SoraNews24 —Japan News—
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A robot joins the team at a fast-food restaurant, but in an unlikely city in northern Japan
- Elliot Hale
Feb 6, 2026 - Tweet
OriHime arrives at a local Mos Burger to test the future of inclusive work.
- Japan
- (accessibility • Avatar Robot Cafe • cafes • clever • COK • cool • disabilities • fast food • food • Iwate • Morioka • Mos Burger • OriHime • OryLab • restaurants • robots • society • technology)
Tokyo cafe staffed by robots piloted by paralyzed and otherwise housebound people
- Master Blaster
Aug 25, 2025
It’s the Dawn of a new restaurant experience.
- Japan
- (accessibility • Avatar Robot Cafe • cafes • Chuo • Dawn • disabilities • employment • OriHime • OryLab • restaurants • robots • Tokyo)
Japanese cafe has speech-to-text displays for conversation with hard-of-hearing staff and customers
- Casey Baseel
Aug 12, 2024
New Shojo Cafe Bar continues owners’ mission to “create environments where disabilities disappear.”
- Japan
- (accessibility • cafes • COK • deaf • disabilities • hearing impaired • Osaka • restaurants)
What’s it like traversing Tokyo using only wheelchair accessible routes?
- Dale Roll
Apr 7, 2024
Inspired by a family member’s recent need for a wheelchair, our reporter tries to see Tokyo from their perspective.
- Japan
- (accessibility • commuting • disabilities • Japanese subways • mobility issues • society • Tokyo • wheelchair access • wheelchairs • Yamanote line)
New silent cafe opens in Japan, where talking and music is not allowed
- Oona McGee
Apr 5, 2024
It might be silent here, but there are smiles all around.
- Japan
- (accessibility • cafes • COK • deaf • Deaflympics • disabilities • green tea • hearing impaired • matcha • Osaka)
Former Uniqlo employee starts clothing alterations service for people with disabilities
- Dale Roll
Mar 11, 2022
No more settling for whatever clothes you can put on…now you can wear whatever clothes you like!
- Japan
- (COK • disabilities • disabled people • fashion • good company • moving • online services • society • touching)
Honda has created a GPS navigation system for your shoes【Video】
- Casey Baseel
Jun 19, 2021
Ashirase sounds great for anyone who gets lost easily, but there’s another group of people Honda has in mind.
- Japan
- (blind • clever • cool • disabilities • Honda • mobility • navigation systems • shoes • technology • video)
Starbucks Japan releases beautiful sign-language mug at its first sign-language branch in Tokyo
- Casey Baseel
Dec 3, 2020
Exclusive drinkware is stylish and touching, and its companion journal is even more moving.
- Japan
- (cafes • cool • deaf • disabilities • drinkware • hearing impaired • moving • sign language • Starbucks • Starbucks Japan • touching)
Starbucks Japan opens first sign-language store in Tokyo
- Oona McGee
Jun 29, 2020
Staff at new “Signing Store” use hand signs to communicate with customers.
- Japan
- (disabilities • hearing impaired • news • sign language • Starbucks • Starbucks Japan • Tokyo)
Documentary about man with no limbs discusses what it’s like to be disabled in Japan
- Dale Roll
Mar 2, 2019
Hirotada Otatake was born with no arms or legs, but it didn’t keep him from trying to do good things in this world.
- Japan
- (disabilities • documentary • Hirotada Ototake • inspiring • interview • moving • touching • video)
Cafe opens in Tokyo staffed by robots controlled by paralyzed people
- Master Blaster
Nov 29, 2018
Dawn is an inspirational marriage of technology and humanity.
- Japan
- (Akasaka • cafe • Dawn • disabilities • employment • Nippon Foundation • Ory • robots • technology • Tokyo)
Man sues Tokyo wine tasting event for not allowing him to drink while operating a wheelchair
- Master Blaster
Nov 23, 2018
Valid safety concern or unjust discrimination?
- Japan
- (alcohol • controversy • disabilities • discrimination • lawsuit • Tokyo • Wheelchair • wine • wine tasting)
“Caterpillar Rugby” aims to level the playing field for people with and without disabilities
- ロケットニュース24
Oct 30, 2015
Sports are supposed to bring people together, giving a group a common goal to work towards and developing community spirit. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to find sports that everyone can enjoy, with many left out due to physical disabilities. However, the World Yuru Sports Association, which goes by Yuru Sports for short, has developed a game intended to level the playing field for everyone so people with and without disabilities get on the ground and play together.
