Casey Baseel
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Casey Baseel spent his formative years staring in frustration at un-subtitled Japanese TV programming shown on Southern California’s international channel. Taking matters into his own hands, he moved to Tokyo to study the language, then found work in Yokohama a decade ago teaching, translating, and marketing hotels he can’t afford to stay in. When not participating in the eternal cycle of exercising to burn the calories form his love of Japanese food, Casey scours used comic and game shops for forgotten classics, drags his wife around the country in a quest to visit all its castles, sings karaoke not nearly as well as he thinks he does, and counts the days until the summertime bars open on Enoshima Beach.
Posted by Casey Baseel (Page 27)
![Japan’s prime minister exchanges Dragon Ball kamehamehas with president of France[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/kh-1.jpg?w=640 "Japan’s prime minister exchanges Dragon Ball kamehamehas with president of France[Video]")
![Hayao Miyazaki gifts autographed Ghibli anime cel to president of France[Photo]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/gc-1-1.jpg?w=640 "Hayao Miyazaki gifts autographed Ghibli anime cel to president of France[Photo]")
There’s likely a meaning between the choice of Ghibli anime’s artwork to give the visiting politician.
![Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/sw-15.jpg?w=640 "Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]")
Mr. Sato starts his urban exploration of Tokyo to catch a glimpse of local neighborhoods’ pasts before they’re changed forever.
![Nintendo’s Animal Crossing crosses over into Japanese convenience store cosmetics line[Photos]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/ac-9.jpg?w=640 "Nintendo’s Animal Crossing crosses over into Japanese convenience store cosmetics line[Photos]")
Family Mart convenience stores are looking a little more like an Animal Crossing village these days.
Woodlands that inspired the creation of My Neighbor Totoro sit at the edge of the biggest city in Japan, but this fund helps keep them green.
Change comes with less than half a week’s notice, new requirements will take five more years to meet.
![Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/pm-0.jpg?w=640 "Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]")
Century-old lacquerware company, supplier to the royal family, turns its makie skills to a beloved Fire-type.
After a longer-than-expected renovation, this Ryogoku museum is finally ready to tell the human stories of Edo and Tokyo once again.
New system allows you to travel with just a credit card on more than 50 lines in and around the capital, but with one major holdout.
![50-year-old instant noodle recipe is back from the past in Japan for a limited time[Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/4_57d2fe.jpg?w=640 "50-year-old instant noodle recipe is back from the past in Japan for a limited time[Taste test]")
![Japan’s favorite sandwich pockets now come with sakura filling, but how do they taste?[Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/lp-1.jpg?w=640 "Japan’s favorite sandwich pockets now come with sakura filling, but how do they taste?[Taste test]")
![Rumors say this is Japan’s very best McDonald’s branch, but what makes it special?[Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/1_93a2c5.jpg?w=640 "Rumors say this is Japan’s very best McDonald’s branch, but what makes it special?[Taste test]")
We head half-way across Japan and try what foodies say is the most delicious McDonald’s branch in the whole county.
![Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/nm-1.jpg?w=640 "Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]")
Once an under-the-radar sakura spot, this neighborhood near Shibuya has become dangerously congested.
![Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/ff-1.jpg?w=640 "Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]")
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