Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Tributes to world-famous Hayao Miyazaki have been pouring in from around the world this past year. They all show a deep appreciation for the great director and are maybe even trying to persuade him to work on another film, but since Miyazaki is currently planning his nature preserve off of Okinawa, we will have to tide ourselves over with more beautiful tributes to him. Today’s is a fantastic 8-bit pixel video that features the characters from all our Ghibli favorites.
The JTB corporation, established in 1912, has been planning and booking vacations for hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens and foreign visitors for decades. Although many in the west now prefer to book online, in Japan it’s still quite common to call up your local travel agent and have them book your vacation on their behalf.
With the constant exportation of culture through anime and manga, more and more people are looking to make their Japanese vacation dreams come true. And now, JTB is excited to introduce a brand new tour package that includes all the things newlyweds and betrothed couples are looking for in a vacation: exotic locations, cultural immersion and even a wedding.
Japan’s beautiful mountainous scenery and relaxing hot springs are all thanks to volcanic activity, and even today there are still a handful of active peaks to be found in the country. One of the most famous, Kyushu’s Mt. Aso, is even a popular tourist destination. We don’t recommend visiting today, though, because the 1,592-meter (5,223-foot) volcano is currently erupting, as seen in these photos taken by locals.
Much like “humdinger” and “roughneck,” “foxy” is one of those words that’s far past its golden age. But really, why shouldn’t it be used to describe an attractively fashionable woman, especially is she’s sporting a pair of these cute knee-high socks decorated with Shinto-style kitsune fox spirits and other culturally quirky touches?
In the lead-up to the release of the first Attack on Titan live-action movie, we were inundated with all sorts of fantastic collaborations. There was the tie-up with an epilation salon in Shinjuku, a campaign against illicit substances with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and even “Advancing hot dogs” at Aeon cinemas.
Since the film’s release, the giants have been quiet for a while but it seems they’ve just been gathering steam for their next amazing project: destroying public restrooms at stations on the Osaka train line.
It’s no secret that Japan’s elderly population is on the rise while the younger population is on decline. Though everyone from the government to economists is trying to figure out what the ramifications of such a top-heavy population will be, Japan is already feeling some of the consequences.
No place is this more apparent than in Japan’s northern prefecture of Aomori. What was once a thriving area a few decades ago is now by all accounts a snowy ghost town.
The most recent event to highlight just how bad things have become is Aomori City practically give away prime real estate. Why has this happened and just how bad are things in Aomori? Read on to find out!
Itazura Banks are a series of cute little Japanese coin banks that look like cardboard boxes, each with an adorable animal hiding inside. You place a coin on the edge of the box and a sweet little kitty’s paw pops out to grab your money and keep it safe in the bank for you.
But if that all sounds a bit too cutesy for your liking, never fear—the newest Itazura Bank doesn’t contain a kitten or a panda, but Godzilla himself!
Incongruous in their grey surroundings, these multicoloured buildings looks like something in a children’s playground, or perhaps an outsized set of toy building blocks. But these colourful constructions are Reversible Destiny lofts—rental apartments in Tokyo’s Mikata City. And the inside of these eccentric properties is just as extraordinary and confusing as the exterior.
But what is “Reversible Destiny” anyway? And how is living in a playful apartment supposed to make you immortal? We sent a reporter from our Japanese sister site Pouch to find out.
We’ve all heard stories about absurd calls to emergency lines, from people calling about a bat in the house to a missing newspaper delivery. We like to think that these people aren’t stupid so much as too frustrated to think clearly…though we may be wrong.
Of course, Japan isn’t free of these kinds of silly emergency calls, either. In fact, a recent article received a lot of attention online when it listed some of the simply absurd emergency calls that have been made in Kobe City. Check them out below…
Tokyo University of the Arts, a school founded in 1949 through the combination of a music and fine arts school, is one of the most popular art schools in Japan. It has produced a host of famous alumni, including numerous artists, directors, musicians, and designers, so it’s not entirely surprising to see the university making headlines.
But one of the pieces created for this year’s art festival is nothing short of amazing! This massive work of art, which features a giant octopus wrapped around a Greek-style temple, has captured the attention of people across Japan. Now that the festival is over, though, the students are asking if anyone wants to buy it! If you’ve ever wanted a piece of art to decorate your entire front lawn, hurry because supplies are definitely limited.
If you’ve grown up eating bacon and sausage for breakfast, a Japanese morning meal can be refreshingly light. Generally consisting of a slice of grilled fish, small bowl of white rice, miso soup, and some vegetables, Japan’s take on the most important meal of the day will give you enough energy and nutrients to kick-start your body while leaving out excess fat and calories that can have you ready to crawl back into bed for a nap.
But not everyone in Japan has such a modestly sized breakfast. In fact, pro wrestler Manabu Nakanishi’s breakfast looks more like dinner…for a family of four!
Although he’s one of the most respected figures of all time in the manga industry, Kazuo Koike isn’t typically associated with the otaku subculture. When his most popular creation, Lone Wolf and Cub, was translated into English it attracted as many international fans from among Western comic readers as from those who favored Japanese manga, and in general his works have a gritty, somber tone to them, unlike the brightly colored daydreams and self-insert power fantasies that are often associated with otaku-pandering fare.
