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Another side of Kyoto – The prefecture’s top 10 “road stations” for traveling foodies

We’re headed to Kyoto today, but not to see the temples or shrines.Temples and shrines are the first things that come to mind when travelers think of Kyoto, but the prefecture is also a treasure trove of outstanding michi no eki, or “road stations.” These combination roadside shops/rest areas offer a variety of unique local products, from foods and drinks to handicrafts, and with Kyoto Prefecture’s rich culinary legacies, its road stations include ones in famous green tea-growing regions and fis

Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan

New fusion food looks set to become a hit on social media. If you’re in Japan and find yourself in the mood for pizza, but with a hankering for sushi as well, there’s a new restaurant in Osaka ready to satisfy both those needs, all in one easy-to-eat slice.Called Sushi Pizza, this new fusion food is the brainchild of Kaisen Monogatari, a sushi and izakaya restaurant in the city’s lively Dotonbori district. Osaka, and this district in particular, is bursting at the seams with so

133-year-old Japanese company’s cookies go beyond matcha with dashi and shichimi flavors

Kayanoya’s Satoyama Cookies give you four flavors for a snack session unlike any other.The other day, we found ourselves thinking “We want to eat some cookies.” In and of itself, that’s not at all an unusual condition for us to be in, but on this day we wanted specifically to eat some Kayanoya cookies.Kayanoya is a company that was founded all the way back in 1893, and as you might expect from that, they make use of some characteristically Japanese ingredients in their cookies, such as matcha gr

Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream

A taste of the U.S. via Okinawa.Our intrepid reporter Mr. Sato was recently in Fussa, a part of Tokyo west of the downtown area, where he discovered Tampopo, a retro pachinko parlor that lets you try your hand at the game without worrying about the gambling part of it. Fussa has more invitingly old-school vibes to offer, though, as Mr. Sato found while walking along National Route 16.National Route 16 is actually a bit of an international thoroughfare, since it runs right along the edge of the U

The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef

Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world.Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’ve got beef with anyone who says that a quality burger can’t be found in Japan. In fact, finding one is about to get even easier with the return of the prestigious Japan Burger Championship next month in its fifth edition. The event has attracted a total of 170,000 attendees over the past fo

Tokyo’s insane Garlic Ramen is a meal, and an aroma, you’ll never forget[Taste test]

There aren’t enough breath mints in the world to save us, but we’re going in anyway.Japanese folk wisdom holds that garlic is a food that boosts physical stamina, and it’s supposed to be helpful in dealing with the adverse effects of hot weather too. The actual science behind those claims gets a little indistinct, but for garlic lovers, we’re getting into a time of year that provides ample excuses to load up on the seasoning. Today that leads us to Yoshioka, a ramen restaurant in downtown Tokyo’

Same name tops lists of most popular dog and cat names in Japan, and there’s probably a reason why

Cultural quirks have a hand in making the same name the favorite for dogs and cats in annual study.Japan’s most famous fictional cat might be the one named Kitty, but when it comes to actual pets, owners tend to get a little more creative with their choices. To investigate what Japan’s most popular pet names are, Daiichi ipet, the pet insurance division of Daiichi Life Group, recently conducted a study of the animal companions it covers, and there’s a common theme among many of the top entries o

Own a piece of anime history with U-Treasure’s Astro Boy gold miniature figure

A new line of decorative mini figures made from gold pay homage to pioneering manga artist Osamu Tezuka’s massive influence on anime and manga.U-Treasure, a Japanese jewelry brand that frequently partners with pop culture franchises for fun but classy keepsakes, is now taking preorders for the first three pieces in a new collaborative series paying homage to manga legend Osamu Tezuka.The Osamu Tezuka World Gold Collection celebrates the 80th anniversary of the God of Manga‘s 1946 deb

Tokyo restaurant offers lunches for less than 1 U.S. cent…if you’re good enough at rock-paper-scissors

We head to a unique restaurant for a harami bowl and a janken match.It wasn’t all that long ago that you could find lots of restaurants in Japan offering “one-coin” lunches, so called because the meals were priced at 500 yen (US$3.25) or less, with 500 yen being the largest denomination of coin in Japan. With prices rapidly rising, though, one-coin meals are getting harder and harder to find, something that’s making both our wallets and our stomachs very sad.However, we recently discovered a res

Government says 5.7 trillion yen of Japanese media was pirated last year, thinks AI could help

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry conducts study to estimate damage to producers of anime and other Japanese media.With Japanese entertainment media growing in popularity around the world, the Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is also growing more concerned about the effects of media piracy overseas. In its latest study of the situation, the ministry claims that damage from piracy has been rapidly increasing, but one of its proposed countermeasures might not rea

What makes the Starbucks Japan chocolate terrine so popular?

