https://www.mattalt.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-04-27 https://www.mattalt.com/about daily 0.75 2025-05-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/1587876576701-U2NNI2K5UI2WATERCFKQ/mattalt-head.jpg About https://www.mattalt.com/appearances daily 0.75 2020-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/1588237834297-A2RZUUN045W213MSJ5KU/performance.png Appearances https://www.mattalt.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/3312abea-2fc9-46ca-9f53-348ca40bf586/caricature.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/0f7f7b9c-97fd-443b-ba1f-91e90e026143/Pure+Invention+Matt+Alt+Japan.png Home - Ever sang into a mic? Popped in earbuds or picked up a game controller? Dove into a manga or streamed an anime? Even simply used an emoji? This book is your story. I tracked down the inventors of “fantasy-delivery devices” — products that changed lives and expanded minds. Smash-hit toys; the first karaoke machine; the Walkman and the Game Boy; ubercute characters like Hello Kitty and the Pokémon; and strange new forms of communication better suited to online worlds, like emoji, selfies, and imageboards. Creators from Japan hotwired our imaginations. Legions of fans harnessed their innovations in unexpected ways. Pure Invention tells the story of how a revolution in fantasy transformed reality around the globe. https://www.mattalt.com/books daily 0.75 2020-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/1587858945706-X2ZHRWA2YDA27E8NHXQI/Pure_Invention-web.jpg Books - Narrative non-fiction. Taking its name from a quote by Oscar Wilde (“The whole of Japan is a pure invention”), Pure Invention is a sprawling and timely tale of Japan’s rise from the ashes of World War II to become a forge of dreams. As we consumed Japan’s packaged fantasies, they transformed our realities in ways not even their own creators could have imagined. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/1587854279684-2LY4Q6O9HL29UFP6PLXZ/attack_trilogy.jpg Books - Illustrated Folklore. The Attack! series, produced in concert with some of Japan’s top manga artists, introduced English-speaking readers to the concept of yokai (creatures from Japanese folklore), ninja as seen by the Japanese themselves, and tales of terror from a bygone era. They distill centuries of literature, fairy tales, and sagas into a format easy to understand for Western readers of all ages. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/1587862081295-ZZC1FVAJ1HNJ1AZNNGQB/51kEpUCM07L.jpg Books - Expert analysis. I contributed the first chapter, “A Soft Superpower: The Pivot From Manufacturing to Pop Culture,” for this book published by the Asia-Pacific Initiative. https://www.mattalt.com/essays daily 0.75 2025-09-02 https://www.mattalt.com/japanese daily 0.75 2026-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ea3deab549dcc6e13d9f2a6/fcf97643-d2bf-4b34-ad3b-5d031723ab5d/Matt+Alt+Portrait.jpg