Azia Phreak Mail Surver

Japan’s oldest largetooth sawfish in captivity back on display in Mie Prefecture

You say you saw fish, but have you seen a sawfish?Nature sometimes has the same sensibilities as I did as a seven-year-old drawing pictures. It seems at some point both of us had the idea that sharks are cool and all, but what if you took a shark and put a big chainsaw-like thing on its face?The answer is a sawfish, and while it’s not really a chainsaw nor is it really a shark, these rays are still pretty cool. Unfortunately, they’re also critically endangered species and desperately

Beautiful sightseeing boat is a floating tea ceremony venue in east Japan’s best hot spring town

Daichakai sets sail in Hakone.Nestled in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, the town of Hakone makes for a great weekend or overnight trip from the Tokyo area. In addition to some of east Japan’s best hot springs, Hakone boats beautiful scenery, and a trip across Lake Ashinoko is a must-do for the views of the surrounding forests and, on clear days, Mt. Fuji.On our most recent trip to Hakone, though, it wasn’t just the views from our boat that were beautiful, but the views of the boat itself

Survey finds more than 70 percent of Japanese children have an online friend

Meeting someone through games or social media is becoming just as normal as going to the playground.It wasn’t so long ago that a child making a new friend simply meant walking up to a kid in the park, on the playground, or at school and asking, “Want to play together?” Nowadays, while those scenarios certainly do still happen, a rising number of children are just as likely to meet friends through online video games, social media, and online communities.▼ This used to be one of the only ways you

This is possibly the coziest train in all Japan thanks to onboard hot spring footbaths【Pics】

Train to off-the-beaten-path onsen town gives you a taste of Japanese bathing culture even before you arrive at your destination.One of the coziest things that happens in Japan in the winter is when the rail companies turn on the heaters underneath the seats on the trains. Having warm air blowing on your calves feels so nice that sometimes I almost don’t want to get off the train when I got to the station I was headed to.But it turns out that there’s an even cozier way to ride the rails coming s

Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】

Cute culture in your cup.Time zones and Japan’s geography makes it one of the first countries in the world to ring in the New Year on January 1, but its culture also makes it the first country to celebrate the start of a new Chinese Zodiac year. That’s because Japan is in the unique position of not really celebrating the Lunar New Year but also really, really liking Chinese zodiac theming.So while the Year of the Horse won’t start until mid-February in most places, in Japan it’s less than a week

Beautiful Studio Ghibli photo frames let you put yourself in the worlds of Totoro and Kiki【Pics】

Intricately detailed frames let you mix your real life memories with Ghibi’s unforgettable anime settings.I’ve always though it’s kind of odd when you’re shopping for a photo frame and there’s already a picture of people inside of it. I guess the intent is to help you gauge the overall visual vibe before you commit to making the purchase, but it still feels weird to buy something that comes with a picture of complete strangers included as part of the deal.The people pictured within these photo f

New Japanese menstrual product seeks to help women spot unidentified iron deficiencies

A new test kit checks for hidden iron deficiency using menstrual blood, and it’s super simple to use.Have you ever wound up dragging yourself out of bed in the morning, feeling exhausted even after a full night’s sleep? Or have you often find yourself zoning out at work? While stress and poor sleep quality might be the more common culprits, there might be a hidden player at work: iron deficiency.Iron deficiency is especially common among women, particularly those who menstruate, with frequ

J-horror classic Ring 2 airing on Japanese TV with Zen monk offering prayers every time someone dies

Japan’s most quirkily empathetic monk is back to keep bad mojo away from us as the year ends.There are a lot of different ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Japan. If you want to get orthodox, tradition says you should make a midnight visit to your local temple to literally ring in the new year, offering prayers seeking peace and prosperity while a bell is sounded to drive off wickedness and impure temptations. There’s the cozy approach of a quiet evening at home with family, maybe with your le

7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it

With peak Fuji-viewing season coming up, here are seven spots to add to your Japan travel list.In addition to being Japan’s tallest and most famous mountain, Mt. Fuji is also considered a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. That means that a lot of people will be wanting to get a peek at it in the weeks to come, and so Japanese travel portal Jalan has a handful of recommendations of where to find great views of Mt. Fuji without having to go all the way to the mountain itself (which is closed

Sumo Sanrio! Hello Kitty and pals team up with Japan Sumo Association for new merch【Pics】

Two Sanrio stars slip on sumo loincloths to celebrate the first nig sumo tournament of the year.Some people like to ease into the new year, taking it easy for the first few weeks and not really revving up their work schedules until February. Not so for the Japan Sumo Association, which every year in January holds the Hatsu Basho, or first Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament. This year, though, the sumo wrestlers and support staff will be joined by someone else with a tireless work ethic, Hello Kitty.San

