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 ...
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
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
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,
GENEVA— Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference ...
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
Gurakoro and Gurakuro came out on same day, filling fans’ hearts with joy and filling their stomachs with gratin croquettes.When we found out that McDonald’s Japan was bringing back one of its most popular winter menu items, the Gurakoro, we figured we had our lunch plans set for that day. Gurakoro is short for “gratin croquette burger,” and eating the sandwich with a deep-fried croquette filled with white sauce, macaroni, and shrimp is like devouring a cup of hot soup. Delicious, warming, and f
Complete with departure bell alarms, this is a unique way to wake up for your train in the morning.As much as we love Japanese trains, we also love the stations they pull into, with all their unique sounds and cleverly designed features that give them so much character. At stations operated by East Japan Railway (JR East), for example, you’ll find clocks on the platforms with fluorescent yellow-green dials that make them look like they’re glowing.▼ East Japan Railway (JR East) operat
It has been some time since Azerbaijan officially became a member of the Consultative Council of Central Asia, yet this development continues to captu...
No city in Japan is more symbolic of overtourism these days than Kyoto, so is the travel downturn from China having a noticeable effect?In mid-November, the Chinese government issued an advisory to its citizens calling on them to refrain from traveling to Japan. The statement came following remarks from Japanese prime minster Sanae Takaichi regarding whether Japan would see a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as a threat to itself as well, and whether Japan would feel justified taking military action i
A Ghibli take on a traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration.We recently took a moment to ooh and aah over how cute Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku’sTotoro kagami mochi plushie looks, and to learn a little bit about the traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration that inspired it. Stacks of rice cakes aren’t the only symbols of good fortune and prosperity that Japanese homes are adorned with at the end of the year, though, and today we’ve got another one with a twist: a Kiki’s Del
Bears in Japan are steadily getting closer to urban areas.Not too long ago, conventional thinking was that when journeying through the forests and mountains of Japan, you should be on the lookout for bears. Conversely, when commuting through your city’s central train station, bears shouldn’t be a top priority—wild boars perhaps, but bears tend to have more sense.The times they are a-changing, however, and it seems that this is the year of the bears in Japan, as they’ve been enc
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology on the 24th for the first time in four years. With the elevation...
It’s not Turkish, and even the rice plays a minor role, but it’s a meal beloved by locals that always sees a clean plate at the end of the meal. Nagasaki, being tucked away on the southwestern island of Kyushu, doesn’t quite see the same thoroughfare of international travelers as the more central cities, like Tokyo, Kyoto or even Hiroshima do. However, from the Dutch-themed amusement park Huis Ten Bosch and the Nagasaki Lantern Festival to the battleship-shaped island of Gunkanjima
You can eat Shin Godzilla’s Kamata-kun very close to Kamata.Despite all the destruction he causes, for several decades Godzilla was often depicted as a sort of savior of humanity. Sure, he still regularly flattened large swaths of Tokyo, but he did so while battling other even more dangerous or inherently evil kaiju, with the resulting collateral damage often treated as a preferable outcome compared to what would have happened had the “bad” monster been allowed to run rampant.2016’s Shin Godzill
Cute anime characters are here to give you all the encouragement you need.Back before emojis and digital stamps appeared in messaging apps, ink stamps were a popular way to convey messages, and it’s a tradition Studio Ghibli is keen to keep alive, with a new collection of stamps featuring the Totoros from My Neighbour Totoro.There are 11 designs to collect, starting with six square varieties, priced at 418 yen (US$2.67) each, that convey emotion simply with characters’ facial express
Japan’s gyudon king now has Gyunikutama Ramen available too for the winter.Yoshinoya’s big thing is, and always has been, beef bowls, or, as they’re called in Japanese, gyudon. So strong is the connection between Yoshinoya and gyudon that when we were looking at the menu and read “gyu” our brains were almost ready to mentally autofill it to “gyudon.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen, because if it had, we might have missed out on something we don’t expect to find at Yoshinoya: ramen.▼ You can see
Gomu-Gomu Fruit Punch is bouncing back.Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason, the devil fruit from One Piece which we’ll keep calling “Gum-Gum Fruit” for now, looks incredibly appetizing. I first noticed this over a decade ago, when 7-Eleven came out with a Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu-Gomu no Mi) melon pan, and I bought one without hesitation, followed shortly by a second, a third, and…you get the idea.▼ A Gum-Gum FruitMy advice to any food producer is to just make someth
Fish possibly caught right after its best friend Krilin was killed.I always imagine one of the most fun things about discovering something new is being able to name it whatever you want. I could be wrong, though. For the people who put all that time and effort into discovering new things, maybe the last thing on their minds is what they’d call it when they finally do find something.But sometimes the right name for a plant or animal just seems to jump right out at you, as it did for a resea
We head to Shinjuku to encounter these Square Enix video game mascots turned tasty treats.There’s a roasted sweet potato stand called Katsugorou located just two blocks over from Shinjuku Station in downtown Tokyo. Usually, this wouldn’t have such a bearing on me personally, since while Japan does have some really nice sweet potatoes, they aren’t my go-to snack. I’m much more of a taiyaki kind of guy…Ah, now we’re talking! It turns out that Katsugorou has taiyaki too.The tai in taiyaki mea