We find out why Japanese social media has gone crazy for this cake.Starbucks might be famous for its Frappuccinos, but fans of the chain will tell you its cakes are where it’s at. That’s what’s happening right now on Japanese social media, where sweet tooths are raving about the chain’s chocolate terrine. At 540 yen (US$3.40) apiece, this is no cheap slice, but fans say it’s worth the investment, and the calories, so we picked one up to find out if it was worth the

Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]

Pikachu and Gyarados invite you to come by for a relaxing soak as Noto town recovers from disaster.A lot of storylines in the Pokémon anime and video games follow the journeys of Pokémon Trainers as they roam far and wide in search of rare Pocket Monsters as part of their training to become Pokémon Masters. No matter how strong your resolve is to be the very best, though, eventually you’re going to need to take some time to stop and rest along the way. Likewise, if your real-life travels take yo

KFC Japan’s “The American Burgers” include a pile of guilt

KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japan is

Japanese government to allow desecration of flags on kids’ meals

A victory for freedom of eats.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been hard at work drafting a bill to criminalize desecration of the Japanese flag. It’s apparently a pressing matter, even though I’ve never seen anyone do anything bad to a flag before. In fact, I rarely see the flag used much at all, good or bad. But it’s perhaps in anticipation of continuing protests to the current administration’s efforts to roll back the pacifist elements of the constitution that they feel this is a prior

World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit 2026 concludes, gathering global technology dignitaries to deepen Asia-Pacific digital collaboration

HONG KONG, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosted by the World Internet Conference (WIC), organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, and co-organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the 2026 WIC Asia-Pacific Summit was held in Hong Kong on 13-14 April 2026 and concluded successfully. The two-day international flagship event brought together around 1000 global innovation and technology (I&T) stakeholders, including government and business leaders, representatives from international organisations, experts and scholars from over 50 countries and regions. The Summit further deepened regional digital cooperation, showcased Hong Kong's progress and advantages in driving digital transformation and AI governance, and reinforced its position as an international I&T centre and a two-way platform connecting the country and the world.

Two new Sailor Moon art manhole covers are coming to Usagi’s real-world Tokyo neighborhood

Outer Senshi join their anime/manga magical girl sisters on the streets of Minato Ward.Sailor Moon features some pretty fantastical settings, with much of its mythos involving ancient kingdoms on the moon and antagonists hailing from even farther reaches of the cosmos. However, most of the series takes place in Minato, one the actual wards of real-world Tokyo, where Usagi and her friends live, go to school, and fight many of the manga/anime’s monsters of the week,So a while back, Minato Ward dec

Krispy Kreme releases new limited-edition fox doughnuts at only four stores in Japan

Kitakitsune Milk celebrates the charm of Hokkaido with kawaii style. Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido is famous for many things, including high-quality milk, thanks to the region’s many dairy farms, and the indigenous Ezo red fox, known locally as the “kitakitsune” (“northern fox”).Both these renowned claims-to-fame are now being honoured in a new Krispy Kreme product called the “Krispy Kreme Premium Hokkaido Kitakitsune Milk“.The “Krispy Kreme Premium Ho

APEC ministers' meeting seeks broadest common ground on economic, trade cooperation: MOC

NANJING -- The 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting that concluded Saturday in China's Suzhou has actively ...

Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue

They’re very good at using chopsticks.Every day, millions of people in Japan crack open a bento or dig into a restaurant’s meal while holding a pair of chopsticks that are destined for the garbage once finished, possibly even sooner if one is dropped on the floor. On the bright side, they’re biodegradable compared to plastic utensils, but it still seems wasteful to discard so much material after one use.It’s something the Canadian company ChopValue has been working to address by developing

APEC ministers' meeting seeks broadest common ground on economic, trade cooperation: MOC

The 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting that concluded Saturday in China's Suzhou has actively sought the ...