Coming off Santa Boots, strawberry short cake, and nutty chocolate Christmas-themed Frappuccinos releases, Starbucks Japan is now shifting its focus toward the country’s central holiday…

Oshōgatsu is coming, Oshōgatsu is coming! What’s that, you ask? It’s the Japanese word for New Year’s, and a special time for Japanese families to…

“U R not e” (ready) If you were a gamer in the United States back in 1995, perhaps you’ll recognize this curious slogan that dropped…

A lesson from Big Bird A child of the nineties, my first exposure to Japan was the gutsy, gripping, epic, and eye-opening documentary, Big Bird…

Changing the political system with an app What were you doing when you were 19? If you were anything like me, you had a menial…

Humans are social creatures, but what happens when their social networks break down? Depression, cognitive decline, cortisol imbalances, and so on, and so on [1]….

A hidden gem in Musashi-Koganei Lots of tourists make it to Tokyo’s preeminent historical museum, the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku. It’s a shame that…

Jessy LeClair for JAPAN Forward It does not get much better than regular deliveries of small-batch Japanese food. I should know. On the 18-hour-plus haul…

Harajuku’s ultra-hip paradise of kawaii, Takeshita Doori, has a secret. Beneath that gaudy veneer of colourful cafes, crepes and character cuteness, Harajuku is hiding a…

Godzilla has been rearing its spectacular, sometimes delicious, head a lot during 2019 in celebration of the kaiju kings 65th birthday. Out of the beasts…

The small loft housing more than 3,000 kites in central Tokyo Tako no Hakubutsukan is a museum just east of Tokyo station dedicated to Kites….

Boba Tea Boom As the end of the year approaches, it seems to be a safe bet that the sweet drink megatrend of boba tea…

Christmas is around the corner and although you would think it’s a national holiday in Japan, it isn’t. Everywhere you go there’s Christmas music playing,…

It’s the winter season in Japan and though the autumn leaves have (mostly disappeared) there are still plenty of ways to enjoy your stay. Newly…

Creative glass and cup designer Goodglas Japan has found a lot of success with their 3D-Art glassware lineup, which uses handmade blown double glass walls…