Japan

Always good to have a spare lying around. Capital cities are essential parts of all countries, serving as the center of government, hubs of economic activity, and symbols of the national identity. After all, who could imagine Japan without Tokyo, France without Paris, or Azerbaijan without Baku? But having such centralized pillars of power can also be a vulnerability if something should ever happen to them. And with a country as susceptible to earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic erupt

The price has gone up, so we find out if the taste has gone down, or if it’s hopefully stayed the same. Once upon a time, there used to be a familiar sight beside the register at Starbucks: the Caramel Waffle. Perfect for when you were feeling peckish or wanted something sweet to go with your coffee, the waffle was incredibly popular with customers, including our very own reporter K.Masami, who says she lost count of how many times she’d purchased one. One day, though, it quietly disappea

Those darn sexagenarians with their loud rock music. A lot of people have music in their hearts, and that’s great, because the rest of us can’t hear it deep inside there without some sort of EKG machine, or a stethoscope at the very least. It’s when that music starts to leak out into the personal space of others that we have to tread carefully. It’s not that sharing the gift of music is bad, but we do have to respect the tastes of the individual. ▼ For example, my roommate in university was rat

For five years, Richard Thomich built a massive internet following by cracking hyper-specific jokes about life in Japan—all without actually living there. Working out of his bedroom in the UK under the handle ricchaadotv, he relied on green screens, viral skits and a fluent command of Japanese to build a loyal fanbase. Today, however, the green screen is gone. On GaijinPot’s Behind The Feed, Richard sat down to discuss what happened when he finally packed his bags for Tokyo—

Meanwhile, Totoro is as adorable as ever, thanks to being Totoro, in his own magnetic figure form. Quite a few of Studio Ghibli’s anime have titles that feature the name of, or at least allude to, the film’s central character, such as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke. One notable exception, though, is 1986’s Laputa/Castle in the Sky. Sure, Sheeta and Pazu make for fine heroic leads, but the mystical floating island, and the fortress built upon it, are really wh

Gotta scan ‘em all if they want to get in. In today’s digitally secured world, there are certain sensitive situations in which you can expect facial recognition systems to be part of the procedure. International travel often requires a facial scan as part of immigration protocols, and banking apps may ask for it as an authentication factor before you can access your account. And as of this summer, you may also need to have your face scan before you can purchase Pokémon cards. On July 24, the Po

The haircut wasn’t the only great thing we got out of this great-price deal. China has a rich street food culture, and for many travelers grabbing a bite to eat from a roadside food stall is high on the list of things they want to do in the country. But did you know that China has roadside haircut stalls too? Though he can’t say for sure how common they are, our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa can confirm that there’s at least one in the town of Datong, in Shanxi Province. Seiji spott

If you’re new to Japan or have called Tokyo home for years, volunteering is a direct way to connect with the city while supporting local causes. Nonprofits across Tokyo rely on volunteers to help tackle food insecurity, protect local environments, support children’s well-being and strengthen communities throughout the capital. The good news is that you don’t need fluent Japanese to get involved. While some organizations may require Japanese for certain roles, all of the grou

Sure, that big, fluffy down blanket is a must for making it through a Japanese winter, but how are you supposed to clean it when summer comes around? Generally, living in Japan means hanging your laundry outside, and the residential housing market is designed with this in mind. Even the smallest dwellings will have a balcony or some other exterior space with hooks for hanging drying poles, and architects design both houses and apartment complexes so that these sections are facing south to maxim

Stay cool with a little help from a Ghibli seaside town. When temperatures rise in Japan, so too does our desire for some cool respite, preferably along the lines of a seaside adventure like the one in Studio Ghibli’s 2008 anime film, Ponyo. As if reading our minds, the studio has now come to the rescue with a new Ponyo glassware range to keep us cool and hydrated in summer, with beautiful designs to lift our spirits after a draining hot summer’s day. There are two products in the lineup, featu

