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And now, a crazy-looking way to stay cool this summer, from Japan’s crazy gadget company

Summer in Japan can be brutally hot, but thankfully, Thanko is here to help.We’ve still got some time until the full force of the summer heat hits, but with the weather in Japan expected to get so hot that the government had to start deciding on new words to officially describe it, it’s already time to start thinking about countermeasures. And sure, those Studio Ghibli uchiwa paper fans are beautiful, but for those looking for heavier-duty heat relief, Japanese gadget maker Thanko has, as it so

Extra-cute Sea Animal crepes come to Japan’s cafe chain born from a sweet fashion brand

Gelato Pique’s spinoff cafes pique our interest with adorable ice cream and mochi treats.From its name, you might assume that Gelato Pique is an ice cream brand, but it’s actually a Japanese apparel company that specializes in cute and cozy roomwear (including Pokémon designs). The company describes its aesthetic as being “inspired by sweet indulgences,” hence the “Gelato” part of its name.However, there’s a lot of crossover between fans of comfy pajamas and relaxing cafes, so while it wasn’t Ge

Beautiful Ghibli anime uchiwa fans are like little posters you can use to keep yourself cool

Totoro and friends want to keep you cool and smiling this summer with these traditional non-folding fans.Summer presents a bit of a conundrum in Japan. On the one hand, it’s not a matter of if the weather will be hot and humid, but whether it’ll be extremely or just very hot and humid. At the same time, summer is full of festivals, fireworks shows, pop culture events, and even beautifully blossoming flowers, so there’s tons of fun to be had if you can find a way to cope with the heat.And if you

Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan

An exclusive doughnut you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Krispy Kreme Japan loves to cater to the local market with sweet exclusives, and it zooms in even further by catering to a micro market, with special doughnuts limited to regional stores.Known as the “Krispy Kreme Premium” series, these regional exclusives were previously limited to select stores in Nagoya, Hokkaido, and Tokyo, with each region having its own lineup, but now there’s a new region getting its

New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more

Newest volume in Ghibli cookbook series is packed with easy-to-make recipes for fans of the anime film.The delicious-looking depictions of food in Ghiblianime have become as much a calling card of the studio as scenes of magical flight and whimsically emotional storytelling. So if fans are going to have their stomachs growling after watching a Ghibli film, it’s only fair that someone tell us how to make the meals for ourselves here in the real world too, right?That’s the idea behind the Ghibli’s

What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?

Theme park prohibition strangely opens the door to a new kind of creative freedom. When you visit Ghibli Park in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture, you’ll find a vast array of attractions, including life-sized buildings that look like they’ve jumped straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. However, if you research the park beforehand to see what the rooms inside these buildings look like, you’ll notice something else: there isn’t a wide variety of interior photos on social med

Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think

No tentacles here, folks! Only beautifully strange plants.If you’ve spent any time online, the word “hentai” probably conjures up some very specific imagery that you may not feel comfortable talking about with your family. However, Osaka is playing host to an event called the Hentai Shokubutsu Club (or “Hentai Plant Club”), where you can say without shame, “Hey, Mom! Let’s go see some hentai plants.”To be perfectly clear, this event will involve substantially less tentacle-like appendages than y

Japan’s cafe that won’t let you go home until you solve a puzzle is opening in Osaka’s canal district

Hatena Coffee continues to make customers smile as they scratch their heads.The line that separates cafes from regular restaurants can be a hazy one, but most people would say that cafes generally have a more relaxed vibe that encourages you to linger over your drink or meal. And it’s definitely true that Hatena Coffee, which just arrived in Osaka’s Namba neighborhood, isn’t going to pressure you to hurry up and leave. As a matter of fact, Hatena Coffee has a policy in which they won’t even let

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