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Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners

A flaw in the system makes this Starbucks breakfast less than stellar. They say the third time’s the charm, and that’s what happened to us when we attempted to try the super-popular sell-out breakfast at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo in Meguro Ward recently.▼ The Reserve Roastery TokyoThe premium breakfast set is so popular that despite visiting twice to try it we were unable to order it as it had already sold out, and on one occasion, it had sold out by 8 in the morning, just

Studio Ghibli still doesn’t allow its anime to be streamed online in Japan, and here’s why

Famed anime house isn’t worried about losing relevancy by limiting access to its films.Studio Ghibli has a reputation for preferring to do things the old-fashioned way, and so fans weren’t really shocked when the famed anime production house was initially reluctant to licensing its works for online streaming. The studio eventually softened its stance, striking deals with HBO Max in 2019 and Netflix the following year, and while the Netflix agreement has since expired, HBO Max still offers the Gh

Gigantic gacha machine appears in Tokyo department store for capsule toy celebration

Monster Capsule is a gacha behemoth.“Monster Capsule” might sound like the name of some cheap Pokémon knockoff, but the capsule being referred to isn’t one meant for carrying creatures around in. No, Monster Capsule is supposed to bring up thoughts of capsule toy/gachapon machines, and the Monster part of the name isn’t because the prizes are beastly in nature, but because the machine itself is gigantic.Just how big are Monster Capsule machines? Manufacturer Gleeglobe builds them in three differ

Starbucks Japan releases a new limited-edition Frappuccino inspired by espresso affogato

Find out if this exclusive drink has what it takes to combat a Japanese summer.Some might say the best time to enjoy a Frappuccino is in the heat of summer, especially in Japan when the high humidity drains all your energy and has you searching for a much-needed boost. This summer, the chain is catering to that need with the Banana Affogato Frappuccino, which combines the pick-me-up powers of banana, with its natural sugars and healthy carbs, with the caffeine kick of espresso, for a refreshing

Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel

Special sweets designed to satisfy your sweet tooth and cool you off in the summer heat.This year is Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, and the franchise is celebrating in style at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, with the hotel offering amazing Pokémon-themed rooms including one with 30 Pikachu plushies to keep guests company during their stay. But what if you’ve already got a place to sleep in Tokyo? Does that mean you have to miss out on the collaboration’s fun?Not at all, because the Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s rest

Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot

One of Japan’s most popular dessert mascots is set to go with you as you tap through ticket gates.Last year, one of Japan’s many railway companies, JR East, announced that they would be retiring their iconic mascot character featured on their rechargeable prepaid transit card, Suica, much to the dismay of many of its fans. Meanwhile, JR Central, another rail company, has decided to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Nagoya’s beloved dessert Piyorin with a special release of its Toica card.D

Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart

Lawson opens its first “mini supermarket” in Tokyo.Lawson is one of Japan’s big-three convenience stores (the others being 7-Eleven and Family Mart), but Lawson itself has multiple sub-brands. For example, there’s also the budget-minded Lawson Store 100, with most items priced at 100 yen, and on May 28, the Lawson family expanded once again with the opening of L Minimart in Tokyo’s Kodaira district.L Minimart says its mission is to be a “mini supermarket,” which sounds like a bit of a contradict

Another side of Kyoto – The prefecture’s top 10 “road stations” for traveling foodies

We’re headed to Kyoto today, but not to see the temples or shrines.Temples and shrines are the first things that come to mind when travelers think of Kyoto, but the prefecture is also a treasure trove of outstanding michi no eki, or “road stations.” These combination roadside shops/rest areas offer a variety of unique local products, from foods and drinks to handicrafts, and with Kyoto Prefecture’s rich culinary legacies, its road stations include ones in famous green tea-growing regions and fis

Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan

New fusion food looks set to become a hit on social media. If you’re in Japan and find yourself in the mood for pizza, but with a hankering for sushi as well, there’s a new restaurant in Osaka ready to satisfy both those needs, all in one easy-to-eat slice.Called Sushi Pizza, this new fusion food is the brainchild of Kaisen Monogatari, a sushi and izakaya restaurant in the city’s lively Dotonbori district. Osaka, and this district in particular, is bursting at the seams with so

133-year-old Japanese company’s cookies go beyond matcha with dashi and shichimi flavors

Kayanoya’s Satoyama Cookies give you four flavors for a snack session unlike any other.The other day, we found ourselves thinking “We want to eat some cookies.” In and of itself, that’s not at all an unusual condition for us to be in, but on this day we wanted specifically to eat some Kayanoya cookies.Kayanoya is a company that was founded all the way back in 1893, and as you might expect from that, they make use of some characteristically Japanese ingredients in their cookies, such as matcha gr

Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream

A taste of the U.S. via Okinawa.Our intrepid reporter Mr. Sato was recently in Fussa, a part of Tokyo west of the downtown area, where he discovered Tampopo, a retro pachinko parlor that lets you try your hand at the game without worrying about the gambling part of it. Fussa has more invitingly old-school vibes to offer, though, as Mr. Sato found while walking along National Route 16.National Route 16 is actually a bit of an international thoroughfare, since it runs right along the edge of the U

The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef

Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world.Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’ve got beef with anyone who says that a quality burger can’t be found in Japan. In fact, finding one is about to get even easier with the return of the prestigious Japan Burger Championship next month in its fifth edition. The event has attracted a total of 170,000 attendees over the past fo

Tokyo’s insane Garlic Ramen is a meal, and an aroma, you’ll never forget[Taste test]

There aren’t enough breath mints in the world to save us, but we’re going in anyway.Japanese folk wisdom holds that garlic is a food that boosts physical stamina, and it’s supposed to be helpful in dealing with the adverse effects of hot weather too. The actual science behind those claims gets a little indistinct, but for garlic lovers, we’re getting into a time of year that provides ample excuses to load up on the seasoning. Today that leads us to Yoshioka, a ramen restaurant in downtown Tokyo’

Same name tops lists of most popular dog and cat names in Japan, and there’s probably a reason why

Cultural quirks have a hand in making the same name the favorite for dogs and cats in annual study.Japan’s most famous fictional cat might be the one named Kitty, but when it comes to actual pets, owners tend to get a little more creative with their choices. To investigate what Japan’s most popular pet names are, Daiichi ipet, the pet insurance division of Daiichi Life Group, recently conducted a study of the animal companions it covers, and there’s a common theme among many of the top entries o

Own a piece of anime history with U-Treasure’s Astro Boy gold miniature figure

A new line of decorative mini figures made from gold pay homage to pioneering manga artist Osamu Tezuka’s massive influence on anime and manga.U-Treasure, a Japanese jewelry brand that frequently partners with pop culture franchises for fun but classy keepsakes, is now taking preorders for the first three pieces in a new collaborative series paying homage to manga legend Osamu Tezuka.The Osamu Tezuka World Gold Collection celebrates the 80th anniversary of the God of Manga‘s 1946 deb

Tokyo restaurant offers lunches for less than 1 U.S. cent…if you’re good enough at rock-paper-scissors

We head to a unique restaurant for a harami bowl and a janken match.It wasn’t all that long ago that you could find lots of restaurants in Japan offering “one-coin” lunches, so called because the meals were priced at 500 yen (US$3.25) or less, with 500 yen being the largest denomination of coin in Japan. With prices rapidly rising, though, one-coin meals are getting harder and harder to find, something that’s making both our wallets and our stomachs very sad.However, we recently discovered a res

Government says 5.7 trillion yen of Japanese media was pirated last year, thinks AI could help

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry conducts study to estimate damage to producers of anime and other Japanese media.With Japanese entertainment media growing in popularity around the world, the Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is also growing more concerned about the effects of media piracy overseas. In its latest study of the situation, the ministry claims that damage from piracy has been rapidly increasing, but one of its proposed countermeasures might not rea

What makes the Starbucks Japan chocolate terrine so popular?

We find out why Japanese social media has gone crazy for this cake.Starbucks might be famous for its Frappuccinos, but fans of the chain will tell you its cakes are where it’s at. That’s what’s happening right now on Japanese social media, where sweet tooths are raving about the chain’s chocolate terrine. At 540 yen (US$3.40) apiece, this is no cheap slice, but fans say it’s worth the investment, and the calories, so we picked one up to find out if it was worth the

Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]

Pikachu and Gyarados invite you to come by for a relaxing soak as Noto town recovers from disaster.A lot of storylines in the Pokémon anime and video games follow the journeys of Pokémon Trainers as they roam far and wide in search of rare Pocket Monsters as part of their training to become Pokémon Masters. No matter how strong your resolve is to be the very best, though, eventually you’re going to need to take some time to stop and rest along the way. Likewise, if your real-life travels take yo

KFC Japan’s “The American Burgers” include a pile of guilt

KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye.People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seeing as how Kentucky doesn’t get a lot of international tourists or pop culture attention, though, very few Japanese people have any strong impression of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s home state, to the extent that most Japanese people call KFC itself simply “Kentucky.”So for the trio of sandwiches KFC Japan is