Matt Alt
@mattalt.bsky.social
Tokyo-based writer, localizer, cultural consultant. Author of Pure Invention, Yokai Attack, and more.
https://www.mattalt.com/
https://blog.pureinventionbook.com/
https://linktr.ee/mattalt
https://www.mattalt.com/
https://blog.pureinventionbook.com/
https://linktr.ee/mattalt
Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I on a magical mystery tour of recent pop cultural highlights, ranging from the Bandai Tamashii Nations Expo 2025, Godzilla Fest, and more! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Pure TokyoScope Podcast 155: Godzilla Fest and Tamashii Nations 2025 Reports!
Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!
www.tokyoscope.blog
November 22, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I on a magical mystery tour of recent pop cultural highlights, ranging from the Bandai Tamashii Nations Expo 2025, Godzilla Fest, and more! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
"Strategic ambiguity" is the term for hiding your intentions to achieve a goal. Japanese leaders have long been masters of it. From the Prime Minister's statements about Taiwan to a Toyota chairman going full MAGA, why are they suddenly dropping the ball? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/boys-and-g...
Boys (and girls), be ambiguous!
When Japanese leaders wade into the culture wars, pop culture suffers.
blog.pureinventionbook.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:32 AM
"Strategic ambiguity" is the term for hiding your intentions to achieve a goal. Japanese leaders have long been masters of it. From the Prime Minister's statements about Taiwan to a Toyota chairman going full MAGA, why are they suddenly dropping the ball? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/boys-and-g...
Reposted by Matt Alt
Episode 155 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! It’s an otaku double whammy as Matt Alt (mattalt.bsky.social) and I bring you reports on Godzilla Fest 2025 and the Tamashii Nation Expo! Expect kaiju, robots, and Labubus?! Listen to the full episode at: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
November 21, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Episode 155 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! It’s an otaku double whammy as Matt Alt (mattalt.bsky.social) and I bring you reports on Godzilla Fest 2025 and the Tamashii Nation Expo! Expect kaiju, robots, and Labubus?! Listen to the full episode at: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Reposted by Matt Alt
It has been ten years since the release of my first novel Cash Crash Jubilee. In the latest edition of Almost Real, I look back on how I wrote the Jubilee Cycle trilogy:
open.substack.com/pub/elikpwil...
#writingcraft #writing #creativeprocess
#dystopian #cyberpunk #sciencefiction #scifi #trilogy
open.substack.com/pub/elikpwil...
#writingcraft #writing #creativeprocess
#dystopian #cyberpunk #sciencefiction #scifi #trilogy
Writing the Jubilee Cycle Trilogy
Ten years after my novelistic debut
open.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:20 AM
It has been ten years since the release of my first novel Cash Crash Jubilee. In the latest edition of Almost Real, I look back on how I wrote the Jubilee Cycle trilogy:
open.substack.com/pub/elikpwil...
#writingcraft #writing #creativeprocess
#dystopian #cyberpunk #sciencefiction #scifi #trilogy
open.substack.com/pub/elikpwil...
#writingcraft #writing #creativeprocess
#dystopian #cyberpunk #sciencefiction #scifi #trilogy
I stumbled across this amazing robot totem pole in Azabu! youtube.com/shorts/4y3-W...
November 10, 2025 at 5:42 AM
I stumbled across this amazing robot totem pole in Azabu! youtube.com/shorts/4y3-W...
Reposted by Matt Alt
日本人は長く、自虐的に自分の国が「ガラパゴス化」されたといいます。確かに、ハイテク商品の制作する企業視点から見ると、先駆けの国ではなくなりました。しかし、海外ではSNSアルゴリズムやAIが大混乱を招いているなか、日本のガラパゴス化が短所ではなく、実は長所になっているのではないか、と私が考えています。ご興味があれば、是非お読みになってください！
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
マット・アルト「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日）
テクノロジーで崩壊した世界において、遅れをとった日本はスーパーパワーだ。
econ101.jp
November 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM
日本人は長く、自虐的に自分の国が「ガラパゴス化」されたといいます。確かに、ハイテク商品の制作する企業視点から見ると、先駆けの国ではなくなりました。しかし、海外ではSNSアルゴリズムやAIが大混乱を招いているなか、日本のガラパゴス化が短所ではなく、実は長所になっているのではないか、と私が考えています。ご興味があれば、是非お読みになってください！
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
Hot new episode for Patreon subscribers! @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I join Rita Repulsa and a cast of hundreds of spandex-clad rangers in rainy Shibuya to mourn the end of Halloween, and the Super Sentai series joining “Manimal” on permanent hiatus. www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-...
