After seeing Japanese Kit-Kat flavors turned into handsome anime men and worldwide fast food chains drawn as anime personas, it looks like actual Japanese fast food chains are getting in on the fun. Popular Japanese gyudon (beef bowl) chain Yoshinoya recently took to Twitter to announce a new campaign to form a sentai (Japanese superhero team, such as Power Rangers) with other companies known as the Meat Rangers. 今週のボツ企画ｗｗ「肉関連企業を5社集めてニクレンジャーを結成する」ボツ理由→5社も巻き込むなんて実現不可能。。。 お蔵入りさせるのがもったいないから投稿だけしてみた( ˘ω˘ ) pic.twitter.com/QD1DJK9Ydo — 吉野家 (@yoshinoyagyudon) 2018年7月6日 Surprisingly, other companies decided to get in on the fun. Japanese family restaurant Gusto asked how to participate, and Yoshinoya told them that for now, posting illustrations of your franchise as a sentai…

In Japan’s food capital, an extra carby challenge awaits. The Gyoza Dog. Gyoza are a type of pan fried dumplings, commonly known as pot stickers in English. I thought that wantonly putting anything on a sandwich was a British thing (i.e. pies, crisps), but it turns out Japan are just as game when it comes to carb on carb action. A bread roll filled with yakisoba noodles is a convenience store staple. Gyoza chain Osaka Osho’s main store on Dotonbori are now using bread rolls as a new, inventive way to serve their namesake dish. The ‘plain’ option is 8 gyoza in a bread roll, nestled on some lettuce and…

Beat the Summer Heat With a Subzero Drink In the hot summer months, there’s nothing more refreshing than an iced-cold drink. While water and iced tea surely hit the spot, carbonated beverages are a popular choice around the world. In Japan, Asahi Beverages has found a way to take refreshment one step further by developing a vending machine which not only sells its perennially popular Mitsuya Cider at ice-cold temperatures, it sells it at subzero temperatures, -5°C to be precise. © grape Japan © grape Japan Instant Freeze Mitsuya Cider If that’s not astonishing enough, you’ll get a thrill when you open the bottle and see the contents freeze before…

Anything can become art. Recently we’ve seen apples among other things transformed into beautiful works worthy of being placed in a gallery. On his Instagram, @mikyoui00 posts photos of his elegant and delicious looking arrangements that wouldn’t look out of place in the most upmarket of restaurants. @mikyoui00がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 5月月9日午前5時34分PDT But he also produces delicate and beautiful images using his sashimi arrangement skills. It was recently Tanabata, the star festival, and these plates of raw fish beautifully show characters from the story the festival is based on. Using silver seabream and amberjack, he created Orihime, the princess from the story who weaves beautiful clothes in the Milky Way. Source:…

Japan really know how to take something and make it their own, evidenced by the range of awesome, jealousy-inducing menu items found in McDonald’s Japan. It could be a celebration of a Japanese festival, a distinctly Japanese flavour or a combination only the Japanese are adventurous enough to try out. There’s plenty of products that are tempting enough to make you commit the ultimate act of philistinism: going to McDonald’s while abroad. 1. Seasonal Products for Japanese Festivals Japan’s favourite season is of course spring. McDonald’s Japan show their appreciation for the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms through sakura burgers, McFlurries and soda. Kaykikiinourさん(@kaykikiinoue)がシェアした投稿 – 2017年 4月月7日午前1時21分PDT Tsukimi is the…

To commemorate the release of the new movie, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, the Guest Cafe in Ikebukuro’s Parco have gone full prehistoric. For a limited time only they’re serving up a range of themed mains, desserts and special drinks that celebrate the iconic series. Inside Tokyo’s Jurassic World Cafe The Jurassic World Cafe have used ingenious and creative ways to give usual dishes a dino twist. The mains include a charred looking hamburger, a fiery volcano curry and a ‘powerful wild plate’. ジュラシックワールドカフェ@池袋 ただ今のお時間、待ち時間なくお席までご案内しております！本日のお昼にブラックバンズに牛肉100%のパティを挟んだボリュームたっぷりの【ジュラシックワールドバーガー🍔】はいかがでしょうか？#ジュラシックワールド 7月13日映画公開 pic.twitter.com/qXW9qdsght — ジュラシック・ワールドカフェ＠池袋パルコ (@THEGUESTcafe) 6 July 2018 For dessert, you can become a paleontologist yourself with the ‘fossil excavation cake’. Volcanoes seem to play a…

When you just can’t decide what you want off the menu, Kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) created a novel way to solve that problem. The various dishes parade themselves tantalisingly past your very eyes. If you like what you see, you can simply reach out and take it. But why has this genius idea only been applied to sushi? Well Café Ron Ron in Harajuku are about to change that, giving another type of food a go round on the belt. In the spiritual home of all things cute and sweet, what else but desserts? The new cafe will be opening next week and will boast 25 different types of dessert…

