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Japan has abolished advance deportation notifications to foreigners’ lawyers

16-year policy swept away with less than a week for transition.On January 26, the Japanese government’s Immigration Services Agency, the branch of the Ministry of Justice in charge of immigration regulations, officially announced that it would be abolishing its practice of informing lawyers representing foreign residents facing deportation of their deportation date in advance. Considering the significance of this shift in policy, one might expect there to be a substantial amount of time until th

Government proposes planning team for Apec finance ministers’ meeting in Hong Kong

Financial services chief says about 500 delegates are expected to attend conference, the first to be held in Hong Kong, in October Some 500 guests are expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic ...

World Federation of Consuls South Asia regional meeting kicks off today in Colombo

The South Asia Regional Conference of the World Federation of Consuls (FICAC) will kick off today (2) in Colombo, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s role as a regional hub for diplomacy, trade, and tourism. The conference, which runs until 4 February at Cinnamon Life, brings together honorary consuls, senior diplomats, Government officials, business leaders, and international stakeholders. Organised un ..

Cherry blossom sake rice beer arriving in Japan well ahead of cherry blossom season, but how?

The return of the sakura and the arrival of sakura beer are both annual events, but their timing doesn’t have to match.Spring in Japan isn’t just the time for cherry blossoms, it’s also the time for cherry blossom sweets, as we see a flurry of sakura-flavored cakes, cookies, and other sweets that show up right about the time Japan’s most famous flowers are starting to open. Here’s the open secret, though: the cherry blossom treats we enjoy every year are usually made with last year’s sakura.That

Trouble making friends? Sticker collecting works surprisingly well

Good friends stick together.A short while back, we showed you how the sticker craze has been sweeping Japan with a look at how difficult it is to buy some of the finest stickers around. The last time Japan caught sticker fever of this caliber was around 20 years ago, during the Heisei era, and now many of those young girls who kept sticker books have grown up into mothers of their own young girls. As a result, they too can’t help but get back into the sticker-collecting game.Our writer Haruka Ta

Kyoto planning surprise late-night inspections of Airbnb-style rentals to fight overtourism

Local residents’ complaints about bad-mannered tourists prompt pledges from mayor to consider tighten regulations.When travelling in Japan and looking for a place to stay, it used to be that you basically had two choices, a hotel or a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). In recent years, though, Airbnb-style short-term rentals, in which gusts stay in a rented home, apartment, or condo, have been popping up in many places.Make that too many places, in the minds of some upset residents, including a

Japanese women sound off on their minimum height requirements for a husband【Survey】

Participants also list other ways a guy can make up for vertical shortcomings.As polite a society as Japan is, singles can be surprisingly unabashed when it comes to expressing their physical preferences in a romantic partner. Just as many Japanese men are quite open about how they gravitate towards women with large busts, a lot of Japanese women have no qualms about stating, flat-out, that they don’t want to date any short guys.But when it comes time to really start looking for a serious relati

Japan has been tossing message-bearing coconuts into the ocean since the 1980s

Only a tiny fraction of them ever get found, but that’s just part of the charm.The southernmost islands of Japan and its mainland are separated by vast stretches of ocean, powerful currents, and clear cultural differences. However for nearly four decades, both Ishigaki in Okinawa and the Atsumi Peninsula in Aichi, two very distant places, have shared an unusual connection: a coconut.The Love Coconut Message project is an unusual tradition, where each year coconuts are lobbed into the ocean

Why you should visit Shizuoka, the green tea oasis in the middle of Japan’s golden route

While you’re rushing between Tokyo and Kyoto, don’t forget to take some time to stop and sip the tea.Located about halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto, Shizuoka Prefecture is a part of Japan that a lot of travelers zip right past on the bullet train. However, while Shizuoka can’t match the glamour and glitz of Japan’s current and former capital cities, it’s still a great place to get off the Shinkansen and get a taste of the charms of Japanese-style slow life with a cup of tea.We’re not speaking met

Japanese movie theater chain’s popcorn earns highest Grand Prix quality certification

Star-studded popcorn for star-studded movies.The food offered at movie theaters is often best described as “serviceable” and basically in line with candy and other junk food you can find in most stores. But perhaps when paying such a high price for something as traditionally mediocre as popcorn and soda, we hastily overlook the true effort that goes into making it.Japanese movie theater chain 109 Cinemas appeared to feel that way and submitted their popcorn to the Japan Food Selection panel of s

Yokai are descending upon Tokyo this spring in the latest immersive art experience

