SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Krista Rogers

Starting with a love of J-Pop and J-dramas when she was 13, Krista Rogers has left her quiet New England hometown in the States both to study abroad in Tokyo and to work on the JET Program in beautiful Yamagata prefecture. She misses chatting in the local dialect and staging Kamehameha battles in the hallway with her students. Although she's currently working on her master's degree in Boston, she will without a doubt be back in Japan before long and buying way too much at Book-Off and Tower Records again. When she needs a break from schoolwork, Krista enjoys eating yakiniku, figure skating, finding cute cafes, watching Big Bang MVs, and continuing on her quest to catch 'em all.

RSS

Posted by Krista Rogers (Page 4)

Schoolkids learn life skills through shopping field trips at street markets in Kochi Prefecture

Krista Rogers
Apr 9, 2026
Tweet

The unexpectedly cutest part of shopping at Kochi’s Thursday Market was seeing some fellow shoppers of the very small variety in action.

Japan
(COK • educational • elementary school • field trip • Kochi Prefecture • life skills • preschool • shopping • SNJO • Thursday Market)

Float all of your troubles away with a boat ride down the Shimanto River in Kochi Prefecture

Krista Rogers
Apr 1, 2026

Escape the urban sprawl by taking a tour on “Japan’s last clear stream” that will leave you clearly in tune with nature.

Japan
(boat tour • COK • Japan travel • kochi • Marie Morimoto • nature • outdoors • Shikoku • Shimanto City • sightseeing • SNJO • submersible bridge • tourism • travel • yakatabune)

Uni Donuts are pretty in pink for a limited-time spring sakuramochi flavor

Krista Rogers
Mar 31, 2026

The Yokohama-based donut specialty chain incorporates a unique ingredient into its dough that results in a divine texture and taste.

Japan
(cherry blossom sweets • cherry blossoms • donuts • food • sakura • sakura sweets • sweets • Uni Donuts • Yokohama)

Here’s what you need to know before the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking voting goes live

Krista Rogers
Mar 24, 2026

Here are the important dates and ways that you can vote for your favorite characters during the official voting period next month.

Japan
(2026 • awards • Kawaii • popularity • Sanrio • Sanrio Character Ranking • voting)

Nissin Donbei to sell Classic line of instant udon and soba noodles for its 50th anniversary

Krista Rogers
Mar 24, 2026

The new bowls will recreate the old taste of 50 years ago when the famous brand first dropped.

Japan
(50th anniversary • cup noodles • kitsune udon • Nissin Donbei • recreation • retro • soba • tempura soba • udon)

Peko-chan Milky Time Cafe opens in Chiba and we go to check out all of the pastries and merch

Krista Rogers
Mar 19, 2026

It’s time to chow down on all of the pastries inspired by Fujiya’s famous brand of Milky candy and its little girl mascot, Peko-chan.

Japan
(cafe • candy • Chiba • donuts • Fujiya • Happy Bag • LaLaport • milky • new • pastries • Peko-chan • sweets)

Super Mario teams up with JR Kyushu for the perfect power-up steamed bun snack

Krista Rogers
Mar 18, 2026

Kakuni pork manju in three colors with Super Mario-themed power-up item designs?! Let’s-a go!

Japan
(chuka manju • food • Iwasaki Honpo • JR Kyushu • kakuni • manju • Nagasaki • nintendo • steamed buns • Super Mario • video games)

We asked our Japanese team of writers how they deal with seasonal allergies in Japan

Krista Rogers
Mar 16, 2026

When you’re all choked up and there’s nose way out, take a leaf out of our book to get yourself out of the throes of nose blows.

Japan
(allergies • COK • hay fever • kafunsho • pollen • prevention • protection • SNJO • survey)

The top 10 graduation songs in Japan as chosen by current Japanese high school students

Krista Rogers
Mar 13, 2026

From covers of classics to altogether newer songs, these are the melodies that Japanese youth associate with graduation in this current Reiwa age.

Japan
(graduation • high school • sakura • Shibuya Trend Research • songs • spring • survey • Top Ten)

Sakuramochi festival sweetens things up at Tokyo’s Seibu Ikebukuro this season

Krista Rogers
Mar 4, 2026

One of Tokyo’s biggest shopping areas is giving you the chance to try 19 kinds of the traditional spring sweet spanning two major regional differences.

