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Tokyo pub explicitly soft-bans customers older than 39 from entering
Other nearby restaurant sets minimum-age of entry as well.Like a lot of value-conscious izakaya (pubs), the Dogenzaka branch of Tori Yaro in downtown Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood has a bunch of signs near the entrance trumpeting their special offers and most popular menu items. However, one of the posted notices isn’t something much less common, and reads:“Entrance limited to customers between the ages of 29 and 39This is an izakaya for younger generations!U-40Pub for under 40-only”Though not a
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
Three anime characters bring a dash of magic with them into the real world.Just as Studio Ghibli creates mystery and intrigue in its movie worlds, it also creates mystery and intrigue with its merchandise. Case in point is this brand new release from Ghibli specialty retailer Donguri Kyowakoku, which adds three new characters to its “Komorebi” plush toy collection.The word “komorebi” often tops the list as people’s favourite Japanese word, and for good reason. Not o
Heart/body-warming anime video is a beautiful love letter to family and miso soup【Video】
Based-on-true-story shows how woman and her grandmother stay close even when they’re far apart.There’s an old marketing maxim that says you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. The idea is that no one really cares about the item or service itself, they care about the feeling of satisfaction, security, or happiness it can give them.Of course, miso soup doesn’t actually sizzle, but the concept still applies in this beautiful short anime video that in which Japanese miso soup maker Marukome i
Time to open the final Village Vanguard Luck Bag of 2026, the magical girl Red Lucky Bag
Another year, another assortment of weird cushions…It’s certainly been a long, hard New Year’s season in Japan. Normally, this is the time that our reporters get to buy and open fukubukuro lucky bags, which often contain loads of limited edition merchandise. But for our writers P.K. Sanjun and Ahiruneko, it’s a painful ordeal.This is because every year they are tasked with opening the fukubukuro sold by the novelty goods chain Village Vanguard, and every year they write scathing reviews ab
Denny’s Japan created crazy split-in-half parfaits to target social media photo-snapping foodies
Clever visual design keeps your parfait looking Instagram-worthy even as you eat it.Foodies in Japan are very much believers in the idea that food should look beautiful. That goes double for discretionary dining options like desserts, and triple for parfaits, one of the most photogenic types of sweet indulgence. As a matter of fact, it probably wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the majority of people who order a restaurant parfait in Japan snap at least one photo of it, and sometimes many
British man arrested for biting Japanese police officer during shokumu shitsumon questioning
The question of how to respond to the Japanese police’s quasi-random on-the-street questioning is a complex one, but this isn’t the answer.Many residents would say that Japan is, by a lot of objective metrics and subjective judgments, a pretty great place to live. One unpleasant annoyance of life in Japan, though, is the practice of shokumu shitsumon, or “employment questioning.”This doesn’t refer to companies or employment counselors asking job-seekers about their qualifications and professiona
Studio Ghibli adds anime aircraft from Laputa: Castle in the Sky to its merchandise shop in Japan
Miniature Flaptor captures Hayao Miyazaki’s creative genius and transforms it into a pullback keychain.Studio Ghibli director and co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has a well-known passion for planes – not only did he name his studio after the Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli, an Italian aircraft used during World War II, he’s also a dabhand at drawing up imaginary flying mobiles and giving them unique names.One such creative invention is the “Flaptor” seen in Laputa Castle in the Sky, whic
Pokémon menstrual pads appear in Japan【Photos】
Unexpected collaboration has an admirable purpose.There’s an unspoken understanding in works of fiction that just because some aspect of daily life isn’t depicted, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist within that created environment. Throughout the decades of Gundam anime, for example, no one has been shown filling out a tax return, but that’s just because personal income taxes have no bearing on the story, so such details can be omitted from the on-screen action.Still, it can come as a surprise w
Japanese city to deploy anti-bear drones against ursine adversaries, stages adorable demo【Vid】
Repellant spray demonstration target considerably less threatening than actual bears.After a period of several months in which bear attacks became so frequent in Japan that “bear” was chosen as the kanji of the year for 2025, it’s been a while since the last major incident. However, this isn’t because human/bear relations have improved, but rather because, as with most conflicts, the situation has been temporarily deescalated with the onset of winter. While bears may not have to deal with the ex
Top scientific research recognized at ACC Asia Conference
The American College of Cardiology has recognized three outstanding abstract presentations as Abstract Award winners at the ACC Asia 2025 Together with SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting on May 9-11 ...