November 6, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Hot new episode for Patreon subscribers! @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I join Rita Repulsa and a cast of hundreds of spandex-clad rangers in rainy Shibuya to mourn the end of Halloween, and the Super Sentai series joining “Manimal” on permanent hiatus. www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-...
日本人は長く、自虐的に自分の国が「ガラパゴス化」されたといいます。確かに、ハイテク商品の制作する企業視点から見ると、先駆けの国ではなくなりました。しかし、海外ではSNSアルゴリズムやAIが大混乱を招いているなか、日本のガラパゴス化が短所ではなく、実は長所になっているのではないか、と私が考えています。ご興味があれば、是非お読みになってください！
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
マット・アルト「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日）
テクノロジーで崩壊した世界において、遅れをとった日本はスーパーパワーだ。
econ101.jp
November 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM
日本人は長く、自虐的に自分の国が「ガラパゴス化」されたといいます。確かに、ハイテク商品の制作する企業視点から見ると、先駆けの国ではなくなりました。しかし、海外ではSNSアルゴリズムやAIが大混乱を招いているなか、日本のガラパゴス化が短所ではなく、実は長所になっているのではないか、と私が考えています。ご興味があれば、是非お読みになってください！
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
econ101.jp/super-galapa...
Reposted by Matt Alt
マット・アルト氏の素敵なエッセイ。
「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日） econ101.jp/super-galapa... @econ101jpより
@mattalt.bsky.social
「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日） econ101.jp/super-galapa... @econ101jpより
@mattalt.bsky.social
マット・アルト「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日）
テクノロジーで崩壊した世界において、遅れをとった日本はスーパーパワーだ。
econ101.jp
November 4, 2025 at 3:48 AM
マット・アルト氏の素敵なエッセイ。
「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日） econ101.jp/super-galapa... @econ101jpより
@mattalt.bsky.social
「世界の真ん中でガラパゴスとして咲き誇る日本」（2025年10月23日） econ101.jp/super-galapa... @econ101jpより
@mattalt.bsky.social
The Wire: rural Japan edition
November 2, 2025 at 11:53 PM
The Wire: rural Japan edition
Here @hirokoyoda.bsky.social uncovers Japanese spiritual symbols hiding in plain sight in anime shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, DanDaDan, Totoro, and even…. Gundam!?! www.instagram.com/reel/DQh7oi5...
November 2, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Here @hirokoyoda.bsky.social uncovers Japanese spiritual symbols hiding in plain sight in anime shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, DanDaDan, Totoro, and even…. Gundam!?! www.instagram.com/reel/DQh7oi5...
New Pure Tokyoscope with @patrickmacias.bsky.social! Happy 50th to the anime that launched the global anime boom: Grandizer! (And happy 44th to Manu, whoever and wherever you are) www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
October 31, 2025 at 11:17 PM
New Pure Tokyoscope with @patrickmacias.bsky.social! Happy 50th to the anime that launched the global anime boom: Grandizer! (And happy 44th to Manu, whoever and wherever you are) www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Reposted by Matt Alt
“Japan is like a cat” is possibly my favourite sentence from @mattalt.bsky.social in the superlative podcast interview by @unpackingjapan.bsky.social 💗💗
October 31, 2025 at 7:49 AM
“Japan is like a cat” is possibly my favourite sentence from @mattalt.bsky.social in the superlative podcast interview by @unpackingjapan.bsky.social 💗💗
The Japanese newspapers are announcing that the Super Sentai series, which gave the world "Power Rangers," is drawing to a close. The culprit isn't Rita Repulsa, but rather the fact they aren't earning enough income from merchandise and theatrical releases anymore.
October 31, 2025 at 2:29 AM
The Japanese newspapers are announcing that the Super Sentai series, which gave the world "Power Rangers," is drawing to a close. The culprit isn't Rita Repulsa, but rather the fact they aren't earning enough income from merchandise and theatrical releases anymore.
A new interview with @unpackingjapan.bsky.social, about how Japan made the modern world (and me)! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNtp...
