Japanese pop culture is something that fascinates people all over the world. In recent years, the relevance of so many elements of Japan’s cultural output has been exploding globally yet the ability to navigate what’s happening on the ground remains just slightly out of reach for many. It’s hard enough to keep up with trends when you’re not in the thick of them, but add language barriers, and profit-driven focuses on what companies choose to promote internationally and it can be pretty tough for anyone to stay on top of all the different happenings in Japanese pop culture.
That’s where we hope to make an impact.
Our mission here at scrmbl (pronounced ‘scramble’) is to provide that on-the-ground look at what’s happening in a wide range of different pop culture topics in Japan. Our identity is directly inspired by the world-famous Shibuya scramble crossing, known as the busiest intersection in the world. It’s a place where people of all different backgrounds, interests, and subcultures are constantly crossing paths.
Our team is largely based in Tokyo and is made up of veterans of several relevant industries as well as experienced journalists who specialize in media coming from the Japanese entertainment complex. You may even recognize several of us from a previous project that was focused on promoting Japanese pop culture called OTAQUEST which was in operation from 2018-2021. We share the same kind of wide range of personal interests and backgrounds as the people who walk along the Shibuya crossing every day.
On the content side of things, our bread and butter comes in the form of original editorial and features written from a perspective of genuine interest (be it positive or negative), and a desire to be as informative as possible. Our tone tries to convey that as well, we’re covering topics that are fun and exciting, and we express that enthusiasm in the way we write. We’ll be covering topics from the past, present, and future of Japan’s massive cultural output, and we really hope you’ll find something to new to love in the process.