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Poll finds support to let women inherit imperial throne as Japan faces possible succession crisis
Allowing for female succession would require changes to law and over a thousand years of cultural tradition.So here’s an odd statistical anomaly. Right now, in all of Japan, there are only three people who are closer in line to inheriting the imperial throne than you are.That’s because there are currently only three people in the entire world who could become Japan’s next emperor. And no, this isn’t a situation where those three share first dibs on the position, but if something were to happen t
TikTok releases its Year in Music 2025 – Japan’s Top 10 Songs ranking
Japanese idol units and songs about not giving up strike big in this year’s list of the most influential TikTok tracks in Japan.Social media app TikTok continues to serve as a hub for popularizing music both old and new. In particular, various trends on the platform cause certain songs to go viral and propel artists to fame.TikTok recently released a number of lists to celebrate the songs that dominated 2025, including a ranking of the top ten songs on TikTok Japan. Featuring mainly newer
Exhibit featuring cutting-edge smell technology held at Tokyo Skytree
Come take a whiff of the future.Societies have ways to indulge in most senses. Paintings and movies dazzle our eyes, our ears are treated to concerts and recordings, and a vast spread of food from around the world can tickle our taste buds. But what about smelling?A stroll through a nice garden or lighting some incense will certainly be pleasing to the nose, but overall, we’ve lacked a way to control scents with anywhere near the same precision and accuracy as other forms of sensory stimul
More Shinkansen trains being added to Japan’s “golden route” to meet traveler demand
Extra bullet trains at peak times and new early-morning/late-night departures will make it easier to zoom from one region of Japan to another.The Shinkansen isn’t the only way to get around Japan, but it’s the fastest, the most comfortable, and the most convenient. That combination, though, also means that it’s the most popular mode of long-distance transportation among travelers, and that means that seats can fill up quickly, especially along the “golden route” combination of the Tokaido Shinka
7-Eleven Japan now sells…matcha burritos?!?
Well, this is a convenience store find we never saw coming.In Japan, convenience store chains are constantly thinking up new ways to stay ahead of the competition, and 7-Eleven is edging ahead right now with the release of its new matcha burrito. Officially called “Burrito Matcha Azuki Mochi” in Japanese, or “Matcha Red Beans Filling & Rice Cake” in English, this brand new product is the latest flavour to join the chain’s burrito range, which is already a top-se
We go on a quest to find the cheesiest sushi at Japanese conveyor belt sushi chains【Taste test】
Ultimately, we found an un-brie-lievably cheesy hidden gem at a lesser well-known revolving sushi chain.Cheese and sushi may not seem like two things that were destined to go together, but original cheese-based sushi creations have actually become fairly standard fare over recent years at conveyor belt sushi chains in Japan. We were feeling in a particularly gouda mood recently and decided to compare the different offerings at some of Japan’s biggest conveyor belt sushi chains, and boy wer
Godzilla and Gap Japan team up for kaiju casual fashion collection【Photos】
The king of the monsters, plus a few other members of kaiju royalty, are ready to fill a gap in your Gap wardrobe.As one of the most popular clothing brands in the world, Gap has worked with some very big creative partners over the years. They don’t get much bigger, though, than who Gap Japan’s is teaming up with next: Godzilla!The king of the monsters will be stomping his way into the Gap lineup later this month with the Godzilla Collection, a series of kaiju causal fashions consisting of two s
New line of Evangelion fishing lures and other gear released by Japanese maker Dress
Fish are in their sea, all is right with the world.Many people might not realize it, but the legendary anime series Evangelion has a strong connection with fish. The medical breakthrough process that allows us to breathe through our butts was actually inspired by both fish and the liquid those pilots of biomechanical battle suits immersed themselves in.Not only that, but a line of fishing lures featuring designs of some Evangelion units was released last July and sold like fishcakes, proving onc
Majority of Japanese men say they feel some discomfort seeing female janitors in men’s restrooms
Media personality’s comment sparks discussion about common occurrence.Like a lot of people, visits to the bathroom on my first few trips to Japan were a source of a lot of surprises, from “Whoa, this toilet is so high-tech that it has a heated seat and washes your backside for you!” to “Whoa…this toilet is basically just a hole in the ground…” One surprise, though, wasn’t what I encountered in the restroom, but who. As I sauntered up to a urinal and unzipped my pants to take care of
Let’s visit a German castle… in Okinawa!
