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Kyoto receives more foreign tourists than ever before, but fewer visitors say they’ll return

Official city survey highlights the issues that left some visitors less than satisfied with their Kyoto experience.Kyoto has long been one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations, but now the city’s popularity is breaking records, attracting more visitors than ever before. According to Kyoto City’s latest annual tourism survey, 62.79 million people visited the city in 2025 for sightseeing and other leisure purposes, making it the first year that visitor numbers have exceeded 60 millio

Tokyo Pokémon Center announces reopening after months-long closure following stabbing death

Ikebukuro Pokémon Center and Pikachu Sweets cafe immediately closed following tragic event.The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, located inside the Sunshine City shopping center in Tokyo’sIkebukuro neighborhood, was the second Pokémon Center to open in Japan, and is the longest continually operating Pokémon superstore (the very first Pokémon Center, in Yokohama, relocated to a new location within the city a few years ago). Being situated in a part of Tokyo that sees massive numbers of both local and to

Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours

Grown with special electrolysed hydrogen water, this ultra-sweet fruit reaches more than 17 degrees Brix.Melon season is upon us in Japan, and there are plenty of delicious varieties to choose from. One melon, however, stands out for being so sought after it sells out within 12 hours, leading it to be dubbed a “phantom” fruit, as it’s so rare and difficult to find.▼ Yokoe Farm’s Tokushu Kusatsu Melon.Kusatsu Melon is a premium melon brand produced in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, with sugar le

Starbucks Japan unveils exclusive new Frappuccinos limited to three regional areas

New “Jimoto” series celebrates the unique flavours and charms of different parts of Japan.To mark its 30th anniversary in Japan, Starbucks has announced a new initiative called the Starbucks Jimoto Program, which includes the release of exclusive drinks and products only in select prefectures. With “jimoto” being the Japanese word for “local area“, the new program aims to celebrate the culture, nature and local produce that make different parts of Japan so unique.Se

McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack

Turn a Samurai Mac into an expensive Omotesando gourmet burger by taking one thing out – and no, it’s not the pickles.Whether you’re in Japan or overseas, social media is filled with all sorts of food hacks at the moment, but most of the time it’s about how to add things to enhance the flavour of something rather than take things away.Right now in Japan, though, less is more, because fans of McDonald’s are currently raving about how good the Japan-exclusive Samurai Mac tastes when you take the s

Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations

Ice cream chain famous for its 31 flavors celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise with temptingly tactile treats and a salute to every starter Pokémon.As any etiquette expert knows, you can’t have a proper party without ice cream, can you? So with Pokémon celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Pikachu and friends will be stopping for supplies at Baskin-Robbins Japan.With this year being a big milestone for the franchise, Baskin-Robbins is simultaneously getting nostalgic and g

Japanese Shinkansen welcomes overnight guests for one night during summer festival

Experience the bullet train like few travellers ever have before.Japanese bullet trains are usually known for speed, but East Japan Railway (JR East) is now highlighting the charms of a stationary Shinkansen by giving travellers the chance to sleep overnight on a working bullet train parked at the station.After announcing it would be offering a special overnight experience on a Komachi bullet train at Akita Station for three nights this summer, JR East has now revealed it will be offering a simi

Japanese government okays plan to create a backup capital city

Always good to have a spare lying around.Capital cities are essential parts of all countries, serving as the center of government, hubs of economic activity, and symbols of the national identity. After all, who could imagine Japan without Tokyo, France without Paris, or Azerbaijan without Baku?But having such centralized pillars of power can also be a vulnerability if something should ever happen to them. And with a country as susceptible to earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic eruption

Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?

The price has gone up, so we find out if the taste has gone down, or if it’s hopefully stayed the same.Once upon a time, there used to be a familiar sight beside the register at Starbucks: the Caramel Waffle. Perfect for when you were feeling peckish or wanted something sweet to go with your coffee, the waffle was incredibly popular with customers, including our very own reporter K.Masami, who says she lost count of how many times she’d purchased one.One day, though, it quietly disappeared

61-year-old Kyoto man arrested for playing guitar and radio too loudly for seven years

Those darn sexagenarians with their loud rock music.A lot of people have music in their hearts, and that’s great, because the rest of us can’t hear it deep inside there without some sort of EKG machine, or a stethoscope at the very least.It’s when that music starts to leak out into the personal space of others that we have to tread carefully. It’s not that sharing the gift of music is bad, but we do have to respect the tastes of the individual.▼ For example, my roommate in university was rather

Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick

Meanwhile, Totoro is as adorable as ever, thanks to being Totoro, in his own magnetic figure form.Quite a few of Studio Ghibli’s anime have titles that feature the name of, or at least allude to, the film’s central character, such as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke. One notable exception, though, is 1986’s Laputa/Castle in the Sky. Sure, Sheeta and Pazu make for fine heroic leads, but the mystical floating island, and the fortress built upon it, are really what

Pokémon Card Stores requiring facial recognition scans for entry in Japan in latest anti-scalper move

Gotta scan ‘em all if they want to get in.In today’s digitally secured world, there are certain sensitive situations in which you can expect facial recognition systems to be part of the procedure. International travel often requires a facial scan as part of immigration protocols, and banking apps may ask for it as an authentication factor before you can access your account.And as of this summer, you may also need to have your face scan before you can purchase Pokémon cards.On July 24, the Pokémo

A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too

The haircut wasn’t the only great thing we got out of this great-price deal.China has a rich street food culture, and for many travelers grabbing a bite to eat from a roadside food stall is high on the list of things they want to do in the country. But did you know that China has roadside haircut stalls too?Though he can’t say for sure how common they are, our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa can confirm that there’s at least one in the town of Datong, in Shanxi Province. Seiji spotted

Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited Announces 2026 Annual General Meeting to be held September 11, 2026 and Proposed Increase in Authorized Share Capital to Support ...

TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited (NASDAQ: APWC) (the 'Company'), a leading manufacturer of wire and cable products for the telecommunications and electric-power industries in the Asia-Pacific region, today announced that the Company will host its 2026 Annual General Meeting for shareholders (the 'Meeting') at the office of Pacific Holdings Group located at 2901 Dallas Parkway, Suite 360, Plano, Texas 75093 on Friday, September 11, 2026 at 9:00 am CDT (10:00 pm Taipei).

How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?

Sure, that big, fluffy down blanket is a must for making it through a Japanese winter, but how are you supposed to clean it when summer comes around?Generally, living in Japan means hanging your laundry outside, and the residential housing market is designed with this in mind. Even the smallest dwellings will have a balcony or some other exterior space with hooks for hanging drying poles, and architects design both houses and apartment complexes so that these sections are facing south to maximiz

Studio Ghibli adds new Ponyo glassware to its anime lineup for summer

Stay cool with a little help from a Ghibli seaside town.When temperatures rise in Japan, so too does our desire for some cool respite, preferably along the lines of a seaside adventure like the one in Studio Ghibli’s 2008 anime film, Ponyo.As if reading our minds, the studio has now come to the rescue with a new Ponyo glassware range to keep us cool and hydrated in summer, with beautiful designs to lift our spirits after a draining hot summer’s day. There are two products in the lineup, featurin

Pokémon’s cozy city builder game inspires Cozy (Corner) cakes in Japan! [Photos]

Snorlax, Professor Tangrowth, and other characters from the Pokémon city builder given sweet salutes by Cozy Corner.Pokémon Pokopia’s hook is that it’s a Pokémon game that’s also a city-building simulator. Your Ditto starts out isolated and unsheltered, but through diligent kindness, you create a community.So it’s kind of ironic that today we’re looking at something for Pokopia fans that starts as a collection of cool and cute stuff, not to be built, but to be consumed. But, come on, what’re you

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Convey Alarm Over West Asia Development Ahead Of US Meet

The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conveyed “serious concern” over the resumption of ...

Family Mart’s new Famima flagship in Tokyo has a hidden gem that most visitors miss

A must-try convenience store drink you won’t find anywhere else.Earlier this month, Family Mart shook up the convenience store scene by opening its first-ever flagship store, Famima Park Azabudai.Located near the Azabudai Hills shopping complex in Tokyo’s Toranomon, the new store has been attracting attention from locals and international visitors ever since it opened its doors to the public on 10 July. While many have been raving about the store’s cool new look, created with the help of i

Universal Studios Japan requiring consent form for adults-only horror attraction

USJ goes R-18 for the first time.When theme parks in Japan have Halloween events, oftentimes they’re drawing inspiration from the lighthearted aspects of the season, such as playing dress-up and eating candy. That’s how we get things like plushies of a park’s mascot characters wearing purple capes or pumpkin-flavored desserts served at its snack bars.But for the past 15 years, Universal Studios Japan, a.k.a. USJ, has also been trying to incorporate some genuine fear into its Halloween Horror Nig