Japan's Young People Love Making Paper Magazines

In Japan, young people are making their own paper magazines called "zines" even though most reading happens on phones and computers now. These handmade magazines are becoming very popular, especially with students and artists. They like creating something they can hold in their hands instead of just looking at screens. The trend is growing fast across the country as people look for new ways to share their ideas.

At a printing factory in Kyoto, two artists watched their photo magazine being made on big machines. Kazuma Obara and Akihico Mori were using the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper's printing equipment to make their zine. The newspaper company lets artists use their machines because fewer people buy newspapers now. Five workers in uniforms checked each page as it came off the printing press.

"I think print media is incredibly open. You can hand it to someone, you can read it together," said Obara, who is 40 years old and works as a photographer. He thinks phones are "very insular" compared to paper magazines. His partner Mori, who is 44 and writes stories, believes people can "feel the creator's passion when they hold the work in their hands." Mori also said that artificial intelligence cannot copy this special feeling.