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Sweet dreams are made of cheese at this all-you-can-eat cheese and doria restaurant

Our stomachs are more than pleased after eating all of the cheese.Cheese can be a somewhat difficult product to find in Japan. Supermarkets generally stock only a few standard varieties, and anything imported comes with a hefty price tag. That’s why any deal that comes with unlimited cheese is likely to pique our interest in a big way.Our latest find is a series of eateries operated by the same parent company as the Saint Marc Cafe chain of ChocoCro fame. As of July 21, it has four restaur

Japan’s favorite popsicles add multilingual packaging to better connect with foreign tourists

Garigari-kun wants to make friends with/be eaten by people from all over the world.Garigari-kun is Japan’s favorite popsicle brand, and like a lot of sweets in Japan, part of that popularity comes from a revolving lineup of seasonal and limited-time flavors. One of the most popular versions of all just made its way back to convenience stores and supermarkets, and while the flavor is familiar to fans, the packaging is looking different, because it now features multiple foreign languages.Garigari-

Japan’s Super Volunteer, 86-year-old Haruo Obata, heads to the Kumamoto earthquake site

Your friendly neighborhood Super Volunteer.On 28 July, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, just outside of Kumamoto City. Having taken years to recover from a set of comparable earthquakes in 2016, being hit with another major one so soon completely undid a lot of that work. In addition, sweltering temperatures are making search and rescue efforts even more difficult and hazardous.Against that backdrop, one man has decided to once again answer the call and drove out to the aff

7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store sandwiches with a wild new choc-mint variety

Convenience store chain tests our limits by turning the divisive flavour into a cream sandwich.In recent years, choc mint has become synonymous with summer in Japan, as the menthol component is believed to provide a cooling effect to help you feel refreshed during the hottest days of the year. It’s become such a common flavour combination that there’s even a proud term for people who love it – “Chocominto”, a pun that sounds like the Japanese pronunciation of “Choc Mint” but uses the kanji “党” (

Japanese popsicle experiment says eating one before going outside in summer helps keep you cool

Maker of Garigari-kun explores whether one of Japan’s favorite frozen treats can work as a pre-cooling agent.There’s an old adage that says the best time to fix your roof is when the sun is shining, a way of expressing that there are some things in life that are best dealt with before the potential problem actually occurs. Of course, it can be hard to talk yourself into doing much of anything when that sun is shining on you with merciless summer fire, which brings us to a new piece of wisdom, wh

We tried Starbucks Japan’s new coffee for people who don’t drink coffee

Does the new “Clear Coffee” have what it takes to bring a non-coffee drinker into the fold?For many coffee drinkers, a cup of joe is a daily ritual – skip that morning cup and something just feels off. At the same time, though, more and more young people in Japan are said to be steering clear of coffee altogether, according to research conducted by Starbucks and Shibuya109 lab, a youth marketing organisation based in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.▼ Participants enjoying some tasty market research.In

7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?

Convenience store chain has become the place to go for gummies, and fans are going wild for them.In recent years, 7-Eleven has carved out a niche for itself in the Japanese convenience store world as the place to go for gummies, specifically the exclusive chocolate-covered fruit gummy range known as “Chocotto Gummy“. A play on the words “choco to gummy” (“chocolate and gummy“) and “chokotto gummy” (“just a little gummy“), this range has

Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show

We test the sourness of the juice but get distracted by a surprise performance.Five years ago, Japan’s vending machine scene was taken up a notch with the birth of “Feed Me Orange”, a fresh juice machine that squeezes oranges on the spot. It didn’t take long for the machine to grow from being a rare novelty to a familiar mainstay in shopping centres, proving that Japan really does have a thirst for freshly squeezed citrus from a machine.▼ Now, though, there’s a new contender on the market, and t

Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box

This box comes pre-loaded with something for anime fans to treasure.Usually, if you’re buying a box, it’s because you’ve got stuff you want to keep in it, right? And while the box we’re looking at today can, of course, fill that purpose, it’s a pretty safe bet that most people are going to be buying it because of what it already has inside.The exterior is adorned with illustrations of characters from Studio Ghibli’s beloved anime film Spirited Away. Yubaba is here and so is her underling Yu-Bird

Daiso now sells stress-relief punching bags, but are they worth beating on?

