Pop idols and boy bands are ten a penny these days, with multi-million-dollar enterprises built on farming young talent, putting it on stage in matching outfits and telling it to follow a routine. Japan has more than its share of floppy-haired boy bands and short-skirted songstresses, many of them decidedly awful and with as much charisma as an emphysemic squirrel with a penchant for racism, but a new group from Taiwan called Ice Man is raising eyebrows all over Asia this week, not just because they’re “painfully uncool”, but because they have nevertheless garnered quite the following and are already making stacks of cash.
Private booths are coming to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains even sooner than we’d thought【Video】
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
The Purple Lucky Bag from Village Vanguard is an extra-large waste of money
Dragon Quest Burgers and Slime drinks are coming to McDonald’s Japan【Video】
Rakuten randomly offers 58 New Year’s osechi feasts in Japan, but did we get a star or a dud?
Japanese shiitake mushroom snacks from Don Quijote, created for people who don’t like mushrooms
We taste makunouchi bento at four Japanese convenience store chains【Taste comparison】
Coca-Cola Japan unveils new sakura design bottle for cherry blossom season 2019
The 5 best Japanese bento to buy at Kyoto Station
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Horse
Cup Noodle tries an authentic Jiro-style ramen, but something’s not quite right
The best Starbucks Japan Frappuccinos we want to drink again in 2026
We revisited Sweets Paradise after a decade to see if Japan’s dessert buffet still delivers
That time Seiji called JASRAC to ask why he didn’t get paid royalties for his song being on TV
We found possibly the quietest Japanese-style hotel in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district
Pizza Hut Japan’s hot lucky bags are perfect for a New Year’s pizza party
Japan’s oldest largetooth sawfish in captivity back on display in Mie Prefecture
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
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
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
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
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Rakuten randomly offers 58 New Year’s osechi feasts in Japan, but did we get a star or a dud?
Japanese shiitake mushroom snacks from Don Quijote, created for people who don’t like mushrooms
We taste makunouchi bento at four Japanese convenience store chains【Taste comparison】
Coca-Cola Japan unveils new sakura design bottle for cherry blossom season 2019
The 5 best Japanese bento to buy at Kyoto Station
Transform your fridge into a Japanese nightscape with light-up snack bar signboard magnets
Coffin meditation sessions being offered by Tokyo relaxation parlor
Our human reporter and her pet try Hokkaido’s “human-grade pet food” together【Taste test】
Japanese textbook tries to cleverly illustrate chemical bonds, but the internet has other ideas
New Shinkansen bullet train design revealed for Nagasaki extension
Super-cheap yakiniku restaurant sells meat by the mouthful to give you exactly what you want
Tokyo fish market breaks New Year auction record as single fish sells for over 500 million yen【Vid】
Nissin’s New Year lucky box is packed with instant noodle surprises
Pokémon at your door! Japanese home hyosatsu marks your house with your name and favorite Pokémon