From 10 May to 15 June voting is being held of the 30th annual Sanrio Character Ranking. This is where the company pits their vast library of cute characters such as Hello Kitty against each other in a popularity contest.
You can expect to see the top-ranking characters get the most exposure through merchandising and spokesperson deals for the rest of the year. And now with two weeks past and the preliminary results announced, many are surprised to see the fictional visual kei (think glam rock) group Shingan Crimsonz at the top of the list of 100 characters well ahead of cuteness stalwarts such as Hello Kitty and Little Twin Stars.
This has caused tremors in the cute character community with many suspecting that Japan’s homo-erotic fan fiction loving girls known as fujoshi may have formed a powerful voting bloc.
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Yoshina invites you to give the gift of beef bowls this Mother’s Day
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Shizuoka’s local Cherry Beans Potato French fries are just plain devilishly good
Universal Studios’ Sailor Moon theme park attraction is finally coming to America
New Travelling Bento pouches turn your luggage into a Japanese lunch box
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
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
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
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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
Yoshina invites you to give the gift of beef bowls this Mother’s Day
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Shizuoka’s local Cherry Beans Potato French fries are just plain devilishly good
Universal Studios’ Sailor Moon theme park attraction is finally coming to America
New Travelling Bento pouches turn your luggage into a Japanese lunch box
Drink vending machines disappearing in Japan as number drops to lowest in 30 years
Discover some of the best snacks in Atami, a wonderland of Japanese street food
New 7-Eleven sandwich goes viral in Japan, but is it everything it’s cracked up to be?
A Kyoto factory vending machine sells gourmet mystery meals at bargain prices
Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven?
How to make curry in a rice cooker with zero prep work and no water[Recipe]
We tried six Japanese burger chains’ coffee to test the state of fast food coffee in Japan[Taste test]
Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]