About - PAPERSKY

Papersky is a door to the world and a means to journey within. Papersky Stories spotlights Japan as a locality on Planet Earth while Discovering, Preserving and Renewing Japan’s unique natural habitat and deep-rooted culture.

Papersky Japan Stories

Papersky Stories spotlights Japan as a locality on Planet Earth while Discovering, Preserving and Renewing Japan’s unique natural habitat and deep-rooted culture.

Papersky Magazine

In the Spring of 2002, PAPERSKY magazine was born from a concept of being a door to the world and a means to journey within oneself. Since then PAPERSKY has steadily amassed a sophisticated, creative, well cultured, outdoor oriented and progressive readership drawn to the magazine’s distinctive celebration of life on ‘Spaceship Earth’.

Who We Are

Papersky Concept

PAPERSKY began in Japan in 2002 as a travel & lifestyle magazine and has grown into a brand shaped by the idea of “travel as a way of living.” Rooted in a Japanese way of seeing the world—through culture, nature, and outdoor exploration—and renewed by fresh perspectives and storytelling, PAPERSKY is shared in Japan and around the world, building relationships with the land, its traditions, and its people.

Publisher
PAPERSKY Inc.

Founded in 1996 by Lucas B.B., the company has been the brain and creative mechanism behind some of Japan and the world’s most innovative and influential media projects: Japanese culture magazine TOKION (1996), children’s magazine MAMMOTH (2000), travel magazine PAPERSKY (2002), free paper METRO MIN (2002), botanical magazine PLANTED (2006). In 2008 Papersky Inc. founded Japan’s first outdoor music & learning festival for kids: “Mammoth Hello Camp.” The PAPERSKY brand’s newest project is a bilingual online media titled: Papersky Japan Stories (2020). Papersky also produces a line of ‘Travel Wear & Tools’ and “The Papersky Tour de Nippon,” a bicycle event that promotes Japan’s rural communities. We are currently working to create a line of small inns, coffee shops, and bookstores throughout Japan.

* in 2024 the company Knee High Media changed its name to PAPERSKY Inc. to better focus on nourishing the PAPERSKY brand.

PAPERSKY creative
creative.papersky.jp

Founder, Creative Director, Editor and CEO
Lucas B.B.

Born in the United States, Lucas moved to Japan in 1993 after graduating from the University of California. In 1996, he launched the bilingual culture magazine TOKION. Since 2002, he has edited and published the travel and lifestyle magazine PAPERSKY, which he founded, while also working across creative projects and media. Through initiatives such as PAPERSKY Tour de Nippon and PAPERSKY Japan Stories, he shares Japan’s culture, nature, and ways of living with audiences in Japan and abroad. Lucas has been creating widescreen, inspirational and organic media since the age of 12. In recent years, based partly in Shizuoka, he has been developing the KATSUO TRAIL and exploring Trail Learning — walking as a way of learning from land, people, and place. He is the co-author of TRAIL LEARNING.
When Lucas isn’t walking 30km a day along Old Japanese paths or riding his bicycle in rural Japan, he’s probably relaxing in his garden and drinking mint tea.

“Captain”
Kaori Berkow

Kaori has been the mental and intellectual force that has been guiding Knee High media since it’s very beginning. While still a University student she helped us launch Tokion, Japan’s first bilingual ‘widescreen’ culture magazine. She meditates in the face of chaos and helps to bring vision to inspiration. She is the force of Knee High and has been creating content as well as inspiring everybody she encounters to create anew since she walked in the office door with cakes and coffee a quarter century ago.

Director
Akira Horiuchi

‘Hori’ graduated from Sophia University with a degree in English Studies. His Chinese zodiac is a wild boar and he fits it to a tee: Kind-hearted, positive and loyal. Hori’s been an invaluable part of our Tour de Nippon project and is excited to bring Japan Stories both to Japan and the World. We are consistently pushing Hori into new worlds and his mix of brains, patience and passion continuously help us to create new paths.

Designer
Silas Vidar

Silas grew up in Belgium, got a degree in Graphic Design and moved to Japan in 2010. We’ve known him since he bought his first desk and pair of running shoes. In addition to Papersky Japan Stories; he’s worked with clients such as Blue Bottle Coffee, Audi, and Uniqlo. We like his design and ‘Earthly’ perspective.