Living Wisdom from the Borderlands — The Japan Issue

Overlooked Stories: Folklore, Vernacular Cultures and Ways of Living with the Land

What can the overlooked stories and everyday practices of Japan teach us about how we live today?

Living Wisdom from the Borderlands — The Japan Issue is an independent publication by studio polaris, exploring alternative perspectives on contemporary life through the vernacular cultures, creative practices and personal narratives found across Japan.

Moving beyond familiar representations of Japanese culture, this bilingual English–Japanese publication brings together five stories from Tono, Hida-Takayama, Taimagura, Ueno and Fukushima.

Through photography, conversations, essays and personal reflections, the book explores relationships between people and nature, folklore and memory, artistic expression and community.

Rather than presenting a singular image of Japan, it invites readers to encounter the different ways of knowing, making and living that continue to emerge from its borderlands.

Inside the Issue

01 — Tono: Living with the Unseen
Gaku Tomikawa
In the mountains of Iwate, ancient folktales and traditional deer dances offer new ways of understanding life, death and our relationships with the unseen world.

02 — Hida-Takayama: Searching for the REAL Form

2 FOOT

An exploration of primitive sculptures, wolf worship and the creative possibilities of uncertainty, through the work and field research of Japanese artist 2 FOOT.

03 — Taimagura: Remembering the Forest
Sho Yamashiro
A photographic and poetic journey through a remote mountain settlement, reflecting on memory, time, belonging and our relationship with the natural world.

04 — Ueno: Shotengai as a Social Stage
Mashuu Ohashi
Through the story of a fishmonger in Tokyo's Ameyoko Market, we discover how an ordinary shopping street becomes a social stage shaped by informal relationships, diversity and everyday encounters.

05 — Fukushima: No Art, Make Friends
Takashi Kuribayashi
An encounter with artist Takashi Kuribayashi and Cinema Caravan, exploring how art can create friendships, shared experiences and new ways of connecting people beyond conventional institutions.

Publication Details

• Title: Living Wisdom from the Borderlands — The Japan Issue

• Subtitle: Overlooked Stories: Folklore, Vernacular Cultures and Ways of Living with the Land

• Language: English / Japanese

• Publication: September 2026

• Publisher: POT LLC / studio polaris

• Editor-in-Chief: Takuro Nuruki

• Art Director / Designer: Koyo Takeuchi

• Printed in: Japan

• ISBN: 978-4-9912793-3-1

About studio polaris

studio polaris is a research and design studio founded in Japan and based between Tokyo and London. We explore overlooked stories, forms of knowledge and creative practices from the borderlands, seeking alternative perspectives on how we might see and live in the world.