maps
Megane, hitostuma, and muchi muchi all make the list.
Citizens filled with pride in their country, anger at Mercator projection as distance from Hokkaido to Okinawa is shown to equal Denmark to Spain.
Twitter user makes mind-blowing discovery playing around with puzzle pieces of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Now you can find out if there are any upskirt photographers, bag-snatchers, swindlers, or burglars in your area.
The Edo Past and Present Wanderings app appeals not only to old map buffs, but to anyone with a sense of adventure.
It looks like some graphic designer was aiming for the gold medal in passive-aggressiveness.
Whether you’re a backpacker looking to clean yourself up or just want to experience this aspect of traditional Japanese culture, hundreds of options are at your fingertips.
These beautiful scaled dioramas let you walk the streets of Tokyo or Hiroshima again and again.
This past year the Tokyo Metro has been brought to life in many different ways, ranging from a spaghetti-alien map to, well, a 3-D spaghetti-alien map. But it’s the latest re-imagining of the Tokyo Metro in the highly versatile SVG format that’s currently causing a lot of commotion online.
Love hotels in Japan provide a service that is very unique in the world. They play a convenient role for those passionate one-night stands, which is exactly the sort of business you’d expect at a place called a “love hotel”. But they are also a place where married couples can go who are being pressured from their parents to give them some grandchildren. That’s kind of hard to do with mom and dad in the room next door. One quick glance in any city shows that these love hotels are a dime a dozen, which is probably why there are so many random and fun hotels with different styles of rooms and designs.
And now, with the convenience of the Internet, choosing a love hotel is easier than ever. Why should we settle with those “flattering” pictures they provide when we can take a tour of it ourselves with the help of Google Street View!
While the average human has not yet come unstuck in time, it doesn’t mean we’re completely at a loss when it comes to time travel. Yes, we may only move in a singular direction, but at least have artifacts from the past to help us look back! Everything from old photos to old pottery help us dig through our murky cultural memory to see how things used to be.
And, thanks to Zenrin, a Japanese mapping company based in Oita Prefecture, now you can travel internationally with their collection of digital maps from the Edo and Meiji periods. Whether you think England is a conspiracy of cartographers or you know the name of every mapmaker since Babylonia, there’s something here for everyone!
The first time I went to Tokyo alone, I got lost within the first five minutes of arriving at Shinjuku Station, unable to comprehend why there were so many transfers to different lines going in different directions. Without mobile data on my phone, I was basically one of the ‘internet-less lost gaijin’ crippled by the lack of Google Maps who ended up befriending the station master at every transfer station because, without them, I would probably have had to spend the night hanging out with the buskers on the streets.
The maps in Japanese subway stations are not only confusing, they also look like multi-colored spaghetti or weird roller coasters, and I can clearly recall thinking how nice it would be to have a better-looking representation of the city’s train lines. Thankfully, it looks like South Korean design company Zero per Zero has fulfilled my wish with their subway map designs, which are becoming a hot topic on Reddit.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Create a tiny Ghibli anime world on your bookshelf with new miniature papercraft art kits
Studio Ghibli releases the My Neighbour Totoro tea caddy, with a magical self-closing lid
Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train[Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Fake police phone scam also highlights dumb stereotype about how foreigners speak Japanese[Video]
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Sega’s Like a Dragon yakuza teaches “useless” English, let’s use it to learn some useful Japanese
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Naomi Watanabe is moving to the U.S., switching base of operations to outside Japan
One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean
Weekly
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list- Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Cherry blossoms begin blooming in Japan with record-early starts for sakura season
Tokyo government organizes food truck event to clear out delinquent/homeless teen gathering area
The next time you’re feeling stressed out, you could relax on a Pokémon Psyduck chair from Japan
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Nine amazing off-the-beaten-path cherry blossom spots in Japan for yaezakura and shidarezakura
Stunning central Japan wisteria festival is like a purple fantasy straight out of a Ghibli movie
When will the cherry blossoms reach full bloom in Japan this year?[Forecast]
Studio Ghibli adds new Mother’s Day gift sets to its anime collection in Japan
Monthly
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026- Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character- Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
- Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino- Cherry blossoms begin blooming in Japan with record-early starts for sakura season
- Studio Ghibli adds new Mother’s Day gift sets to its anime collection in Japan
Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
Yearly
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
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Sega’s Like a Dragon yakuza teaches “useless” English, let’s use it to learn some useful Japanese
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Naomi Watanabe is moving to the U.S., switching base of operations to outside Japan
One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
The top 10 most popular instant noodle brands at the start of 2021
It’s illegal for yakuza to go to professional baseball games in Japan, Tokyo arrests remind us
Foreign-born convenience store manager in Japan saves elderly customer from being scammed
Private booths are coming to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains even sooner than we’d thought【Video】
Japan’s Mos Burger creates tempura rice bowl bento boxed lunch burger, but not for its menu
Here it is: The finalized map for Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan (and its food)
Tokyo has an anime character-themed perfume shop, and we stopped by to talk with the creator
-