We go where washi dare.Although located far south of the rest of Japan, Okinawa Prefecture’s Miyako Island is still very well known for its pristine beaches, oceans, and statues of police. It’s a great place to enjoy some sunbathing, water sports, and interesting food, but not so famous for any sort of tourist attraction facilities. That’s why many people would be surprised to learn it’s home to an authentic German castle.It certainly came as a surprise to our reporter Sa
Starbucks Japan quietly slips fans another Christmas present with Joyful Medley Strawberry Milk Tea
Some extra joy that we weren’t expecting, but definitely enjoyed.Getting your Christmas presents early is one of those things that sounds great at first, but sometimes turns out to be less than 100-pecent fun. Case in point: back in November, Starbucks Japan brought out the Strawberry and Joyful Medley Tea Frappuccino, as well as the Strawberry Mousse and Joyful Medley Tea Latte. These two drinks, based on the chain’s wintertime-limited Joyful Medley tea blend, were both delicious and had our Ja
How to get your money’s worth at an all-you-can-eat crepe challenge in Japan
Local hack will have you eating more crepes than you ever thought possible.Japan has a knack for putting a unique twist on overseas sweets, and that’s what it’s done with thecrepe, which first became popular in Harajuku in the ’70s. These days, Japanese crepes are bursting with ingredients like fruit and fresh cream, so much so that you can easily fill yourself up nicely on just one of them. However, for those of us feeling gluttonous, there is a way to let your love of crepes
Donald Trump travels to Asia and a meeting with China’s Xi as the US government shutdown drags on
President Donald Trump headed for Asia for the first time this term, a trip where he’s expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to de-escalate a trade war.
Shimane has a secret hot spring town that feels like stepping into an old Japanese film
A World Heritage hot spring town with retro bathhouses and seafood feasts.We love uncovering hidden travel sites around Japan that take us away from the crowds and lead us to discovering a myriad of culturally rich places. Shimane Prefecture has proven to be a veritable silver mine of them, as our Japanese-language reporter Marie Morimoto discovered on her previous visit there earlier in the year.Marie recently found herself back in the region, and decided that she’d explore a hidden hot spring
Tokyo station platform to transform into sake bar with hot drinks, hot oden, and hot kotatsu
Limited-time event returns to Ryogoku this winter.Last month, travelers passing through downtown Tokyo’s Ryogoku Station were treated to the sight of a giant (and blue) sumo wrestler stopping a train to protect a cute kitty. And while that event, courtesy of Sony’s PlayStation team, isn’t going on anymore, there’s something else coming to Ryogoku Station soon that’s very cool too…and also very warm.In what’s become an annual winter tradition, Ryogoku will be hosting Oden de Atsukan Station
Totoro gamaguchi pouches will hold whatever you want them to, but already captured our heart
Ordinarily fluffy and fuzzy, Totoro goes smooth and sleek in these adorable pouches.The Japanese word gamaguchi translates literally into English as “frog mouth,” but the language didn’t really need a single, specialized vocabulary word for discussing that part of amphibian anatomy. You’re much more likely to hear gamaguchi being used in its fashion-related figurative meaning, where it describes a pouch with a metal clasp that stretches from one end to the other and lets you open it up wide, res
Japanese man who didn’t know how banks work defrauded out of 21 million yen
But now he knows, and knowing is half the battle.We all have certain gaps in our knowledge that are widely known to others. They say even Einstein couldn’t drive a car because he found it too complicated, though in fairness, cars were a lot more complicated when he was growing up than they are now, what with the hand cranks to start the engines and all.Anyway, the point is everyone has their blind spots, and we can only hope they don’t emerge in embarrassing or damaging situations
Record number of foreign children in Japan need help understanding Japanese in school
As Japan’s foreign population grows, its foreign kid count is getting bigger too, and educational systems might not be keeping up with the country’s changing demographics.As Japan’s foreign population continues to grow, the number of foreign-nationality kids living in the country is rising too. Unfortunately, the number of kids living in Japan who aren’t proficient in communicating in Japanese is growing too.According to Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, whi
Pokémon Christmas village event taking place nightly in Yokohama
Bayside park lights up every night with Electric-type Pokémon Christmas tree.We’ve still got a couple weeks until it’s time for Santa to show up, but there are already some very welcome Christmas visitors who’ve arrived in Yokohama, the bayside city half an hour south of Tokyo. That’s because Yokohama’s picturesque Akarenga, also known as the Red Brick Warehouse, is hosting a special Pokémon Christmas village event with adorable decorations and photo spots.Though it’s open daily from 11 a.m. to
“Bear” voted Japan’s Kanji of the Year for 2025 in extremely close race
It bear-ly beat out the second-place kanji.A little while back, after writing my fifth or so article about bear-related news in Japan, I thought to myself, “You know, I bet ‘bear’ is going to win Kanji of the Year this time around.” And even though the increasingly chilly weather and increased hunting activity seem to be slowing the incidents recently, it’s hard to argue against calling 2025 “the year of the bear” in Japan.And sure enough, on 12 December