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
![Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/ft-1.jpg?w=640 "Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train[Video]")
![Fake police phone scam also highlights dumb stereotype about how foreigners speak Japanese[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/ps-1-1.jpg?w=640 "Fake police phone scam also highlights dumb stereotype about how foreigners speak Japanese[Video]")
Fake police officer targets possibly the worst person, phone transcript isn’t so great either.
![Secret Starbucks sausage customization sparks sweet joy in Japan[Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/2_ff4ed3.jpg?w=640 "Secret Starbucks sausage customization sparks sweet joy in Japan[Taste test]")
![Awesome Ghibli Howl’s Moving Castle figure is also a puzzle and an organizer[Photos]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/hm-0.jpg?w=640 "Awesome Ghibli Howl’s Moving Castle figure is also a puzzle and an organizer[Photos]")
Anime fortress is ready to make the move into your home, but you’ll need to set aside a half-day or so to build it.
There’s never a shortage of cool stuff to do in Tokyo, and that goes double for when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.
Yes, Japan’s most famous sakura spots and species draw big crowds for good reasons, but they’re not all that cherry blossom season has to offer.
![Godiva now makes tofu in Japan, and sakura chocolate tofu too![Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/1_642061.jpg?w=640 "Godiva now makes tofu in Japan, and sakura chocolate tofu too![Taste test]")
Belgian chocolatier and Japanese confectioner are both tofu newcomers, but can their powers combine for something special?
There’s nothing for sale inside the machine, but Okinawan spirits and delicious deserts are waiting on the other side.
![When will the cherry blossoms reach full bloom in Japan this year?[Forecast]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/mk-1.jpg?w=640 "When will the cherry blossoms reach full bloom in Japan this year?[Forecast]")
Moon power to shine across the Pacific for the first time at Universal Studios Hollywood, One Piece and Super Mario get special events too.
Three cities share the status of this year’s first sakura arrivals, with a fourth joining them one day later.
![Umamusume food and drinks dash into real world at Family Mart convenience stores[Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/um-0.jpg?w=640 "Umamusume food and drinks dash into real world at Family Mart convenience stores[Taste test]")
Family Mart’s lineup includes actual Hachimi Drink, collaboration also features “magic” clear files.
Even if the number of men and women using a building are the same, the number of toilets shouldn’t be, government’s guideline drafts say.
![Pizza Hut Japan’s new ie-kei ramen pizza is here and weird, but is it tasty too? [Taste test]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/ph-9.jpg?w=640 "Pizza Hut Japan’s new ie-kei ramen pizza is here and weird, but is it tasty too? [Taste test]")
![Japanese man drives truck that’s on fire directly to fire station, drops flaming potatoes[Videos]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/03/11_57ff19.jpg?w=640 "Japanese man drives truck that’s on fire directly to fire station, drops flaming potatoes[Videos]")
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