All-you-can-eat buffets in Japan There are countless all-you-can-eat buffets in Japan, from run-of-the-mill salad bar buffets at Western cuisine restaurant chains, to hotels which offer them on a rotating basis by season and more. With the arrival of fall, restaurants and hotels have been busy advertising their autumn editions. Fall favorites such as satsuma yams, chestnuts, kabocha and other squash, grilled sanma mackerel pike, and of course, mushrooms aplenty. Matsutake: the king of Japanese mushrooms june. / © PIXTA The undisputed king of native Japanese mushrooms is the matsutake. Fragrant beyond compare, a pleasure to enjoy roasted on a grill with a drop of freshly squeezed sudachi citrus, minced and…

It doesn’t take a particularly long amount of time in Japan to come across incorrect and sometimes humorous applications of English that have come to be known as “Engrish”, such as the infamous “Black Man Super Bikini.” Many of these are simply the result of a lack of English ability (or consulting someone with it) or using the aesthetic of the English language to appear stylish, but a new product from Japan seems to have a pretty clear idea of how it wants to market itself in English. Behold: Wash Balls. Still a little confused about what the product is for? Perhaps this clever slogan will clue you in! They’ve…

Fall is all about hearty, cosy food. Get ready to see a deluge of snacks and beverages in Japan based around pumpkin, sweet potato and chestnut flavours, among other autumnal treats. This year Starbucks are looking to get fancy with their fall range which they’ve entitled Artful Autumn. The first in the line-up is the Caramelly Pear Frappuccino, which is also available as a hot tea latte. 香り豊かな洋梨とほろ苦いキャラメルのマリアージュ「#キャラメリーペアーフラペチーノ®/ティー ラテ」や、秋らしいフードなどが本日から新登場！詳しくはこちら。 https://t.co/A1gK3NX49h pic.twitter.com/6oEZOmnZVW — スターバックス コーヒー (@Starbucks_J) 31 August 2018 The second installment is the Crispy Sweet Potato Frappuccino and Crispy Sweet Potato Latte which is available iced or hot. 9/13(木)から「#クリスピースイートポテトフラペチーノ®/ラテ」が新登場。秋の味覚が口いっぱいに広がる、“さつまいも”づくしなビバレッジです🍠 https://t.co/ngJ4tMByVn pic.twitter.com/MryD49fUw1 — スターバックス コーヒー (@Starbucks_J) 11 September 2018 Sweet potato…

Tokyo Medical University were embroiled in a scandal earlier this year when they were discovered to be systematically changing grades in their entrance exams. Female applicants automatically had points knocked off their grade regardless of their score, in order to keep female students at the university down to no more than 30% of the student body. Many talented young women studied for and sat the test only to have their ambitions secretly unfairly dashed by the sexist institution. They believed men would make more valuable doctors since women would leave the profession to raise children. The public outcry triggered investigations into other Japanese medical schools, stoking suspicions that this is…

The first ever permanent Pokemon Cafe opened earlier this year adjacent to the Pokemon Center DX in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. With a Pokemon interior, Pokemon inspired menu and even occasional visits from the iconic yellow electric mouse himself, no fan of the classic series was left wanting. But the menu is having a seasonal reboot to tempt us all back again. The autumn menu is here and it includes treats perfect for the spookiest time of the year. Many Pokemon look Halloween appropriate and the purple and black ghost type Pokemon, Ghastly, fits the bill. He makes an appearance on the menu as a mince cutlet burger. The round, haunting bowl…

The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage, made by Cygames and Bandai Namco Studios for the Mobage mobile social network platform, is a free-to-play simulation game for smart phones where you manage the career of a producer interacting with and training Japanese pop idols on their road to success. The game’s latest function takes interaction a step further by allowing players to use AR to insert their favorite idol character into the real world. デレステARで夢が叶いました。方々の皆様、本当にすみません。#デレステ #デレステAR #橘ありす pic.twitter.com/iBAKyYhnLW — こうや (@ky_gtr) 2018年9月7日 The characters are customizable with a variety of different costumes and impressive 3D modeling (after setting a waypoint in you local vicinity for the idol to appear, you can…

Creative members of the Minecraft community have been building intricately designed worlds for years, even going so far as to recreate the entire world of Studio Ghibli’s beloved My Neighbor Totoro. One of the most recent Minecraft wonders isn’t inspired by a world of fantasy however. In fact, it’s the spitting image of a thriving Japanese metropolis, and many were surprised to find that it doesn’t actually exist. ※マインクラフトの画像です#Minecraft #minecraft都市開発部 #佐山市 pic.twitter.com/ncgTINFLpe — 佐山県(公式)@ワールド配布中 (@Sayama_City) 2018年8月26日 50 Minecraft players have come together to create Sayama City–a fictional Japanese city that while nowhere near close to completion, has all the landmarks and details of major Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka,…

