Spring brings new life, new love, warmer weather and so many other great things. It also brings with it heaps of pollen, and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of pollen season. While it’s been a pretty easy year in terms of pollen, many of us are still shut indoors and suffering. I may have stumbled upon an easy, cost-effective way to take care of that, though.
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health (Page 23)
If you are feeling a bit nostalgic for the school lunch experience, you don’t have to pass yourself off as a grade schooler and sneak into your local elementary school. You can find healthy, hearty school lunch recipes in a recently published book by nutrition specialist Katsuko Fujiwara called “School Lunches at Home“.
And these recipes aren’t just any old standby. They’re the kind of meals that make everyone happy. Kids want school meals to be delicious, parents want them to be nutritious, and schools just want them to be reasonably priced and easy to prepare. That’s a high bar to clear, but with over 20,000 schools in Japan offering a school lunch program, there were sure to be a few offerings that hit the trifecta, and Fujiwara has compiled some of the best for you.
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Ever had the irresistible urge to have fresh apples while you’re outdoors? Well, if you ever have such an urge when you’re at the Kasumigaseki subway station or the Suidobashi subway station in Tokyo, you don’t need to wait to satisfy your urge. You can get some fresh cut apples right at the station – from a vending machine!
Professor Michitaka Hirose and his team at Tokyo University have invented a pair of glasses which lower your appetite and make you feel fuller simply by making your food look bigger. Now there’s a diet plan that could work for me.
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Around the world women often turn to bizarre-looking contraptions in the quest to look more beautiful and Japan is perhaps home to some of the strangest. Sometimes it even seems like beauty product makers are playing a huge joke on their customers by making them look more ridiculous than beautiful.
The latest of such products is Hana-Tsun (Pointy Nose), produced by Glim Inc., who are no strangers to thinking outside the box when it comes to beauty products.
Supermarkets all across Japan have been struggling to keep up with demand for that barely-tolerated gritty beverage known as tomato juice. This is the latest in an ongoing series of food fads many in the country believe to be effective in reducing weight like cabbage and bananas.
At the beginning of February one supermarket in Osaka had a well-stocked shelf of tomato juice daily, most likely catering to the odd person avoiding blood clots or making Bloody Marys. However, on the weekend of February 10, hordes of shoppers descended on their supply of juice like so many locusts on a farm. By the 14th, the staff was turning desperate dieters away as new shipments could not reach them in time.
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On January 16th, a clinic was opened in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward to check the levels of internal radiation exposure. The clinic, loosely translated as Radioactivity Premium Dock, offers a complete body scan for radiation levels, among other services, which the general public can access for a fee. The company hopes to reduce anxiety resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster and to help the public manage their health.
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Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) has announced that it will begin selling a premium brand of cigarettes for smokers who enjoy a rich aroma. The brand, called “The Peace”, will begin a gradual country-wide roll-out on February first.
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HAMAMATSU – The Hamamatsu University School of Medicine has partnered with the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to develop anti-cancer medicine with reduced side effects. The research group announced Tuesday that research and development are progressing and that experiments on animals have yielded positive results.
Cancerous mice were given 1/40 the usual dosage of anti-cancer medicine, and their tumors nearly disappeared by the 19th day of the test. Moreover, the researchers observed no side effects whatsoever.
When I think of American candies, I think of sickening confections splashed with garish colors. I went to the United States and checked out a candy store, and I found exactly what I thought I’d see!
These are treats I would never even think of giving my kids (if I had them). Forget the lack of nutritional value; no matter how safe the candies are thought to be, those colors alone make me worry.
Here is my list of the Top Five American Candies Guaranteed to Gum Up Your Gut: Read More
Noboribetsu Onsen is a veritable department store for hot springs lovers, with many different kinds of springs bubbling forth from one of the best onsen regions in Hokkaido. Located in Noboribetsu City, Hokkaido, it is overflowing with sights to see, from Jigokudani (“Hell Valley”) with its spouting gas and high-temperature onsen to the century-old hot spring pond “Taisho Jigoku” and the giant hot spring pond “Oyunuma.”
When Mr. Satoh needs to get his heart pumping, he walks. He runs. He jogs, and he does a wealth of other physical activities.







Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen?
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
How to make fancy matcha sake chocolates with just 15 minutes of real work【Recipe】
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Japan has a new bar just for people thinking about quitting their jobs, and the drinks are free
Downloads of 39-year-old Guns N’ Roses song increase 12,166 percent thanks to Gundam
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
A look back on 40 years of Japanese schools banning stuff
New Family Mart cinema opens inside Japanese airport
Man arrested in Japan after leaving car in coin parking lot for six years, racking up three-million-yen bill
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning looks to be affecting tourist crowds on Miyajima
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
Yokai are descending upon Tokyo this spring in the latest immersive art experience
Japan’s Naruto theme park now offering real-world version of Minato’s kunai ninja weapon
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
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
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
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
How to make fancy matcha sake chocolates with just 15 minutes of real work【Recipe】
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Japan has a new bar just for people thinking about quitting their jobs, and the drinks are free
Japanese mom physically subdues man who groped her schoolgirl daughter
Fire breaks out in Kyoto hotel, mobile battery to blame
Is Burger King’s Big Mouth Burger really as overwhelmingly meaty as promised? 【Taste test】
A spotlight on Japanese singles figure skating: Jumping into the 2026 Olympics【Pt. II】
The 5 best Japanese bento to buy at Kyoto Station
Man arrested in Japan after leaving car in coin parking lot for six years, racking up three-million-yen bill
Four Shinto shrines to pray for love at in Japan to start the New Year
It’s like the samurai era never ended at this beautiful Japanese mountain town