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Foreign tourists staying in one part of Japan can now get nightly government hotel discounts

As of this month, exploring off the beaten path in Kyushu can save you a whole lot of cash.Japan’s unprecedented inbound international tourism boom has a number of causes, including critical masses of global interest in Japanese pop entertainment, traditional culture, and cuisine. It also can’t be understated that with the value of the yen having plummeted over the past few years, for foreign tourists Japan is the best travel bargain it’s been in more than a generation.But even with travel to Ja

Set sail on top of a giant pirate ship to watch Japan’s summer fireworks

Why fight the landlubbers on shore for a decent view when you can take to the waters of Lake Ashi for a crowd-free festival?Combining “summer” and “Japan” together, most people will think of one of three things: high humidity, insufferable mosquitoes, or summer festivals. One of the ways that Japanese people love to enjoy their summer festivals is with stunning fireworks displays, which draw crowds of thousands of people out of their houses to lakesides and riverbanks for a spectacle of color. T

Giant Mewtwo statue disappears from real-life Pokémon Center in Japan, may be headed to America

Shibuya’s Mewtwo escapes and has been “spotted” on the other side of the Pacific.There are Pokémon Center superstores in various parts of Japan, but each one has its own special representative Pokémon, prominently displayed at the entrance. So since the opening of the Shibuya Pokémon Center in downtown Tokyo in 2019, the first Pocket Monster that visitors see is Mewtwo.With Mewtwo having a Pokédex-listed height of 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches), the one at the Shibuya Pokémon Center is essentially

Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction

With fitting rooms, an official mascot and a takeaway stand, this is not your average Japanese convenience store.Competition between Japan’s top three convenience stores, 7-Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart, is always fierce, but now Family Mart is setting itself apart by opening a brand new flagship store that’s more like a futuristic tourist destination.Called Famima Park Azabudai, with Azabudai being the store’s Tokyo location, this new flagship takes the convenience store concept and reinvents

Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]

The original Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue were in black and white, so these Uniqlo tees are too.The mainline Pokémon video games customarily release as a differently subtitled pair. This tradition goes all the way back to the very first games in the series, 1996’s Pokémon Red and Green, or Pokémon Red and Blue for the international release two years later.Ironically, though, while the different versions were designated by different colors in their titles, those very first Pokémon games’ graphics

Studio Ghibli theme park’s new dessert is a drinkable version of Hayao Miyazaki’s pilot daydream

This Hideout is both a dessert we’d like to drink and a place we’d like to be.Ghibli Park doesn’t have the roller coasters, parades, stage performances, or fireworks shows typically associated with amusement parks. Instead, the Studio Ghibli theme park in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture is all about artistic atmosphere, and that philosophy extends to its dining options. For example, inside Ghibli Park’s Rotunda Kazegaoka restaurant, you can enjoy a meal or snack while admiring a full-scale recreation o

Kurokawa Onsen celebrates 40 years of its beloved bathing pass with redesign, summer festivities

The bathing pass deal is a dream come true for anyone who likes going hot springs hopping.Nestled in the mountains of Minamioguni, Kumamoto Prefecture is the Kurokawa Onsen hot springs town, which boasts a collection of bathhouses and traditional Japanese ryokan inns that operate under a collective entity. While many other hot springs towns have become commercialized over the years, Kurokawa Onsen still maintains its pristine natural charm in a heavily forested area that’s perfect for thos

Japan reacts to Donald Trump’s “Islamic Republic of Japan” remark

There are actually three things wrong with the U.S. president’s statement that the Islamic Republic of Japan attacked an American aircraft carrier.U.S. president Donald Trump is currently in Ankara to attend a NATO summit, and among the topics he’s been asked about by reporters is the United States’ continued war with Iran, which began at the end of February and has been disrupting the global economy ever since. In justifying the protracted military operation, Trump alluded to continuing aggress

Starbucks Japan puts a bow on peach season with new limited-edition Peach Creamy Tea Latte

Starbucks says sayonara to the summer fruit with a new limited-edition beverage.It’s been a peachy start to summer at Starbucks, with the fruit appearing in three limited-edition drinks – the Peach & Peach Milk Frappuccino, the Juicy Peach Tea and the Chiilax Soda Peach.Now, as early summer comes to a close and we enter the hottest stretch of the season, Starbucks is saying sayonara to peaches with one final hurrah to the delicious fruit, in the form of a new limited-time beverage.▼ The Peac

Grandpa Sensei solo art exhibition returning to Tokyo and he’ll be there every day of it

Take it easy and enjoy some painting with Harumichi Shibasaki.In the decades following the passing of American painter Bob Ross, there was a huge void in the beloved genre of extremely-chill-person-painting-stuff content that borders on ASMR. It wasn’t until 2017 that artist Harumichi Shibasaki, a.k.a. Grandpa (Oji-san) Sensei, started his YouTube channel and invited the world to a relaxing time making pictures in watercolor, acrylic, and crayons.▼ Video showing how he relaxingly made the painti

