Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main! was a beloved weekday children’s program that combined anime and live action to entertain and educate children about cooking and nutrition. Its star, Haruka Fukuhara, played the lead role of Main-chan and for the show’s four-year run stood as a paragon of kawaii (cute) on Japanese TV.
However, as of 29 March Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main! was taken off the air much to the dismay of thousands of fans. One fan responded to this by uploading a pseudo time-lapse 30-second video to YouTube showing Ms. Fukuhara age from 10 years old in 2009 to the 14-year-old she is now.
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
Mt Fuji convenience store becomes “lawless zone” as tourists hurl abuse at security guards
Japan’s workplace drinking party communication is unnecessary, says majority of workers in survey
Drinkable Mayo on sale at Japanese convenience stores for mayonnaise fanatics
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Travel tip: Fukuoka has a great luggage delivery service that’s cheaper than a coin locker
Passing the JLPT N1 — Here’s how I did it, so you can too!
Late-night cake cafe in Tokyo’s hostess/host bar district will satisfy your confectionary desires
Man with snake face tattoo arrested for assault, neighbors shocked he would do such a thing【Vid】
Lucky accommodation plan in Japan includes shrine visit and onsen hot spring inn stay
Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】
Celebrating Good Couple’s Day in Japan…by getting our significant others to dress us
7-Eleven Japan releases fukubukuro lucky bags filled with convenience store surprises
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Beautiful Totoro bag returns, still requires jumping through an extra hoop to get, still worth it
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a row
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
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
Travel tip: Fukuoka has a great luggage delivery service that’s cheaper than a coin locker
Passing the JLPT N1 — Here’s how I did it, so you can too!
Late-night cake cafe in Tokyo’s hostess/host bar district will satisfy your confectionary desires
Man with snake face tattoo arrested for assault, neighbors shocked he would do such a thing【Vid】
Lucky accommodation plan in Japan includes shrine visit and onsen hot spring inn stay
Japanese Prime Minister once criticized deploying military to fight Godzilla
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
How often do Japanese people search for their ex online?【Survey】
Genuine Muramasa blade and Muromachi katana on display at Tokyo’s Touken Ranbu store【Photos】
Vintage coin-operated “weight machine” found in Kyoto stationery store
【Obituary】 Giant isopod “No.1” found dead after more than five years of not eating