And we mean get on the ground literally: the name of the game is caterpillar rugby and it’s incredibly accurate!
- Internet, Japan
- (caterpillar rugby • disabilities • rugby • sports • video • World Yuru Sports Association • Yuru Sports)
“No dogs allowed”: Why one service dog was refused entrance to these restaurants in Japan
- Meg Murphy
Oct 16, 2015
It was Saturday, October 3 when a hearing-impaired woman and her service dog, a hearing dog for the deaf, attended an event promoting the awareness of service dogs at the Hankyu department store at Hankyu-Umeda Station in Osaka. After the event, the unnamed woman, her dog, and a friend went for a bite to eat at one of the restaurants located inside the same department store on the same floor as the event. Ironically enough, and much to the surprise of the woman, a member of staff stopped her from entering the restaurant, stating that animals were not allowed inside.
The woman’s friend pulled out a guidebook about hearing dogs for the deaf, trying to explain that the dog wasn’t a pet but an animal trained to assist its owner. The staff still refused, however, and the pair finally gave up and went elsewhere, thinking that it must have just been an unfortunate misunderstanding. Perhaps this was just one uninformed staff member who didn’t realize service animals are actually allowed in public places, they thought.
But even at the next restaurant they were turned away yet again…
- Japan
- (animals • deafness • disabilities • dogs • hearing dog • service dogs)
Katawa Shoujo visual novel gets Japanese release… Wait, it wasn’t originally in Japanese?!
- Scott Wilson
Apr 23, 2015
Back in 2012 when a bunch of 4chan members released a visual novel game based around romantically pursuing disabled high school girls, expectations were low to say the least. But to the shock of the internet, the game received widespread acclaim for its impressive visuals, story, and music, not to mention its sympathetic treatment of its characters.
However, despite being a game in a distinctly Japanese genre and taking place in a Japanese high school with Japanese characters, the game was originally written and released in English. It’s only now, three years later, that Katawa Shoujo (“Disabled Girls”) has finally been released in the language many people thought it was originally created in: Japanese.
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Recent Posts
- First-ever cafe on Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden grounds is now open
- Godzilla becomes a Japanese randoseru backpack, as do two of his greatest rivals [Photos]
- Japan’s free stock image site of muscular men doing whimsical and mundane things reveals rankings
- Thief mails 460 million-yen watch back to Tokyo store he stole it from, says “I’m sorry”
- This is Japan’s best cycling course, but is it fun for bicycling beginners too?
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MOST POPULAR
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Today
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Godzilla becomes a Japanese randoseru backpack, as do two of his greatest rivals [Photos]
Japan’s free stock image site of muscular men doing whimsical and mundane things reveals rankings
First-ever cafe on Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden grounds is now open
This is Japan’s best cycling course, but is it fun for bicycling beginners too?
Japanese government announces criteria for creating backup capital of Japan
Mr. Sato searches for the mysterious new wall of fortune in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases now Tokyo Reserve Roastery Christmas drinkware collection [Photos]
Thief mails 460 million-yen watch back to Tokyo store he stole it from, says “I’m sorry”
Weekly
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Life-size Monster Hunter dragon statues to be built at Japanese shopping mall
Studio Ghibli homeware brand’s faux oil lamp brings light, smiles, and Kiki’s Jiji to your home
Modern exosuits are opening up ancient Japanese castle climbs to everyone
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods for 2026, with exclusive holiday surprises
Evangelion announces collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe
Starbucks Japan releases “Let’s Par-TEA!” Frappuccino and drinks for the holiday season
Cold Stone is closing its final branch in all of east Japan, but it’s going down singing
Monthly
Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
What’s it like to stay in a Japanese container hotel?
Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Tokyo train station will play Godzilla theme song as new departure melody
Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
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RECOMMENDED STORIES
This is Japan’s best cycling course, but is it fun for bicycling beginners too?
Japanese government announces criteria for creating backup capital of Japan
Mr. Sato searches for the mysterious new wall of fortune in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases now Tokyo Reserve Roastery Christmas drinkware collection [Photos]
Thief mails 460 million-yen watch back to Tokyo store he stole it from, says “I’m sorry”
This hot spring near Osaka’s Kansai Airport resolves the pick-two-out-of-three bathhouse dilemma
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
Japan’s mini Shikoku Pilgrimage walking tour left us feeling immensely satisfied
Starbucks Japan invites us to par-tea with its new Earl Gray Frappuccino [Taste test]
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods for 2026, with exclusive holiday surprises
Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
Guile cosplay goes with everyone for Halloween at SoraNews24 HQ [Photos]
Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
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