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New Totoro carabiner pouches are ready to clip/tag along with you on all your adventures[Photos]

Two Totoros, and one other Studio Ghibli character, are cute, fuzzy, and useful in new accessory lineup.Aesthetic tastes are subjective, and that’s especially so for fashion and accessories. But let’s be honest here. We can all agree that a pouch that’s shaped like Totoro is superior to a pouch that doesn’t look like Studio Ghibli’s beloved anime forest spirit, right?Ah, but here we run into a problem. Because if you have your pouch stuffed into a bag, inside a drawer, or somewhere else where it

Japanese-style afternoon tea in this Japanese manor house outside downtown Tokyo is something special

The atmosphere is as elegant as the cuisine at this amazing restaurant.Ganko is a Japanese restaurant group with most of its locations in the Osaka area. They’ve got a whole bunch of sub-brands with different specialties, such as Ganko conveyor belt sushi or curry restaurants. Today, though, we’re talking about Ganko’s Oyashiki locations, which are restaurants converted from yashiki, or classical Japanese manor houses.▼ Photos of some of Ganko’s Oyashiki restaurantsYashiki are architectural work

Haikyu fan event lets you step onto the court, see what it’s like to play with the anime athletes

“Haikyu on the Court” is more than just a cool name.Sports anime/manga Haikyu has a fan event coming to Tokyo and Osaka, and yes, it’ll have the new illustrations and merch expected for such a celebration. But the name of the event, Haikyu on the Court, isn’t just a nod to the source material, but because fans will actually get to step onto the volleyball court and experience what it’s like to play with and against the series’ cast of characters.The experience portion of the event is divided int

Studio Ghibli croquettes not to eat, but to keep your stuff in, going on sale in Japan[Photos]

Resist the urge to eat this Ghibli food.From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli’s more grounded anime films, and in multiple senses of the word. Taking place entirely in real-world Yokohama in the 1960s, it doesn’t feature any of the magical or whimsical-contraption flying scenes that are often found in the studio’s other works.However, From Up on Poppy Hill does carry on the Ghibli tradition of lovingly drawn food that looks so good that you almost want to reach out towards the screen and

Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring

A relaxing, adorable, and free place to soak your toes with Pikachu, Gyarados, and more.We recently took a look at Japan’s newest Pokéfuta, a collection of six Pokémon-themed manhole covers being installed later this month on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture. Each of the covers has a different design, highlighting local culture and attractions, since part of the purpose of the Pokéfuta (also called Poké Lids) is to encourage travelers to visit less-famous parts of Japan and help support

Almost all Japanese women say they dislike random gacha/blind-box toys in survey

Instead of the supposed excitement and mystery, many fans just want the item they want.Between capsule toy machines and blind-box figures, pins, and other trinkets, you could say this is the golden age for random-purchase fan merch in Japan. Part of the appeal, ostensibly, is the excitement born from uncertainty, since you won’t know what you’ve got until after you make the purchase, but are fans really happy about this arrangement?To investigate, Tokyo-based consulting firm Hamaru Strategy cond

Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan

At just around a buck, the egg sandwich at this chain is enough to make convenience stores weep.As the world goes crazy for Japanese convenience store egg sandwiches, or “egg sando” as they’re commonly known in the English-speaking community, locals in Japan have discovered a new place to buy them, at a supermarket called Trial.This Fukuoka-born chain has been making inroads into the rest of the country recently, impressing everyone with its bargain-priced food, and its ambassa

Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open

This part of Japan gets so much snow you have to wait until spring to see it, but the wait is over!We’re half-way through spring, but it’s only now that one of Japan’s best snow sightseeing spots can be fully enjoyed. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Route is a is a series of bus, cable car, and ropeway routes that connect Toyama City with the town of Omachi in Nagano, passing through breathtaking mountain scenery along the way.Because of the high altitude, the route becomes snowed in during the winter

Police in Japan warn of scam artists posing as cops to collect fines for breaking new bike rules

Luckily there’s an easy way to tell if you’re dealing with a legitimate law enforcement officer or a con artist.Bike riding has been largely unregulated in Japan for several decades, but big changes came at the start of this month with the introduction of the blue ticket (“aoikippu” in Japanese) system. This new legal framework brings bike riding closer to driving a car, and while cyclists don’t need a license, they will now have to pay fines for violating the rules of the road.As we recently di

Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan

Noto Peninsula is ready to welcome travelers again, and these Pokémon are ready to help them do it.There are two major goals for the Pokéfuta/Poké Lids project. One of them, of course, is to put smiles on the faces of fans by installing adorable and artistic Pokémon-themed manhole covers in Japanese cities, but the second purpose of the Pokéfuta is to help revitalize communities by encouraging people to visit and support local businesses while they’re on their real-world Pokémon search.That’s wh

Soaking in glimmering water and the essence of prehistoric plants at a Hokkaido hot spring

