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“They’ve got be kidding me.” – Mayor in Japan fed up with off-season Mt. Fuji hikers needing rescue

Fujinomiya mayor wants people hiking unopened trails to think about someone other than just themselves.The climbing season for Mt. Fuji runs from early July to early September, but unfortunately the Mt. Fuji hiker rescue season ends up being longer. Every year, a number of hikers ignore the warnings and take to the trails when they’re still officially closed, then end up needing rescue teams or other emergency services to help them get home from Japan’s tallest mountain. The most recent incident

7-Eleven Japan now has ramen machines…but only at 41 stores

Find out how to use the machines, and more importantly, where to find them.Back in 2013, 7-Eleven Japan revolutionised the convenience store scene by equipping its stores with coffee machines so customers could make their own individual cups of freshly brewed coffee. Then, in 2022, the chain upped its game even further with smoothie machines that became a runaway hit, and now there’s a new machine causing a stir with customers: the self-service ramen machine.Introduced last October, the ne

New bounty system starts in Japan, rewards reports of illegal employment of foreigners

Ibaraki Prefecture now offers rewards to whistleblowers who lead them to companies illegally employing foreign workers.Ibaraki Prefecture doesn’t get a ton of international attention. Sure, it has cool places to visit, like some of Japan’s best spots to see plum blossoms and Nemophila flowers, and it also boasts outstanding natto, according to fermented soybean fans. But in general, Ibaraki isn’t such a huge draw for international tourists, and it’s also usually on the short list of places where

Huge display of drones and fireworks together coming to Osaka this June

You got your drones in my fireworks! You got your fireworks in my drones!Drone displays are becoming quite popular these days. So much so that it makes you wonder if they may one day replace the more traditional firework shows that have dazzled people of all ages around the world.But why does it have to be one or the other? Can’t drones and large amounts of explosives live in harmony? To find out, Osaka Bay Skylumina will be held on 6 June. Taking advantage of the vast flat area on Maishima Spor

War in Iran causing dark development for potato chip packages in Japan

Japanese convenience store snack sections are going to be looking drab later this month.Though your body does need some minimum amount of calories, sodium, and fat in order to function properly, potato chips are one of those foods that are clearly more about fun and pleasure than sustenance and nutrition. That’s reflected in their packaging, too. Strolling through a supermarket or convenience store, you can tell right away when you’ve come to the chip section of the shelves, as the bags are burs

Akira creator opens his own anime studio, is recruiting artists even without Japanese fluency

Oval Gear wants to help a new generation of artists learn from Katsuhiro Otomo.As the director of Akira, one of the first Japanese animated films to win global admiration, Katsuhiro Otomo is one of the most important figures in anime history. That said, he’s not a particularly prolific anime creator. Despite his obvious talent for the artform, Otomo is first and foremost a manga creator, and to date his anime directing filmography consists of only two feature-length films, Akira and Steamboy, pl

Pokémon retro black-and-white Game Boy art T-shirts are on the way from Uniqlo[Photos]

Pixel art designs have cool Easter eggs for old-school fans to spot.With 2026 being Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, a lot of fans are looking all the way back to the franchise’s very beginning. While the anime series and trading card game are both part of the holy triumvirate of Pokémon media, it was the Pokémon Red and Green video games that came first. Releasing in 1996 for Nintendo’s original Game Boy handheld system meant that the graphics were all monochrome, but three decades later what was on

Starbucks Japan adds a new Frappuccino and Milk to the menu, but are they worth the calories?

Chunky by name, but hopefully not by nature. On 11 May, Starbucks Japan released two brand new limited-edition drinks – the Chunky Strawberry Milk and the Strawberry Chocolate Frappuccino. According to the chain, these new beverages are improved versions of past popular releases, so our resident Starbucks pro taster K. Masami decided to try both of them to see if they really did taste better than the originals.Starting with the Chunky Strawberry Milk (620 yen [US$3.95]), which appears to be an e

Japan’s largest online resale site banning scalper sales of McDonald’s new anime Happy Meal toys

Hopefully new policies will keep Chiikawa figures out of scalpers’ hands so they can find their ways to fans instead.McDonald’s Japan is getting ready to release its Chiikawa Happy Meals this week, featuring figures of the cast of the quirkily cute anime/character merch franchise dressed up in the burger chain’s uniforms. As a matter of fact, there’s so much fun that the Chiikawa Happy Meals will be a two-round release, with Chiikawa, Hachiware, Kuri-Manju, and Rakko showing up between March 15

Don’t miss the Tokyo Tower City Light Fantasia ~Summer Landscape 2026~ event during your travels

This year’s immersive lights display takes inspiration from the atmosphere of a Japanese summer festival with firework and firefly designs.Every year since 2014, Japanese digital art company Naked, Inc. has held a Tokyo Tower City Light Fantasia event at the popular Tokyo landmark. This year’s version, subtitled ~Summer Landscape 2026~, will be held from May 11 through September 6.The heart of the display is a lights show on the second floor of the Tower’s Main Deck observation

