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Japanese convenience store Lawson now has stir-fried noodle-cooking robot chefs

• Casey Baseel
  Aug 7, 2026
• Tweet

Lawson expands the territory of its robo chefs as they expand their menus.

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• Japan
• (convenience stores • cooking • food • Japanese convenience stores • Lawson • Noodles • robots • technology • yakisoba)

Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat

• Casey Baseel
  Aug 2, 2026

These dress shirts are sure to have fans.

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• Japan
• (Air conditioning • air-conditioned clothes • clever • cool • dress shirts • fashion • gadgets • heat • shirts • technology • Yofuku no Aoyama)

Pachinko industry rebounds on convenience and innovation, but smaller parlors struggle to keep up

• Elliot Hale
  Jul 29, 2026

No more heavy ball baskets or stacks of cash, but the same ol’ sensory rush with a modern flair.

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• Japan
• (business • COK • culture • entertainment • gambling • pachinko • pachinko machines • pachinko parlors • society • technology)

Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines

• Oona McGee
  Jul 18, 2026

Could this be the way of the future as people around the world adapt to rising temperatures?

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• Japan
• (cool • crazy • Do Hiemon Box • fridges • heatstroke • human refrigerator • Japanese vending machines • news • summer • technology • vending machines)

Japanese train company brings back beloved “patapata” departure board…with a clever digital twist

• Oona McGee
  Jul 4, 2026

Railway fans are full of praise for this heartwarming display of thoughtful customer service.

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• Japan
• (departure board • Japanese train stations • Japanese trains • kawasaki • Keikyu • patapata • retro • split-flap display • stations • technology • train • train station • train stations • trains • video)

Japan’s new pettably fuzzy cat-shaped earbud chargers meow to let you know their status[Video]

• Casey Baseel
  Jul 1, 2026

Neko also has a three-minute purr mode for relaxing to.

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• Japan
• (animals • cats • cute • earbuds • earphones • technology • video)

Two of Kyoto’s famous temples tackle streetside trash with solar-powered trash cans

• Elliot Hale
  Jun 13, 2026

Bringing futuristic solutions to historic streets.

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• Japan
• (COK • eco-friendly • Japan travel • Kyoto • overtourism • public trash cans • SmaGO • technology • tourism • trash cans • travel)

We turn to a shady Amazon Japan gadget to try to stop Tokyo crows from stealing our hangers

• Casey Baseel
  May 7, 2026

Man and machine versus nature.

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• Japan
• (Amazon • Amazon Japan • Amazon low-rated • animals • COK • crazy • crows • funny • gadgets • SNJO • technology • weird • Yuichiro Wasai)

Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature

• Oona McGee
  Apr 12, 2026

Sure, Tokyo has fancy digital signage, but Sapporo has a better old-school idea.

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• Japan
• (Hokkaido • Sapporo • subways • technology • Tokyo Metro • tourism • trains • travel)

How much is Amazon Japan’s lowest-rated currency calculator worth in yen?

• Master Blaster
  Mar 20, 2026

Some things have an incalculable value.

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• Japan
• (Amazon Japan • Amazon lowest-rated • calculators • COK • foreign currency • funny • Masanuki Sunakoma • shopping • SNJO • technology • traveling • weird)

Major Tokyo subway line shut down by in-train mobile battery fire

• Casey Baseel
  Mar 17, 2026

Device for charging on-the-go brings subway to a stop in latest mobile battery fire.

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• Japan
• (gadgets • Hanzomon Line • mobile batteries • subways • technology • Tokyo Metro • tourism • trains • travel)

Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones

• Casey Baseel
  Mar 13, 2026

New version of Vocaloid software is arriving with a new Miku design.

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• Japan
• (anime • Hatsune Miku • Hatsune Miku V6 • idol singers • Idols • manga • music • technology • video • virtual idols • Vocaloid • vocaloids)

Japan’s Human Washing Machine pods are now on sale for home use, and they’re not cheap

• Casey Baseel
  Mar 5, 2026

But can you really put a price on this kind of science fiction-grade luxury?

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• Japan
• (bathing • baths • cool • crazy • Expo 2025 • Future Human Washing Machine • Human Washer in the Future • human washing machine • Human Washing Machine of the Future • technology • Yamada Denki)

A robot joins the team at a fast-food restaurant, but in an unlikely city in northern Japan

• Elliot Hale
  Feb 6, 2026

OriHime arrives at a local Mos Burger to test the future of inclusive work.

