Gamers in the West have been barking orders at and toppling Titans on their Xbox One consoles for the best part of a year now, but today marks the first time Japanese consumers can purchase Microsoft’s newest console without importing.
Industry pundits have long speculated that Xbox One may struggle to gain a foothold in Japan due to the comparatively poor sales of its predecessors and Nintendo and Sony’s hold on the territory. We’d like to believe that this new generation of hardware might help shake things up a little, but if the distinct lack of people waiting in line outside Akihabara’s stores early this morning is any indication, the sceptics could well be right.

Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】
All Lotteria fast food restaurants in Japan to close by the end of March
These are Tokyo train lines people most want to live along【Survey】
Studio Ghibli adds new Kiki’s Delivery Service notebook and ceramic cake case to stores in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
Time to open the final Village Vanguard Luck Bag of 2026, the magical girl Red Lucky Bag
Tokyo pub explicitly soft-bans customers older than 39 from entering
McDonald’s Japan’s new daifuku pie: Is it as good as the Japanese sweet that inspired it?
Starbucks Japan serves surprise fall Frappuccino with rare appearance by Western pear【Taste test】
Our anime dreams come true as we operate a robot suit from Appleseed
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Visiting Japan’s Gyarados Pokémon park in the city with a special connection to Magikarp【Photos】
Majority of Japanese women in survey regret marrying their husband, but that’s only half the story
Massive manga collaboration bringing 100 years of Shueisha manga to Uniqlo T-shirts【Photos】
Japan’s kid-friendly ski program is now selling Pikachu snowboards for a limited time only
Totoro cream puffs and Catbus cookies are finally available in downtown Tokyo
Japanese vending machine serves up unique drinks at four Tokyo train stations
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
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
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Time to open the final Village Vanguard Luck Bag of 2026, the magical girl Red Lucky Bag
Tokyo pub explicitly soft-bans customers older than 39 from entering
McDonald’s Japan’s new daifuku pie: Is it as good as the Japanese sweet that inspired it?
Starbucks Japan serves surprise fall Frappuccino with rare appearance by Western pear【Taste test】
Our anime dreams come true as we operate a robot suit from Appleseed
Visiting Japan’s Gyarados Pokémon park in the city with a special connection to Magikarp【Photos】
We eat at an Ishigaki Island hotel breakfast buffet that has incredible value for the money
New hot natural spring water at 7-Eleven proves Japanese convenience stores really are convenient
New Roaring Totoro plushies from Studio Ghibli make us view the character in a new light
Denny’s Japan created crazy split-in-half parfaits to target social media photo-snapping foodies
Pokémon popcorn buckets coming to Japan’s first-ever permanent Pokémon theme park zone