2014, over 67 million people played League of Legends per month, 27 million per day, and over 7.5 million concurrently during peak hours. To illustrate…

Pop

If you watch videos about Tokyo, they're usually these slow, perfectly captured high-definition moments of Japan's tourism spots, accompanied by smooth music and quiet beats. Asakusa. And sushi restaurants. And Mount Fuji somewhere in the background. Sure, I like those videos, too. But let's be honest: If you go to Tokyo, you want to breathe, experience, and live the real city. The guys over at Tokyo Vitamin just started their very own series about their enormous hometown. It's raw, and pure, and honest. “We've recently put together the first episode of a documentary style series featuring the city, people, and nightlife with a focus on the artist scene of Tokyo,“ they wrote us. “Some friends, including Yuka Mizuhara, Qrion, King MCK, etc made cameos for us.” I love the video, watching it just feels like you were a part of the action. There's only one episode up yet, but if you want to see more, just subscribe to Tokyo Vitamin's…

Music

Girls

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I've been growing out my armpit hair for about two months now. Admittedly, it didn't start as a conscious decision, I was just too lazy to shave. Then, suddenly, a good friend of mine who visited me for a while told me about his preference for hairy pits. He likes the look, the smell, the pure and wild nature of girls with hairy pits. So I decided to keep growing my hair out. For quite a while I've been growing…
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Sure, Spring Breakers was no ordinary movie for Selena Gomez who previously had done Disney shows, kids films, and animated motion pictures. But despite the mixed critics, Spring Breakers is not only a cult movie but also an important step in Selena's career as an independent and more multifarious actress. Harmony Korine and James Franco helped Selena to challenge herself and free her from the image of being an irrelevant Disney princess. But no other movie shocked her fans like…

World

Until now, only Japanese fans could join the Official Sailor Moon Fan Club and get access to exclusive screenings, events, parties, and merchandise items like shirts, magazines, and jewelry. But things are changing, the club opens up to members around the world, for example in countries like USA, South Korea, Australia, Russia, Thailand, Germany, Sweden, and China. “Pretty Guardians was established as one of the many projects commemorating the 20th anniversary of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon in 2012”, the registration website explains. “The fan club aims to unveil more of the charms of the Sailor Moon series and allow fans to enjoy the series even further, whether they’ve been a fan since the first issues of the manga or have only just discovered it. Fans of this wonderful series exist not only in Japan, but all over the world. To cater to all fans of Sailor Moon, we are preparing an international service for overseas fans that, as far as…

Arts

Sneakers

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Sure, the Stan Smith by adidas Originals is still one of the most popular shoes out there. So, it's no wonder that the German manufacturer tries to update its sneaker idol as often as possible. Originally created for tennis legend Stan Smith back in 1973, the men’s Stan Smith court shoe has since become an icon of style and comfort. The new and latest edition finally features a gum sole treatment. Smooth full-grain leather combines with subtle perforated 3-Stripes and…
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Need some new sneakers? Puma and Staple have you covered. They just partnered up once again snagging iconic sneaker silhouettes and turning them into exciting all-new iterations. This collaboration brings you fresh takes on not one, but two styles. The result is a pure street worthy capsule range and a true fusion of what the two brands stand for. “I miss the days when sneaker culture was all about the hunt”, Staple Creative Director Jeff Staple tells us. „You might…

Insider

A new Japanese study, conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research and released on Thursday, held some quite frightening news for the land of the rising sun. The survey of Japanese people aged 18 to 34 found that around 42 percent of single men and 44.2 percent of single women admitted they were still virgins. “The government won’t be pleased that sexlessness is becoming as Japanese as sumo and sake”, Mizuho Aoki writes over at Japan Times. “The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has talked up boosting the birthrate through support for child care, but until the nation bones up on bedroom gymnastics, there’ll be no medals to hand out. Far from getting together and getting it on, the sexes are growing apart. There are now many more virgins than in 2010, when the last study was conducted.” But why are so many young Japanese still virgins? “They want to tie the knot eventually. But…

