recovery
On the Road to Recovery: The People of America and Kumamoto Join Together is a beautiful clip that encourages the people of Kumamoto to be positive during recovery efforts.
Be sure to spend the drinking funds for your cherry blossom viewing party on these beautiful cans.
The residents of Kyushu don’t have to fight a titan, but they do have some giant obstacles to overcome.
For those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, three and a half years still might not be enough time separating the event from the present day. Each slight tremble in the earth, any loud alarm can be a painful reminder of all that was lost that afternoon. While the saying goes “time heals all wounds”, a bit of light-hearted fun always helps the process along. On August 11, 2014, on the 3 ½ year mark of the disastrous event, the LIGHT UP NIPPON event will be celebrating in remembrance, as it has for the past four years.
It is now approaching one month since the passenger ferry Sewol sank off the coast of Jindo, South Korea. The whole world has watched the death toll rise to an official count of 275, with several dozen people still missing. Compounding the catastrophic loss of life is the fact that the majority of the victims were mere high school students on a field trip to popular Jeju Island.
Many South Korean citizens are lambasting the government for its response to the disaster. Several crew members, including the captain, have also been arrested during the ongoing criminal investigation.
In light of these events, one question that is currently on everyone’s mind is how on earth is the ship’s operating company going to handle the financial burden of this disaster? Join us as a lawyer knowledgeable about shipwrecks gives his preliminary monetary estimates.
Underwater operations company Phoenix International has a contract with the U.S. Navy to use a robot called Bluefin-21 to search the Indian Ocean for signs of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370.
The 21-foot-long robot is capable of staying submerged for 25 hours at a time, deploying its sensors to search and map 40 square miles of sea floor per day.
We spoke to David P. Kelly, President and CEO of Bluefin Robotics, the Massachusetts-based company which manufactures Bluefin-21, to learn more about it.
“It’s a 4,500-meter-rated vehicle, so it can descend to 2.5 miles underwater,” he told us. “Once it goes down, it ‘flies’ above the seabed and uses sonar acoustics to image the ocean floor. It also moves in a ‘mowing the lawn’ pattern, running in parallel lines that overlap and cover the entire bottom to form an image of the sea floor.”
One day, one ordinary person and his family found it in their hearts to take in a tiny, abandoned kitten who had lost her sight due to a bad case of conjunctivitis. They already had two dogs under their roof, which would make it difficult to keep a cat. Nevertheless, the father devoted himself to her care as she hovered between life and death, praying for the kitten’s full recovery. He didn’t intend to give the kitten a name at first, as he was worried about becoming too attached, and just called her “cat” (neko in Japanese) but somehow everyone started calling her Niko, which means something like “happy smile”.









Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Self-proclaimed Americans arrested for breaking into Punch the monkey’s Japanese zoo habitat
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
Studio Ghibli adds mini pillows and massive mats to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Six towering historical warrior floats will grace Fukui’s Mikuni Festival for three days
Starbucks Japan releases two new “chunky” drinks… and matching gel designs for our nails
161-year-old Kyoto confectionary maker releases new edible Pokémon lineup
7-Eleven Japan now has ramen machines…but only at 41 stores
7-Eleven Japan is releasing Greedy chocolate chip and whipped cream sandwiches
Starbucks Japan adds a new Frappuccino and Milk to the menu, but are they worth the calories?
Don’t miss the Tokyo Tower City Light Fantasia ~Summer Landscape 2026~ event during your travels
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
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
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
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
Studio Ghibli adds mini pillows and massive mats to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Six towering historical warrior floats will grace Fukui’s Mikuni Festival for three days
Starbucks Japan releases two new “chunky” drinks… and matching gel designs for our nails
Starbucks Japan adds a new Frappuccino and Milk to the menu, but are they worth the calories?
The top 12 incomprehensible school rules, as chosen by high school students
Shochu maker on remote Japanese island plays music as its spirits age, flavor varies by genre
Baskin-Robbins Japan’s 2026 popularity poll results are in and the champion flavor is crowned
161-year-old Kyoto confectionary maker releases new edible Pokémon lineup
Choc mint ice cream season hits Japan with a spectacular drinkable ice cream from Tully’s
7-Eleven Japan now sells canned water, but does funky packaging mean funky flavor?[Taste test]
Japanese samurai sword ice cream crafted by master swordsmith from famous katana town of Seki
Let’s hike a Japanese mountain (that isn’t Mt. Fuji) – Mt. Tsukuba[Photos]