TOKYO PAPER for Culture is a free newspaper first published in 2013 by the former Tokyo Culture Creation Project Office (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) as part of its PR activities. Under the concept of to “know, deepen, and enhance the culture of Tokyo”, the paper itself was intended as a virtual “cultural research institute”, and as such has explored cultural aspects to Tokyo from a variety of angles through interviews and photography.

The merger with Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) in April 2015 resulted in an overhaul of TOKYO PAPER for Culture. While the concept of the paper as a research institute for Tokyo culture was upheld, under the banner of the new keywords “inquiry, inspiration, process”, its pages were re-designed to suggest the process of cultural creation an idea book.

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in mind, issues from 13 onwards were remodeled to incorporate more sports-minded content. An online magazine edition was also launched as a means of making the TOKYO PAPER for Culture more enjoyable and accessible. The inclusion of some additional elements gave it a slightly different appeal from the paper edition.

The paper’s four-year journey ended with issue vol.16. Each issue has featured many different writers, photographers, illustrators, manga artists and the like. A total of 44 artists and creators have graced the covers alone, again reflecting the diversity of Tokyo’s cultural scene.
The back issues remain available to read, so we hope TOKYO PAPER for Culture can provide an opportunity for readers to encounter Tokyo’s wide range of culture, and enhance their experience of it.