There’s also the fact that Koike was born in 1936, and being old enough and of the corresponding gender to fill two-thirds of a “grumpy old man” bingo card, you might expect him to have harsh words for Japan’s legions of hobby-obsessed individuals, like those that often sputter forth from Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki.
But it turns out that not only is Koike accepting of the otaku life, but he thinks that being an otaku from the cradle to the grave makes for a beautiful life.
Whether people like to admit it or not, a big part of being in a successful band is maintaining an image. Sure, we know deep down that most of our favorite musicians are just normal people with very specific talents, but we still love to see them as their over-the-top personas. David Bowie may be a great singer, but a good chunk of his success comes just from being so flipping weird all the time.
For visual kei bands in Japan, the “visual” aspect—and thus the image—can be almost as important the music for fans, and visual kei band The Black Swan are no different. But despite the dark, often graphic nature of their videos and general image, their drummer has revealed himself to be a big ol’ softie by posting a plethora of photos of his rescue kitty on Twitter…and winning the hearts of Internet users throughout Japan!
Many of us are willing to toss around the word “cook” when we are messing about in the kitchen. Food shows, Internet recipes and even the paper cookbook provide us with a ton of ideas about what to prepare for dinner. So while some of us are pretty handy in the kitchen, it takes a whole different class of cook to take on the name “chef”. These food artists take seemingly common (or uncommon) ingredients and turn them into some crazy dishes that they claim you can do yourself at home!
Let’s take a look at your next contribution to the Japanese pot-luck dinner, the Tiger Sushi Roll!
The flooding in Japan has been absolutely awful, without a doubt, and the news has rightly been focused on the resulting devastation. But there is one aspect of the flooding that’s become a bit of a hot topic online, aside from all the rescues and damage. The overflowing river has an…unusual name: Kinu River or the Angry Demon River.
Obviously, the name has proven to be quite apt this year, but it sparked a lot of discussion online as people have wondered: Where the heck did this name come from?!
At some point in life, someone is going to ask you a question that makes you feel uncomfortable. How much money do you make? How many people have you slept with? Just what did happen to all of your political rivals from the junior high student body president election?
Quite often, though, you can get out of answering by asking in return “Why do you want to know?” As a matter of fact, the question “Why?” is so disarming it can even prevent armed robbery, as one foreigner working in Tokyo just found out.
Various areas across northeast Japan have been struggling to cope with the massive amounts of rainfall that have led to flooding and landslides. The scenes of destruction have dominated the news in the past week leaving many concerned about their fellow citizens, friends, and family in the region.
However, one young woman in the area found a little message of hope from an unlikely ally, a crayfish standing tall in the middle of a flooded road with its claws raised to the sky and refusing to back down.
As western stars who’ve been in the entertainment industry since we were nippers could tell you, reinvention is the cornerstone of a long and successful career. Just like Madonna and David Bowie, Japan’s mega-popular musical powerhouse Gackt loves a good makeover, and his newest incarnation has gotten Japanese netizens all riled up and excited. Why? Because he looks like a total badass!
Don’t you hate it when you get ready to do some cooking and Paul Hogan comes out of nowhere ridiculing your cookware with taunts of “Ya call that a knife?”
Me too.
That’s why next time I’ll be ready with my new Nickel Damascus Chef’s Knife forged by famous Echizen blacksmith Takeshi Saji using techniques that span the globe. Now that’s what I call a knife!
If the Spirit of the Forest, Cat Bus or Totoro were real, you can be sure they would live in a nature sanctuary created by Hayao Miyazaki. The award-winning film maker has long included his stance on nature and the environment in his movies and now he is going one step further to ensure that at least one small corner of the Earth will stay pristine.
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Starbucks Japan has a secret coffee press service that not many people know about
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]
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Starbucks Japan adds new Sencha Matcha Tea Frappuccino to its menu, but only at 28 locations
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
New heater-less pet kotatsu is a safe way to keep your furry friends warm this winterJapan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthdayFamous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
7-Eleven Japan releases a crazy new viral sandwich: Chocolate Sprinkles and Whipped Cream
Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train[Video]
Studio Ghibli releases the My Neighbour Totoro tea caddy, with a magical self-closing lid
Totoro and Calcifer become little light-up lanterns for Ghibli-style excursions or at-home decor
Create a tiny Ghibli anime world on your bookshelf with new miniature papercraft art kits
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in TokyoStarbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime characterUniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthdayFamous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping listKrispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Starbucks Japan adds new Sencha Matcha Tea Frappuccino to its menu, but only at 28 locations
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
New heater-less pet kotatsu is a safe way to keep your furry friends warm this winter
Baby Star Ramen Sneakers are this season’s tastiest kicks【Photos】
Tokyo government makes a magical girl anime video about the dark side of contract scams【Video】
Celebrate “Educational Candy Day” with a traditional Japanese game made of candy
This upcycled Kyoto train cafe is the ultimate kawaii spring experience
Fatal stabbing at Pokémon Center in Tokyo reignites concern over rising stalking cases in Japan
Amazing ad from Japan stars 72 actresses each showing one year of a woman’s life in one second
20 things to buy at the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo store
Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday