_The first arcades in Japan weren't video arcades, and they weren't even in game centres. In the decades following the second world war, gamers played electro-magnetic games in bowling alleys and on department store rooftops. Families would take shopping breaks, playing carnival-style shooting games or riding rinky-dink kiddy trains.

Bonsai master Yasuo Mitsuya knows what a bonsai tree needs, and he s not afraid to strong arm one to make it happen. Just ask Carl, a volunteer at Lake Merritt s serenely beautiful Bonsai Garden where Mitsuya is holding classes this weekend. Carl said he watched in horror as the bonsai master stretched and straightened the curved trunk of an Atlas Cedar that he had nurtured for years.

The beginning of April marks a new start for most Japanese, not only is it the new start of the financial year but it’s also the beginning of the academic year. It’s also the time when many people decide to try their hand at a new hobby, so with this in mind we decided to investigate what activities are popular this year and try to look at the reasons why these hobbies are trending.