Japanese airport rebrands itself as “Sushi Airport” to attract foreign tourists

Soon you’ll be able to book a flight to Toyama-Takayama Sushi Airport in Japan.Overseas tourists have reached record numbers in Japan, but regional areas still find themselves struggling to lure international visitors away from big cities on the well-worn Tokyo-to-Kyoto tourist trail.Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, is one of those regions that remains sadly overlooked, but now it’s throwing the old rulebook out the window in an effort to attract tourists, by giving its airport an u

World Offshore Week 2026 Brings Asia's Offshore Oil, Energy and Marine Sectors Together in Singapore

Free visitor registration is now open for the 4th Annual World Offshore Week, the #1 Meeting Place for the Offshore Oil, Energy and Marine Sectors. Taking place on 23-24 September 2026 at Singapore ...

Japan now has a Pokémon airport that features every species of Flying-type ever[Video]

Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport wants to help bring travelers to a part of Japan that could use more visitors.For domestic flights, the standard recommendation is to get to the airport an hour ahead of your scheduled takeoff so that you have ample time to get through any check-in, baggage-check, and security protocols, plus make your way to your gate for boarding. However, even though Japan’s Noto Satoyama Airport only has domestic routes, we strongly encourage travelers give themselves m

Raw chicken dishes to be regulated by Japanese government

Government probably always just assumed common sense was enough.When it comes to choosing something to eat, there’s always a risk-reward calculation that needs to be done. For example, when it comes to eating pufferfish, even though the risk of dying a horrific, fully-conscious death is rather low, I personally decided that it was mid-tasting enough that I could easily live the rest of my life without ever eating it again, and just drop that risk right down to a flat zero.▼ Ironically enough for

Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it

A Night in the Valley of Witches makes its screening debut, and Hayao Miyazaki’s first-ever art exhibition created for Ghibli’s theme park, three years in the making, opens too.Back in April, Studio Ghibli announced that it was producing a new anime that would screen exclusively at the Ghibli Park theme park in Aichi Prefecture. As of July 8, it’s made its debut, and so has a brand-new art exhibit from Hayao Miyazaki, the Ghibli co-founder’s first-ever work created for Ghibli Park.As also reveal

Foreign tourists injured in Nissan GT-R crash near Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing

Late-night incident highlights concerns over Japan’s illegal “white taxi” operators.Three foreign tourists were injured in a crash involving a Nissan GT-R near Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing after the driver allegedly approached them on the street and offered them a paid sightseeing ride. A 38-year-old male company employee from Kawasaki was subsequently arrested on 7 July on suspicion of operating an unlicensed taxi service and causing injury through negligent driving.Accor

Climbing season officially opens for Japan’s Mt. Hiyoriyama, the shortest mountain in the country

Ceremony marks official start of climbing season for this six-step summit trail.While Japan’s alpine topography, of course, exists all year round, many of the country’s most prominent mountains have a dedicated climbing season. Sometimes this is done for safety reasons (like how Mt. Fuji is closed to hikers for most of the year), and in other places the climbing season is more of a traditional cultural custom.Regardless of the reason, those mountains that do have a climbing season often hold a c

Tochigi man shares his family’s process for creating 16 years worth of rice paddy art

The Nakano family opens a second rice paddy art site this year and shares more about the process that goes into their annual labor of love. For the 16th year, the Nakano family in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture creates stunning rice paddy art for the public to enjoy. Part of their mission is for visitors to discover the charm of the northern Kanto region, which consists of the prefectures north of the Greater Tokyo Area but south of the Tohoku region.This year’s artistic creation, which

Famous sweets store in Ameyoko fills a bag with sweets and a show, but is it still worth it?

This bargain bag comes with a unique performance, but things have changed over the years.Ameyoko (short for Ameya Yokocho, or “Candy Store Alley”) has changed dramatically over the years. Starting off as a black market after World War II (some believe the “ame” in the name is short for “America”), the area grew to become known for its abundance of fresh seafood, produce and specialty foods, leading it to be dubbed “Tokyo’s kitchen” by locals. The lively calls

Yoshinoya and Dragon Quest slaying scalpers with shift to made-to-order collaboration merch

Following suspiciously swift sell-out of Yoshinoya’s Dragon Quest Slime bowls, new policy means that everyone who wants one can buy one at the regular price.At the start of the month, beef bowl chain Yoshinoyakicked off a collaboration with the Dragon Quest video game franchise. Part of the promotion were Dragon Quest Slime figures being given out as part of a Dragon Quest Walk Set meal being served at Yoshinoya branches, and we went on a very happy (and tasty) quest to get ours.In addition to t