165: Japan's Dragon Ball Economy, the Death of a Shibuya Department Store, Gojira-ya Surprise

165: Japan's Dragon Ball Economy, the Death of a Shibuya Department Store, Gojira-ya Surprise

From Pure TokyoScope by jaPRESS

April 3, 2026 · 15 min · Season 1 · Episode 165

About this episode

The episode discusses recent headlines in Japanese pop culture, including anime economics and the fate of a Shibuya department store.

PREVIEW EPISODE! This time on the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast, authors Matt Alt ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ) and Patrick Macias ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mondo Tokyo: Dispatches from a Secret Japan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ) race through a slew of recent headlines in the Japanese pop culture space, from anime economics, to dead department stores, grindhouse theaters, and even a ray of hope for a legendary Tokyo toy store! You can hear the full episode by joining the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pure TokyoScope Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! You’ll get access to full episodes, bonus content, our Discord server, and an archive of past episodes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head over to Pure TokyoScope Patreon to subscribe today!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

People in this episode

Guests: Matt Alt, Patrick Macias

Topics covered

  • Japanese pop culture
  • anime economics
  • department stores
  • grindhouse theaters
  • Tokyo toy store

Keywords

  • Japan
  • Dragon Ball
  • Shibuya
  • anime
  • pop culture
  • department store
  • Tokyo
  • toy store

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World, Mondo Tokyo: Dispatches from a Secret Japan

Places: Shibuya, Tokyo

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