One week of Pop-Tart breakfasts – Can a Japanese man fall in love with the U.S. breakfast icon?

Seven days, seven packs of Pop-Tarts. Watching foreign movies and TV series can provide you with unexpected insights into overseas lifestyles, and recently our Japanese-language reporter Takuya Inaba keeps noticing the same... Read more »

Sylvanian Drama TikTok Creator Sued for Copyright Infringement

The creator behind the explosively popular Sylvanian Drama TikTok account, which features darkly comedic skits starring Sylvanian Family figurines, has reportedly been sued by the Japanese toy giant Epoch Company. The toy... Read more »

English-Speaking Mental Health Services in Tokyo 

Finding English-speaking mental health services in Tokyo can be challenging, but support is available. Whether you’re seeking therapy, counseling, or psychiatric care, there are several clinics in Tokyo that cater to the... Read more »

Hello Kitty becomes a suntanned beach babe for new magazine freebies in Japan

Kitty chan enjoys a hot girl summer for a limited time.  Hello Kitty is always hard at work throughout the year, jumping from one collaboration to the next and earning herself the... Read more »

Voices from a Japanese city with a sunny anime success story – grape Japan

Most famous for its anime, LoveLive! Sunshine!! is a multimedia project and a spin-off of the original Love Live! series, featuring a group of high school girls who form an idol group,... Read more »

Reach Breathtaking Views at 6,500 Feet in Just 60 Minutes? Here’s How… – grape Japan

In Japan, as in other parts of the world, ski resorts are often synonymous with winter leisure. Many people flock to these winter wonderlands, drawn by the allure of activities like skiing... Read more »

Europe’s illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs

THESSALY, Greece – As the cost of spraying crops with pesticides becomes increasingly expensive, farmers in Greece’s agricultural heartland have turned to a cheaper alternative: liquids in unlabeled plastic bottles smuggled over... Read more »

Japan To Ban Foreign Tourists From Converting Driver’s Licenses

In this week’s news roundup we report on the revised law banning foreign tourists from converting their driver’s licenses in Japan. Human rights nongovernmental organizations condemn the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of the... Read more »

Japan’s Living National Treasures: Keepers of Traditional Culture

Japan is a country of National Treasures. From clay figurines dating back thousands of years to intricate lacquerware, mountain pagodas, castle keeps and the largest wooden building in the world, the “treasures”... Read more »

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

When Vibhor Jain moved to Tokyo in 2022, it wasn’t because he wanted to conquer the language or thrive in Japan’s demanding office culture. Just the opposite — he made the move... Read more »