You can throw a stone in almost any direction and hit a hamburger restaurant in Japan that offers a loud and proud novelty burger, whether it’s the absolutely ghoulish Ghostbusters burgers or Lotteria’s overwhelming monster, the “comes with everything burger”. While limited to only one day, Burger King Japan is getting in on the fun by celebrating one of Japan’s many informal holidays. Much like Eevee Day and Panties and Bunnies Day, the “holiday” originates from a pun. Jokingly, Japanese people often refer to the 29th of any month as “meat day”, because “29” can be read as “niku”, or “meat”. November 11th is written as 11/29, with 11 resembling…

by Taichi Hamakawa Leave it to a robot to teach English classes! The use of AI (artificial intelligence) robots as assistant teachers for English classes is spreading in elementary and middle schools across Japan. There are distinct advantages. Students gain more opportunities to converse in English by talking to a robot. This in turn increases their enthusiasm for learning the language. The reduced burden on teachers is also a positive result. According to one specialist, “The implementation [of AI robots] should be accelerated” in preparation for the full-scale introduction of English classes into elementary schools in the coming two years. Source: Sankei Shimbun In the afternoon of October 15, 18…

Japan is known for their animal cafes housing various different species. From cats to owls, to hedgehogs and beyond. You can sit down and have a cup of tea while experiencing the healing and de-stressing powers of cute critters. If you’re from a country that doesn’t have pet cafes, it’s definitely something cool to try out while visiting Japan. For tourists, it could be the perfect chill out time during a hectic sightseeing schedule, and there’s one very Japanese animal everyone is desperate to play with. View this post on Instagram PECOいぬ部さん(@pecodogs)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年11月月20日午後7時08分PST Shiba inu have only become more and more popular in this age of the internet, since…

As we reported earlier this week, McDonald’s Japan put a holiday twist on their chicken nuggets, announcing larger 15-piece chicken nuggets sets coupled with Merry Christmas Steak Sauce and Happy New Year Lobster Mayo Sauce for a discounted price of 390 yen. Since the new festive nuggets went on sale today, November 21st, we decided to try them out for ourselves and see what all the fuss was about. Photo by © grape Japan Although this isn’t the first time McDonald’s Japan has offered their 15-piece Chicken McNuggets for 390 yen, each time they do it, you can’t help but realize when you open up the box that you’re getting…

You’ll find no shortage of love for bushy-tailed Pokemon Eevee in Japan. This year at the now world famous Pikachu Outbreak festival which hosts an army of 1,500 Pikachus, an invading Eevee army appeared. So it makes sense that Eevee’s popularity has now translated into one of Japan’s many informal “holiday” puns. Happy Eevee Day! #イーブイの日 pic.twitter.com/JxBh3HaonN — かしわ (@3920kashiwa) 2018年11月20日 Today (November 11th) marks “Eevee” day in Japan. That’s because 11 resembles the Japanese sound of “ee” (いい), and “21”–well, although it’s bit clumsy to break down, can be read/interpreted as the Japanese pronunciation of “vee” in this case. It’s a little more complicated than Japan’s “panties and bunny…

With its traditional culture of hot springs, Japan has a love affair with baths and many Japanese enjoy a nice soak in the bathtub as part of their daily routine. As a result, the Japanese market for bath products continues to thrive. When it comes to bath salts, we have seen some unusual varieties before. Everything from miso soup and curried rice to Kentucky Fried Chicken has been featured in bath salts here in Japan. Dreaming Bath Time Series: “Dog Image Bath Powder” Therefore, it may come as no surprise for Japan-watchers that doggy-themed bath salts should also appear on the market. Dreams Inc. has created three varieties, Shiba Inu,…

According to the Sankei News, tatto artist Taiki Masuda (30) was acquitted by the High Court of Osaka on Nov. 14 for practicing his art without a medical license. Presiding judge Masaki Nishida explained in his ruling that “The act of tattooing does not constitute a medical procedure. Therefore, it is not appropriate to prohibit the practice according to the Medical Practitioners’ Law.” The High Court ruling effectively overturned an earlier ruling made by the Lower Court charging Masuda with violating said law and asking him to pay a fine of 150,000 JPY. Taiki Masuda (Left) speaking at a press conference following the ruling in his favor by the High…

London-based illustrator and graphic designer Thumbs grew up with a passion for skateboarding and the art surrounding it, as well as 90’s cartoons and comic books. That couldn’t be more obvious in his awesome and creative artwork that specializes in crossovers of his favorite cartoons, which have gained a wave of popularity that eventually led to the talented artist producing his own pins, stickers, and shirts for sale. While he has various crossover-themed goods to choose from, his series of designs that combine The Simpsons with classic anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon appear to be fan favorites, and demonstrate the creativity that goes into making the mashup…

