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A whole slew of Totoro Christmas cakes are on their way to make the season extra merry【Photos】

Studio Ghibli-themed bakery puts a tasty spin on Japan’s Christmas cake tradition.With December here, it’s time to not only get serious about Christmas shopping, but also Christmas cakes. In Japan, the typical Christmas Eve/party dessert is a strawberry shortcake, but if you want something that keeps that tradition going while still feeling a little more special than the ultra-orthodox versions, a Totoro Christmas cake might be just what you need this holiday season.Pictured above is this year’s

Japanese convenience store chain has beer and sake dispensers that few people know about

Shhh…don’t let anyone know we told you about the secrets you can find inside New Days.Whenever anyone talks about Japanese convenience store chains, they’re usually referring to one of the nation’s top three, Lawson, 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. However, locals know there are hidden gems to be found at other convenience stores, and over at New Days, the chain run by East Japan Railways (JR East), you’ll find some branches that have beer and sake servers inside of them.▼

Burger King Japan’s newest all-you-can-eat burger deal is its smelliest yet

The Ninniku Garlic the One-Pounder is a burger so pungent they garlic-named it twice.It’s often said that the most popular day on which to start a diet is “tomorrow,” and I suppose we could stretch that concept out to say that “next year” is an appealing choice of timing as well. So if you’ve given yourself a pass to eat whatever you want in the remaining days of 2025, Burger King Japan has an offer for you: all-you-can-eat one-pound burgers.The chain has announced the third round of its One Pou

Mobilicom to Participate in the iAccess Alpha Virtual Best Ideas Winter Investment Conference 2025 on December 9–10, 2025

Palo Alto, California, Dec. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mobilicom Limited (Nasdaq: MOB, MOBBW) (“Mobilicom” or the “Company”), a provider of cybersecurity and robust solutions for drones and robotics, today announced that its management will be participating in the iAccess Alpha Virtual Best Ideas Winter Investment Conference 2025 on December 9 and 10, 2025. Oren Elkayam, the Company’s Founder and CEO, will deliver a presentation at 3:00 PM ET on Tuesday, December 9, followed by one-on-one meet

Trump's Asia tour sees deals, knee-bending and a revealing final meeting

US presidential trips abroad have traditionally been an opportunity to display the power of the American nation on the world stage. Donald Trump's five-day swing through eastern Asia, on the other ...

Amtech to Participate in The Benchmark Company 14th Annual Discovery One-on-One Investor Conference

Amtech Systems, Inc. ("Amtech") (NASDAQ: ASYS), a manufacturer of equipment and consumables enabling AI semiconductor device packaging and advanced substrate fabrication, today announced its ...

Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported

Tripling the current tax still isn’t enough for some politicians who want travelers to pay even more when flying out of Japan.It’s looking increasingly likely that the Japanese government is going to be raising the departure tax charged to travelers flying out of the country at the earliest opportunity. Last month came reports that policymakers are considering tripling the tax, and now come reports that some travelers will likely be paying even more.To recap, travelers are charged a departure ta

Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?

We assess the political fallout at one of Tokyo’s biggest tourist hotspots.On the evening of 26 November, the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo issued a call on social media for people to refrain from travelling to Japan. The announcement came two weeks after the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs first called for travel restrictions, citing “deteriorating security conditions in Japan” as the reason. In response, on 21 November, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially released statisti

Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan

A rare case of food coming out of Kirby instead of going inside.There’s arguably no Japanese pop culture character better suited to food-based collaborations than Nintendo’s Kirby. Not only is the guy absolutely adorable, his whole deal is that he’s always ready to chow down on something tasty.We recently taste-tested some delicious Kirby mochi sweets from Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart, but since he’s always hungry for more, he’s already on to his next team-up, this time with revo

Cup Noodle mystery meat instant rice returns to Japanese stores after a seven-year absence

There was no mystery as to whether fans wanted more mystery meat, and Nissin is finally giving it to them.When you start scarfing down on Cup Noodles, obviously you’re in the mood for ramen. However, there’s something other than the noodles in that cup that also get fans really excited: the mystery meat.Mystery meat is what Cup Noodle maker Nissin calls those little meaty cubes that you’ll find floating in the broth of Japan’s most popular brand of instant ramen. So strong is the love for myster

What’s in a Lawson fukubukuro lucky bag?

