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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

Why is Taco Bell failing in Japan, even as the country falls in love with tacos?

Mr. Sato gets some tacos for his tummy and serves up some food for thought.Our ace reporter Mr. Sato is a true renaissance man, with a wide range of interests he pursues. Regular readers will already know of his forays into fashion, fitness, and urban exploring, and recently he’s also developed a passion for tacos.It’s not just Mr. Sato who’s felt his taco cravings intensify, though. He’s says that Japan, and the Tokyo area especially, is in a full-on taco boom these days, and recently we’ve eve

Studio Ghibli releases Japanese curry shirts in honour of anime about the studio’s staff

Test your Ghibli fan level with your knowledge of this character and his unusual restaurant policy. There are many levels of Studio Ghibli fan, from those who know and love the most famous feature films, to those who are acquainted with every single work the studio ever has put its name to.If you’re wondering where you sit on the fan spectrum, then you can test your knowledge by answering this question: Which movie does this T-shirt refer to?If the bespectacled character looks familiar to you, t

Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?

“Lettuce that’s looking at you like it wants you to buy it.”Lettuce is one of those foods where the individual parts of the plant we eat are distinct from the harvestable foodstuff as a whole, which is why we refer to “leaves” and “heads” of lettuce. But while you can find heads of lettuce in supermarkets all over the world, only in Japan will you encounter lettuce with faces.And it’s not just any face that this lettuce has, but the face of Tatsuya Fujiwara, which is also the face of Death Note’

Japanese Coo-Che becomes a viral sensation, and everyone wants a taste

“Drinkable Cigare” is so hard to get it’s been dubbed a “phantom”.Tokyo Station is packed with all sorts of delicious offerings, but right now one of the most sought-after treats you’ll find there is the Coo-Che.Created by super-popular Tokyo sweets brand YokuMoku, whose signature product is a light and buttery rolled langue de chat cookie called a “Cigare”, the Coo-Che is a brand new dessert drink that takes an extra-large Cigare and essentially wraps it around an

Dance with demons in Kyoto at this Edo-period Japanese Halloween festival

Turning a samurai film set into a monster dance party with J-pop choreography. Many tourists to the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto are familiar with its shrines and temples, but less know about its links to folklore and the supernatural. For over 1,200 years, the former imperial capital is said to have been the stage of the legendary Hyakki Yagyo, or “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”, where discarded household tools magically came to life and marched through the streets. This event lives o

Giant Evangelion Spear of Longinus to be installed at Japanese train station with Eva art trains

The real-world Village-3 deepens its anime connection.Tenryu Futamata Station, in Shizuoka Prefecture, isn’t a station that a lot of people need to go to, given its relatively remote location on the northern outskirts of the town of Hamamatsu, far away from the downtown area. However, Tenryu Futamata is a station a lot of people want to go to, with sightseers falling into two categories. Some are rail fans coming to get an eyeful of the unique turntable infrastructure that lets trains slide into

Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer

Spend the night inside a bullet train from just 5,000 yen.Finding affordable accommodation in Japan can be tough at any time of year, but when one or even two of Japan’s biggest summer festivals is being held, securing a place to stay can become even more challenging.Now, East Japan Railways (JR East) has come up with a creative solution to the problem by opening up one of its bullet trains as a place to stay overnight.The unique experience will take place from 3-5 August, on an E6 Series

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 ...

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 ...

