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Proposed sakura name for new middle school in Japan draws complaints for kamikaze overlap

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 22, 2025
• Tweet

This isn’t the cherry blossom image the committee was going for.

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• Japan
• (cherry blossoms • education • history • kamikaze • Ohka • sakura • schools • society • World War II)

Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan

• Oona McGee
  Dec 21, 2025

Essential pointers to ensure you get your coffee without missing your train.

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• Japan
• (bullet trains • cafes • coffee • cool • drinks • Japanese trains • Shin-Yokohama • shinkansen • SNJO • Starbucks • Starbucks Japan • Tokaido Shinkansen • trains • travel • Yokohama)

Black Thunder chocolate-bar-shaped fishing lures coming next year

• Master Blaster
  Dec 21, 2025

All the fun of a Black Thunder bar, but with sharp hooks!

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• Japan
• (Black Thunder • candy • chocolate bars • duo • fishing • fishing lures • Pokemon • tairyobata)

Start saving room now – Japanese grocery store’s biggest sushi roll yet is coming for Setsubun

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 21, 2025

The “super-thick” ehomaki is a luxurious way to ensure good luck for your home and family in the coming year.

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• Japan
• (awesome • big food • COK • crazy • culture • Ehomaki • food • lucky rolls • SNJO • sushi • sushi rolls.Setsubun)

Japanese convenience store Family Mart adding crane games to thousands of branches

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 20, 2025

Crane games are big hits with foreign tourists and Japanese kids, so Family Mart is happy to have them come in and play.

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• Japan
• (claw games • convenience stores • crane games • Family mart • Japanese convenience stores • Pokemon • Pokémon Frienda • UFO catchers • video games)

Is this the most relaxing Starbucks in Japan?

• Oona McGee
  Dec 20, 2025

Forest bathing adds unique Japanese charm to this special location in Osaka.

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• Japan
• (cafes • coffee • drinks • forest bathing • Osaka • shinrinyoku • Starbucks • Starbucks Japan)

7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 20, 2025

Japanese convenience stores really do have everything, even your luggage.

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• Japan
• (7-Eleven • 7-Eleven Japan • anime convention • cool • Ecbo Cloak • Japan travel • Japanese convenience stores • luggage storage • tourism • travel)

New Evangelion short anime, written by Hideaki Anno, to have world premiere early next year

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 20, 2025

Impactful announcement made for Evangelion 30th anniversary fan event.

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• Japan
• (anime • Evangelion • Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion • Hideaki Anno • manga)

Dragon Quest Slime toys appear at McDonald’s Japan in crossover with Grimace and pals【Video】

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 19, 2025

We did not expect a Slime to appear here.

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• Japan
• (burgers • crazy • Dragon Quest • fast food • figures • food • Grimace • hamburgers • Happy Meals • McDonald's • McDonald's Japan • slime • Square Enix • toys • video • video games • weird)

Tokyo adding new anti-littering fines in Shibuya and Harajuku, will require more trash cans too

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 19, 2025

With fewer excuses for littering, there’s going to be less tolerance too.

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• Japan
• (COK • foreign tourists • Harajuku • Japan travel • litter • littering • Shibuya • society • tourism • trash • trash cans • travel)

Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】

• Elliot Hale
  Dec 19, 2025

Higashiyama doll artisans deliver some festive holiday cheer alongside their more traditional Japanese lineup.

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• Japan
• (art • Chinese zodiac • Christmas decorations • COK • culture • Gosho ningyo • interior • jimoto • Jimoto Plus • Kyoto • New Year's • ornaments • Oshogatsu • Shimada Koen • Starbucks • Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo • Tokyo • Year of the Horse)

More people in Japan quit sending New Year’s cards and many have started to regret it

• Elliot Hale
  Dec 19, 2025

With increasing numbers of people embracing nengajo-jimai and switching to digital equivalents, many now find they are left feeling empty.

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• Japan
• (COK • culture • digital media • Futaba • Japanese tradition • nengajo • nengajo-jimai • nengajyo • New Year's • New Year's cards • Oshogatsu • survey • tradition)

Japanese Cabinet to officially announce new romanization spelling recommendation next week

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 18, 2025

After 71 years, the Cabinet is ready to do something just about everyone else did several decades ago.

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• Japan
• (Hepbrun romanization • Hepburn system • Japanese language • Kunrei romanization • Kunrei system • learning japanese • linguistics • romanization • society)

Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 18, 2025

Inbound tourism boom and Japanese New Year’s traditions are too much for the world’s most famous sushi town to handle simultaneously, request says.

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• Japan
• (culture • food • Japan travel • Oshogatsu • overtourism • sushi • tourism • travel • Tsukiji • Tsukiji fish market)

Tokyo zoo imposes one-minute time limit for viewing pandas, line still four hours long

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 18, 2025

Ueno Zoo is doing what it can to keep the line moving as fans come to say goodbye to Japan’s last pandas.

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• Japan
• (animals • COK • crazy • Lei Lei • pandas • Ueno • Ueno Park • ueno zoo • Xiao Xiao • zoos)

Japanese woman mistaken for bear

• Master Blaster
  Dec 18, 2025

With the right clothing anyone can bear a resemblance.