Pizza Hut now sells curry pizza in Japan

Make that “drinkable curry pizza.”In Japan, you can find some rather eyebrow-raising pizza toppings. We’re not just talking about putting traditional Japanese ingredients, like teriyaki chicken or spicy cod roe, on a pie either, but also Western elements that usually aren’t considered pizza topping candidates outside Japan, such as sliced potatoes and mayonnaise.So the options really are wide open for Pizza Hut Japan when it wants to get creative, and right now it’s doing so with its newest inno

The 3 best secret places to eat a cheap One Coin lunch in Shinjuku

Cheap eats are getting harder to find in Tokyo, but these tips from a local will guide you to some hidden gems.If you’ve ever thought to use AI when looking for somewhere to eat in Japan, it doesn’t always produce the best results. Not only will it sometimes direct you to restaurants that might be closed down, it doesn’t always have the most-up-to-date information when it comes to prices, and that can be especially unhelpful when you’re looking for a “One Coin&#8221

Dr Pepper knockoff Mr Popper is a cult drink in Japan, but does it taste like the real thing?

The poor man’s Dr Pepper might not be so poor after all. Have you ever heard of a soft drink called Mr Popper? Here in Japan, it’s a drink that’s currently enjoying cult status after becoming a hot topic on social media, where people have been pointing out its similarities to Dr Pepper, in taste as well as looks.▼ That’s because Mr Popper is actually a Dr Pepper knock-off brand, and it can be found at the Yamaya liquor chain.When we visited to try the drink, it was so pop

Starbucks Japan releases two new “chunky” drinks… and matching gel designs for our nails

Match your nail art to your favourite drink with this surprising new release. Starbucks is known for unusual, Japan-exclusive releases, but these new items tend to cover drinks and related drinkware and accessories. Now, the chain has surprised fans by branching out with a new, never-before-seen product: gel nail stickers.Before we take a look at that exciting product, the chain wants us to know that it’s also giving us two new “chunky” drinks, so we’ll have something to

Mt. Fuji hot spring inn gets even more beautiful after dark with Firefly Festival

Even when Mt. Fuji is hidden in shadows, there’s still something breathtaking to see here.When picking a hotel for traveling in Japan, “has views of Mt. Fuji” is definitely a big plus. Japan’s tallest mountain is a symbol of the country itself, and its beauty is so timeless that admiring it at length will always feel like time well spent.But what about after the sun goes down? While we’re thankful that the plan to put electric lights on Mt. Fuji didn’t go through, that does mean that hotels that

Japan releases new ramen sandwiches… that don’t taste like ramen

Lunch Pack falls flat in the noodles-and-bread department, but there is a silver lining.Yamazaki Baking’s popular Lunch Pack series of sandwich pockets has become famous around the world for its unusual fillings, but now there’s a new limited-edition variety that takes things one step further.▼ Iekei Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen Style.Iekei (literally “house/family style”) is a type of ramen that features tonkotsu shoyu (pork bone and soy sauce broth) with thick, straight noodles, and

McDonald’s Japan hack: Make a Chicken Tatsuta in five minutes anywhere in the world

Now you can get a taste of a famous limited-edition exclusive burger without travelling to Japan.On 15 April, McDonald’s released the Chicken Tatsuta in Japan for a limited time, with plans for it to be on the menu only until mid-May. As a recurring exclusive, many people in Japan look forward to the release every year, but what if you’re not in Japan to enjoy it?While that used to be a problem for lovers of the chicken burger, we’ve come up with a hack that’ll have you r

Police cracking down on outdoor seating in Tokyo’s liveliest street market neighborhood[Video]

Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers issue warnings to pub owners in Ueno.There are two sides to Tokyo’s Ueno neighborhood, both literally and figuratively. Head out one side of the station, and you’ll find yourself in Ueno Park, a sprawling park that’s home to many of the finest museums in Japan. Exit the station on the opposite side, though, and you’ll soon be in Ameya Yokocho, a.k.a. Ameyoko, a lively web of shopping streets with discount stores and pubs, where staff boisterously call out to pa

This train station bento boxed lunch shop has been in business for nearly 100 years

Inside Chiba Station, Manyoken is a piece of edible history.The name of bento boxed lunch shop Manyoken translates loosely as “House of 10,000 Leaves.” That count isn’t necessarily meant to be taken literally, though. Yes, in Japanese man does mean 10,000, but in non-scientific contexts it can also be used just to mean “many.”Really, the impressive number for Manyoken is 98, as in the 98 years the company has been in business since its original founding in 1928. You don’t stay in the bento game

This historical Kyoto zen garden is hosting a guitar and beatbox concert

Blending modern beats with the sounds of nature for a one-night-only ambient session.For many, Kyoto is just a list of famous spots to check off an itinerary: the shining golden pavilion, the crowded bamboo forest, and the seemingly-endless vermilion gates. It goes without question that they’re beautiful, but they can sometimes feel like a museum, as art you’re supposed to look at. However, for the design innovation studio Moon, these historical places, and their surrounding environments should