Despite perilous fumbles and mighty rivals in recent years, Pokémon marches along Victory Road: 2020 was its most successful sales year on record.
2020
Here are our Japanese-language reporter Seiji’s top picks for the hottest new stars of the upcoming anime season!
Despite Japan’s relative safety, abundance of delicious food, fascinating culture, and friendly people, the country still lags behind as a tourist destination for foreign travellers. So the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are the perfect opportunity for Japan to show off its famed omotenashi hospitality to the droves of foreign visitors who’ll be pouring into Tokyo to spectate.
As foreigners who’ve been living in Japan for a while, we think we might have some pretty good ideas about certain things Japan could do in order to make things a little easier on this influx of foreign guests…
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McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
McDonald’s Japan releases a pancake pie for new retro kissaten coffeeshop series
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles
Kyoto’s 100 Demons yokai monster parade returns!
Super Nintendo World expansion gets delayed for several months at Universal Studios Japan
Hamster abandoned at Tokyo ramen restaurant gets new home
Japan’s 30 Best Selling Video Games of All Time
Big win for tattoo artists: Japan’s Supreme Court rules medical licenses aren’t necessary
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Weekly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】- All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
Monthly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Kyoto creates new for-tourist buses to address overtourism with higher prices, faster rides
Yearly
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
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Super Nintendo World expansion gets delayed for several months at Universal Studios Japan
Hamster abandoned at Tokyo ramen restaurant gets new home
Japan’s 30 Best Selling Video Games of All Time
Big win for tattoo artists: Japan’s Supreme Court rules medical licenses aren’t necessary
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
We found an underground Kyoto vending machine that sells multi-course French meals- Busty Japanese brushstroke calligraphy artist shares visual appeal in video series【Videos】
Where are all the beautiful women in Japan? Survey investigates
We take on Thailand’s five-and-a-half-pound hamburger, and live to tell the tale
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
McDonald’s Japan’s new kalbi koshihikari rice burger and its friends only come out after sundown
Sailor Moon Sanrio partnership adds pairings for Sailor Starlights in new crossover merch line【Pics】
Japanese jam jar lids close on their own, as if by magic
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