Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
travel (Page 105)
The Windsor Hotel Toya put itself on the map by hosting the G8 Summit in 2008, but the appeal of the Hokkaido resort and spa remains today. The mountaintop hotel offers expansive views of the vast Lake Toya in addition to unparalleled entertainment and amenities.
I had the good fortune to stay at The Windsor this summer, and I’m going to share seven things that show that visiting this resort belongs on everyone’s bucket list. Read More
Expensive Tokyo living got you down? Are you staring another three-day weekend in the face and wondering what havoc it will wreak on your wallet?
There are places to enjoy yourself for free all over Tokyo, if you know where to look. RocketNews24 has sifted through the many options and has come up with 12 suggestions that will not disappoint. Try them next time you have a last-minute date or cobwebs in your billfold! Read More
Part the curtains at the simple storefront of Shoryuken, wrestle the creaky, swollen sliding door open, and step back in time to 1972.
A worn, handmade menu at the Fukuoka City ramen shop advertises ramen bowls for 100 yen, and it is clear that that price has persisted through the restaurant’s 39 years of existence. Read More
Noboribetsu Onsen is a veritable department store for hot springs lovers, with many different kinds of springs bubbling forth from one of the best onsen regions in Hokkaido. Located in Noboribetsu City, Hokkaido, it is overflowing with sights to see, from Jigokudani (“Hell Valley”) with its spouting gas and high-temperature onsen to the century-old hot spring pond “Taisho Jigoku” and the giant hot spring pond “Oyunuma.”
Everyone knows JAL and ANA, but have you heard the name “StarFlyer” while strolling through Haneda Airport? StarFlyer boasts a fleet of fashionable aircraft featuring all-black exteriors and cabin interiors. The first sight of a bitchin’ all-black airplane zooming down the runway will take anyone’s breath away.
StarFlyer planes travel most between Tokyo and Kita-Kyushu, but the airline added flights between Tokyo and Fukuoka on July 1. I flew to Fukuoka on business last month, so I figured I’d give StarFlyer a try. Other than the stunning black of the body and interior, I took note of six features of StarFlyer planes:
Starbucks teams up with the oldest of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns to create a Bizen ware coffee mug
Super budget-friendly retro Tokyo hotel feels like having your own 1960s Asakusa apartment
New Hello Kitty McDonald’s Japan Happy Meal toys are here, and Kitty’s sister is part of the set
Abuse Cafe Japan: We get abused by waitresses in maids’ uniforms at Tokyo’s viral pop-up diner
Studio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion range
Kyoto becomes City of Yokai, with Night Parade of One Hundred Demons festival this autumn
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Cafe Mountain, Ocean & Sun opens its second location in Japan, the first in Tokyo
7-Eleven Japan’s new moon-viewing Ghibli-style “Laputa bread” has anime fans buzzing and chomping
25 different Japanese convenience store sandwiches – What’s inside them?【Photos】Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading JapaneseStudio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion rangeNew Hello Kitty McDonald’s Japan Happy Meal toys are here, and Kitty’s sister is part of the set
Hot spring facility’s beautiful views and all-you-can-eat sushi leave us clean, full, and happy
Japan’s cat testicle calendar is here for nyantama fans to go nuts with
Starbucks Japan releases custom tumblers…that wear aprons
Pikachu/Game Boy manhole cover installed at Nintendo Museum, not viewable by general public
Howl and Sophie ring set gives you Ghibli style on your fingers for a very affordable price
Studio Ghibli releases new wooden stand clips featuring cute cast of anime characters
Starbucks Japan releases special range of drinkware goods to celebrate the moon and the siren
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengersStudio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading JapaneseStudio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion range
Japanese government wants to remove tax-exemption limit for foreign tourists on consumables
Japanese government suspends plan to pay Tokyo women 600,000 to move away to get married
Starbucks Japan unveils new limited-edition Frappuccino for autumn
The heartwarming story of Japan’s “Weakling Gundam” and the fans who supported it in its hour of need
Foreign tourist in Japan arrested for having sex on shrine grounds in broad daylight
Matsushima restaurant offers all-you-can-eat sashimi in as many ways as you can dream it【Photos】
Japan’s Mt. Fuji convenience store view-blocking screen has finally been taken down, on one condition
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goodsForeign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Kyoto becomes City of Yokai, with Night Parade of One Hundred Demons festival this autumn
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Cafe Mountain, Ocean & Sun opens its second location in Japan, the first in Tokyo
7-Eleven Japan’s new moon-viewing Ghibli-style “Laputa bread” has anime fans buzzing and chomping
25 different Japanese convenience store sandwiches – What’s inside them?【Photos】
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
What does a Japanese local think of the Uobei conveyor belt sushi restaurant?
Amazing exhibition of Japan’s legendary “cursed katana” is going on right now【Photos】
Kansai area people more genetically predisposed to liking coffee than elsewhere in Japan
We recreate the delicious-looking meatball stew from Laputa: Castle in the Sky【SoraKitchen】
Goku down! Vast majority of surveyed college students in Japan haven’t read the Dragon Ball manga
This Nara workshop has been making deer crackers for more than 100 years and offers tours【Photos】
The impossible circular staircase is just that… impossible【Video】
Do 7-Eleven Japan’s new back-to-budget-friendly-basics rice bowls make us happy?【Taste test】