Snorlax, Professor Tangrowth, and other characters from the Pokémon city builder given sweet salutes by Cozy Corner. Pokémon Pokopia’s hook is that it’s a Pokémon game that’s also a city-building simulator. Your Ditto starts out isolated and unsheltered, but through diligent kindness, you create a community. So it’s kind of ironic that today we’re looking at something for Pokopia fans that starts as a collection of cool and cute stuff, not to be built, but to be consumed. But, come on, what’re

A must-try convenience store drink you won’t find anywhere else. Earlier this month, Family Mart shook up the convenience store scene by opening its first-ever flagship store, Famima Park Azabudai. Located near the Azabudai Hills shopping complex in Tokyo’s Toranomon, the new store has been attracting attention from locals and international visitors ever since it opened its doors to the public on 10 July. While many have been raving about the store’s cool new look, created with the help

USJ goes R-18 for the first time. When theme parks in Japan have Halloween events, oftentimes they’re drawing inspiration from the lighthearted aspects of the season, such as playing dress-up and eating candy. That’s how we get things like plushies of a park’s mascot characters wearing purple capes or pumpkin-flavored desserts served at its snack bars. But for the past 15 years, Universal Studios Japan, a.k.a. USJ, has also been trying to incorporate some genuine fear into its Halloween Horror

Mr. Sato gets some tacos for his tummy and serves up some food for thought. Our ace reporter Mr. Sato is a true renaissance man, with a wide range of interests he pursues. Regular readers will already know of his forays into fashion, fitness, and urban exploring, and recently he’s also developed a passion for tacos. It’s not just Mr. Sato who’s felt his taco cravings intensify, though. He’s says that Japan, and the Tokyo area especially, is in a full-on taco boom these days, and recently we’ve

Test your Ghibli fan level with your knowledge of this character and his unusual restaurant policy.  There are many levels of Studio Ghibli fan, from those who know and love the most famous feature films, to those who are acquainted with every single work the studio ever has put its name to. If you’re wondering where you sit on the fan spectrum, then you can test your knowledge by answering this question: Which movie does this T-shirt refer to? If the bespectacled character looks familiar to y

“Lettuce that’s looking at you like it wants you to buy it.” Lettuce is one of those foods where the individual parts of the plant we eat are distinct from the harvestable foodstuff as a whole, which is why we refer to “leaves” and “heads” of lettuce. But while you can find heads of lettuce in supermarkets all over the world, only in Japan will you encounter lettuce with faces. And it’s not just any face that this lettuce has, but the face of Tatsuya Fujiwara, which is also the face of Death No

“Drinkable Cigare” is so hard to get it’s been dubbed a “phantom”. Tokyo Station is packed with all sorts of delicious offerings, but right now one of the most sought-after treats you’ll find there is the Coo-Che. Created by super-popular Tokyo sweets brand Yoku Moku, whose signature product is a light and buttery rolled langue de chat cookie called a “Cigare”, the Coo-Che is a brand new dessert drink that takes an extra-large Cigare and essentially wraps it around

Turning a samurai film set into a monster dance party with J-pop choreography. Many tourists to the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto are familiar with its shrines and temples, but less know about its links to folklore and the supernatural. For over 1,200 years, the former imperial capital is said to have been the stage of the legendary Hyakki Yagyo, or “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”, where discarded household tools magically came to life and marched through the streets. This event lives

The real-world Village-3 deepens its anime connection. Tenryu Futamata Station, in Shizuoka Prefecture, isn’t a station that a lot of people need to go to, given its relatively remote location on the northern outskirts of the town of Hamamatsu, far away from the downtown area. However, Tenryu Futamata is a station a lot of people want to go to, with sightseers falling into two categories. Some are rail fans coming to get an eyeful of the unique turntable infrastructure that lets trains slide in

Spend the night inside a bullet train from just 5,000 yen. Finding affordable accommodation in Japan can be tough at any time of year, but when one or even two of Japan’s biggest summer festivals is being held, securing a place to stay can become even more challenging. Now, East Japan Railways (JR East) has come up with a creative solution to the problem by opening up one of its bullet trains as a place to stay overnight. The unique experience will take place from 3-5 August, on an E6 Ser