Zen Loop Family is one of three Latin fonts designed by Yoshimichi Ohira, as part of the Zen Fonts collection.
Tokyo Zoo was originally designed for an animal exhibition. The stripes suggest zoo cages but overall it’s a fun and stylish design.
To contribute, see github.com/googlefonts/zen-tokyo-zoo.
In 2019, Google Fonts started an ambitious project to expand its font library with a variety of typeface designs for Japanese. At that point Google Fonts had fewer than 10 Japanese families, most of which were basic Mincho (serif) and gothic (sans) designs. Since then the collection of Japanese fonts within the library has grown, now with 38 font families from 18 designers, in a variety of styles – from formal text types to fun display fonts. All these Japanese fonts are now live on Google Fonts for anyone to test out and use in any project.
As part of this larger effort to expand Japanese offerings, Google Fonts collaborated with type designer Yoshimichi Ohira to open his prestigious collection of Zen Fonts typefaces to the public. With 23 Japanese and three Latin fonts in various styles of mincho (serif), gothic (sans serif), maru (rounded), and display styles, the Zen Fonts collection is now the largest set of Japanese fonts in Google Fonts’ expansive library, and is also available in Adobe Fonts. Check out The Story of Zen Fonts - interview with Yoshimichi Ohira to learn more.
To learn more, read:
Say Hello to our big new Japanese collection with Zen Fonts (English)
The Story of Zen Fonts - interview with Yoshimichi Ohira (English)
Zenフォント: 新しい日本語フォントコレクションの登場 - 日本語フォントの複雑な美しさについて - (Japanese)
Zenフォントのおはなし：大平善道さんとのインタビュー (Japanese)