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Hatsune Miku successfully wraps Miku Expo 2026 North America tour with 100,000 attendees
Almost 20 years after her debut, the Vocaloid virtual idol still has plenty of power to draw fans and transcend language barriers around the world.Virtual idol Hatsune Miku is showing no signs of slowing down after successfully wrapping up Miku Expo 2026 North America, her first American tour in two years. From April 12 through May 19, Miku, along with fellow Vocaloid singers Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Megurine Luka, Meiko, and Kaito, held 19 performances in 15 cities, dazzling 100,000 concertg
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Late-night high-speed service allows passengers to travel while they sleep, making better use of time and cutting hotel costs.Japan’s Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has just announced plans to introduce an overnight high-speed train service on the Tokaido Shinkansen line this August, offering passengers the chance to travel between Tokyo and Osaka while sleeping on board.The special service, called the “Tokaido Lumière Express”, is scheduled to depart Tokyo Station at 10 p.m. on 8 Au
Nearly half of Pokémon hot spring’s statues have been damaged less than two months after opening
Adorable new ashiyu destination has no Pokémon battles, but injuries to the creatures are still occurring.“Pokémon hot spring” sounds like something too adorable to possibly exist in our world, but reality beat the odds with the recent opening of the Wakura Pokémon Footbath in the town of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture. There’s trouble in Poké-paradise, though, as just a few weeks after welcoming the first visitors, nearly half of the Pokémon have been damaged.At the time of its grand opening on May
Japan opens shrine for plush toys in Kyoto, offering memorial rites and a resting place for remains
A heartwarming way to say thank you to the plush toys you have loved, and who have loved you in return. A unique new shrine held its founding ceremony in Japan on 20 June, and attendance wasn’t limited to people, as plush toys were warmly welcomed too. That’s because the shrine is dedicated to plush toys, serving as a place where visitors can pray with their favourite stuffed companions, and even hold ceremonial services for them when they reach the end of their lives.Known as “Nuigurumi Jinja”,
Foreign tourist arrested in Japan after drifting in museum parking lot[Video]
The Dumb and the Inconsiderate: Tochigi Drift.“I want to go to Japan because it’s the land of _____” is a common, and understandable, motivation for foreign tourists to decide to visit the country. There are all sorts of appealing, colorful, and just plain cool parts of Japan’s modern and traditional culture, and whether you think of Japan as the land of Hello Kitty, the land of ramen, or the land of ninja, it’s definitely worth your time to pursue those interests in some way while visiting the
Starbucks Japan creates special drink bottle bags, adorable stickers for all 47 prefectures[Pics]
Starbucks Day Trip line gives each and every part of Japan a chance to shine.Starbucks has branches all across Japan, and while they’re all part of the same chain, they each have pride for their individual part of the country too. We’ve seen that before with special regional drink offerings, and now Starbucks Japan is adding some visual fun for each of Japan’s 47 prefectures with its Starbucks Day Trip drinkware and decoration line.Starting with the practical side of the collection, the Starbuck
Enjoy the world’s oldest gyoza chain hidden just outside Shinjuku Station
Serving up dumplings with almost 200 years of Chinese history.Walk along undiscovered streets in new and fascinating towns and there will be locations and landmarks that jump out at you, places that are practically begging you to visit and shop signs suffusing the landscape with their siren calls. However, this phenomenon can also exist on your daily commute—a store never being enticing enough to stop inside, but one that you keep reminding yourself to check out sometime every time you pass it.
Cheap Japanese sandwich hack: Popular cafe’s 21-cent white bread offcuts will really up your game
A smart way to beat rising prices and eat on the cheap like a local in Japan.Japan might not look too different to how it’s looked in recent years, but delve a little deeper and you’ll discover that a tough battle is being fought beneath the surface, and the enemy is the soaring cost of living. With most locals receiving a battering from the increasingly powerful foe, people are now hunting for bargains in an effort to fight back, and if you’re looking at life through the lens of cheap finds lik
Starbucks Japan sells Valencia Flavoured Syrup, and here are four ways to use it this summer
These syrups aren’t only designed for coffee.As much as we love Starbucks drinks, there are times when we just can’t be bothered to leave the house to buy one. This happens more often in summer, when stepping outside is like opening the door to a humid, relentless, steamed-up sauna, so we’re glad to know there’s a way to get a quick fix of Starbucks from the comfort of our air-conditioned homes.This quick fix comes in the form of flavoured syrups, which are sold in stores and at the chain’
Japan announces sudden 500-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
First increase to visa fees in nearly 50 years will affect some arriving foreigners more than others.The Japanese government has announced a proportionally huge increase in visa fees for foreign nationals entering the country, and it’s going into effect almost immediately.Right now, the cost for a single-entry visa is 3,000 yen (US$19). Under the new pricing structure, set by the Cabinet of Japan, that fee will be raised to 15,000 yen, five times its current price. The fee for a multiple-entry v
