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Starbucks Japan releases special limited-edition summer drinks… at only 30 stores
These Japan-exclusive beverages are harder to get than most.Starbucks might have originated overseas but Japan has refined its offerings and taken them to a whole other level. Case in point is the chain’s Tea & Cafe stores, which only exist in Japan, at 30 select locations.These stores specialise in tea-based beverages made with Starbucks’ Teavana brand teas, and serve exclusive drinks you won’t find at regular Starbucks locations.This summer, an exclusive duo of drinks wil
Two of Kyoto’s famous temples tackle streetside trash with solar-powered trash cans
Bringing futuristic solutions to historic streets.Upon coming to Japan and exploring the cities, I soon came to one of many realizations: the country has a near-complete lack of public trash cans. While it’s technically possible to call into one of the many convenience stores to unload your pockets of snack wrappers into the store’s waste receptacles, there are almost always signs asking you to refrain from doing so, and you could potentially face criminal charges for dumping garbage from produc
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style
Luna Azul can take you from Tokyo to Akita or Aomori while you snooze.The Shinkansen is usually the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B when traveling within Japan. Since the stations tend to be centrally located and there aren’t any time-consuming security checks to go through, the Shinkansen can get you to many destinations even more quickly than flying.That doesn’t mean, though, that the Shinkansen is always the most time-efficient way to get around Japan, since as fast as the bullet t
7-Eleven Japan joins the craze for Korean Gamja Cheese Balls
Trendy Korean snacks get a convenience store makeover, but is it a good thing? Last year, 7-Eleven showcased some of Korea’s most famous food in a special limited-time campaign, and it proved to be so popular that Korean cuisine is back in the spotlight again, with a series called “Mashisso! Korea’s Top Recommended Gourmet Picks”.This two-part series kicked off on 1 June, with a second batch of items released just over a week later, on 9 June. Out of all the “mashisso!” (“delicious!”) prod
Super Mario Galaxy Happy Meal toys now available at McDonald’s Japan
Let’s a-go (to Mcdonald’s)!Last month, the cast of the Chiikawa anime/manga showed up at McDonald’s Japan, but now it’s time for a new group to take their place. With Chiikawa being one of Japan’s most popular franchises these days the next batch of Happy Meal toys has some very big shoes to fill, but next up are some of Japan’s very brightest pop culture stars, Super Mario and friends (and some enemies too).Specifically, McDonald’s Japan’s new Happy Meal toys feature Nintendo’s characters in th
Date handsome cockroaches in a new dating sim from one of Japan’s leading pest control companies
From the country that gave the world a pigeon dating sim comes a short romance game starring cockroaches.Summer in Japan means many things: the dazzlingly vibrant fireworks displays, the refreshing seasonal treats, and sipping on some cold beer in some of the country’s stunning beer gardens. However, the hot weather also brings forth some unpleasant critters, and while mosquitoes have a very prominent presence in daily lives with the incessant itching their bites cause, cockroaches are an even m
Bears appear at one of Kyoto Prefecture’s most popular tourist spots[Video]
People have been traveling to Amanohashidate for centuries, and this week apparently bears are too.Amanohashidate, located on the northern coast of Kyoto Prefecture, is considered one of the three most beautiful places in Japan (the other being Miyajima and Matsushima). Amanohashidate translates to “bridge to the heavens,” and it got that name because the strip of land that stretches across the bay here is said to look like a pathway rising into the sky.Celebrated in poems and painting for centu
Sincerity, reciprocity and symbiosis
The 32nd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting showed that Asia-Pacific economies are able to work together to build a regional community that prospers together
Japan’s cheap beef bowl chain goes upscale with Matsuya Premium, but is it worth the higher price?
