Tokyo is known for being an ever-evolving city, rebuilding and reinventing itself whether through necessity or desire. It keeps its traditions but looks to the future, maintaining an inspiring blend of nostalgia and progression. Similarly, since Tokyo Weekender’s founding in 1970, the brand has been evolving, starting out as a weekly newspaper nearly five decades ago, and transforming steadily into the monthly glossy lifestyle magazine that you see today.

Now, as we enter the month of new beginnings in Japan, we’re excited to announce our brand-new look! On shelf today, our April issue features our new logo, TW, a more impactful and digital-age friendly version of the name you’ve come to know so well, but still retaining a sophisticated, classic font as a nod to our long legacy. Think of it as a nickname – we’re still Tokyo Weekender at heart, but we’ve had a bit of a facelift. Our design, from our cover through to our features, is more minimalist, and we’re going bigger and bolder on photography. All of these updates are reflected on our website, too. We hope you love it as much as we do!

TW’s April 2018 cover, featuring our brand-new look

And what else can you look forward to in our April issue? We chat with our cover star and Heroes Reborn actress Kiki Sukezane about her new Netflix TV show, and her ultimate ambition. We round up cherry blossom-inspired beauty products, sakura sweets on offer around Tokyo, and introduce a new page called Local Style Profiles where we interview local designers or trendsetters about what inspires them and where they like to shop in the city.

There’s a special section on Great Train Journeys, including atmospheric train rides, a beautifully illustrated guide to ekiben, and a look back at the three big rail mysteries of 1949. We also interview a fourth-generation tatami maker to find out what his day-to-day work is like, and feature the exquisite photographs of Ben Beech, who has documented his touching friendship with a traditional Japanese calligrapher. Finally, we pay tribute to the late Bill Hersey, who had been with the magazine from the very beginning.

TW is published monthly, and you can find the print edition at these spots around Tokyo. For the digital edition, and our archives, visit www.tokyoweekender.com/weekender-archives.