How Japanese pop culture conquered the world ft. Matt Alt
YouTube video by Unpacking Japan
www.youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:30 PM
A new interview with @unpackingjapan.bsky.social, about how Japan made the modern world (and me)! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNtp...
New word alert: 迷惑ハロウィーン ("meiwaku harouin") -- "troublesome Halloween!" Plural no less. Kinshi da yo!
October 28, 2025 at 8:36 AM
New word alert: 迷惑ハロウィーン ("meiwaku harouin") -- "troublesome Halloween!" Plural no less. Kinshi da yo!
So @hirokoyoda.bsky.social and I went to hell last week. Literally! She wrote all about it here: blog.hirokoyoda.com/p/i-went-to-...
I went to hell last week
...and had a great time!
blog.hirokoyoda.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:51 AM
So @hirokoyoda.bsky.social and I went to hell last week. Literally! She wrote all about it here: blog.hirokoyoda.com/p/i-went-to-...
Would you trust these two to take you on a tour of Nakano Broadway? Tune in to the latest Pure Tokyoscope to find out: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
October 25, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Would you trust these two to take you on a tour of Nakano Broadway? Tune in to the latest Pure Tokyoscope to find out: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Reposted by Matt Alt
Episode 153 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! This time, Matt Alt (mattalt.bsky.social) and I journey into the heart of darkness that is Nakano Broadway, Tokyo’s insane otaku shopping mall. Is it “still crazy after all these years”? Listen and find out: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
October 24, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Episode 153 of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast is live! This time, Matt Alt (mattalt.bsky.social) and I journey into the heart of darkness that is Nakano Broadway, Tokyo’s insane otaku shopping mall. Is it “still crazy after all these years”? Listen and find out: www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Japanese pundits coined the term "Galapagos syndrome" to express how their country lost its role as global consumer electronics innovator. But in a world driven mad by tech disruption, is Japan’s having fallen behind turning into a secret super power?
blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/super-gala...
blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/super-gala...
Super Galapagos
In a world driven mad by tech disruption, Japan’s having fallen behind is a superpower
blog.pureinventionbook.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Japanese pundits coined the term "Galapagos syndrome" to express how their country lost its role as global consumer electronics innovator. But in a world driven mad by tech disruption, is Japan’s having fallen behind turning into a secret super power?
blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/super-gala...
blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/super-gala...
Reposted by Matt Alt
Finally, we turn onto McAllister and make our way to Civic Center, at which point it kind of morphs into a big sunny lawn picnic. Well done, fellow San Franciscans! (3/3)
October 19, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Finally, we turn onto McAllister and make our way to Civic Center, at which point it kind of morphs into a big sunny lawn picnic. Well done, fellow San Franciscans! (3/3)
Reposted by Matt Alt
And off we go down Market Street. It was hard to tell how big the crowd was since it's all level ground, but apparently there were about 50,000 of us. (2/3)
October 19, 2025 at 9:10 AM
And off we go down Market Street. It was hard to tell how big the crowd was since it's all level ground, but apparently there were about 50,000 of us. (2/3)
Reposted by Matt Alt
"No Kings" march sketch time! There are a few pages of these, so I'll share them two at a time. The first thing I saw when I showed up in downtown SF was a pair of inflatable dinosaurs, which seemed like a good omen. (1/3)
October 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM
"No Kings" march sketch time! There are a few pages of these, so I'll share them two at a time. The first thing I saw when I showed up in downtown SF was a pair of inflatable dinosaurs, which seemed like a good omen. (1/3)
Japan’s pop-creative elite long clustered along the Chuo Line, with illustrator Eguchi Hisashi a luminary. Does his art-tracing scandal signal the end of an era? Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I for a discussion on the latest Pure Tokyoscope! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...
Pure TokyoScope Podcast 152: The Manga Legend Tracing Scandal!
Patrick Macias and Matt Alt bring you pop culture direct from Japan!
www.tokyoscope.blog
October 17, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Japan’s pop-creative elite long clustered along the Chuo Line, with illustrator Eguchi Hisashi a luminary. Does his art-tracing scandal signal the end of an era? Join @patrickmacias.bsky.social and I for a discussion on the latest Pure Tokyoscope! www.tokyoscope.blog/p/pure-tokyo...