Cyberpunk anime meets traditional culture in Ghost in the Shell gold leaf Japanese changing screens

Ghost in the Shell on the byobu.Something I noticed a long time ago is that posters seem to be more popular among anime fans overseas than in Japan. That’s not because Japanese fans don’t appreciate the artwork of their country’s animated works, of course, but rather because hanging things, including posters, on your walls in general is comparatively less common in Japan.But now here comes Tokyo-based creative company UMAA with a very eye-catching alternative to anime posters, with an anime byob

Mr. Sato accosts award-winning actor Hideaki Ito【Interview】

Sato vs Ito: Requiem.Hideaki Ito is a well-established actor in Japanese TV and film, having starred in the popular Umizaru series, some Takashi Miike films, Kamen Rider, and three Coca-Cola commercials. He is also the current star of the live-action adaptation of the yakuza manga Donketsu, currently in its second season of streaming on Japan’s DMM TV.With rugged good looks and award-winning acting chops, it’s certainly no understatement to say he’s among Japan’s top star

Hello Kitty Choco Egg figures are an adorable trip through three periods of Japanese pop culture【Pics】

Kitty-chans representing the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras are waiting inside these sweet treats.Japanese candymaker Furuta seems pretty upfront with the name of its Choco Egg sweets, as they’re chocolates shaped and sized like the eggs you’d find in supermarket. However, there’s a key piece of information missing from the Choco Egg name, which is that inside of each egg is a toy.Making the contents of a Choco Egg all the more important to be aware of is that these aren’t generic little trinkets

7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】

7-Eleven is trying to innovate beyond cup noodles, but does this new technology deliver the flavor ramen fans need?Recently, we found ourselves in the mood for ramen as we stepped through the door of a 7-Eleven Japan branch. On this day, though, we didn’t head to the aisle where the Cup Noodles and other instant varieties are stocked. Instead, we made our way to the freezer case……and when we got there, we grabbed a bowl of shoyu (soy sauce-based broth) ramen.Now, you might find yours

Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade

A simple envelope leads to funding children’s aid, and providing steady work for people with disabilities.New Year’s is a major event in Japan, much like Christmas is in the West, full of cultural traditions that span back decades, and even centuries. One of those is the practice of adults handing children small, colorful envelopes filled with money in a custom called otoshidama, meant to share good fortune at the start of the year.Originally, the concept of otoshidama is said to have come from

Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment

It’s time, once again, to pull out every trick we can think of to try to boost our luck in Japan’s huge end of the year lottery.As the year winds down, it’s time once again for the Nenmatsu Jumbo Takarakuji, a giant lottery held in Japan every year with a maximum prize of one billion yen (approximately US$7 million). But our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori doesn’t need that much money. Why, he’d be plenty pleased with even just the second-highest Nenmatsu Jumbo prize tier, which would net h

Is it rude to sing along at concerts in Japan? We ask a pro musician for his take

A recent online debate has sparked some fierce opinions about whether it’s OK for fans to sing along at concerts.There’s nothing like a good online debate with strangers to fuel some fires, especially when it comes to personal passions. The most recent debate that’s ruffling some feathers in Japan relates to concert etiquette–specifically, whether it’s OK for fans to sing along at live musical performances.Discussion was initially sparked by one fan’s viral so

Dragon Quest Burgers and Slime drinks are coming to McDonald’s Japan【Video】

Heroic sword slash inspires trio of burgers.As the creature is wont to do, Dragon Quest’s Slime appeared last week, showing up in a reveal of new toys coming as part of a collaboration between the video game franchise and McDonald’s Japan. Just like with McDonald’s Evangelion crossover from a year ago, though, this partnership isn’t just about the toys, but about food too, as McDonald’s has also just announced that a trio of Dragon Quest Burgers, plus Slime soft drinks, are coming soon.The visua

Merry Christmas from SoraNews24!

Wishing a merry Christmas to SoraNews24 fans all over the world.Yes, we did remember to put out cookies and milk for Santa-san, as everyone respectfully calls him in Japan, before we want to bed last night. While we were at it, though, we decided to stockpile some treats for ourselves too, though, and so we’ll be taking the day off today to munch, loaf, and do all the other great things to do in our cozy heated homes on a chilly winter day.Before our mouths are full of Fluffy Pikachu donuts, tho

Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware

Yamada Heiando has been in business for over 100 years, but it’s still got new ideas for its Pokémon crossover line.Pokémon will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year. That’s an impressive milestone for an entertainment franchise, but their partner in their newest creative endeavor also knows a thing or two about staying consistently popular, as 2026 will mark Yamada Heiando’s 107th year in business.Founded in Tokyo in 1919, Yamada Heiando specializes in lacquerware, and its reputation f