Geshary Coffee: Tokyo’s finest speciality coffee shop
For many years, the English-speaking world was famous for its terrible coffee, but the last 20 years have seen a radical shake-up of coffee drinking….
New smartphone game proves you can catch anything with a stroller
Strollers are just for babys right? Wrong. This new Japanese smartphone game can prove it. Onegai! Babycar! is a new smartphone game available on the…
Grandaughter asks grandpa why he became bus driver and manga tells his compelling response
There is a lot us young rapscallions can learn from older generations. While the culturally sensitive and information-dense lifestyles of millennials and Gen Zers have…
Japan to Partially Lift Travel Ban
Amidst an apparent second wave of Covid-19 infections centered in Tokyo, the Japanese government is looking to ease travel restrictions to allow re-entry for some…
Itohkyuemon’s most luxurious matcha ice-cream bars are perfect for summer!
The traditional tea house of Itohkyuemon, located in the city of Uji, Kyoto, specializes in excellent tea blends. Once again, it has exceeded my expectations…
Learn the lost art of the Ainu language
Like other indigenous groups, the Ainu people of Hokkaido and the north-eastern Honshu island of Japan have experienced marginalization. After the Japanese government annexed their…
Untouched deliveries and stand-in baseball fans: Japanese robotics join COVID-19 fight
If you’re an avid reader of Grape Japan, you’re well aware that Japan is experiencing a robot renaissance. According to the World Robotics – Industrial…
High-energy performers shred on the traditional Japanese instrument the shamisen
You gotta love music. Whether its spacey ambient kankyo ongaku, relaxing jazz progressions from the 1970s, or a seven-hour kawaii danceathon, there’s nothing like the…
Japan pressures China over Uighur crackdown while residents support the Muslim minority
We recently covered the Ainu indigenous people of Japan. We looked at their traditional music as well as “Ainu My Voice,” a short-film following Rie…
Japan’s Studio Ghibli Hawaiian shirts collection will spirit away your summer wardrobe
Official Studio Ghibli fashion brand GBL will open their first ever brick and mortar store in Miyashita Park in Shibuya this summer, after peddling their…
Hatsune Miku club event Digital Stars to hold first online event free on Twitch
Hatsune Miku fans, especially those who attended any one of the MIKU EXPO events in Seattle (2016), San Francisco (2016), Los Angeles (2016, 2018), New…
3-D art bubbly Hello Kitty glasses will make your drinks and desserts kawaii
Artistic glass and cup designer Goodglas Japan has gained quite the fanbase lately due to their creative bubbly 3D-art glasses, which use handmade blown double…
Kyoto matcha maker & “macho” tofu brand collaborate on soymilk soft-serve ice cream
The hot summer months are upon us, and that means its the perfect season for ice cream. If you happen to live in the Kyoto…
Satomi Ishihara exclusive interview Summer 2020 “Unsung Cinderella: Midori, The Hospital Pharmacist”
Note: This text is reproduced verbatim and provided courtesy of © Fuji Television Network, Inc. Satomi Ishihara is now playing a leading role in Fuji…
On eve of arson anniversary, Kyoto Animation issues statement on visiting 1st Studio area
On the morning of July 18th, 2019, Building One of Kyoto Animation in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward tragically burned to the ground in a horrific arson-murder…