Beat the heat with chilled Iekei ramen from Yokohama Iekei Ramen Ichikakuya
Eat big and eat light at the same time.As the temperature continues to rise in Japan, people’s appetites tend to diminish. So, in the summer, we sometimes turn to classic dishes like somen chilled noodles as a light and refreshing way to get some energy when we just can’t stomach a heavy meal.We aren’t quite at that level of heat yet, so our reporter Takashi Harada has been trying to sneak in as many bowls of Iekei ramen as possible. Iekei is a popular style of ramen that originated in Yokohama
Kits to make battle tops out of pure candy coming soon in Japan
If you’re going to play with your food, make it competitive.Spinning tops have been around for a very long time, and even the concept of having battles where opponents try to knock each other’s tops out of commission isn’t new. I have to think it was the name “Beyblade” that really helped to propel tops to the upper echelon of popular toys in recent years.Though simple in concept, the game has elements of engineering and physics that arguably make the parts educational toys. Perhaps that’s
“Phantom Egg Shop” opens in Japan, with a dozen rare Japanese varieties
In-house expert Mr. TKG gives us his top three egg recommendations.When people in Japan with niche interests hone in and get serious about something, they get really serious. Case in point is a new store that recently opened in Komagome in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, which specialises in Japanese eggs. These aren’t just any eggs, but rare varieties you won’t find in regular supermarkets, and the hard-to-encounter nature of them is reflected in the store name: Gen no Tamagoya San, which translates as “
Japanese merry-go-round has heartwarming backstory, is one of the best rides in Japan
The amusement park may have been demolished, but this ride lives on.“This might be the most enjoyable merry-go-round I’ve ever ridden.”That was the honest reaction from our reporter Natsuno Futon after she stepped off a carousel recently, and there were a couple of major reasons that made her feel this way. First was the fact that she could ride it as many times as she liked for free, and secondly, and most importantly, was the unique nature of it, as it kept the history of a long-forgotten them
7-Eleven Japan vs Family Mart: Who has the biggest convenience store cookie?
A cookie clash amongst convenience store chains. It’s a great time to be a convenience store customer in Japan right now, as Family Mart is holding a special upsize campaign that gives us more for our yen for a limited time. One of the products that’s been upsized is the “Big Cookie”, which we heartily recommend trying, but as it turns out, over at 7-Eleven you can find a similarly good cookie, and some people say it could give Family Mart’s a run for its money.▼ 7-Eleven’s “Baked In-Store Choco
We invent ice slurry somen to combat the extreme Japanese summer heat【SoraKitchen】
Although your pre-battle preparations need to start a week in advance.With many parts of Japan already experiencing extremely hot days, with some areas of eastern Japan reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), it’s time for residents and tourists alike to start considering how to survive the looming midsummer heat that will be striking in full force in a few weeks. One aspect that some people tend to forget is how heat affects appetite, and the hotter it becomes, the lower your desir
Japanese sweets brand creates new drinkable Cigare and we’re totally here for it
Famous “Cat’s Tongue” cookies get a whole new look with a limited-edition release at only one location. One of the best places to shop for Tokyo souvenirs is in the basement of Tokyo Station, and some of the most popular souvenirs you’ll find there are buttery rich cookies by Yoku Moku. This long-established Tokyo-based confectionery brand is famous for its elegant langue de chat (“cat’s tongue”) biscuits, with the standout being its signature product, a
Ginza Happo: One of Tokyo’s best all-you-can-eat seafood restaurants is an extreme buffet affair
This breathtaking spectacle includes, beef, desserts, hot dishes, drinks, and a special grill experience, but it requires some insider expertise to properly wade through.As much as we love a bargain-priced all-you-can-eat restaurant, we also love a great deal, and right now one of the best deals you can find in the Tokyo buffet sphere is at Ginza Happo. This restaurant has two branches in Tokyo, one in Ginza and another in Shinjuku, both of which opened in 2024.We’d long heard great things about
Harajuku Custom Icees come to help Tokyo’s Takeshita Street stay cute and cool this summer
Slushy sweet drink from the U.S. makes its Harajuku debut.Weather-wise it’s been a surprisingly mild June in Tokyo, but that’s only going to make the inevitable heart and humidity of midsummer feel all the more fierce when it does show up. Thankfully, shoppers on Takeshita Street, the corridor just outside Harajuku Station that’s packed with trendy youth fashion boutiques, have a new way to cool off as Icees are coming to the neighborhood.Though the sweet, slushy carbonated beverages have been b
100-meter tall Hello Kitty artwork appearing on Japanese Ferris wheel, jumbo Pompompurin nearby
Sanrio Fes brings gigantic cuteness to Minato Mirai.Hello Kitty is a big star all over the world, but she’s a really, really big star here in Japan. How big? 100-meters (328-feet) big.That’s the size of the Hello Kitty design that’s being featured on the Cosmo Clock Ferris Wheel in the seaside city of Yokohama. Actually, the Ferris wheel is 112.5 meters off the ground at its very top, thanks to the base it stands on, but the wheel itself has a 100-meter diameter.「#サンリオフェス2026 in みなとみらい」コラボ企画！神奈