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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

Starbucks adds new Fruit Gummy sweets to stores in Japan

Sure, Starbucks knows how to make a good Frappucino, but do they have what it takes to make good gummies? Starbucks is known around the world for being a coffeehouse chain that specialises in drinks like the Frappuccino, but here in Japan you can come across some other unique surprises. Right now, the biggest surprise of all is that the chain is branching out into the sweet world of gummies, with a new release called Fruit Gummy.We came across this new discovery when we spotted the sweets next t

Gun found in Japanese convenience store restroom, traced to forgetful on-duty cop

A public restroom stall shock that had nothing to do with cleanliness.Whether you’re looking for a Pokémon frappe, chocolate chip sandwich, or surprisingly high-quality T-shirt, Japan’s convenience stores have got you covered. As a matter of fact, it can start to become easy to become desensitized to the very wide variety of things you can find in a Japanese convenience store, but earlier this month a customer at one in the town of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture came across something that sti

New Square Enix Cafe reveals Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Nier, and Fullmetal Alchemist menu items

Tokyo’s new video game/anime eatery has a lot to love (and eat).June 12 is the grand opening of the brand-new Square Enix Cafe in downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, and the eatery has released a sneak peek at what’s going to be on the menu. As you might expect, food and beverages inspired by the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises will be on offer, but there’s one other dark-horse candidate for your dining and drinking attention, and an anime/manga mega-hit too.Beginning with Final Fa

Shinto shrine’s night sky firefly sweets are Japan’s newest breathtaking, mouthwatering desserts.

Firefly-viewing season provides the inspiration for breathtaking Japanese confectionaries.Japan loves to celebrate the changing of the seasons, and Japan loves sweets, so Japan really loves seasonal sweets. Sometimes, finding those crossover opportunities is easy, like releasing sakura-flavored confectionaries as the cherry blossoms come into bloom, or using premium matcha just as the first batch of green tea for the year is being harvested.Things get a little trickier, though, if you’re looking

Dushanbe hosts Asia-Pacific meeting ahead of 2026 UN Water Conference

DUSHANBE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference was held on Monday in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, in conjunction with the 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development," 2018-2028.

Family Mart commits “reverse fraud” in new Giant All-Star Festival, and we couldn’t be happier

At this Japanese convenience store chain, big is an understatement. It’s been a great few months for convenience store fans in Japan, with chains like 7-Eleven and Lawson upsizing a number of their products with special limited-time campaigns.▼ Now, Family Mart is bringing joy to its customers with a “Giant All-Star Festival“.With 14 items in the lineup, covering products like coffee, sweets and sandwiches, there’s something here for everyone. However, unlike 7-Eleven and

Retro fashion magazines from Tokyo’s street market remind Mr. Sato of a special gift from his dad

Mr. Sato is filled with appreciation for the other Mr. Sato.Tokyo has a number of neighborhoods, such as Shibuya and Harajuku, that celebrate trendy, youthful fashions and culture. There’s also a part of the city, though, with a focus on a more mature clientele.Located part-way between Ikebukuro and Ueno on the Yamanote loop line that encircles the city center, Sugamo is a gathering place for Tokyo’s senior citizens, and while it’s an interesting spot to check out on any day, our ace reporter Mr

Godiva melts minds by releasing a new corn chocolate drink in Japan

We find out if this new limited-edition Chocolixir really tastes like corn potage soup.With summer now upon us, stores all over Japan are releasing limited-edition seasonal products to keep us feeling cool and refreshed. Over at Godiva, though, the focus is more on seasonal produce, with a new release that’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before.Called the Sweet Corn Chocolixir, this new take on the chain’s signature chocolate-based Chocolixir drink is said to taste like sweet co

Order a cocktail, support a senior with Shinjuku Day Service Mojito at a handful of businesses

A new model of urban community collaboration in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho area connects the generations using mint as a bridge.Senior citizens probably aren’t the first demographic that comes to mind when you think of Shinjuku’s Kabukicho neighborhood, which is much more commonly associated with younger crowds, nightlife, and bars. Yet, the area is home to a sizeable population of older folks who depend on facilities such as Shinjuku Day Service for lifestyle support and social acti

New Tokyo sweets shop offers 648 different mochi ice cream dumpling combinations

Customizable Yukimi Daifuku shop makes an amazing variety of sweet treats so that you can find the perfect one for you.There are certain problems in life that it’s nice to have. For example, Japan has so many amazing desserts that just picking one can be a tough decision, and that’s not going to get any easier with the opening of My Yukimi Daifuku, a new sweets shop coming to Tokyo’s Nakameguro neighborhood this summer.As the name implies, My Yukimi Daifuku is a place for Yukimi Daifuku, confect

Fukushima City on edge as resourceful and violent bear still not found

Cunning bear managed to escape stand-off with police and hunters.As we’ve been seeing in recent years in Japan, not only has the number of bear encounters and attacks been steadily rising, but it appears bears have been coming closer and closer to populated areas as well.Once an incident that only those deep in the mountains and forests of Japan had to worry about, more and more people have been spotting the large and powerful animals in unlikely places, like train stations, and now on the outsk

Body of missing American college student found in Kyoto mountains

20-year-old on family trip to Japan had been missing since May 29.On May 25, 20-year-old James “Weston” Higginbotham arrived in Japan with his parents and younger brother on a family vacation to celebrate the younger sibling’s high school graduation. During the trip, the environmentally minded James argued with his mother over her use of AI, and the ecological impact of such systems, and on May 29, when the family was in Kyoto, James decided to break off from the group and spend time alone. Befo

Japan’s cheap beef bowl chain Matsuya opens gourmet Premium Matsuya with Kobe beef…inside Matsuya

A tale of four Matsuyas, and a whole lot of gourmet wagyu beef.As one of the country’s big-three gyudon/beef bowl chains, Matsuya is among the top choices for those looking for a cheap but hearty meal in Japan. But maybe it doesn’t always need to be quite so cheap, and so Matsuya has made the decision to open a new, more expensive, and more gourmet, branch inside Matsuya.Actually, we should back up a bit, because there are no fewer than four different Matsuyas we’re going to be talking about her