money (Page 6)
Shimane Prefecture awards a college student’s family a settlement in restitution for the roadside accident that took her life.
Japan’s Financial Services Agency opens an investigation into whether or not PokéCoins fall under jurisdiction of the country’s Payment Services Act.
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Why just hand your loved ones money when you can send them on an adventure? The experience is priceless!
The 58 year-old winner’s mother and daughter say they’re entitled to part of his winnings and went as far as to stage a protest at the local city office.
While Japanese coin box toys feature sweet cats who kindly take your change for safekeeping, real cats like this prefer to do other things with your money!
A lesser-known Yamagata Prefecture custom may just be what Obon needs to stave off invasive species of the holiday kingdom like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
We dropped 1 million yen (approximately US$8,300) on 5,000 Japan National Lottery scratch-off tickets to see if buying in bulk translates to bigger wins.
They say the most expressive part of your face is the eyes. The rest of the face might be saying “happy times”, but if you focus on the eyes, you might see “sad times,” or vice versa.
Purikura machines, or sticker picture machines, have long had an eye enhancement option, so it only makes sense for an application on your phone to have one as well. Many of them can even be used on everyday objects that have people’s faces on them, like the money resting in your wallet. But how do the respected and historical figures on cash look when you manipulate the size of their eyes? Is some secret emotion going to be revealed? Let’s find out after the jump.
As you may have heard, there’s an epidemic in South Korea. Since last month, more than 150 people have contracted the deadly MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus, among whom 19 have died.
As a result, foreign tourists in South Korea have been leaving the country in droves, and the usually-thriving tourism industry has been suffering. To try and help alleviate matters, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has made a somewhat unusual decision: they will pay tourists US$3,000 if they contract MERS while in South Korea.
Ladies, do you think that life is all fun and games for your male counterparts? As a multitude of men would have you know, that’s certainly not always the case.
The following list chronicling all the expectations and financial burdens placed on Japanese men both before and after marriage has been circulating the web. Of course, not to rule out the many challenges that women also face, myself being a woman, perhaps it would be better to just say that life can be a real drag for everyone.
Do you find yourself living in the now, enjoying the time and money you have presently without worrying so much about putting away for the future? According to one economist, the language you speak may play a role in how well you’re able to save money. Speakers of Norwegian or Japanese, for example, are more likely to save more money per year, and have more money saved up by the time they retire, than are speakers of, say, English or Greek.
But what is it exactly that differs between these languages, and most importantly, what relation does that have to money?
Imagine this. You’re at a fireworks festival with almost one million people in attendance. Everyone is scrambling for a place to sit and stampeding for the exit when it’s over. In between standing in line for a tasty treat and being dazzled by the fireworks spectacle, you realize something terrible. You’ve lost your wallet. Now what?
In Japan, you just go to the nearest police box, or koban! In 2014 alone, a stunning amount of cash and lost possessions was turned into police stations around Tokyo. In cash alone, over 3.3 billion yen was turned in. That’s a whopping US$27.8 million picked up and taken to the authorities. Could that happen anywhere else in the world?
The common stereotype about women among sexually frustrated, mostly parents’ basement-dwelling, men is that girls only go for attractive, rich guys, and never the nice, tender guys with warm hearts and chic fedoras.
Well, when it comes to one of those observations, anyway, there appears to be at least one cultural precedent of a diabolical hidden message that seemingly proves the stereotype right in one of the very words that defines men and women’s relationship in Japan…
Christmas Eve in Japan is very much a date night, perhaps the biggest of the year. Couples go to see festive Christmas lights, have a nice dinner and exchange gifts; the night really matters. But about those gifts…
How much money are you planning on spending on your significant other this holiday season? How much are you expecting them to spend on you? If you’re single, how much do you think your potential darling would want to dish out for a Christmas present? A recent poll gives us a great insight into how much we should probably be spending.
A survey out this week asked 200 salarymen – office workers in Japan – about their work and lifestyle habits. The findings have been reported in the Japanese media under headlines such as “The bad habits of low earners” and “People on a low income pee in the bath – but why?!”
But this kind of survey tells us more about the survey creator’s attitude towards low-income citizens, than it does about the employees who answered it.
One cool thing about living in Japan is that, whether you’re in a bustling city or the open countryside, you’re never too far from a vending machine. True, you won’t find any canned ramen in many machines outside of Akihabara, but so long as there’s power to run one, you’re pretty much always within a few hundred metres of a machine selling both chilled and hot drinks.
We’ve seen some unusual things turning up in Japan’s vending machines over the years, but cans of peach juice with money taped to them is definitely a new one.




















Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Can a downtown Tokyo super sento bathhouse beat a hotel for a one-night stay?
Animal Crossing plushie pouch towels and cozy socks show up at Family Mart convenience stores
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
Pokémon Centers across Japan cancel April events after stabbing in Tokyo
Sailor Moon’s Artemis is part of the Artemis II NASA mission control team[Video]
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Mr. Sato eats banana flower, still isn’t sure what it tastes like, loves it anyway【SoraKitchen】
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro 2026 Corn Gift to its anime store for Mother’s Day
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
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
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
Pokémon Centers across Japan cancel April events after stabbing in Tokyo
Sailor Moon’s Artemis is part of the Artemis II NASA mission control team[Video]
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Mr. Sato eats banana flower, still isn’t sure what it tastes like, loves it anyway【SoraKitchen】
We eat 13 of the most highly recommended sushi items at Sushiro and pick the best of the best
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
What exactly is the treat known as a “kougnané” that’s sold outside Tokyo’s Yurakucho Station?
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
We visit the full-scale Evangelion statue in Kyoto and particularly delight in the food tie-ins
A Kyoto factory vending machine sells gourmet mystery meals at bargain prices
Japan’s Mos Burger creates tempura rice bowl bento boxed lunch burger, but not for its menu
Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]