Toyama
Sip your coffee to the backdrop of a magnificent, panoramic view next to this Starbucks in Toyama Prefecture.
They told us money doesn’t grow on trees, but why didn’t they tell us it flows in aqueducts?
Considered one of the greatest feats in the history of construction in Japan, Kurobe Dam plans to open its floodgates to visitors.
We visit the award-winning Starbucks to see if it’s still worthy of its title after a facelift.
Is this a country-fair style affront to Japanese cuisine, or a delicious idea we should have thought of sooner? Our reporter Meg finds out.
It’s soon to be official, Kobe will win Christmas this year, and with it, all of Santa’s gold.
With no cosmopolitan cachet to influence gourmands’ minds, this ramen wins recognition purely for its flavor.
We paid a visit to the unusual location to find out what makes this the world’s most beautiful Starbucks.
Does Japan’s Mitsuoka Motors count as a carmaker? It’s debatable. Yes, the company does have its own dealers that sell Mitsuoka-branded cars. Almost all of them, though, are Nissans or Mazdas with extensive cosmetic modifications. Even the company’s Orochi coupe, which has its own dedicated body, uses an engine built by Toyota.
So let’s ask an easier question: Are Mitsuoka’s cars visually unique? Unquestionably. The company has always made aesthetics the number-one priority in all of its vehicles, and that tradition continues with woodcarving so exquisite it wouldn’t look at all out of place in a Japanese castle, but which instead graces this Mitsuoka sedan.
In Japan, customer service tends to pretty amazing across the board, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants may be boisterously friendly and others may be quietly courteous, but you can just about always be assured that everyone on the staff, from your server to the owner, is working hard to ensure an enjoyable dining experience.
But even by those standards, this yakiniku restaurant goes above and beyond the call of duty, with an extensive list of extra special services they’re willing to provide. Of course, courteousness is a two-way street, so the restaurant also has 10 unique requests it in turn makes to its customers.



















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