The days of Heisei drew to an end last month in April 2019, with the new Reiwa Era beginning this May. This being the case, we decided to fill this issue with long interviews in which we speak to some of the key contributors to the movements and culture of the creative scene in Japan during the 30 years of the Heisei Era.
We selected 13 leaders from genres spanning architecture and photography to art, programming, music, fashion, as well as interior, product, graphic, and web design, introducing their most iconic handiwork alongside invaluable stories, which in some cases span 5,000 words, that can’t be found anywhere else. This is a volume for looking back on the Heisei from a creator’s perspective, analyzing and pondering it to glean some idea of what lays ahead in the future.
The cover features artwork by Hideki Inaba, who, in addition to appearing within, served as editorial designer of +81 for four years beginning with our initial issue.
Lastly, in what is our 22nd year of publication, we will be making some major revisions to the size, methods, print run, price, and content of our magazine. +81 will now be released twice a year in a much larger size with many more pages than before, so please look forward to a new version of our magazine that is more impressive than ever in terms of both appearance and content.