Japanese convenience store chain tempts us with a good time. The Japanese tradition of retailers releasing lucky grab bags known as “fukubukuro” has changed over the years, with many companies now selling their bags well ahead of the usual New Year’s Day start date, and sometimes just to spread joy regardless of the season.One big name currently playing with fukubukuro conventions is Japanese convenience store chain Lawson, who recently surprised customers by adding lucky bags

What makes something “kawaii” to women from Japan, China, and South Korea? Survey investigates

Let’s find out if a cute thing for one woman is still cute for another from a different country.From Sanrio characters to starry-eyed idol singers, it’s no secret that kawaii (“cute”) culture is huge in Japan. Whole museums and theme parks have been dedicated to the concept of kawaii. Heck, it’s hard to even enter a convenience store without seeing the latest kawaii character to lend a hand at marketing some random product.Japanese entertainment company FuRyu, known

Japanese town suing resident for being a jerk

How big of a jerk do you need to be before your own town sues you?The town of Mihama in Aichi Prefecture has a problem in the form of a single man in his 60s who will not leave them alone. Back in 2020, he contacted the town hall regarding a matter which they had no authority over. When they informed him of that, he began verbally abusing them… nonstop… for the next five years.What exactly the man wanted isn’t completely clear, but piecing it together from various reports, he a

Trump's Asia tour sees deals, knee-bending and a revealing final meeting

Classic anime Inuyasha teams up with discount shop Thank You Mart for first time with new merch

This nostalgic merch lineup will transport you right back in time to your youth without needing to fall down any wells.Thank You Mart is a Japanese discount store geared towards younger crowds that sells exclusive character-driven merchandise from popular franchises. All of its items cost no more than 390 yen (US$2.50) without tax (429 yen with tax), which gives it its name of “Sankyuu Mart”–literally san (“three”) and kyuu (“nine”), which sound like the English wor

Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?

We stop by to see how the city, its merchants, and its deer are doing.With the Chinese government issuing a travel advisory telling citizens to refrain from leisure travel to Japan, Japan is facing the potential loss of its largest source of inbound international tourism. The possible effect looms especially large for Japan’s most popular attractions among foreign travelers, and after checking in to see how things are going in Tokyo’s Sensoji neighborhood and a number of districts in Kyoto, our

This one delicious Japanese dessert has at least six different names

Survey creates map of what different parts of Japan call one of its favorite traditional desserts.Every region of Japan has its own local foods, either dishes or ingredients, that it’s particularly proud of. There are some things, however, that transcend prefectural and regional borders, things that are loved across Japan, and one of them is the treat seen in these photos.These discs of pancake like batter, thick and with sweet fillings such as anko (sweet red bean paste), custard, or chocolate

Japanese police attempting to clamp down on “zombie cigarettes”

Who doesn’t want to be a zombie that smokes?Although Japan doesn’t tend to have quite as prolific a drug culture as other countries, one does exist, and the newest part of it to make headlines has been “zombie cigarettes” (literally “zombie tobacco” in Japanese, but “tobacco” is often used to refer to cigarettes in the language).That’s the name the Japanese media and authorities tend to use for it, and other names include “zombie juice,

China to Host ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2027

GENEVA— Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference ...

Tokyo’s Ueno Station has an unmanned noodle restaurant on its platform, and its no-joke good

A reason to make sure to walk all the way to the end of the platform.Having somewhere you need to go and being hungry aren’t mutually exclusive conditions, and so many of Japan’s train stations have places to grab a bite to eat inside the ticket gates. Among the most common station restaurant types are soba noodle stands, sometimes located right on the platform and run by a short-order cook who can whip up a bowl for you to quickly scarf down before hopping on your train. For example, if you’re