A botanical bath at an affordable price.In the far reaches of Japan, in the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido, our sauna and hot spring-loving reporter Seiji Nakazawa was almost set to head back home to Tokyo, but before he did so, he couldn’t resist going for a soak. He struck up a conversation with some locals to find a good hot spring to visit, and he was recommended Oberiberi Hot Spring Suikoen.▼ It turned out to be really popular.The long-established facility, having been founded back in 1922, is

61-year-old Japanese fisherman falls off boat and defies odds to swim to safety

Captain Crunch Time.Having an accident at sea is one of the more horrific things to happen to a person. Many people would not be able to overcome that feeling of cold loneliness, aside from the potentially deadly creatures lurking beneath the surface of the water, and with absolutely no sign of hope in sight.And despite all that, some people manage to rise to the occasion, such as one 61-year-old fishing boat captain who stumbled while climbing down from the wheelhouse of his boat and fell into

Pikachu to cuddle with kimono-clad beauty on Tokyo street as part of flower art event

Exhibition near Tokyo Station mixes flowers, anime, and ukiyo-e aesthetics.Even in a country filled with cute characters, Pikachu stands out as one of the most huggable in Japan. Thankfully, there’s a huge variety of plushies to let fans give the Pokémon mascot a squeeze, but this weekend Pikachu will be doing cuddling of a different sort, as he gets some snuggles from this kimono-clad young lady.If you’re a fan of a broad range of Japanese art, you’ll recognize not only the anime aesthetics of

McDonald’s Japan now has Hello Kitty and Pompompurin drinks on the menu

We find out if the limited-edition Sanrio frappe and smoothie taste as sweet as they look. Some of the sweetest characters in Japan come from the stable of Sanrio, while some of the sweetest drinks in the country are found at McDonald’s, so when the two giants announced they would be working together to create a duo of exclusive new drinks, it was very sweet news indeed.We raced out to try the drinks when they were released on 10 April, snatching up both Pompompurin’s Creamy Pudding

Sanrio’s best-loved butthole defies physics in adorable sumo collaboration[Photos]

Pompompurin’s charm point apparently can’t be concealed.Late last year, Sanrio unveiled its collaboration with the Japan Sumo Association, in which Hello Kitty and her friends wear sumo-inspired outfits for a line of merch to offered through SuMALL, the association’s official online shop. Cute characters and a sport that involves burly near-naked men grappling with each other might not seem like the most obvious partnership, but the team-up has proven popular enough for a second round of merch t

7-Eleven Japan now sells… hot takoyaki!

A wildly popular local specialty takes Japanese convenience store food to a hot new level.You never know what wonders await you when you pop into a Japanese convenience store, but this month you’ll want to make a pit stop at 7-Eleven, because that’s where a new find awaits: takoyaki!Set to tempt you from the hot food display on the counter, these takoyaki are fried in-store and served fresh, ensuring a delightful, gooey texture. Made with a rich bonito-based broth, for a tasty burst

Kinotake Mother AI developed to study Japan’s divide between chocolate cookie snacks

AI claims it can tell which you like just by looking at you.For many years now, there has been a rivalry between two chocolate-covered cookie snacks. Both Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato are made by the same company, Meiji, and feature the same chocolate on the same type of cookie, just in different amounts and shapes. Despite their many similarities, people in Japan tend to have a very definitive preference for one or the other.This probably just sounds like a marketing gimmick, and it basi

What’s inside Japan’s super-rare, super-popular Nara bread?

Nara is famous for deer and temples, but you won’t find either of those inside this hard-to-find baked good.Most of the time, the names of baked goods in Japan are pretty self-explanatory. Curry bread is bread filled with curry. Yakisoba bread is a bun filled with stir-fried noodles (yakisoba). Nara Bread is…wait, what is Nara Bread?Nara, of course is the name of the city most famous for its deer, which freely roam the grounds of Nara Park (and sometimes, apparently, wander over to the nei

Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make

Gorgeous and tiny, yet contains the potential to break spirits and thumbs.The cherry blossom season tends to fall around the turn of the fiscal year, meaning that trying to squeeze out time for a holiday or a short trip to go and admire the delicate petals is not an easy feat to accomplish for some people. So, wouldn’t it be better if you could have the experience of your own little flower viewing party whenever you want, regardless of the month? With a few hours of fiddly work with some wires a

Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw

Japan is usually known for its world-class design, but this site didn’t see the optical illusion.On 28 March, Tokyo’s newest large-scale commercial complex, Takanawa Gateway City, had its grand opening in Minato Ward. Directly connected to JR Takanawa Gateway Station, a new stop opened in 2020 on the Yamanote loop line, this mixed-use complex includes not only shops but a hotel, offices, and exhibition halls.Though it’s barely been open for two weeks, it hasn’t been all s