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• Japan
• (bear attacks • bears • clothing • jumpsuits • mistakes • Yamagata)

Return of Totoro sequel short anime announced for Ghibli Park

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 17, 2025

Yes, if there’s a Catbus, of course there’s a kitten bus too!

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• Japan
• (anime • Catbus • Ghibli Park • Ghibli short anime • Ghibli shorts • Hayao Miyazaki • Mei and the Baby Catbus • Met and the Kittenbus • My Neighbor Totoro • Studio Ghibli • theme parks • Totoro)

Street Fighter Hadouken Churros to be launched and eaten in Tokyo, Okami pudding on offer too

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 17, 2025

Hadouken Pasta also on the menu at themed cafes celebrating Capcom art and history exhibition.

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• Japan
• (cafes • Capcom • Capcom Creation • churros • COK • food • Great Capcom Exhibition • hadouken • hodoken • restaurants • Street Fighter • themed cafes • themed restaurants • video games)

Final Fantasy and Shinkansen announce collaboration with in-train audio play, SD art and merch

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 17, 2025

There ain’t no gettin’ offa this bullet train we’re on, till we get to…Nagoya.

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• Japan
• (awesome • bullet train • Central Japan Railway Company • cool • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy VII • Japan Railway Company • JR • JR Central • JR Tokai • shinkansen • Square Enix • Tokaido Shinkansen • tourism.Japan travel • trains • travel • video games)

7-Eleven now sells rice burgers in Japan, blurring the line between fast and convenience store food

• Oona McGee
  Dec 17, 2025

Are these two new varieties good enough to take on the fast food game?

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• Japan
• (7-Eleven • aged brown rice • brown rice • combini • convenience store finds • convenience store food • convenience stores • food • healthy food • healthy snack • Japanese convenience stores • Japanese food • konbini • Nekase Genmai • onigiri • rice • rice balls • rice burger • rice burgers)

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• Recent Posts

  • This hot spring near Osaka’s Kansai Airport resolves the pick-two-out-of-three bathhouse dilemma
  • Starbucks Japan invites us to par-tea with its new Earl Gray Frappuccino [Taste test]
  • Tokyo Skytree set to offer breathtaking Diamond Fuji natural phenomenon view this month
  • Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
  • Japan’s mini Shikoku Pilgrimage walking tour left us feeling immensely satisfied

• MOST POPULAR

  • Today
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  • Yearly

  Today

  1. Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
  2. Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
  3. Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
  4. Japan’s mini Shikoku Pilgrimage walking tour left us feeling immensely satisfied
  5. Starbucks Japan invites us to par-tea with its new Earl Gray Frappuccino [Taste test]
  6. Tokyo Skytree set to offer breathtaking Diamond Fuji natural phenomenon view this month
  7. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  8. Shoplifting prevention guard arrested for shoplifting boot from store he was guarding
  9. This semi-secret, totally free footbath in downtown Tokyo is completely awesome
  10. This hot spring near Osaka’s Kansai Airport resolves the pick-two-out-of-three bathhouse dilemma

  Weekly

  1. Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
  2. Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
  3. Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods for 2026, with exclusive holiday surprises
  4. Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
  5. Life-size Monster Hunter dragon statues to be built at Japanese shopping mall
  6. Studio Ghibli homeware brand’s faux oil lamp brings light, smiles, and Kiki’s Jiji to your home
  7. Modern exosuits are opening up ancient Japanese castle climbs to everyone
  8. Evangelion announces collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe
  9. Starbucks Japan releases “Let’s Par-TEA!” Frappuccino and drinks for the holiday season
  10. Cold Stone is closing its final branch in all of east Japan, but it’s going down singing

  Monthly

  1. Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
  2. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  3. What’s it like to stay in a Japanese container hotel?
  4. Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
  5. Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
  6. New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
  7. Tokyo train station will play Godzilla theme song as new departure melody
  8. Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
  9. Studio Ghibli creates illustrated Kyoto sightseeing map, available at any 7-Eleven Japan store
  10. Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect

  Yearly

  1. Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
  2. Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
  3. Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
  4. Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
  5. Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
  6. Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
  7. Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
  8. Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
  9. Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
  10. Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa

• RECOMMENDED STORIES

  • Tokyo Skytree set to offer breathtaking Diamond Fuji natural phenomenon view this month
  • Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  • Shoplifting prevention guard arrested for shoplifting boot from store he was guarding
  • This semi-secret, totally free footbath in downtown Tokyo is completely awesome
  • This hot spring near Osaka’s Kansai Airport resolves the pick-two-out-of-three bathhouse dilemma
  • Pokémon guitars from Fender Japan come with 8-bit sound mode for covering retro game music [Vid]
  • Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods for 2026, with exclusive holiday surprises
  • Life-size Monster Hunter dragon statues to be built at Japanese shopping mall
  • Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
  • Evangelion announces collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe
  • Can Japan’s Self-Defense Forces legally open fire on a zombie horde?
  • Guile cosplay goes with everyone for Halloween at SoraNews24 HQ [Photos]
  • Hello Kitty cuts ties with hit Japanese spy drama Vivant over torture scenes
  • Studio Ghibli homeware brand’s faux oil lamp brings light, smiles, and Kiki’s Jiji to your home

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