A Homemade Ramen Odyssey
(Will Fee, for JAPAN Forward) I had my first taste of Japan in 2011 when I moved to Fukuoka, Kyushu, to work as an eikaiwa…
Japan
New service rents out Sony 4K TVs from $17 a month; includes model updates, free delivery
Being able to watch your favorite shows on a large screen and with excellent image quality makes 4K televisions an attractive proposition. The problem for…
Tired of Zoom Happy Hour? Meet virtually at Roppongi bar’s VR outpost awabar.vr on ambr
If you’ve lived in Tokyo for a while, you may know about awabar, a friendly little standing style bar in Tokyo’s entertainment district of Roppongi….
‘No contact’ app lets you check in to hospitals and hotels with QR code
Under the ‘state of emergency’ the Japanese government is encouraging people to minimise physical contact as much as possible. Yet lots of buildings, including hospitals…
Kombucha in the konbini: Healthy new soda combines kombucha and fermented fruit juice
The notion that kombucha comes from Japan is a common misconception. According to the Japan Times, English speakers very likely mistook the Japanese word kombucha…
Move over Amabie, Japan’s list of virus-fighting “prophetic creatures” is growing
Although Japan seems to have weathered the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, at least in its first wave, many here are still understandably cautious and…
Owner Feels Uneasy After Watching Her Cat Stretch
犬と猫とどっちも飼ってると毎日たのしい Every Day is Fun Raising Both a Cat and Dog Known for works like さばげぶっ (Survival Game Club!) and 猫色保健室 (Cat Colored Infirmary), Japanese…
Burger King Japan’s Strong Super One Pound Beef Burger does not care about diets
In Japan, if you see a snack or sweet labeled with “STRONG” on the package, it’s an indicator that the existing flavor (sweetness, spiciness, etc.)…
Learn about sake-making with livestream of sake shibori pressing at Japanese brewery
In sake brewing, shibori 搾り, or more formally, jōsō 上槽, is the pressing stage of sake production. The sake mash, or moromi 醪, is pressed…
16-year-old Develops Contact Tracing App as Japan Reopens Its Economy
Like the rest of the world, Japan has been walloped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many restaurants and small businesses have shuttered shops as shopping districts…
Dog food maker Petokoto offers free LINE veterinary consultation
Living in lockdown under the state of emergency, many of us aren’t getting as much exercise as we should. The same goes for our pets,…
The Happy Science Religious Movement Claims to Hold the Cure for COVID-19
The religious landscape in Japan is complex. While traditional Shinto culture dates back to time immemorial, its practice is intermixed with the later-to-arrive Buddhist tradition….
Ghost in the Beer: OGA Brewing & “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045” collaborate on IPAs
“Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045,” the cyberpunk manga and anime franchise’s first full installment in 3D computer graphics, debuted exclusively on Netflix on April 23rd…
How a ninja mask gave its user extra power to face the coronavirus
Demand for face masks has been outstripping supply in Japan ever since the ‘state of emergency’ was declared on April 7th. Do they really work?…
Japanese supermarket “Life” lauded for support of employees during pandemic
During the initial novel coronavirus outbreak and even now that the state of emergency is in effect, many supermarkets and drugstores remain open to serve…