World Offshore Week 2026 Brings Asia's Offshore Oil, Energy and Marine Sectors Together in Singapore

SINGAPORE, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

“We want to be Japan’s best cheap restaurant” says new (but also not new) Akihabara noodle joint

Akihabara Ramen Center is dead. Long live Akihabara Seimen Center.Some neighborhoods have spots that seem to be cursed as restaurant locations. A new eatery opens up, only to abruptly shut down a year later, only for another restaurant to move in, and then the whole cycle repeats, over and over.We thought we might have discovered one of these concentrated pockets of bad restaurateur luck in Akihabara, downtown Tokyo’s anime and video game district. When Gattsuri Udon, a restaurant specializing i

Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home

A beautiful way to show off your Starbucks collectibles.If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your very own Starbucks, the chain now has a new product that allows you to do just that, on an adorably tiny scale.Called the Starbucks Collection Rack, this new collectible is a cleverly designed display shelf that’s designed to show off your miniature goods while recreating the look of a real Starbucks store.Natural wood finishes evoke the warm and inviting interior of a Starbucks, with beautiful de

Eight great words for talking about summer in Japan in Japanese

Taking a break in the shade? Here’s some Japanese vocabulary and cultural knowledge that could be yours by the time you step back into the sun.Summer in Japan can be a divisive season. To some people, it’s the season of intense heat and humidity, while to others, it’s the season of intense heat and humidity that also has awesomely fun events, delicious foods, and cool traditions.But whether you love it or hate it, it’s impossible not to feel the season if you’re in Japan during the summer, and s

Kodama Shinkansen trains on popular Japan route get a whole new look this winter

Beautiful new design pays homage to regions that the bullet train serves, with charming hidden details. When you’re travelling between cities on the Shinkansen in Japan, the journey is often just as memorable as the destination. That’ll be especially true for passengers on the Sanyo Shinkansen from this winter, as they’ll be able to enjoy the ride on a bullet train featuring a new-look “Yurari” design.The new look will be gradually introduced on Kodama services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata Stat

Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards

New machines at two of Tokyo’s busiest metro stations will require you to pay with a credit card or one-day-pass QR code.Tokyo’s Ginza and Ueno subway stations are two of the busiest rail stops in the city, providing access to some of the city’s most popular shopping destinations in the upscale Ginza neighborhood and access to Ueno Park in Ueno, one of downtown’s largest green spaces and also home to some of the country’s finest art and history museums. Because of that, you’d think that subway o

99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji

Three-day ascent attempt comes to an abrupt end.When I first started hiking in Japan, I couldn’t help noticing how many older people you encounter along the trails. I’m not just talking about people who’ve reached mature adulthood, but silver-haired hikers who could easily be grandparents, and yet still enjoy getting out into nature and walking up into the mountains.I’ve got a lot of respect for them, and think they’re great role models for maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle. However, one

Starbucks Japan adds a new summer Frappuccino to the menu, but is it as refreshing as it looks?

Limited-edition “gyugyutto” beverage features a fruit combo rarely seen at Starbucks.After a succesion of brutally hot days in Japan, this summer is already testing our limits, even though the season has barely begun. Thankfully, there’s now some much-needed respite to be had, in the form of a new Starbucks Frappuccino to help keep us cool and calm as we enter the hottest days of the year.Called the “Gyugyutto Orange & Mango Frappuccino” (“gyugyutto” means to be “packed full”), this icy beve

Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China

One country’s travelers spend more than double the total average for tourists in Japan, and it’s one the Japanese tourism industry hasn’t paid much attention to.Recent statistics show that during the first half of 2026 Japan had its first dip in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country since five years ago. Some might call that a sign that the Japan travel boom has peaked, but the number of travelers only paints half the picture, and the amount of money foreign tourists are spending i

Cup Noodle and Columbia team up for a weird and wonderful T-shirt that’s very Japanese

The English on the back of the shirt is almost as humorous as the beach hut squid in the design.The hearty warmth of a hot Cup Noodle is well suited to the colder months, but now the brand wants to remind us that it can still bring us joy in summer too.Here to help do that is American outdoor brand Columbia, who has teamed up with the instant noodle maker for a new collaboration T-shirt inspired by Cup Noodle’s popular Seafood flavour.▼ The new design was born from the idea of “What if a beach h

FM Mohamad Leads Malaysian Delegation To ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting In Manila

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is leading the Malaysian delegation to the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting ...