Japan

More babies follow two consecutive years of more marriages. Japan’s population has been shrinking for a long time, as fewer couples have children, and those that do have kids have fewer than generations past. But for the first time in more than a decade, there’s been an increase in the numbers of babies born in Japan within the first six months of the year. According to statistics released last week by the Japanese government’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there were 342,068 babies bo

Letting virtual travelers swoop in on live webcams and train views across the country. “Try before you buy” is a fantastic concept that saves many a headache when shopping, but what if you could test-drive your next dream vacation before ever stepping onto a plane? Tomarigi, a recently viral web app, has helped turn virtual travel into an effortless endeavor. Hardly a brand-new innovation, freely available webcams have long allowed travelers to check ski slope snow conditions, monitor the weath

Pokémon: Wildcard previews deals out mysteries for a Mimikyu-centric return to theaters for the first time in over half a decade. For over two decades, a new Pokémon anime movie in the summer in Japan was as sure a thing as cherry blossoms in the spring. In 1998, the original Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, started a string of 21 annual summertime Pokémon movies that stretched all the way to its remake, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, in 2019. As further proof of the releases’ consistency,

Two days, One Piece. Another One Piece Day has come and finally hoisted anchor to set sail until next year. But this year’s two-day event continued to deliver in bringing entertainment and news to attendees at the Makuhari Messe convention center and everyone around the world via a livestream on YouTube. It was an especially festive One Piece Day as the manga celebrated surpassing 600 million copies in circulation worldwide this year. And in honor of that milestone, the second-ever World Top 1

We find out if these convenience store noodles really are as bad as they say. When Japanese convenience store food goes viral online, it’s usually because of how good it is. Now, though, there’s a new find that’s going viral for all the wrong reasons, with people saying it’s too salty to eat. The product at the eye of the storm is the “Ramen Walker-supervised Chilled Pepper Soba,” which went on sale at 7-Eleven stores across Japan on 25 August, priced at 537 yen (US$3.60). Supervised by Ramen

A sweaty, but unforgettable, visit to Kompirasan. The streets called sando are a unique part of Japanese cityscapes. Sando are the paths that lead to shrines and temples, and because visitors often have secular needs and desires too, they’re often lined with restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops. And while you will find those things on the path you walk along the way to the main building of Shinto shrine Kompirasan in Kagawa Prefecture, its approach also has something that many others don’t: 7

Step into the sumo world with this exclusive convenience store range. Family Mart’s Convenience Wear is a popular way to put an outfit together on a budget, and it’ll soon be getting a distinctly Japanese twist, thanks to a new collaboration that celebrates one of the country’s most famous sumo wrestlers. ▼ The wrestler entering the ring is Chiyonofuji,  one of sumo’s biggest stars during the Showa era (1926-1989). Chiyonofuji – real name Mitsugu Akimoto – was the 58th yokoz

This rooftop in Kabukicho is a hidden oasis where all diners will feel welcome.  Japan is well set up for solo travellers, with counter seating at restaurants and private karaoke booths being some of the ways that parties of one can have a good night out while enjoying their own company. However, there are still some places in Japan that might seem like too high a hurdle for a solo traveller to clear, with one of them being rooftop beer gardens. Our reporter Yuuichiro Wasai found himself in thi

Kebabs taste better with a side of janken.  When you think of food in Japan, kebabs probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind, but there are plenty of kebab shops to be found here. Over in Tokyo’s neighbouring Chiba Prefecture, you’ll even find a kebab shop that adds a dash of Japanese culture to every order, in the form of janken, Japan’s version of rock-paper-scissors. Our reporter Takuya Inaba stumbled upon the unusual setup while visiting Shin-Matsudo Station, when his eye was draw

We check to see whether or not the rumors of Odaiba’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Odaiba is a man-made island in Tokyo Bay, but is it also a ghost town? Over the past few years, a number of entertainment complexes and sightseeing attractions in the neighborhood have closed down. ● Oedo Onsen Monogatari hot spring bathhouse (closed September 2021) ● Giant Sky Wheel Ferris wheel (closed August 2022) ● Venus Fort shopping center (closed March 2022) ● Megaweb Toyota History Garage (close

Japanese convenience store essential gets a cool Human Made makeover. Ever since Family Mart opened a new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo last month, the convenience store chain has been undergoing something of a transformation, leaning heavily into street culture through its collaboration with Nigo, the founder of streetwear brand Bape and lifestyle brand Human Made. After releasing a whole slew of stylish new goods at branches nationwide, Family Mart is now forging ties with Nigo once again

But the startlingly pricy item isn’t something that you can eat or drink. When international travel fans hear the name Niseko, they think of some of the finest skiing and snowboarding venues that Japan has to offer. For many Japanese residents, though, the first thing that springs to mind when they think of this town in Hokkaido Prefecture is high prices. Because of the weak yen, Japan is not only receiving more international visitors than ever before, they’re spending more as well. Factor in t

Limited-edition collection serves up a taste of Japanese autumn with deliciously clever details. Mister Donut is celebrating the arrival of autumn with five doughnuts inspired by one of Japan’s favourite seasonal ingredients: sweet potatoes. Called “Satsumaimo Do”, this new collection features five varieties, each designed to capture the flavour and texture of Japanese sweet potatoes in a different way. ▼ “Satsumaimo Do” combines the Japanese word for sweet potato (“satsumaimo”) with “do” (shor

Newest entry in the chain’s tsukimi burger alternative features a rich and creamy “Golden Sauce.” Autumn is the season for tsukimi (moon-viewing) in Japan, which also makes it the season for tsukimi burgers, hamburgers topped with an egg reminiscent of the full moon. So you might assume that Mos Burger, Japan’s most popular home-grown burger chain, is set to add tsukimi burgers of its own to its menu for the next several weeks. In actuality, though, Mos Burger traditionally lets other Japanese

Schedule your days the Ghibli way, with a dash of magic on every page of the year. With the end of the year now fast approaching, 2027 diaries and calendars are beginning to pop up on the market, and some of the sweetest come from Studio Ghibli. This time, there are four planners and two calendars to choose from, all featuring beloved characters and movie scenes that’ll make you smile all year long. ▼ The journey to 2027 begins with four planners, priced at 2,090 yen (US$13.15) each. ▼ M

J-pop superstar brings new meaning to A Room of One’s Own on Japan’s busiest bullet train. These days, the Tokaido Shinkansen has been full of surprises. In June, the train’s operators, Japan Central Railway (JR Central), announced it would be adding private “Supreme Class Cabins” inside the bullet train, which runs between Tokyo and Osaka, and then they gave us a way to try them before they became available. Now, JR Central has given us the biggest surprise of all, with a new commercial starri

Terminal 1 gets its first major expansion since it opened 33 years ago. The summer travel season might be winding down, but there are still big things in store for Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Next month brings with it the opening of the new Terminal 1 North Satellite, the first large-scale expansion to the terminal since its original opening 33 years ago in September of 1993. This extension attached to the north side of Terminal 1 uses a unique and stylish hybrid design, with its lower section bui

Robbery took place at luxury wristwatch shopping hotspot for foreign tourists. When international travelers come to Japan, they oftentimes want to cram a lot into their schedule. It’s understandable. Even with the weak yen making Japan travel more affordable than it’s been in decades, it’s still often a long flight to get here, and the logistics and scheduling involved mean you might not be back again for a while, so better see and do all you can, right? That said, we’d strongly advise against

Full moon inspires pizzas with a whole lot to love. It was a great day in the history of Japanese food culture when someone cracked an egg into a bowl of noodles and said “Hey, that looks like a full moon!” as it cooked in the heat of the broth. Thus was born tsukimi (“moon-viewing”) noodles, and because historical milestones can serve as inspiration for great minds of the future, in time Japanese restaurants began to apply the tsukimi concept to hamburgers, and now we have tsukimi pizza too. W

There’s a fine line between casual wear and pyjamas. Japan is known for its formalities, especially when it comes to customer service, where neat uniforms and conservative appearances are often considered part of the job. However, as some industries face increasing labour shortages, companies are beginning to relax these conventions in the hopes of attracting more workers. That’s what convenience store chain Family Mart is doing right now, with the introduction of casual uniforms and a new groo