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Starbucks Japan teams up with Converse Tokyo for a new limited-edition collection in honour of Tanabata

Two star brands join forces to celebrate the Japanese festival of star-crossed lovers.Stars have a special significance in Japan at the start of summer, as the Tanabata Festival is celebrated on 7 July. This annual festival marks the mythical reunion of celestial lovers Orihime (represented by the real star Vega) and Hikoboshi (represented by real star Altair), who were separated and forced to reside on opposite sides of the Milky Way by Orihime’s father, the King of Heaven, as punishment

Sanrio collaborates with Sesame Street for adorable merch and sweets in Japan[Photos]

Looks like someone told Hello Kitty and friends how to get (how to get) to Sesame Street.We recently took a look at the results of this year’s Sanrio Character Ranking election, in which fans from around the world cast their votes to determine the cutest stars in Japan’s most prominent kawaii character community. But while it has dozens upon dozens of adorable icons, the company is always happy to collaborate with characters from outside the Sanrio family too, and their latest partner is Sesame

Studio Ghibli brings Totoro Soot Sprites out of the anime shadows for a new bag and pouch collection

Supporting characters from My Neighbour Totoro are the star of this new merchandise range. Studio Ghibli has such a talent for animated character design that it even manages to make clumps of soot look cute. These “Soot Sprites”, known as “Kurosuke” in the Ghibli world, bounce, float, and scurry through the scenes they appear in, acting as humorous surprise companions to the main characters in the films they appear in.First appearing in the 1988 film My Neighbour Totoro, the Soot Sprites started

Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country

As of July, it now costs more both to enter and leave Japan.Last week, the Japanese government decided “Hey, let’s raise the fees for foreigners who need a visa to enter the country by 400 percent!” That new pricing went into effect on Wednesday, but on the same day the government made it more expensive to leave Japan too by tripling the departure tax for travelers flying out of Japan.Departure taxes are something that many international travelers don’t really think about, because in the vast ma

Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir

Conquer Japan’s tallest mountain in style with a lineup born from the restoration of an ancient pilgrimage path.The ultimate symbol of Japan, Mt. Fuji, has long played a role in the culture of the nation, far greater than that of simply being the country’s tallest mountain. It has served as a spiritual landmark, and a muse for woodblock prints and poetry, while summiting the mountain has become a bucket-list item for residents and travelers alike. Every climbing season, thousands of hikers make

7-Eleven Japan has a lot of famous food, but its new burrito needs to be on your radar

Amongst all the viral convenience store food finds, this is a hidden gem.7-Eleven Japan is known for many things, like coffees, sandwiches and smoothies, but one thing you might not know about the chain is it does a mean burrito. First launched in 1983, 7-Eleven’s burrito range has been a bestseller for more than 40 years, and now there’s a new Mexican-inspired flavour with a hot and spicy kick that’s said to be great for summer.Called “Tacos Meat Salsa Cheese”, or “Pork Taco Meat & Ch

Studio Ghibli adds a new Jiji mini bag to its anime merchandise shop in Japan

Clever use of sagara embroidery gives the beautiful black feline a fur-like feel. Not every outing calls for a large bag, especially in Japan where many people shop for groceries regularly or carry a bento boxed lunch to work or school. Here with a cute solution for those everyday occasions is Studio Ghibli specialty chain Donguri Kyowakoku, with the release of a mini bag featuring Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service.▼ Kiki’s Delivery Service “Jiji and Broom” Mini BagMade f

Mos Burger opens fancy burger shop and bar in Ginza, Tokyo

Mosh is a posh Mos.Mos Burger has been a fixture in the Japanese fast food scene for decades, but as we’ve seen from chains that have found success and chains that just seem to fizzle, constant innovation is needed to thrive in this market. In that spirit, Mos Burger has reimagined itself in the form of Mosh Burger & Bar, which opened on 1 July in the ritzy Ginza district of Tokyo.This version of Mos Burger operates on a bar & grill format with both full dining options and a bar section

Japanese overnight sightseeing train returns for summer with ramen stops and ocean views

This train turns the journey from Kyoto into a holiday highlight. One of Japan’s most unique sightseeing trains is about to return for another summer season, with the West Express Ginga set to begin operations on its Kii Peninsula route from 3 July.Operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), the train runs between Kyoto and Shingu and offers a range of special onboard and station-based experiences. Designed as a rolling showcase of the region, the service combines coastal views with

Japan’s Mocchurin donuts declared too popular to exist by creator Mister Donut, will disappear soon

Mister Donut saw all the Mocchurin that it had made, and they were very good…too good, in fact.Sadly, not every attempted innovation in the world of sweets pans out. Sometimes, would-be mad geniuses turn out to simply be madmen, and humanity shuns their too-bold-for-their-own-good creations such as spaghetti-flavored popsicles and cakes with bits of tuna in them.As Japan’s favorite donut chain for the past few decades, though, Mister Donut has a very good track record when it comes to maki

