The Universal Cool Japan initiative is Universal Studios Japan’s collaborative effort to promote Japanese entertainment and pop culture around the world with attractions that allow…

The nostalgic world of Momoko Sakura’s manga Chibi Maruko-Chan, set in a Japanese suburb in the 1970s, and the simple everyday school life and family…

When Cup Noodle released its Mystery Meat Festival noodles last year to celebrate its 45th anniversary, fans of the ubiquitous instant noodles were surprised by…

Takes on the all-Japanese cast of the upcoming live action Fullmetal Alchemist film seem to cover the spectrum of reservation, optimism, and apathy, but original…

Sometimes, certain less populated prefectures of Japan which are less commonly frequented by tourists and less commonly known by average city-dwellers are characterized in popular…

One of the features characterizing the Japanese commercial food and beverage industry is that new variations of products, whether in flavor, packaging, or size, continually…

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo director Shinichiro Watanabe will have his hands full in collaborating on the U.S. live-action TV series of Cowboy Bebop, but…

Japan’s fascinating lore of vengeful spirits and abundance of spooky abandoned spots has resulted in some particularly interesting horror-themed services (as well as Instagram accounts),…

As part of their Universal Cool Japan initiative (an effort to promote popular Japanese entertainment around the world), Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan has often tapped…

Most of us probably know people like this. They’re Mr. or Ms. Congeniality in public, whether with classmates or with coworkers, never a wrinkled brow…

Fans of the ever-popular blue-haired part-coiffed younger sister maid demoness, Rem, from the anime “Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World” have been treated to some…

For fans of celebrated animation studio Studio Ghibli in Japan, Donguri Kyowakoku is a must-visit paradise. The Studio Ghibli specialty shop has offered a variety…

(Updated on 8/7/2018) Meet Ayananana. She dances as an odorite, following a performance genre that has blossomed in the past ten years. Fans of mostly…

One of Japan’s most popular anime-themed pop-up shops is back, with the Sailor Moon Cafe 2017 officially opening up at four different locations in the…

For video game fans visiting Japan, it sometimes comes as a surprise that when discussing the occupation of perhaps the most famous video game character…