Tokyo’s record-breaking New Year’s Day fish market auction tuna arrives at one of Japan’s favorite casual sushi restaurant chains.
maguro
You, too, may be able to get your hands on this “Tuna King” when you pass through Tokyo Station.
After failing to secure a reservation for one month prior to his visit, our reporter gets in with some luck and ascends to tuna heaven.
He got his start in tuna wholesale when he was just 16, and today we’re learning from his experience.
It’s finally the weekend, so what better way to squander our precious time off than by arguing over things that don’t really matter?
This week we’re asking: Which is better? Salmon sushi or tuna sushi?
Is it just me, or are cakes these days starting to look less and less… cakey? With all sorts of techniques, tools, and ingredients at their fingertips, it seems like bakers can now turn cake into pretty much anything, as we’ve seen before from this cake shop in Shinjuku, that sells cakes disguised as Chinese food (you can even learn to make a bowl-of-ramen cake yourself here).
Now, that same shop, called Maplies, has come out with yet another tricky treat that looks exactly like maguro-don, a rice bowl with slices of tuna sashimi on top!
The start of a new year means it’s time for hatsumōde, the year’s first visit to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple. You pray for good luck in the new year, throw some spare yen into the saisenbako (big offering box), get some omamori (good luck charms), and hope that the omikuji (fortune) you get is dai-kichi (great luck) and not dai-kyō (you’re screwed).
While most people are satisfied donating a few yen coins in the donation box when they visit their shrine, the Nishinomiya shrine in Hyogo Prefecture does things a little differently. They want to make sure the gods hear them loud and clear, so they lug a massive frozen maguro onto the donation box and leave it there for three days.
Sushi is a classic Japanese food that has become popular all over the world. However, sushi served in restaurants outside of Japan can turn out a little strange. Sushi hybrid concoctions such as the California roll filled with avocado and crab, and the caterpillar roll, topped with avocado and made to resemble a live caterpillar, have been delighting foreign taste buds for years. But exactly what kind of sushi do the Japanese prefer? A survey asked 500 MyNavi News members (246 males, 254 females) to share their favorite sushi topping. Surprisingly, tuna is not the most popular.
















Visiting Japan’s Gyarados Pokémon park in the city with a special connection to Magikarp【Photos】
Japan’s kid-friendly ski program is now selling Pikachu snowboards for a limited time only
Pikachu’s chunky original design is back as a plus-sized plushie【Photos】
Umamusume anime cosplayers make news in U.S. for their pro football fandom【Video】
Massive manga collaboration bringing 100 years of Shueisha manga to Uniqlo T-shirts【Photos】
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
Bear meat noodles?!? Tokyo restaurant adds a new kind of niku soba to its menu【Taste test】
Researchers in Japan give mouse glowing sperm
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Japanese avoiding domestic travel as foreign tourists increase, possibly creating vicious cycle
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Majority of Japanese women in survey regret marrying their husband, but that’s only half the story
Totoro cream puffs and Catbus cookies are finally available in downtown Tokyo
Japanese women showing rebounding interest in giving Valentine’s Day chocolate【Survey】
McDonald’s Japan releases a Mushroom Mountain and Bamboo Shoot Village McFlurry
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
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】
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
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
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
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
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
Bear meat noodles?!? Tokyo restaurant adds a new kind of niku soba to its menu【Taste test】
Researchers in Japan give mouse glowing sperm
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Japanese avoiding domestic travel as foreign tourists increase, possibly creating vicious cycle
Tokyo Station’s perfect breakfast spot might just be this izakaya Japanese-style pub
Why do people spend so long in jail without going to trial in Japan?
Weird Japanese vending machine find of the day: Cream in cans?
Brand-new theme park in Japan charges foreign tourists 25 percent more than locals for tickets
Canned cuteness as Hello Kitty and friends kick off Can Chara capsule toy line【Photos】
Poké Ball cakes here for limited but long time to celebrate Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary
When bullying happens in Japan, should parents go to the police? We ask an educator
Majority of Japanese women in survey regret marrying their husband, but that’s only half the story