Studio Ghibli mini towels add anime flair to a Japanese cultural tradition

Beloved Ghibli characters want to hold your hand and welcome you into the Japanese world of mini towels.If you’ve ever been to a restroom in Japan that doesn’t have an automatic hand dryer, then you might have seen a local reach into their pocket or handbag and pull out a little square towel to wipe their hands. This is one of Japan’s lesser-known cultural quirks, as people grow up carrying these mini towels to wipe their hands in such situations, and it’s so ingrained in the culture that you’ll

Japan’s Pokémon mailboxes saved from removal with last-minute extension on final day

Pikachu, Eevee, and Piplup get new leases on life in Yokohama, and it’s thanks to fans.After many days of gloomy conditions, the city of Yokohama finally got a break from the dark, rainy weather on Tuesday. The sunny skies came just in the nick of time, too, as June 30 was scheduled to be the final chance to see Yokohama’s awesome Pokémon mailboxes before their permanent removal, and it would have been a shame if fans’ last photos of the postal Pikachu, Eevee, and Piplup had to be taken in

Japanese convenience store coffees are now bigger than ever, thanks to the new “Deka Drink” trend

Family Mart and Lawson go head-to-head in a supersized coffee showdown.Convenience store coffees are big right now, literally, with the rise of what locals are referring to as the “Deka Drink”. Literally translating as “Massive Drink”, these supersized beverages jut out from the beverage landscape, towering over the sizes you usually see in Japan, and yet they’re proving to be incredibly popular with coffee lovers.While Lawson has dominated the landscape for a number of years with its Mega Size,

Japan’s new pettably fuzzy cat-shaped earbud chargers meow to let you know their status[Video]

Neko also has a three-minute purr mode for relaxing to.“…but what if we made it look like a cat?” is a question Japanese designers ask with commendable frequency. Recently, we’ve seen the answers to that question as it pertains to sunblock and shaved ice, and now it’s Tokyo-based earbud maker Radius’ turn.Though it carries the high-tech-sounding model number HP-C28BTF, Radius gives this wireless earphone and charging case the much easier to remember name Neko, the Japanese word for “cat.”W

Why you shouldn’t feel guilty about using manga for studying and the top series for learning

Survey reveals that the power of storytelling in manga can do a lot for learning more about the world around us.Was there ever a time growing up when you got yelled at for reading comics instead of studying? At the time, little did those grown-ups probably know that you were actually learning in one of the best ways possible.Japanese online illustration school Atam Academy recently conducted a survey of 500men and women of various ages (with the highest proportion in their 30s) to explore people

Sleep at Hoshinoya Nara Prison, one of the most unique hotels in Japan

One-of-a-kind accommodation includes former prison cells that have been transformed into guest rooms.If you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Japan, then Hoshinoya Nara Prison might just fit the bill. Opened on 25 June, this hotel occupies the former Nara Prison and is operated by Hoshino Resorts, one of Japan’s leading luxury hospitality companies. Using its expertise, the company has retained many of the prison’s original features and even transformed former prison cells into guest room

Live-action Persona adaptation to be produced by Netflix, probably not set in Japan

Has enough of Persona’s identity been retained to keep fans happy?As audiences show signs of comic book superhero fatigue, an increasing number of Hollywood executives are looking to video games as a source of adaptable IPs, and it appears Persona is going to be the next series tapped for that purpose. Variety is reporting that Netflix is in the process of developing a live-action streaming series based on the hit RPG originally published by Atlus and now part of the Sega corporate family.In rec

We try out the joys of Japan’s kakuuchi wine vending machine

A new take on a fading part of Japanese drinking culture.Our Japanese-language writer Kouhey was feeling thirsty while out and about the other day, and so he decided to treat himself to a glass of wine. Actually, he decided to treat himself to two glasses of wine, but instead of being poured by a bartender, he got them from a vending machine.This unusual situation came about when Kouhey was at Aeon Tsudanuma South, a shopping mall that opened this past spring in the town of Narashino in Chiba, t

Speed trap camera stolen from Saitama Police while in use

They must have stolen it very quickly, but it looks like we’ll never know how fast they were going.When it comes to catching motorists driving too fast in Japan, speed traps are sometimes referred to as “mouse traps” (nezumitori) and are often done in a very coordinated fashion of several officers working together. Usually, one person is operating a speed measuring device in one location, and when someone is found going too fast, another officer is alerted up the road who then flags down t

Tokyo has only two barley tea makers, and we visited one to see how mugicha is made

With barley tea going into glasses as the weather heats up, we find out what goes into making barley tea.With summertime here, people in Japan are increasingly reaching for one of its favorite drinks to cool off with: barley tea. Barley tea is called mugicha in Japanese, written with the kanji 麦茶, which literally translate as “barley” and “tea,” so it seems like it should be a pretty self-explanatory drink. It’s a mixture of tea and barley…right?But wait, do you just toss raw grains of bar