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Huge new Ghibli chopstick series means you’ll always have company with your meals【Pics】

Totoro, Haku, and other Studio Ghibli anime movie stars make the leap from the screen to the table.It’s common knowledge that chopsticks are the utensil of choice for most meals in Japan, but what’s not so widely known is that each member of the household has their own chopsticks, which only they use. So instead of buying a jumbo pack of identical designs, you pick out a pair that looks and feels just right for you, and if you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli anime, that might mean that a set of Ghibli

Kagawa’s Udon Gummies are so hard to chew they come with warning labels

You might need some good dental insurance.Kagawa Prefecture, the land of the thick and starchy noodles known as udon, uses the slurping food in a number of interesting ways, from celebrating a newly constructed bath with the neighborhood to soothing crying babies. On his way back from his tour of the prefecture, where he enjoyed the art-filled island of Naoshima, our Japanese-language reporter Kouhey found a mysterious souvenir as he was wandering around Takamatsu Airport that many people seemed

Sanrio and Sonic the Hedgehog characters become fast friends with new plushie collection

Gotta go fast, gotta be friendly.Back in September, Hello Kitty and her pals brought some much-needed smiles to the Evangelion cast, as part of a collaboration between Sanrio and the famously somber mecha anime. It was a testament to how Kitty-chan’s crew can get along with anyone, and sure enough, they’re expanding their circle of friends yet again, this time to include Sonic the Hedgehog.The six Sanrio characters from the Evangelion crossover are here again, each paired up with a character fro

Starbucks Japan releases new Christmas drink that can be topped with whipped cream

Japan-exclusive beverage promises to be a feast for the eyes this holiday season. The holiday period holds a special place for Starbucks. Since the first release of the “Starbucks Christmas Blend” in the U.S. in 1984, and the launch of limited-edition red cup designs in 1997, the chain has been going all out with its seasonal offerings. Here in Japan, the chain’s third largest market after the U.S. and China, you can enjoy exclusive Frappuccinos, merchandise, and even special c

Super Sentai Series to end after this season

Who are the Power Rangers going to get content from now?It’s with heavy hearts that we repot the impending end of the long-running Super Sentai Series of spandex-clad superhero teams that have been a cornerstone of the tokusatsu genre for five decades. Japanese news agency Kyodo first reported the news on the evening of 30 October with next to no explanation from TV Asahi on why it was unceremoniously axed on its 50th anniversary of all years.▼ There’s quite a lot of them by this poi

The Latest: US will share sensitive nuclear submarine technology with South Korea, Trump says

The United States will share closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, President ...

Totoro fountain figurine recreates the sights and sounds of one of anime’s most memorable scenes

Mei and Totoro bring the Ghibli moment’s rain to your home.It’s a testament to the artistry with which the film was made that My Neighbor Totoro took something as simple as waiting for a bus and made it one of the most memorable scenes in animation history. It’s a sequence that shouldn’t be all that interesting, just a couple of characters standing around in the rain and not really saying or doing much else, but the visual and aural details make all the difference, and are crafted with such care

Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods, drinkware and candles for the 2025 holiday season

Three never-before-seen candles, in scents inspired by the chain’s tea and coffee blends.With Christmas just around the corner, Starbucks is here to deliver holiday cheer with a new range of festive goods. This year, the range includes mugs, cups, notebooks, ornaments and three never-before-seen candles that are bound to bring you joy this holiday season.So let’s get straight to it, starting with the drinkware items, which are surprisingly scarce this year.▼ Stainless Steel Gingerbre

Burger King dares people to trick or treat them in Japan this Halloween

Those who take up the challenge will get a free ice cream in return.Nobody does marketing in Japan quite like Burger King. After poking fun at its main competitor through cryptic posters, the chain continues to surprise and delight customers with ideas that come from left-field, including its latest campaign, dubbed “Trick or Treat“.Available only from 2-6 p.m. on 31 October, the campaign aims to promote the Halloween custom of trick or treating, which is yet to catch on in Japan. To

Japan Legal Wedding service offers a path for travelers to hold destination weddings in Japan

Company offers wedding services at shrines, temples, and castles in northeastern Japan.As Japan becomes increasingly popular as a travel destination, it stands to reason that there’s also likely growing intertest in the country as a place for a destination wedding. However, while Japanese-style wedding ceremonies don’t require that couples about to be wed be followers of the Shinto or Buddhist faiths, there is a potential sticking point for travelers looking to tie the knot in Japan, which is th

English teachers in Japan apologize for having low-proficiency kids say “poison” in assigned video