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• Japan
• (accessibility • Avatar Robot Cafe • cafes • clever • COK • cool • disabilities • fast food • food • Iwate • Morioka • Mos Burger • OriHime • OryLab • restaurants • robots • society • technology)

Japanese city to deploy anti-bear drones against ursine adversaries, stages adorable demo【Vid】

• Casey Baseel
  Jan 21, 2026

Repellant spray demonstration target considerably less threatening than actual bears.

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• Japan
• (animal attacks • animals • bear attacks • bears • crazy • cute • drones • nature • technology • video • weird)

Play games, learn, and get your fortune at Ginza’s limited-time Tsunaguu “Shrine of the Future”

• Krista Rogers
  Jan 5, 2026

Even better, it’s a completely free way to spend some time in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza shopping district.

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• Japan
• (COK • digital • game • Ginza • Ginza 456 • KDDI • projection mapping • puzzles • shrine • SNJO • sugoroku • technology • Tokyo)

7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】

• SoraNews24
  Dec 27, 2025

7-Eleven is trying to innovate beyond cup noodles, but does this new technology deliver the flavor ramen fans need?

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• Japan
• (7-Eleven • 7-Eleven Japan • COK • convenience stores • food • Japanese convenience stores • Noodles • ramen • robots • SNJO • taste test • technology)

Exhibit featuring cutting-edge smell technology held at Tokyo Skytree

• Master Blaster
  Dec 16, 2025

Come take a whiff of the future.

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• Japan
• (exhibitions • fragrances • Nioi-ten Plus • NOS-DX1000 • odors • Scents • Skytree • smells • Sony • technology • Tokyo)

Japan’s first hotel with a human washing machine is now ready for you to come and bathe in it

• Casey Baseel
  Dec 10, 2025

It’s the Future Human Washing Machine…today!

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• Japan
• (bathing • baths • cool • crazy • Expo 2025 • Future Human Washing Machine • hotels • Human Washer in the Future • human washing machine • Japan travel • Osaka • technology • tourism • travel)

Japanese company selling bear-proof automatic doors

• Master Blaster
  Dec 7, 2025

Effective against bears and very lazy people.

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• Japan
• (accessibility • automatic door • bears • Bluetooth • doors • Mirairo Door • Security • technology)

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• Recent Posts

  • Starbucks releases tear-jerking new video inspired by heartwarming encounters in Japanese stores
  • Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
  • Delta Airlines adds first nonstop flight between Japan’s Narita Airport and U.S. in seven years
  • Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals are coming to McDonald’s, but not in Japan [Video]
  • The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken

• MOST POPULAR

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  Today

  1. The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
  2. Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
  3. Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
  4. Delta Airlines adds first nonstop flight between Japan’s Narita Airport and U.S. in seven years
  5. Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals are coming to McDonald’s, but not in Japan [Video]
  6. Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
  7. Tokyo sweets store has a “350% Pudding Soft Serve”, and people are going wild for it
  8. Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu and Winne-the-Pooh announce crossover merch line [Pics]
  9. This beautiful Okinawa beach gives you the best of both worlds when visiting the prefecture [Pics]
  10. Wagyu ramen for foreign tourists appears in Kabukicho, with a very high price tag

  Weekly

  1. Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
  2. New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
  3. Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
  4. Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
  5. Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
  6. Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
  7. End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
  8. Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
  9. This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
  10. Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans

  Monthly

  1. Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
  2. Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
  3. Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
  4. New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
  5. Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
  6. Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
  7. Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
  8. Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
  9. Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
  10. 99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji

  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. Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】

• RECOMMENDED STORIES

  • Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
  • Tokyo sweets store has a “350% Pudding Soft Serve”, and people are going wild for it
  • Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu and Winne-the-Pooh announce crossover merch line [Pics]
  • This beautiful Okinawa beach gives you the best of both worlds when visiting the prefecture [Pics]
  • Wagyu ramen for foreign tourists appears in Kabukicho, with a very high price tag
  • Shinto shrine in downtown Tokyo announces cosplay ban
  • Did you know? Only one Beard Papa’s in all of eastern Japan sells soft serve in a cream puff
  • Japan opens shrine for plush toys in Kyoto, offering memorial rites and a resting place for remains
  • Japanese cat island reveals all its cats will soon be gone
  • Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
  • Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
  • Japanese convenience store food gets turned into hyper-realistic stationery you can peel open
  • Family Mart unleashes sweet cats in Japan for Cat Day, but do they taste as good as they look?
  • 7-Eleven Japan adds new doughnut-like tonkotsu ramen fried chicken to its hot food section

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• • Japan opens shrine for plush toys in Kyoto, offering memorial rites and a resting place for remains
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