Travel

Stars

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Diesel just celebrated its 30th anniversary in Japan with an amazing fashion event comprising an archive exhibition and a see-now-buy-now catwalk show. Artistic Director for the whole evening was Nicola Formichetti, who is the son of a Japanese stewardess and an Italian pilot and was discovered by fashion editor Katy England who gave him a column in Dazed & Confused. “Japan is where I was born and it has always played a prominent role in my creative process, being a…
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I'm currently watching the fourth season of 'Orange Is the New Black,' and I'm still loving it. One of the show's coolest stars, since season one, is, without any doubt, latina princess Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales, alias Jackie Cruz. But only a few know about Jackie's difficult past, her dreams since she was a little girl, and her terrible near-death experience. In a uniquely intimate conversation with a new VICE series called 'Autobiographies,' Jackie Cruz shares the story of the car…

Selection

Homer Simpson is not only a globally recognized and extremely popular hero who loves beer, TV, and his wife Marge, no, he's also a representation of America's middle class. His adventures gave him several job opportunities, from being a mall santa, a carny, or even a CEO of a more or less huge company. If you look into Homer's face, you also look at yourself. “Homer has all the trappings of a stereotypical working-class American”, Zachary Crockett writes over at VOX. “He lives in a modest home in the suburbs with his wife and three children. He works a factory job while his wife Marge tends to the children and cooks. He is not a college graduate. He drinks beer, loves to grill, and wears a white polo shirt with blue jeans.” Well, so far, so good. “While Homer’s income has seen erratic fluctuation not typical of the average American worker, there is no upward trend in his average yearly…

Games

Interviews

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Natasha Khan. What a musician. What an artist. What a woman. I could listen to her songs all day long, all night long, all life long. And sometimes I do. In a recent interview with Pitchfork the Bat for Lashes singer talks about dreams and romance and marriage. And if you're even a small fan of music or love or life at all, then you should read it. Right now. "I'm not really a conventional girl in any way, and…
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Do you remember what your days were like when you were 18 years old? Yep, you were probably still figuring out life in general, studying for your finals and worrying about skin care. Guy and Howard Lawrence of Disclosure are exactly that age, 21 and 18 years old, and they just returned from their sold out US tour and will play at Glastonbury this year, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. These two South Londoners mix UK…

Beauty

Wait, you guys, Evan Rachel Wood, isn't that the girl that appeared in on of my favorite movies over a decade ago? “Thirteen?” Where she was this nice teenager who gets tainted by her naughty new best friend, played by Nikki Reed? I loved that movie. Really, I loved it. And her. And then Evan Rachel Wood fucked Marilyn Manson. And I loved her even more. Now Evan Rachel Wood appears in a new HBO show called “Westworld”, which is a more than dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged. The one-hour drama features actors Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Angela Sarafyan, and Simon Quarterman. Wow. Now watch the…

Movies

Digital

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The EU Court of Justice just decided that any commercial site that linked to a document that infringed copyright is presumed to be a party to the infringement. That means if you link to a music video on YouTube that wasn't uploaded by the label itself, you're a criminal. If you link to Wikileaks documents, you're a criminal. If you link to images of Selena Gomez that belong to a Vogue photo shooting but aren't on the Vogue website itself,…
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Of course, YouTube's great for young and even older people who love and talk about games, fashion, and travel. You know, the cool and cute stuff. Because that's monetizable. You start your channel, get subscribers to watch you, and companies pay you by advertising. Backhanded. Through YouTube. But it's real money for real content, and you're okay with that system. But what if you want to talk about critical topics like rape, drugs or sex? Well... then you've got a…

Stories

So, what do we have here? Super cutie Stacey Lynn Duncan, who refers to herself as a mini supermodel and is like 74 percent ghetto and 26 percent princess, wears the latest limited shirt by horror-inspired streetwear brand Creep Street. It says “Are you afraid of the dark?”, and probably knows me better than my mom and dad did. Because they know nothing about me. “I own, it, I design it, and I solicit nudes from beautiful women in the most romantic ways possible”, founder Boris Chang Jr told OXS over at Lump Sum why he founded the brand. “I tell extremely corny jokes, am STD-free, enjoy long walks on the street and try my best every season to sell you guys rad shit with a dark twist. I grew up in Queens and am currently residing in LA. I’m on the road to riches and diamond rings because real creeps do real things!” These are good reasons to build…

