Viewed from afar, Japanese animation may appear to be populated entirely by giant-eyed, squeaky-voice schoolgirls and young men who suffer from frequent nosebleeds. Their plots, too, can seem awfully convoluted at first glance, and so anyone who didn’t grow up with anime or have the chance to catch popular series when they were just getting started may feel completely out of their depth when trying to get into it.
If you’re the kind of person who, like me, despite being into Japan and Asia, never really understood what all the fuss was about anime, or who would like to give this strange medium a chance but doesn’t know where to start, then we have a special treat for you today: no fewer than five anime recommendations from members of our very own writing staff, guaranteed to be easy for even anime-skeptics to get into. Who knows, these might just be the gateway shows you’ve been looking for!
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Flying dango: Unique tourist site where Japanese sweets are flown to you over a gorge
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
Domino’s Japan has all-you-can-eat pizza isn’t an Internet rumor, but it is hard to find
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】
Mickey Mouse in now a transforming robot created by the designer of Gundam【Photos】
Turn clear files into works of art with cleverly designed Japanese scroll
Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan
“Why, Japanese people!?” American dude has us rolling on the floor laughing with his comedic sketch
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
New Ghibli papercraft kit gives you a little Princess Mononoke forest on your desk【Photos】
Tokyo restaurant isn’t kidding about the name of its overflowing rare wagyu-ju【Photos】
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Tokyo park’s sea of clouds, nighttime illumination, and cosplay days make now perfect time to visit
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a row
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
What’s the deal with akebi, the perfectly purple, alien-like fruit that’s in season now in Japan?
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】
Mickey Mouse in now a transforming robot created by the designer of Gundam【Photos】
Turn clear files into works of art with cleverly designed Japanese scroll
Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan
“Why, Japanese people!?” American dude has us rolling on the floor laughing with his comedic sketch
Line of foreign tourists leads us to Akihabara’s meatiest fatty ramen【Taste test】
Hello Kitty shows up at Baskin-Robins Japan for 50th birthday party with special sweets and merch
Enjoy your sushi with a dash of Star Trek flare with a U.S.S. Enterprise sushi set!
Made In Japan Fender Limited Edition Hello Kitty Stratocaster now on sale in Japan
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Nintendo power: Mercedes-Benz Japan sees influx of customers following Super Mario commercial