These illustrated maneki-neko goods are the perfect mix of style and tradition
Even if you’ve never set foot in Japan, chances are you’ve probably seen a maneki-neko somewhere. They’re the standing cat figurines that often come in…
Made in Japan
2020: The Year of NieR
NieR: In the Beginning Back in 2010, a small development company called Cavia produced a game for the PS3 with Square Enix Producer Yosuke Saito…
Six Months Since the KyoAni Arson Tragedy
We have just passed the sixth anniversary of the KyoAni Arson tragedy which happened on July 18, 2019. I was absolutely glued to the TV…
Burger King in Akihabara Makes Touching Gesture For Neighboring McDonald’s Closure
For the last 22 years, McDonald’s has served the Akihabara neighborhood from its Showa Dori location. Sadly, those 22 years are coming to a close…
Suntory To Sell Limited Edition 55-Year-Old Yamazaki Whisky For 3.3 Million Yen A Bottle
The niche but classy hobby of raising a glass of Japan’s globally recognized Suntory whisky and saying “For relaxing times, make it Suntory time” just…
Kourakuen Serves Up Chocolate And White Chocolate Ramen For Valentine’s Day
Last year, Japanese ramen chain Kourakuen made the intriguing proposition of chocolate ramen as a Valentine’s Day celebratory meal. For February 2020, the noodle chain…
At Yushima Cat Festival, Get Your Paws on Cute Cat Goods & Visit Charming Downtown Tokyo
Yushima is a charming neighborhood of Tokyo, not far from Akihabara and Kanda, which has retained a lot of its shitamachi (old downtown) flair. With…
Japanese Craftsman’s Cleverly Designed Toothpick Evolves A “Chick” into A Chicken
If you’ve ever played Pokémon, you surely know that if you spend enough time and effort training them well, many Pokémon will evolve into more…
Pompompurin Yaki: Is it a Dessert or a Work of Art?
The phrase: “so cute I could gobble you right up” doesn’t do justice to the new Pompompurin Yaki sweet, currently available in Lawson convenience stores…
Suica Offering Travellers to Eastern Japan Best Travelling & Shopping Experience Yet
For shoppers and adventurers alike, there is no better time to visit Eastern Japan than between January 24th to March 31st thanks to an innovative…
Final Fantasy VII Remake themed cafe to open in Tokyo Skytree
The decades-long history of the Final Fantasy franchise started when the very first game was released in 1987, back when its developer Square Enix was…
Japan opens its first-ever drive-thru boba tea shop in Shiga prefecture
If you were asked to think of examples of drive-thru shops and what they usually have for sale, the first thing that’ll probably pop into…
Glico brings back sakura and sakura-matcha Pocky flavors for an early taste of spring
Just as surely as people in Japan await the first bloom of cherry blossoms every year, it’s also just as sure that when spring draws…
A treat for onsen aficionados: the Arima Six Hot Springs bath salts set
Arima is a spa town in Hyogo Prefecture, just 30 minutes by train from Shin-Kobe station. Arima Hot Springs is considered by aficionados to be…
Wasei Eigo: Japan’s Pseudo-English
Japanese is certainly a very complicated language. What with Chinese characters whose readings change depending on the word, and two sets of phonetic characters, it’s…