From ghostly processions to playful monsters, this exhibition shows off the charm of Japan’s folklore with modern visual technology.Japanese yokai spirits live in an interesting realm that blends eerie and endearing, as some of them can be terrifying monsters, but others are cute little troublemakers and pranksters. Despite their long history, yokai still maintain a certain presence within Japan’s cultural landscape, and continue to receive representations throughout modern entertainment a

420 million yen in cash-filled suitcases stolen on Tokyo streets, incidents at Haneda and Hong Kong follow

Three robbery attempts, all connected to Hong Kong currency exchange, take place within 14 hours of each other.Even in our modern world of credit cards, digital bank transfers, and cashless payment apps, it’s still advisable to have some cash on you when you’re out and about, just in case there’s any sort of glitch or other problem occurring within the necessary technological infrastructure. Of course, you don’t want to carry too much cash around, as physical currency comes with the inherent ris

Japan’s suicides fall to lowest recorded number ever, but one demographic hits all-time high

Statistics show overall situation is improving, but some at-risk individuals need more help than ever.Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has released the preliminary results of its annual study of suicides in Japan, with a mix of heartening and heartbreaking statistics.Let’s start with the good news. During 2025, the number of suicides in Japan dropped to 19,097. Not only do the 1,223 fewer suicides represent a six-percent decrease from the previous year, this is the first time for Ja

Japanese man gets drunk and falls asleep on Tokyo streets, then gets robbed by foreign national

They say no one sleeps in Tokyo’s nightlife districts, and here’s a good reason not too.On a night last December in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood, a man had been out drinking, and, as is often the case after too much imbibing, found himself feeling rather drowsy. So when he got to Dogenzaka, he lay down and got some sleep.Dogenzaka, though, is not the name of a hotel or apartment complex. It’s not even the name of a coffin meditation salon, or any other sort of place where people are intended to

Morning-after pill finally available in Japan without a prescription, must be taken at pharmacy

After 15 years of needing a doctor’s permission, women and teens in Japan can now buy emergency contraceptives over the counter, but still with some strings attached.It’s always important to remember that cultural differences aren’t always cut along straight lines. For example, “love hotels,” hotels where amorous couples can rent a room by the hour, have been a thing in Japan for so long that even your grandparents might have fond memories of taking advantage of the convenient copulation spaces.

Is Starbucks Japan’s new extra-expensive Valentine’s Day espresso Frappuccino worth the price?

Starbucks is getting into Godiva territory with the price of its newest chocolate dessert drink, but is the quality there?Cheap prices have never really been the appeal of Starbucks. They are, after all, the chain that did more than any other to broadly popularize the idea among the mainstream masses that it’s worth paying extra for coffee of a quality that encourages sipping and savoring it in a relaxing, stylish interior space.And yet, there’s definitely some sticker shock involved with Starbu

Japan’s got a subscription service for pillows with or without plastic tubes inside

Why own a comfy pillow when you can lease one?How long have you had your current pillow? Some of us might not even be able to answer that question because it’s been so long. That’s the case for our writer Ahiruneko, who, at best guess, would say he’s been using the same one for about 20 years.▼ Ahiruneko’s current pillowFeeling it was about time for a change, he looked into getting a new one. That’s when he stumbled upon The Pillow, a subscription service where you pay 1,480 yen (US$10) pe

New Studio Ghibli stamps leave an impression on your stationery…and your heart

Dress up notebooks and sticky notes with memorable anime scenes from Japan.Ever since Studio Ghibli began making movies, fans have long been yearning for ways to incorporate the magic from the films in their everyday lives. Now, there’s a new way to do just that, thanks to a range of “Irodori Hanko” (“Colour Stamps“) being released by Ghibli specialty retail chain Donguri Kyowakoku.▼ There are five to collect in the lineup, each featuring a special scene from a Ghib

Japan cherry blossom forecast update moves up sakura dates for many parts of the country

Forecast shows you might need to move your cherry blossom plans in Japan up by a few days.We’ve got close to two months left to go until cherry blossom season starts in Japan, but we’re already keeping our eyes on the sakura. That’s because in addition to being some of Japan’s most beautiful flowers, the sakura only bloom for a short time, so knowing when this year’s batch will first appear is a key piece of information for floral fans making plans to go see them.The first sakura forecast for 20

And now, we eat a bear paw we bought in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture【Taste test】

Bear with Seiji as he cooks up some high-quality, high-rarity meat.When talking about food in Japanese, it’s not uncommon for people, in conversational settings, to simply say “meat” instead of referring to any one particular kind. Maybe it has something to do with syllable counts and word lengths, as it’s quicker to just say the Japanese word for “meat,” niku, instead of the ones for “beef,” “chicken,” or “pork” (gyuniku, toriniku, and butaniku, respectively).In any case, it’s not startling or