DIFFERENT STROKES

A new photo book delves into the obsessive world of Japanese subcultures.

Christopher P. Hill

JAPAN The last time Tokyo-based photographer Irwin Wong teamed up with art-book publisher Gestalten, it was to produce 2020’s Handmade in Japan, a tribute to the country’s traditional artisans and craftspeople. But the focus of their latest collaboration falls at a different end of the cultural spectrum: otaku, those die-hard devotees of Japan’s myriad subcultures. Photographed and coedited by Wong, The Obsessed provides a vivid glimpse into the more offbeat corners of Japanese society — and we’re not just talking cosplay and Lolita fashion. The book’s subjects include the owners of itasha (cars plastered with anime decals and decorations), a sofubi (soft vinyl toy) collector, and a chiptune artist who lays down tracks using the sound chips of Nintendo Game Boy consoles. Wong also introduces readers to the “latex haute…

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DestinAsian (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2022 - August 2022

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