{"slug": "ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend", "title": "AI simply can't replicate it': Japan embraces zine trend", "summary": "In Kyoto, creators are producing handmade zines at a print factory to attract audiences in the AI era, as self-publication grows in popularity in Japan despite the publishing industry's decline. The trend reflects the country's enduring love for paper, which photographer Kazuma Obara describes as a medium engaging all five senses, unlike social media.", "body_md": "Kyoto – Through the noise of rushing papers and whirring belts at a print factory in Kyoto, two creators watch their photo essay come to life in broadsheet form — part of an effort to win new audiences in the age of AI.\n\nDespite the decline of the publishing industry, self-publication and handmade [“zine” magazines are growing in popularity in Japan](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/06/21/books/japanese-zines/), reflecting the country’s enduring love of paper in the digital era.\n\n“I think (paper) is a medium that engages all five senses, (unlike social media),” says 40-year-old photographer Kazuma Obara.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend", "canonical_source": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/06/01/books/japan-zines-kyoto-shimbun/", "published_at": "2026-06-05 12:16:54+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-05 12:49:06.164645+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Kazuma Obara"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-simply-can-t-replicate-it-japan-embraces-zine-trend.jsonld"}}