A History of the World in Japanese Toys

Can you decipher the 20th century by looking at Japanese toys? I can try!

“Without shadows, there would be no beauty,” wrote Junichiro Tanizaki in his classic In Praise of Shadows.

I’d say the same thing about toys. Toys are play in physical form. And without play, life isn’t worth living.

Sure, I’m biased. This photo of me ran in the September issue of Figure Oh (“Figure King”) magazine, anchoring an interview about Bandai’s …