Technology

Anime & Manga

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Yes, "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4", or more like "Persona 4 Golden" on the PlayStation Vita, is one of my favorite games of all times. Chie Satonaka was my tomboyish girlfriend, Yosuke Hanamura was the best buddy you could possibly have, and Rise Kujikawa was a cute idol with hellish issues. I still love them all - and every minute spent in Inaba is a great one. The eagerly-awaited sequel "Persona 5" already has a release date and now a…
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Fact is: I had to give away good money to fly to Japan, stay in Japan and, yeah, also leave Japan again. It was good money, for real, and I won't regret it ever. But, hey, you could do something totally different. You could just get to Japan, for free, stay in Japan, for free, and, yeah, also leave Japan, for free. There's only one small thing you have to do... The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan currently holds…

Love

If you thought you are a Pokémon-crazed person, you have no idea. People in Japan are like addicts when it comes to those little monsters called Snorlax, Dragonite, and Mew. But we met one person who's so hooked on Pokémon that she had the most popular one on her head. No wonder that we wanted her to take part in our street style column on AMY&PINK. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Iza who has a Pikachu on her head. Or the other way around? Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Pikachu who has an Iza on his butt. Both versions sound okay to me, to be honest. We met Iza on the small and colorful streets of Harajuku, without any doubt one of Tokyo's most fashionable districts, besides Shibuya and Shimokitazawa, of course. If you want to complete your Pokédex before Pokémon GO gets obsolete again, and who really knows when that's gonna happen, right you guys, you should…

Food

Retro

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Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Living Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto just appeared on stage at Apple's iPhone 7 event to announce the introduction of Super Mario to the iPhone and the iPad. It's a game called 'Super Mario Run' and it's Nintendo’s first real game that doesn’t run on one of its console platforms like Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo Wii U. Of course, Nintendo brings even more games to mobile platforms, especially after the sucess of…
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It's true, "Pokémon" is a huge part of my childhood. I had the best team in my neighborhood and crushed every single dork who tried to hurt my favorite Pokémon like Mew, Mewtwo and even Pikachu. It's been some time since I last played a "Pokémon" game, the last one probably was "Pokémon Crystal" on the Game Boy Color. But now the hype's here again. The latest two "Pokémon" editions, named "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon", for the Nintendo 3DS…

Freedom

“I had three kids. Two died. Only one is alive,” Kamala Kumari Pariyar told Human Rights Watch, sitting in the shade outside her home in Nepal’s southern Terai region. Kamala married at age 13. The Nepal government has failed to take sufficient steps to end child marriage, in spite of promises to do so, and girls and boys across the country continue to be deeply harmed by child marriage. In July 2014, Nepal’s government pledged to end child marriage by 2020. By 2016, this goal had shifted to ending child marriage by 2030. The government has yet to take the concrete steps needed to achieve either goal. Nepal has the third highest rate of child marriage in Asia, with 37 percent of girls marrying before age 18, and 10 percent marrying before the age of 15, despite the fact that the minimum age of marriage is 20 under Nepali law. A smaller percentage of boys (an estimated 11 percent) marry…

Sex

Future

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So, you're looking for some cool video game wearing apparel that doesn't let you look like you've got straight out of some kindergarten for mentally challenged adults? No problem! Japanese clothing label A Bathing Ape is here to help you out! They teamed up with legendary video game company Capcom to bring you some super nice heroes on some super nice tees! What do we have here? 'Biohazard,' or better known as 'Resident Evil' in the rest of the world.…
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Diesel, yes, the Italian denim company, just celebrated their 30th anniversary in Japan with a huge party in Tokyo. "I have always been in love with Japan," says Diesel founder Renzo Rosso. "I visit the country regularly, as does our design team. This special anniversary is dedicated to Diesel’s Japanese supporters, who always push us to do more and better." A lot of Diesel fans, international press, actors, musicians, artists, and Instagram heroes were there to celebrate the brand's anniversary…