Japanese virtual YouTuber offers up a home-cooked dinner made by an anime girl. There’s no question that virtual YouTubers make for a booming industry and hobby in Japanese days, with recent reports that the number of Japanese virtual YouTubers (topped by the mega popular Kizuna Ai) have actually reached the official number required to create a town in a Japanese prefecture. She hasn’t joined a hypothetical YouTuber town yet, but popular virtual YouTuber Siro is at least hoping to take up residence at your dining room table. In a recently released video, she offers up her very own home-cooked meal for you, and encourages fans to eat as they watch…

Growing up you were probably told not to play with your food, but your parents could probably forgive you if you produced masterpieces like this. スイカの上半分にバラを彫りました。#フルーツカービング　#果物彫刻 pic.twitter.com/yqlXFa7Qy7 — 佐藤朋子 (@atelier_SATO) 19 April 2018 Tomoko Sato hosts fruit and soap carving classes in Kyoto and Fukui, and she posts photos of her beautifully elaborate art on Twitter. りんごを彫ったものです。バラと襞襟を組み合わせてみました。#フルーツカービング　#果物彫刻 pic.twitter.com/8RpcQRX1TD — 佐藤朋子 (@atelier_SATO) 1 June 2018 She often carves apples and melons and the intricate patterns and designs show an unthinkable amount of technical skill, as well as artistic flair. Watermelon looks particularly beautiful when carved, the insides forming a pink and white gradient fitting for flower designs. スイカを彫ったものです。元のスイカの形がとてもきれいな丸だったので、シルエットを活かせるように全体的に皮を残したデザインにしました。#フルーツカービング　#果物彫刻 pic.twitter.com/eYbQanVYgN — 佐藤朋子…

Japan is awesome in the summer. Fireworks, festivals, beaches. Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun. Except for one thing. The unbearable crushing heat, the suffocating humidity, the inability to step outside without almost drowning in your own sweat. For us expats who are not used to high temperatures, Japanese summer can be a killer. But the Japanese have their own ways of overcoming the heat. Most delicious of these is eating a huge mountain of shaved ice with a range of syrups and delectable toppings. Best Kakigori Shaved Ice in Tokyo Kakigori may be known as festival fare, but if you go to a specialist shaved ice restaurant…

Japan releases vanilla ice cream creamy seafood flavored ramen In the world of Japanese instant noodles, a lot of creativity is required to stand out among eccentric heavyweights such as french fries and chicken nugget ramen, as well as host club anime boyfriend cup noodles. But in an apparent one-upping of the recently released ramen ice cream, Japanese instant noodle brand Super Cup may have crossed the point of no return. Super Cup is testing the limits of flavor combinations with a vanilla ice cream flavored creamy seafood ramen. According to a press release, the ramen is being released as a 30th anniversary celebration for Super Cup, and the soup…

Where to Find Vegan and Vegetarian Ramen in Tokyo Vegan options used to be few and far between in Tokyo. But naïve cooks thinking that fish stock doesn’t really count as an animal product are slowly becoming a thing of the past, as Japan catches on to the health and environmental benefits of vegetarianism. Tokyo especially is a cosmopolitan city ready to embrace and cater for all different walks of life. Not just foreign imports, Japanese dishes are also becoming more available and tourists who visit Japan are clambering to sample the classic comfort food, ramen. Kyushu Jangara Vegan Ramen – Harajuku Source: © Grape Japan Kyushu Jangara’s specialty is…

For vegetarians and vegans, travelling in Japan used to be a nightmare, food-wise. Hope you like plum onigiri, because you’ll be sitting on the curb outside the convenience store eating it every day, too scared to enter the restaurants in case of a fish broth spiking. But no longer! Especially in the cosmopolitan metropolis of Tokyo there’s plenty of meat-free options if you know where to look. Not just foreign cuisine, even some traditional treats have been stripped of all animal products so anyone can enjoy Japan’s beloved dishes. Delicious Vegan and Vegetarian Ramen in Harajuku Kyushu Jangara’s specialty is Hakata style, Tonkotsu ramen which originated in Fukuoka. The meaty…

In the world of wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets, looks can be just as important as taste. In recent years, the aesthetic appeal of some of these sweets has evolved to even reveal a different beautiful scene with each serving you take, but transparent sweets remain one of the most popular varieties. Whether it be celebrated confectionery Eitaro’s cherry blossom filled sakura jellies or the water-based Mizu Shingen Mochi that became a hit around the world as rain drop cake, clear Japanese sweets have proven to be an eye-catcher. たきかわ ひろむさん(@hiromuuun)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 6月月27日午前9時59分PDT Japanese convenience store Lawson has decided to inject a little otherworldly beauty into the transparent sweets…

Welcome to our fourth round of our Japanese convenience store roundup, where we find bizarre and unusual snacks, candy and drinks in the aisles of our local convenience store. (You can review our first, second and third reports here). Since there’s been a bounty of new potato chips popping up on convenience store shelves these past few weeks, we decided to sample some unusual chips that will surprise you in various ways. Let’s get started! Samurai Burger Potato Chips From Yamayoshi, the folks who brought you Cream Soda flavored potato chips which we featured in our last round, comes a new contender for the title of eccentric potato chip. According…