Ordinarily cheap Matsuya opens a high-priced Matsuya inside another upscale Matsuya.Japanese department stores have food departments on their basement levels, and naturally the fancier department stores offer fancier foods. So it might surprise some shoppers at the Matsuya department store in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza neighborhood to find that one of Japan’s cheapest restaurant chains now has a presence in the store’s food section.June 10 was the grand opening of Matsuya Premium Ginza, the new depar
Dragon Quest King Slime eye drops fly off shelves in less than a day
It’s a critical hit!The hit role-playing video game franchise Dragon Quest is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and one way they’re marking the occasion is by teaming up with Rohto Pharmaceutical. These two brands have teamed up in the past to release versions of Rohto Z! eyedrops in containers that resemble the game’s most popular monster, the Slime.The first version came out in 2017 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Rohto Z! and the second came about in 2023 for the 25th ann
Anne Hathaway creates PR frenzy in Japan after mentioning Tottori in Devil Wears Prada interview
Casual mention elicits enthusiastic response from commonly overlooked tourist destination.Japan has become one of the world’s top tourist destinations, welcoming a record-breaking 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, a 15.8-percent increase from 2024, and on track to break the record this year. While this is great news for big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, where tourists tend to spend most of their time and money, there are 44 other prefectures in Japan that are crying out fo
7-Eleven Japan reinvents convenience store fruit sandwiches with new salty pink sakura peach variety
We find out if salty sakura pink bread is really a good way forward for the chain. Japan has a penchant for white bread sandwiches. Commonly featuring fluffy slices of shokupan, made with an enriched dough containing milk, these sandwiches aren’t just confined to savoury fillings as they pair well with sweet ingredients too, opening the door for some eye-popping sweet creations that defy Western traditions.Right now, 7-Eleven is pushing the envelope even further by turning some of its whi
East Japan Railway announces plans to abolish magnetic-strip tickets
End of an era is coming for ecological and economic reasons.Train travel in Japan is going to be looking a little different, as East Japan Railway Company, a.k.a. JR East, has announced that it’ll be making a major change to its ticket design. Right now, JR East tickets have your starting station and fare printed on the front, and a magnetic strip on the back. At the gate, you slide your ticket into the slot, the gate opens up, and your ticket pops back up from another slot on the other side of
Trigun Legacy Cafe coming to two Japanese cities this summer to salute series’ original form
Humanoid Typhoon to hit Shibuya and Namba this July.Trigun Stargaze, the sequel series to Trigun Stampede, was released earlier this year, and while there’s fun to be had in the CG-reimagining of the adventures of Vash the Stampede, for many fans there’s just no substitute for the original hand-drawn Trigun manga and 1998 anime TV series.So now there’s a Trigun Legacy Cafe coming to Tokyo and Osaka.Hosted by Chugai Grace Cafe, a themed restaurant subdivision of department store Marui, the cafe w
Starbucks Japan releases new “torori” drinks exclusive to 7-Eleven convenience stores
A new limited-edition drink you can’t even get at Starbucks.Competition is fierce amongst Japan’s top three convenience store chains, 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson, but right now 7-Eleven is edging ahead of the competition with a new tie-up Starbucks drink that you can’t get anywhere else, not even at Starbucks.Called Fruity Cheers Torori, this new beverage comes in two flavours, Strawberry Berry Bergamot and Mango Passionfruit, with each one blending the rich aroma of frui
Shakey’s Japan creates matcha mochi, Kyoto fish, and Kansai Chili Con Carne pizzas
Japan’s Kansai region inspires some very bold baking in Shakey’s Japan’s ovens.A while back, Shakey’s celebrated its 50th anniversary of arriving in Japan with a special selection of pizzas that it called the “American Pizza Tour.” But having passed the half-century mark in Japan now, the chain has seen some very tasty stuff in this country too, and brings us to Shakey’s newest creations, pizzas inspired by the culinary traditions of central Japan’s Kansai region.We start with the Kansai Chili C
Pump yourself up with Yokohama’s new extravagant Cool Fuel ice cream
With its slogan “Melt the Rule,” Cool Fuel offers a new kind of five-layered ice cream-eating experience centered on Mascarpone cheese flavor.New ice cream brand Cool Fuel opened on May 29 in the Yokohama Hammerhead shopping complex. We’d heard rumblings that it was supposed to be an ultra-luxurious dessert experience, far different than eating regular ice cream. Never ones to resist an icy sweet treat, we paid the new shop a visit on the morning of the fourth day it was open.▼
Burger King Japan offering all-you-can-eat quad-burgers, whoever eats the most gets more in December
Beefy gauntlet has been thrown down once again by Burger King Japan.Burger King Japan understands that there are times when a regular-size hamburger just won’t cut it, which is why they offer what they call the One Pounder series, a line of sandwiches with four patties. Sometimes, though, a person’s bottomless well of burger love equals the infinite capacity of their stomach, and so for them, later this month Burger King Japan is offering all-you-can eat One Pounders.First, let’s take a look at
7-Eleven Japan releases a chocolate chip sandwich… that tastes like ice cream
This chilled sando is a convenience store must-try.When you’re travelling around Japan and learning the language, you’ll find yourself picking up new words in odd places, and right now the word at 7-Eleven is “yokubari“. Literally translating as “greedy” or “indulgent“, the chain is using the word to describe a range of single-serve “one-piece” sandwiches that are so loaded with decadent fillings they’re bulging at the seams, and
This shop combines traditional Japanese sweets with…mayonnaise?!?[Taste test]
Even with a shop name like Mayo x Mayo, we weren’t expecting this much mayo.The word “original” has a bit of a different nuance in Japanese. It’s not so much used to describe something revolutionary or inventive so much as something that’s unique to a specific place. So, for example, a restaurant that makes its own roux from scratch, as opposed to using any sort of pre-made version, might boast about its “original curry,” even if the restaurant’s curry itself is pretty orthodox in style.But we r