Yakuza gangsters' tattoos often portrayed moments from their lives

Tattoos were once used to identify status

Around 450 BCE, Scythians inhabiting what is now southern Siberia were recorded as wearing tattoos of swirling mythical beasts to signify nobility. At the same time, tattoos have identified lower-status and enslaved people.

The Japanese folklore that inspired Pokémon

Characters from the popular video game series appear to reference the yōkai from Japanese folklore, which first became popular during the country's Edo period, when art and literature became mass-produced.

Women in WWII used tattoos to avoid capture

During World War II, Japanese soldiers kidnapped women from Southeast Asian countries and forced them into sexual slavery. But they hesitated to capture married women, a fact that women from the island of Timor exploited, painstakingly poking tattoos onto their bodies that marked them as married women.

The world’s oldest tattoos belong to 'Iceman' Ötzi

Ötzi is the corpse of "the Iceman" found in the Alps along the Italian and Austrian border in 1991. His mummified body was covered with lines and crosses along the “hard-working” areas of his body, signifying their potential application for therapeutic pain management.

Japanese artwork often incorporates bold colors, clean lines, and natural subjects

While Japanese art is diverse and continues to adopt new styles and techniques, the Japanese approach to painting nature inspired Georgia O’Keeffe, who was known for depicting the environment in a detailed yet realistic manner. Below is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," from 1931, by Hokusai.

Tattoos remain visible thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Macrophages are a robust part of the human immune system. These large cells engulf invading particles, like viruses and bacteria, and use enzymes to break them apart. They perceive ink as a foreign body but can't digest them. Macrophages hold on to the ink, helping maintain the tattoo pattern.

Graffiti has its own visual language, including simple 'tags,' large block letters, and complex 'pieces'

Every graffiti artist looks to create their own visual identity, but they often rely on common folk styles, especially when they're still developing their craft. "Tags" are little more than an artist's pseudonym, while "Wildstyle" takes an abstract approach to the signature. More complicated styles, like "blockbuster," are like informal billboards strapped to the sides of buildings and subway cars.

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Get to know the five families that ran the NYC mafia

In the 1900s, there were five families in New York City who dominated the crime scene. These five families organized expansive criminal operations—ranging from prostitution and price extortion to money laundering—and have inspired stories like "The Godfather."

Gutai was performance art’s Japanese predecessor

Works by the post-WWII Japanese artist collective Gutai are widely considered a precursor to Western performance art of the 1960s and 1970s. The word “Gutai” means “concrete” in Japanese, referring to the concrete ways the artists’ bodies were used to create their works. Gutai members like Kazuo Shiraga, who painted with his feet to express the movement of his process, are thought to have influenced later artists like Jackson Pollock.

Japan is home to the world's only geothermal steam dye workshop

The Hachimantai Geothermal Dyeing Workshop sees artisans and visitors use volcanic steam to fix dyes and add gradations to patterns, creating tie-dyed handkerchiefs and mini-scarves.

QR codes were developed in Japan in 1994 to fix bar code limitations

These codes store more data than traditional barcodes—up to 1,850 uppercase characters—and can be quickly scanned from any angle thanks to visual indicators like green squares and zebra-striped lines communicating orientation.

Many journalists are shying away from sharing mug shots when reporting crime

News outlets used to cover crime with mug shots of the accused. Some outlets even published mug shot photo galleries, collections of easily acquired content that drove clicks and, hopefully, advertising dollars. However, this practice has fallen out of favor as journalists question the lasting impact of immortalizing mug shots of accused perpetrators, at least some of whom are ultimately cleared of the alleged crime.

Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Hell’s Angels’ gave inside look at a notorious motorcycle gang

What began as an article turned into roughly two years of Thompson’s life spent riding with the infamous Californian gang. By absorbing himself in their lifestyle, he gave the American public a look into their partying, drinking and violence.

Eating KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan

Since a 1974 marketing campaign, eating KFC on Christmas has become a nationwide custom in Japan. Families place orders weeks in advance, and the holiday accounts for nearly a third of KFC Japan's total yearly sales.

Japan's wrestling style is called puroresu

Puroresu has a long history in Japan, much of it traced back to Mitsuhiro Momota, better known as Rikidozan, who was the form’s first superstar and a hero to the country in the wake of World War II.

Japanese horror is often more psychological than its Western counterpart

One of the country’s most famous directors is Masaki Kobayashi, who won a Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival. Unlike his Western peers, Kobayashi’s films avoid jump scares or gratuitous gore, opting instead for slow-burning psychological explorations that are just as terrifying.

Watch the engineering challenges overcome in turning a 3D printer into a tattoo machine

The DIY project required reprogramming the printer to operate on a curved, 2D surface rather than making flat layers in 3D, editing replacement firmware to bypass temperature safety checks, and developing a rapid system to stop the tattoo in case of an emergency. The final product printed "LEG" on a volunteer's leg.

Take a look at the companies that help people vanish.

Each year, some choose to "disappear" and abandon their lives, jobs, homes, and families. In Japan, there are companies that can help those looking to escape into thin air.

Some Gen Z men are obsessed with ‘American Psycho’

If you’ve ever spent any time on finance-themed meme pages, you’re likely already aware that today’s young men have a fascination with the serial killer main character of the movie "American Psycho." Find out what it is about the satirical representation of the late-1980s Wall Street investment banker-type that resonates with Gen Z men.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

In 1969, one British taxi driver stole a Goya from the National Gallery in London

Francisco de Goya's portrait "The Duke of Wellington" was believed to be seized by a criminal mastermind. In reality, a 60-something cabby named Kempton Bunton confessed to the crime about four years later. In 2021, it was revealed that he was actually covering for the actions of his son. The heist has since been immortalized in the film "The Duke."

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Some cemeteries in Mexico are known for their elaborate Day of the Dead celebrations

While most events are small and local, several cemeteries draw tourists from around the country and the world. Mexico City, in particular, is home to the graves of multiple famous artists and musicians who attract crowds.

See how the elite warriors of the Aztec Empire trained

This video explores the Aztec military’s elite Eagle and Jaguar warriors, known for their courage and combat skills, and highlights their rigorous training regimen. It concludes with a workout routine modeled on their methods.

In 1988, Basquiat died from a heroin overdose

Basquiat’s fame took a toll on the young artist. He felt pigeonholed and caricatured as a Black artist. He used heroin to cope with the pressure, but his addiction grew worse after the death of his mentor, Andy Warhol. He overdosed in 1988, after attempts to get clean.

'Lady Muraski' was a pen name

The author behind "The Tale of Genji" is still unknown. The woman's diary and some details about her aristocratic life have been found, but scholars have not yet pinned down her identity. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Why Steve Jobs always wore the same outfit

Steve Jobs is well-known for his signature outfit: a black mock turtleneck and denim jeans. The outfit originated in Japan, where Jobs observed Sony employees all wearing matching uniforms. He proposed Apple employees do the same, but that idea was rejected. However, he still decided to create his own uniform.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

American short story writer Flannery O'Connor raised 40 peacocks, which became potent symbols for her fiction's elegant violence

Poison ivy's characteristic rash is caused by an allergic response to an oily compound in the plant called urushiol.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

Firework or sparkler burns, even if they cover a relatively small area of skin, can significantly affect our range of motion.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

The Ramones' 'Pet Sematary,' the theme song for the Stephen King novel of the same name, was written while the band was admiring the writer's collection of horror memorabilia.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, but became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.