Higher-proficiency students were given more positive-sounding words to start recording their pronunciation videos with.In teaching foreign languages, there are two facets that educators have to take into consideration. One is the subject matter itself, encompassing things such as introducing vocabulary, explaining grammar, and fine-tuning pronunciation. The other is the psychological aspect, helping learners feel comfortable engaging with the language, and it’s in that area that a public high sc

Beautiful Totoro bento box mixes classic and modern symbols of Japan

Two-tier box shows the forest spirit looks adorable even with motifs much older than the Studio Ghibli anime he made his debut in.Film critics and commentators have often drawn parallels between My Neighbor Totoro and aspects of Japan’s religious beliefs and folklore, particularly the concept of spirits and deities being present in the natural environment. But while the title character is a forest spirit, and there is a Shinto shrine not far from sisters Mei and Satsuki’s country home, you won’t

Japan’s mini VHS anime home video replicas are the newest blast of capsule toy nostalgia【Pics】

Classic Clamp anime series has its home video release recreated in mini charm form.Japan has a lot of capsule toys, and a whole bunch of those are stocked with anime items. Even though anime has become a medium that fans increasingly consume digitally, it makes sense that there should still be a desire for something that serves as a tactile connection to their favorite characters and series, such as a figure or pin.But as veteran anime fans can tell you, there was a time when one of the purest p

Coffin meditation sessions being offered by Tokyo relaxation parlor

Kanoke-in invites you to crawl into a kanoke.Japan is big on places to relax. Whether it’s a cozy cafe, mountainside hot spring, or just a park with benches along tree-lined footpaths, the appeal of somewhere where you can give you mind a rest is something many people can see.So initially Meiso Kukan Kanoke-in, a new relaxation place that opened this fall in Tokyo’s Takadanobaba neighborhood, doesn’t seem like such a strange idea. Meiso Kukan translates to “meditation space,” and the “in” part o

Yakuza video game even in Japan allows fans to both marry and divorce their 2-D crushes

Like a Dragon/Yakuza exhibition offers wedding ceremonies with charavter of your choice, provides paperwork to tie the knot and sever it too.The storylines of Sega’s Like a Dragon/Yakuza games get into some pretty crazy scenarios. Sure, they start off gritty and grounded, with missions focused on loansharking and personal injury scams, but before you know it you’re raiding a backup version of Osaka Castle that’s made out of gold, or infiltrating a secret battleship that’s been hiding underwater

Studio Ghibli releases new Howl’s Moving Castle perpetual calendar

For years of perpetual joy. Studio Ghibli delighted fans around the nation last month, when it announced the release of its 2026 anime calendars. However, there was one drawback to the collection, in that we still had to wait several months before we could actually use them.Here to solve that problem, though, is Ghibli specialty chain Donguri Kyowakoku, with the brand new release of its “Howl’s Moving Castle Perpetual Calendar“. As the name suggests, the perpetual calendar is d

We predict that new gourmet burger shop Neo Nice Burger is going to be bun in a million

We check out the new hamburger specialty shop with nice buns that has joined its sister shop I’m Donut? in Shibuya.A new Japanese restaurant specializing in hamburgers called 28 entered the burger game on October 11. It has the same operating company, Peace Put, as the I’m Donut? Japanese donut chain, which opened its first location in 2022 and currently has four locations throughout Japan. In fact, Neo Nice Burger’s first location happens to be directly above the Shibuya Miyam

10 great autumn Japan travel spots for fall colors and retro atmosphere【Survey】

Travelers give their picks for the best places to take a trip to see seasonal leaves and feel yesteryear vibes.We’re right on the cusp of peak fall color season in Japan. The leaves have already started turning to vivid hues of crimson and gold in northeastern Japan, and are now working their seasonal shade-changes down towards the rest of the country as well.Compared to the lively parties of cherry blossom season, the fall leaves tend to elicit a more tranquil, relaxed response. As such, they’r

Shutdown stalemate hits 28-day mark as Trump continues Asia diplomacy tour

As the shutdown stalemate continues in the US, President Donald Trump signed a framework with Japan during his Asia diplomacy tour on securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths. Follow for live updates

Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas Frappuccino and holiday drinks for 2025

With Halloween yet to come, Starbucks is already serving up festive cheer.There’s a lot of competition out there in the world of sweet dessert drinks, so one way to stay ahead of the curve is by beating everyone to the punch with seasonal releases. Nobody beats Starbucks at this game, because on 27 October, four full days ahead of Halloween, the chain revealed its limited-edition drinks for the holiday season. The theme for this year is “Joyful Medley – Connected by Joy”, with the notion b