Is this a cheap way to beat away stress, or a case of cheaping out that’ll have us feeling even more frustrated?Pretty much every time we walk through a branch of 100 yen shop Daiso, we find something we didn’t know we needed, but are now keenly aware is a necessity. Cute coffee mug? Yeah, that’ll brighten up our day. Stackable storage boxes? A well-organized home or office is always a plus. Something to punch, kick, and otherwise wail on when we’re feeling stressed out? Yeah, better pick up tha

Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat

These dress shirts are sure to have fans.If you need business attire in Japan, Yofuku no Aoyama is pretty much always a safe choice. They may not have the trendiest fashions from brand-name designers, but they can set you up with outfits appropriately dressy for a day in the office or a meeting with clients, and at affordable prices too.For example, here’s one of their new button-up shirts. Nothing flashy or overly fancy, but a respectable, understated summer business look.Now, looking at that p

Koei Tecmo continues to be an investment firm that also happens to make video games

I’ve yet to see Berkshire Hathaway’s psychological horror game.I’ve long been a fan of games by Koei Tecmo, whether it’s their individual classics like Koei’s Dynasty Warriors or Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden, or modern games like Nioh. They tend not to have major blockbuster releases like some other companies, but it’s a solid lineup of enjoyable titles in an interesting variety of genres.But there’s another side to Koei Tecmo that you might not be familiar with. To see what that is, let’s take a look a

Live-action Princess Mononoke is coming to streaming as a live event, previews look amazing [Video]

Kabuki adaptation of Studio Ghibli anime masterpiece will be shown online, but you’ll need to mark the date on your calendar.The live-action kabuki stage play adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Princes Mononoke is now roughly half-way through its run at Tokyo’s Shinbashi Enbujo Theater. Tickets are almost entirely sold out, so for fans who haven’t already secured theirs, they’re going to be hard to come by.Thankfully, though, it’s been announced that the Princess Mononoke stage play will be coming to

Tokyo security guard’s famous station tape font becomes official custom Nike streetwear

Upgrade your wardrobe with custom clothes featuring the iconic font of a Shinjuku Station legend.When considering what apparel to pick up as a souvenir from your trip to Tokyo, some people might opt for a classic woodblock-style print design, like TheGreat Wave Off Kanagawa, some may go for a more natural cherry blossom-style design, while others decide on some stylistic Japanese calligraphy. However, now the Nike Shinjuku store has added another possibility into the mix of your future wardrobe,

Godiva Japan gets into the shaved ice scene with two luxurious frozen desserts this summer

Godiva brings its chocolate expertise to a traditional summertime favorite in Japan.Godiva is well aware of the worldwide prestige its name carries, but the chocolatier’s Japanese division still frequently looks for ways to get into the spirit of the local sweets scene. Sometimes that means partnerships with anime franchises or Mister Donut, and sometimes it means incorporating traditional Japanese ingredients like tofu into their desserts,For their next cultural crossover, Godiva Japan is turni

Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]

A cool idea from Coolish, and further proof that sweet bean paste makes everything better.When you’re craving a snack, anpan (sweet bean paste bread) is never, ever a bad choice. Both sweet and substantial, anpan can be found at convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan, but if you want the really good stuff, it’s worth it to seek this treat out at dedicated bakeries, which is what recently had us on the train to Mitaka Station in Tokyo.We were headed there to visit Toho Bakery, because w

Starbucks Japan opens new store inside historic seaside quarantine station near Tokyo

Sip on Starbucks in a setting once linked to infectious diseases. Whenever a historic building in a prime location in Japan needs a commercial tenant, there’s a good chance Starbucks will come knocking. With a solid track record of taking up residence in some of the country’s most unique and culturally important properties, the coffee chain has shown it knows how to adapt its brand to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, respecting historic features while enhancing the original character of a

Japan’s foreign resident population hits record high as Japanese population hits record low

The number of Japanese citizens falls below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, but the foreign community continues to grow.Japan’s population has been shifting more than ever in recent years, with declining births becoming a growing concern for the country. However, new data shows that the population decline is being partially offset by a growing number of foreign residents, who are taking up residence in Japan in greater numbers than ever before.According to population data released by

Studio Ghibli releases new Spirited Away earrings featuring mysterious anime bathhouse character

Cleverly designed jewellery sways while you wear it, just like Kasuga-sama does in the animated film.Japan is a country filled with stories of mysterious spirits, characters and costumes, and some of them appear in Studio Ghibli’s 2001 anime film, Spirited Away.One such character is Kasuga-sama, a spirit that crosses the bridge to the bathhouse wearing a distinctive white mask with eerie face-like marks. Despite only spending a short time on screen, its striking appearance makes it one of the mo

7-Eleven Japan adds new cold soup smoothies to its convenience store drinks range

Cold soup smoothies are good for the gut and good for the ‘Gram.Ever since 7-Eleven completed its rollout of smoothie machines at around 18,000 stores in Japan in 2024, the chain has been experimenting with all sorts of unique ingredients, giving us everything from coffee through to matcha and even sweet potato varieties.Now, the chain is rethinking the whole concept of smoothies, by announcing the release of two new “Cold Soup Smoothies” that blur the line between sweet drink and nourishi