Where To Find the Best Shokupan in Tokyo

There’s nothing immediately flashy about shokupan, also called Japanese milk bread. At first glance, it may just look like your standard loaf of white bread — but it’s so much more than... Read more »

That time we tried to fill the void of real ikemen with 360 cups of Butamen instant noodles instead

Some may call it crazy to try to replace guys with cup ramen, but as we’ve always said, “Noods before dudes.” Japanese women of a certain age are bound to know the... Read more »

Man Arrested After Making 580 Fake Hotel Reservations

In this week’s news roundup we report on two separate arrests: one man is accused of making hundreds of fake hotel reservations, while another admits to setting fire to the property of... Read more »

Visiting Kyoto in an Age of Overtourism

In recent years, as Japan has seen a steady surge in overseas visitors, the issue of overtourism has come to the fore. Kyoto, in particular, is bearing the brunt of it: reports... Read more »

7-Eleven serves up café-quality gourmet pancakes in Japan – grape Japan

Japanese convenience stores, particularly 7-Eleven, carry quite the tasty selection of sweets. However, ever since Covid pandemic restrictions were first introduced, their frozen sweets section has become more popular for its convenience... Read more »

Pakistan’s quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid

Karachi – Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power... Read more »

Hokusai to Pocari Sweat: Japanese Aesthetic of “Transparency”

What is Toumeikan? You are so transparent. You are water-drippingly handsome. These are compliments in Japanese—odd ones, maybe. Toumeikan(透明感), directly translated as “sense of transparency,” is a common phrase used to praise... Read more »

Live-action Legend of Zelda movie reveals cast for roles of Link and Zelda

Nintendo franchise’s next movie project has found its leads. After 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie made well over a billion dollars at the box office, it was inevitable that Nintendo’s The... Read more »

The Alarming Rise of Japan’s Far-Right Movement

As Japan heads into another upper house election, an unexpected political force is gaining ground — and raising alarm bells. Sanseito, a once-obscure party known for its nationalist slogans and conspiratorial rhetoric,... Read more »

Is Japan Selling You Fake Ice Cream?

With Japan having just experienced the hottest June on record since the country started keeping track of those things back in 1898, the demand for anti-heat stroke solutions has never been higher.... Read more »