Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
biweekly magazine for young women.
History and profile
''Hanako'' was first published in 1988. The magazine was established by
Magazine House
is a Japanese publisher, formerly named Heibon Shuppan Co., Ltd.
History
The company was founded in October 1945 by Kinosuke Iwahori and Tatsuo Shimizu. Its first publications were the magazines ''Heibon'' and ''Heibon Weekly''. In 1964, it l ...
which also publishes it. The headquarters is in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
. It features shops, fashion, restaurants and theaters in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and abroad. The target audience is women in their 20s, who are often working as " office ladies" and are unmarried, living with their parents and with a large disposable income and savings.
''Hanako'' has been very influential and is often referred to as a style bible. Businesses featured in the magazine has seen a wave of customers, in Japan and abroad. Its readers and their likes are referred to as ''Hanako-zoku'' (literally ''"Hanako tribe"''), the original readership were called the ''Hanako generation'' and their perceived irresponsibility is called ''Hanako syndrome''.
''Hanako'' is published exclusively in the
Tokyo metropolitan area
The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the pre ...
. ''Hanako West'' covers the
Kansai region
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...
with
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
. The male equivalent from the same publisher is ''
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar. The name of the magazine is from Hanako (, ), is a common Japanese female given name. The logo and cover between 1989 and 1999 were designed by Australian artist
Ken Done
Kenneth Stephen Done (born 29 June 1940) is an Australian artist best known for his design work. Although his simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the " ...