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Three new starter Pokémon Jets to fly in Japan, first begins carrying passengers this month

30 years after the releases of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, travelers in Japan can ride on the Red, Green, and Blue Pokémon Jets.As Pokémon level up, their stats increase and they learn new attacks and techniques. However, their Type won’t change unless they evolve into a different species. So, for example, while a weak Bulbasaur can become a stronger Bulbasaur, there’s no way for it to become a Flying-type Bulbasaur.At least, there aren’t any Flying Bulbasaurs within the Pokémon video games an

McDonald’s Japan reveals new Pokémon collaboration range, covering McNuggets and lucky bags

Huge new campaign has us catching ’em all, all summer long. Today, McDonald’s Japan revealed the first two releases from its massive “Pokémon Summer McDonald’s” collaboration, which is being held to celebrate two major milestones: the fast-food chain’s 55th anniversary in Japan and Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.The joint promotion, dubbed “Pokémon Summer Mac”, is described as McDonald’s Japan’s biggest-ever collaboration with a single partner, and it consists of four special releases spread a

Solid gold Hedorah kaiju from the Godzilla series is now available to pre-order

Made of solid gold, this slime monster is a sound investment.It was in 1971 that everyone’s favorite radioactive iguana faced off with one of its more iconic foes, the pollution monster Hedorah. It proved to be a tough fight for Godzilla as Hedorah’s sludge-like body was highly resistant to most attacks.▼ He could also turn into a flying slime ship, which bothered Godzilla to no end.This classic match is now celebrating its 55th year, and what better way to celebrate such an anniversary than wit

Godiva Japan is now offering two Chocolixirs for the price of one, and here’s how to get them

Luxury chocolatier serves up a very sweet deal for its 100th birthday.Godiva is known for its premium chocolates…and its premium prices. So when the chain announced it would be running a two-for-one ice cream campaign at participating stores in June, we couldn’t quite believe it.▼ Yet, lo and behold, when we stopped by a store to take up the offer, we were indeed given two ice creams for the price of one.When the campaign ended on 30 June, we didn’t think we would ever see the likes of it again,

Hollywood live-action Naruto movie announces global search for its Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura

Believe it! The Hollywood Naruto is finally ready to look for its live-action ninja stars.You could be forgiven for forgetting that there was a Hollywood live-action adaptation of Naruto supposedly in the works. It’s been close to a decade since the Naruto: Shippuden anime TV series ended, and the manga’s conclusion is even farther back in the past. Even spinoff/sequel Boruto’s anime aired its last episode three years ago (though its manga version is still ongoing).So it’d be totally understanda

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