Kanji Magic

Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh have been obsessed with Japan since their first visit in the late 1990s. They now call Japan their 'home away from home', spending at least three months of the year there. Steve is a writer and DJ who hosts a long-standing indie radio show in Naarm/Melbourne. He has DJ-ed interviewed and toured with international bands such as Oasis, Wet Leg, Primal Scream, Johnny Marr, Fontaines D.C. and many more. He has hosted clubs and written 10 pop culture books on music icons. He’s also written six quirky books for children. Michelle is an award-winning book designer and illustrator who has written four books on analogue correspondence, sustainable gifting, and Pretend You’re in Tokyo (2022), an armchair travel book on how to bring Japan into your daily life. She has contributed to panel discussions and podcasts on the role of design in Japanese culture and the art and craft of book design. Her work has been exhibited in Tokyo.Together Steve and Michelle have written, designed, photographed and illustrated 12 books on Japan: Tokyo Precincts (2015), Kyoto Pocket Precincts (2017), Tokyo (2018), Onsen of Japan (2018), Tokyo Pocket Precincts (2019), Osaka Pocket Precincts (2020), Mindfulness Travel Japan (2022), Japan (2022) and Hidden Pockets in Kyoto (2024), Train Japan 2024, Tokyo Story (2026). They also co-wrote Be More Japan (2019). Their books have been translated into multiple languages. Michelle and Steve live in Melbourne/Naarm Australia with their British shorthair cat Enid.