Photo/Illutration The cover of the final issue of the weekly Shukan Asahi magazine (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The cover of the final issue of the weekly Shukan Asahi magazine, which is hitting the stands today, humorously recaptures the periodical’s typical newsroom scene of yore.

A person is slurping an ordered-in bowl of ramen at his desk. Another is tearing up a sheet of “genko yoshi” (manuscript paper) and throwing it out. Someone who has just taken a bath ambles along, while two people are trading punches nearby.

Until not so long ago, this was the sort of roughhouse ambience we worked in every day.

Believed to be Japan’s oldest weekly general magazine, Shukan Asahi’s long history is coming to an end after being launched 101 years ago. If I may speak as an insider, it is as if the “cogwheel of history” has just turned with a click.

I visited the magazine’s newsroom last weekend, when the final proofreading was in progress.

“It was the job of the Shukan Asahi to follow up on items of interest and elaborate on what the daily newspaper could not cover,” said Kaoru Watanabe, the magazine's last editor-in-chief.

When the heart of one media outlet stops beating, Watanabe said she wants “not only to record that fact, but also to ensure that the public will remember it.”

The reporters were discussing what headline to use for the final issue.

“How about, ‘What comes after goodbye?’” someone suggested. Another interjected, “Isn’t ‘Damn it!’ exactly how we feel about having to suspend publication?” Yet another said, “We want to say, ‘Thank you.’”

I could sense everyone’s heartbreak and indecision.

The proofreaders sat with their backs ramrod straight, completely focused on their copies. The editors kept silently checking and correcting the texts.

A reader phoned to ask if the magazine was really folding.

“I’ve been your fan forever,” the person said. “This is so sad.”

It was midnight when proofreading was completed for the last page. I left The Asahi Shimbun building when the presses began running.

I gazed up at the dark sky, feeling upset. Goodbye, Shukan Asahi.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.