Japan
(cherry blossoms • Ikebukuro • sakura • sakuramochi • Seibu Department Store • sweets • traditional • wagashi)

Sakura Festival in Chiyoda mixes illuminations, boats, music, and Rilakkuma in the heart of Tokyo

Krista Rogers
Mar 3, 2026

Celebrate the fleeting cherry blossom season with a plethora of things to do right around the Imperial Palace.

Japan
(boats • cherry blossoms • Chiyoda • illuminations • Imperial Palace • light up • lights • music • night • Rilakkuma • sakura • Sakura Festival in Chiyoda 2026 • spring • Tokyo)

Family Mart’s Shibuya Cat Street shop hosts first-ever rescue cat photo exhibition for Cat Day

Krista Rogers
Feb 25, 2026

In addition to selling delectable cat-themed sweets, the convenience store chain wants to increase cat adoptions and pet food donations.

Japan
(animal adoption • Cat Day • cat shelter • convenience store • Family mart • food drive • konbini • photos • rescue cat • Shibuya • Tokyo)

Survey finds that one in five high schoolers don’t know who music legend Masaharu Fukuyama is

Krista Rogers
Feb 24, 2026

We simply cannot accept the results and now feel compelled to rectify this grievous generational lack of knowledge among the youth of Japan.

Japan
(Fukuyama Loss • Fukuyama Masaharu • generation gap • high school students • hit singles • music • musician • survey)

Shizuoka hot springs town invites you to see one of the longest hina doll displays in Japan

Krista Rogers
Feb 17, 2026

This stairway of hina dolls at a local shrine is a true sight to behold and might actually make you lose your breath for good reason.

Japan
(big • display • Doll Festival • dolls • festival • hina matsuri • hot springs • Inatori Onsen • Japan travel • march • Shizuoka Prefecture • shrine • Susano Shrine • tourism • travel)

Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season

Krista Rogers
Feb 16, 2026

Spring hasn’t quite sprung yet but we can still soak up its essence in the humble yet mighty plum blossoms.

Japan
(beautiful • flowers • gardens • Ibaraki • Kanagawa • Kyoto • Osaka • outdoors • plum • plum blossoms • spring • travel • ume)

Satisfy your sweet tooth with cheesecake and more all-you-can-eat sweets at Cheese Garden

Krista Rogers
Feb 11, 2026

This special sweets buffet is easily accessible from Tokyo and is truly baking the world a better place.

Japan
(all-you-can-eat • cake • Cheese Garden • Cheesecake • COK • dessert • Emi Terrace • Saitama • SNJO • sweets)

Hunter x Hunter teams up with Shimamura clothing chain for clothing and more treasures galore

Krista Rogers
Feb 9, 2026

Going hunting for some items to spice up your life? Shimamura has got you covered, quite literally.

Japan
(accessories • anime • clothing • collaboration • goods • Hunter x Hunter • lifestyle • manga • merch • Shimamura • Yoshihiro Togashi)

A spotlight on Japanese singles figure skating: Jumping into the 2026 Olympics【Pt. II】

Krista Rogers
Feb 7, 2026

In this two-part series just in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics, we’re taking a look at Japanese skaters who have shaped the sport past and present.

Japan
(Ami Nakai • athletes • celebrities • COK • famous • figure skating • ice skating • Kao Miura • Kaori Sakamoto • Mone Chiba • Shun Sato • SNJO • spotlights • winter olympics • winter sport • Yuma Kagiyama)

Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?

Krista Rogers
Feb 4, 2026

We investigate whether now is a good time to grab some beef cutlets in a popular tourist area of Tokyo.

Japan
(Akihabara • beef cutlets • China travel advisory • China travel warning • COK • food • Gyukatsu 123 • Japan travel • P.K. Sanjun • restaurants • SNJO • society • Tokyo • tourism • travel)

A spotlight on Japanese singles figure skating: Sliding onto the World Stage【Pt. I】

Krista Rogers
Jan 29, 2026

In this two-part series just in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics, we’re taking a look at Japanese skaters who have shaped the sport past and present.