Ninjas continue to capture the imagination of overseas visitors as one of the most badass aspects of Japanese history. There are certain prefectures of historical importance with deep links to the ninjas, but sadly they are a bit out of the way for the regular tourist. For those without time to make these ninja pilgrimages, there’s some inner city experiences that you can take part in instead. If you’re visiting or live in Tokyo, put on your best all-black ensemble, because we’re about to get sneaky up in here. Ninja Attractions in Tokyo 1. Ninja Trick House, Shinjuku View this post on Instagram Ninja Trick House in Tokyoさん(@ninja_tokio)がシェアした投稿 – 2016年…

Studio Ghibli, Japan’s most legendary animation powerhouse, has enjoyed international acclaim and enchanted not just Japanese children but children and adults all over the world. If you’re in Japan and want a taste of Ghibli’s fantastical worlds for yourself, here’s 5 spots in Tokyo which will fully immerse you in the magic. Studio Ghibli Attractions in Tokyo 1. Mitaka Ghibli Museum, Kichijoji View this post on Instagram Saimaa Travelさん(@saimaa.business.travel)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 8月月30日午前9時08分PDT Starting with the most obvious one, the official Studio Ghibli Museum is located in Kichijoji. At this tribute to the revered animation studio you can see exhibitions, recreated sets and even an exclusive short animation. Sometimes special exhibitions…

The Feud Begins American talk show host Conan O’Brien made good on his promise to visit the town of Hokuei in Tottori Prefecture, yesterday, as the highlight of his remote segment in Japan. As fans of the manga Case Closed (Detective Conan) surely know, Hokuei also goes by the name Conan Town since it’s the birthplace of the manga’s creator Gosho Aoyama. In August, the American comedian aired his “grievances” against the fictional sleuth who he considered to be a manga copy of him, pointing to such similarities as being “a man trapped in a child’s body,” and requesting the manga’s rights holders pay him three trillion yen in compensation….

If you have enough years of gaming under your belt, you may remember the days before the mountain of information available on the internet and even the days before official guidebooks, when dedicated gamers would jot down their trial and error solutions to puzzles and yet uncharted stages. Whether Japanese Twitter user, animator, and avid video game fan @ishikoro18 remembers those days or not, she as least has an impressive collection of notes from her father to look at. @ishikoro18 recently posted her father’s collection of gameplay notes on his video game journeys through Silent Hill 3, Kingdom Hearts Final Fantasy X-2, Siren, Ico and other classic titles. The tome…

If you love Nissin instant noodles or if you’re a fan of The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls (or both!), you’ll surely remember the collaboration last year between the famous noodle brand’s Curry Meshi instant curry rice and the wildly popular simulation video game featuring the idols of 346 Pro Talent Agency. © Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. / © Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. This year, the collaboration is back and better than before, with a special limited box set featuring all flavors of Curry Meshi (beef, seafood, keema curry, tomato chicken and hayashi meshi), an original plastic folder and an original CD with the song: “Spice Paradise ~ Curry Meshi ver.”…

Rather than genuine gore, for Halloween in Japan you’re more likely to see the kawaii side of the spooky season. Halloween and candy go hand in hand, and Japan is the best place to find the cutest Halloween themed desserts and sweets. This restaurant in Yokohama called Beauty and the Beast (with a theme to match) are giving you the chance to dig into as many of these cute sweets as you like at their Halloween party event. The desserts are all spookily adorable, the menu includes pumpkin spider web pudding, eyeball jelly, purple sweet potato spider web tarts, rose black sesame seed roll cake, mini ghost chocolate cakes, mischievous…

When you think of police dogs, a breed such as German Shepherd comes to mind right? These highly trained dogs are usually looking professional and focused on the job. But Japanese Twitter user @AKILA1113 spotted this somewhat distracted looking dog accompanying a police officer on his beat. He uploaded these photos and wrote the caption, ‘the police force are bringing in freaking cute police dogs…’ 警視庁がくっそ可愛い警察犬を導入してる…。 pic.twitter.com/D3tdGhFjUo — AKILA@TGSはルークとモンターニュ (@AKILA1113) 4 September 2018 Many commenters agreed that they’d never seen such a cute police dog before. But is it true? Are Japanese police starting to use the canine symbols of Japan and professional meme artists, Shiba inu dogs, as new…

Japan loves character goods and there’s a whole range of trinkets and accessories available that can truly express the affection you hold for your favourite. Perhaps you love No-face so much you want a soy sauce bottle that looks like him. Or maybe you want to express your admiration for Studio Ghibli by drinking tea that comes in a tin with Totoro on it. Whichever Japanese character you love the most, you can find a cool piece of merchandise you can proudly use or wear. When it comes to charging our gadgets, how fitting that the character should be none other than the electric mouse, Pikachu. This USB to AC…