Sanrio’s Little Twin Stars shine brightly in new themed rooms at the Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji
Make a wish on not one but two little stars while you’re on vacation in western Tokyo this spring.The Keio Plaza Hotel in Hachioji in western Tokyo will soon be offering a fancy new set of themed rooms in an original collaboration with character company Sanrio. The stars this time around are, well, stars in their own right.Sanrio’s Little Twin Stars are the collective name for fraternal twins Kiki (the younger brother) and Lala (the older sister) from the Land of Stars. They debuted
Racing into our stomachs this winter are motorcycle fuel tank-shaped bento
These stylish Bike Bento are fuel for motorcycle lovers’ eyes and stomachs.From January 6-21, the 61st Original Famous Ekiben and National Delicious Food Tournament is being held on the 7th floor at Shinjuku’s Keio Department Store. This year’s event has already been extremely successful, with its first-week sales exceeding those of last year.We went to the event this year with a singular purpose in mind: to sneak a peek at the Bike Bento, which are shaped like motorcycle fuel
We traveled almost 400 miles to get popcorn from this ninja machine, but do we regret it?【Photos】
An unexpected encounter sends us on a journey to the other side of Japan, and into the past.Sometimes when nostalgia hits, it hits all the harder because you weren’t expecting it. That was the experience our Japanese-language reporter Takuya Inaba recently had while out for a stroll in Watabori Park, where he came across a snack shop, and standing outside of it was a fondly remembered friend from his childhood.See, back in the ‘90s, it felt like just about every mid-sized shopping mall had a cha
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
The best dates to plan your hanami flower-viewing trips and the top spots to see them this spring.One of the many joys of winter in Japan is actually the knowledge that every passing day is inching us closer to spring, which means it’s time to prepare for the arrival of sakura cherry blossom season. Here to help us with our planning is Japanese weather forecasting company Weathernews, who releases its first cherry blossom forecast every January, and this year, it’s predicting that T
Umamusume anime cosplayers make news in U.S. for their pro football fandom【Video】
Colorado cosplayers capitalize on the connection of ‘horse.’”.The past half-year or so has been a very good time for fans of horse-based characters and mascots. That is, admittedly, an unusually specific demographic, but late last June the Umamusume: Pretty Derby smartphone game finally got an English-language release, bringing the heartwarming stories of anthropomorphic anime horse girls based on real-life Japanese race horses to English-speaking gamers. Meanwhile, in the United States’ Nationa
Japan’s Valentine’s chocolate Slimes let you say you say I love you like the Dragon Quest mascot
Delicious cuteness draws near!I think we can all agree that “When I think of you, I think of slime” isn’t a particularly nice thing to tell someone. For those of cultured tastes, though, and an ability to perceive capitalization within the message, “When I think of you, I think of a Slime” is a compliment of the highest order, because who wouldn’t want to be as deeply beloved as Dragon Quest’s Slime?And if you want to express such devotion to the object of your romantic affection this Valentine’
36th Annual International Snowball Fight Competition to be held in Uonuma this February
The quick and the damp.Since the dawn of humanity, whenever we have been blessed with lightly frozen flakes of precipitation, we have been filled with the urge to gather up this natural wonder into our hands, and then throw it at friends and family, laughing extra hard if we had hit them in the butt.It’s a tradition that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries, weather permitting, and one that is celebrated each year in the town of Uonuma in Niigata Prefecture at the Uonuma International
ABA General Meeting Kicks Off in Taipei with Over 20 Nations' Financial Leaders Unite to Discuss Sustainable Future Transition
TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 250 representatives from over 20 countries, including central banks, financial institutes, enterprises and international organizations, gathered in Taipei ...
Pikachu’s chunky original design is back as a plus-sized plushie【Photos】
That just means there’s more of him to love.“Welcome back, Pikachu!” might seem like an odd thing for Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy to be saying. After all, Pikachu was there right from the start as one of the original Kanto region Pocket Monster species, and in the three decades since, he’s never once left the spotlight in one of the world’s most popular entertainment franchises.But Takara Tomy is specifically welcoming back the original Pikachu design. Prior to his anime TV series debut, Pikac
Bear meat noodles?!? Tokyo restaurant adds a new kind of niku soba to its menu【Taste test】
Bears are everywhere in Japan these days – even in our noodles.There’s an unusual linguistic quirk in Japan in which you’ll often see soba noodle restaurants offering a dish called “niku soba,” or “meat soba.” While the name makes it seem like the topping options could be wide open, niku soba (or niku udon, if you’re at a restaurant that serves udon noodles) generally means thin strips of pork or beef. Which one? It varies by restaurant, but surprisingly most people are OK with the vagueness.How