Japan’s one and only official, permanent Pokemon Cafe is celebrating the release of Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! with a special, limited time only menu to honour the two beloved titular characters of the new games. The Pikachu Plate meal is a firm favourite on the Pokemon Cafe’s menu, but now you can catch an Eevee Plate too, which is basically the same, but you know, Eevee themed. It costs 1706 yen, and if you’d like to take a cool Eevee plate home with you, you can pay a bit extra (2894 yen both for the meal and plate). If you just can’t decide between these two…

Matcha fans are absolutely spoilt in Japan. The country can’t get enough of the bitter green tea flavour and there’s a constant influx of matcha desserts, drinks and even main meals like green tea curry. One point of jealousy, felt by overseas Japan fans, is the crossovers between the brands we know and traditional Japanese flavours, such as Starbucks Japan’s enviable matcha creations. Lindt, the swiss chocolate brand, is known for their creamy, luxurious chocolate. This Christmas, their branches in Japan have combined this sweet chocolate with a matcha topping for a very festive looking hot cocoa. The rich hot chocolate is available in either dark or milk chocolate. The…

If you’re interested in ‘haikyo’ (the exploration of abandoned areas for creepy thrills and cool photos), but less excited about the ‘tresspassing’ aspect of the hobby, here’s your chance to take part in some legally sound haikyo. Disused subway station, ‘Hakubutsukan-dobutsuen’ will be open to the public for a limited time only. 京成電鉄「旧博物館動物園駅」駅舎を改修へ 秋に一部公開 https://t.co/7Z8AJyI9S4 pic.twitter.com/fllIN9EVUX — 鉄道ニュース＠鉄道新聞 (@tetsudo_shimbun) 19 June 2018 This free-to-enter attraction is in Ueno, and the name ‘Hakubutsukan-dobutsuen’ means ‘Museum and Zoo’, two popular attractions which can be found in Ueno Park. Located along the Keisei line which first went into service in 1933, it was popular up until the early nineties when longer six-car trains…

Japanese women’s wrestling legend Chigusa Nagayo saves woman from assault in a parking lot On November 19th in the early morning, former professional women’s wrestler (and head of Marvelous women’s pro-wrestling) Chigusa Nagayo was involved in a physical altercation after intervening when she saw a man in his twenties physically assaulting his wife, Sankei News reports. While walking through the streets of Sapporo, Nagayo (53) heard cries of help emanating from the third floor of a parking structure. When she rushed to the scene she found a man straddling a woman and grabbing a hold of her leg and neck, with the woman’s personal belongs strewn about the floor. Nagayo…

You may remember super talented Japanese university student and papercraft art enthusiast @02ESyRaez4VhR2l (Haruki), who just last month impressed Twitter and even garnered national television coverage in Japan for his awesome reconstruction of an empty Pringles can into a dapper figure of Julius Pringles, the Pringles mascot. If you need a refresher, here’s the original. プリングルズの空箱で工作しました！#papercraft#packingart pic.twitter.com/l8Wx38MXt0 — 晴季 (@02ESyRaez4VhR2l) 2018年10月16日 Now Haruki has outdone himself a group of five Pringles gentleman (from orginal, sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, bbq, and honey mustard if you’re counting) that are so colorful and lively posed, they could double as a potato chip themed boy band or Japanese sentai superhero group!…

McDonald’s Japan is no stranger to getting inventive with sauces when it comes to spicing up their menu, perhaps most notably with chocolate sauce covered fries. The fast food chain’s popular chicken nuggets have also found themselves dipped in adventurous flavors, as seen recently with the Adult Wasabi Mayonnaise and Naughty Teriyaki Mayonnaise and legitimately spicy K.O. chicken nugget sauces. Now it appears McDonald’s Japan is fancying up their chicken nuggets for the holiday season, announcing larger 15-piece chicken nuggets sets coupled with Merry Christmas Steak Sauce and Happy New Year Lobster Mayo Sauce for a discounted price of 390 yen! 来週のきょうは #勤労感謝の日 😉働き者のみなさんに…クリスマスとお正月をプレゼントしちゃいます👍せーの… #アゲましておめでメリクリ ✨😁✨🎉 #チキンマックナゲット は11/21(水)から #15ピース390円 💥…

Under plans for Shibuya’s redevelopment, various construction projects are taking place around the train station, including the Shibuya Sky Building. The tourist and youth heavy area is known for the iconic Shibuya Scramble (the crossing shown on literally any documentary about Japan) and the statue of Hachiko, the famously faithful canine who waited at the station for years after his owner’s death. The area has become synonymous with these tourist magnets, as well as fashion and youth culture. Source: まちゃー / PIXTA(ピクスタ) Despite its popularity, parts of Shibuya do look rundown, and city officials thought it was high time for a redevelopment project in time for Tokyo 2020. The slightly…