Japan releases new umeshu (Japanese plum wine) flavored Kit Kats. When not asking you to vote on and create the latest Kit Kat flavor or making the world’s first ruby chocolate bar, Nestle Japan seems to be padding their resume with exclusive regional Japanese flavors such as double rich matcha and premium sake. Now as a follow up to their hit sake Kit Kats, Nestle is releasing chocolate bars inspired by another favorite Japanese liqueur in the form of umeshu Kit Kats! Source: Nestle Japan As with the Premium Masuizumi Japan Sake Kit Kat, Nestle is teaming up with a distinguished umeshu maker in Heiwa Shuzou to capture the deep…

The Studio Ghibli Park will open in 2022, and feature attractions from My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Howl’s Moving Castle. Fans of Japanese animation around the world were overjoyed last year when a joint announcement was made by Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura that Aichi’s EXPO Park would be transformed into an official Studio Ghibli in the early 2020’s, and now new details should help give their anticipation some shape. The Asahi Shinbun is reporting that a followup announcement by Aichi prefecture and Studio Ghibli officials says that they are aiming to open the Ghibli Park in 2022. Aichi prefecture also…

This charming cat cafe in Tokyo looks like it could be the setting for a Studio Ghibli film. For as many cat cafes as Japan has, there is certainly no shortage of variety. Feline fans can enjoy cat cafes on trains, cosplay cat cafes, rescue cat cafes that offer adoption services, and even a cat cafe where the kitty staff occasionally cosplays. (And if you prefer dogs, the mini-Shiba Inu cafe is a must.) It’s probably no coincidence that Kichijouji Petit Mura is located in the same neighborhood as the official Studio Ghibli Museum, as the theme-parkesque village area houses a magical castle called the Temari no Oshiro that would…

When thinking of popular dances in Japan, the perfectly synchronized robotic dances of WORLD ORDER and other country-sweeping viral dances may come to mind, so it can be easy to forget that some of the best dances in Japan originate from traditional performances. One such dance is the Yosakoi, which blends traditional Japanese dance movements (such as Awa Odori) into an energetic performance, sometimes matched with modern music. Yosakoi are performed at summer and school sports festivals, and typically are used to liven up audiences. Dazaifu, located in Fukuoka, is home to a large festival where yosakoi performance teams compete in elaborate and impressively choreographed dances. At this year’s 14th…

For the uninitiated, pizza in Japan can be an experience that makes you forget whatever dogmatic belief you have about permitting pineapple as a topping. Very few first-timers are properly prepared for a Japanese pizza party when Corn-Mayonnaise makes a dramatic entrance. Corn-Mayonnaise: a Japanese pizza staple hajimeganeさん(@hajimegane8)がシェアした投稿 – 2017年 1月月13日午後8時23分PST Of course, many standard varieties and universal favorites are available, but many Japanese pizza chains offer flavor and topping combinations that, while may appear to weird as some, are considered fan favorites. Further spicing things up is a Japanese fondness for using regional and seasonal ingredients for limited time goods–a trend pizza delivery chain Aoki’s Pizza (a local pizza…

Super clingy cat refuses to let go of owner’s arm in heartwarming video. Fair or foul, cats don’t exactly benefit from a stereotype or reputation for affection. Fortunately, true cat lovers who’ve been through thick and thin with their furry friends are no stranger to knowing the quirky ways with which cats can show their feelings (which often manifests itself as adorable stubbornness and curiosity). Japanese Twitter user and cat owner Kanekirika (@Kirika_ma_cos) doesn’t seem to need to put up with such antics, however. Their incredibly clingy and affectionate cat, Yamada, has a very overt-way of show his love for his human as she simply refuses to let go of…

Coca-Cola Japan is releasing frozen Coke slushie packs as a new summer beverage. Coca-Cola Japan has recently been adding to its lineup of beverages with some creative offerings including Coca-Cola Coffee and even an alcoholic variety. With inklings of an upcoming hot and humid summer starting to form, the beverage company has now released “Coca-Cola Frozen Lemon”, a frozen citrus blend of the popular cola sold in a squeezable slushie-style packaging. Coca-Cola Frozen Lemon Source: PR Times The drink is sold in both frozen and non-frozen varities (should you wish to take it home and freeze it to your liking), and comes in a squeezable packaging. Similar drinks are sold…

Stunningly gorgeous photography of Kyoto shows why it remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Often celebrated as a popular tourist spot for its deep and thriving traditional Japanese culture, Kyoto is home to many of Japan’s most famous and sacred attractions. What may be lost in all the clamor to explore popular areas, however, is just how naturally gorgeous Kyoto is. The must-visit Arashiyama bamboo grove is just one of many of natural wonders that Kyoto boasts on the best 30 places to visit in Japan, and at times simply taking in paths uncharted in Kyoto is an experience that tops rushing to any of the…

Cowboy Bebop is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a Cowboy Bebop-themed cafe in Tokyo and Osaka next month! As fans of mega-popular anime series Cowboy Bebop await a U.S. live action television series with cautious optimism, they’ve been able to tide themselves over with a Blade Runner 2049 short helmed by series director Shinichiro Watanabe, and perhaps re-listening to Yoko Kanno’s celebrated soundtrack. As soon as May 15th, however, fans will be able to literally whet their appetite as they can join in on a celebration of Cowboy Bebop’s 20th anniversary with an official Cowboy Bebop Cafe opening in Tokyo and Osaka. Animate Cafe (an anime store cafe with character…

This cat belongs on a movie poster. Cats don’t exactly have a fine reputation for cooperating, especially with bossy humans telling them how to pose, but every once in a while their feline grace matches in perfect harmony with lighting and surroundings for photographs that have us convinced they’ve been plotting such modeling all along. Japanese Twitter user Hitsuji (@blaueschafe) captured what may be the ultimate example of that with this snapshot of their beloved cat while getting ready to hit the road on a drive. Source: @blaueschafe Hitsuji comments that it looks like album artwork, and while it would certainly make a fitting one, we think the epic sunset…

An “AI candidate” for mayor in Tokyo is promising fair and balanced politics in a news story out of a science fiction novel. Whether it’s samurai robots, a hotel staffed by robots, or AI girlfriends, it seems that it safe to say that one should keep their eye on Japan when it comes to developments in the field of artificial intelligence. So while it seemed a foregone conclusion that AI would eventually break into the world of politics, the way we’re seeing it do so in one city in Japan is a bit surprising. The mayoral election of Tama City in Tokyo is featuring its first “AI candidate”. このポスターを見ると松田みちひとという男性が不慮の事故で生死の縁をさまよう中、大企業の極秘プロジェクトの被検体に選ばれ意識をデータ化。プロジェクトの真の目的を知った彼は意識を女性型ロボットにインストールしラボから逃げ出した……って妄想が捗る。 pic.twitter.com/gSwOJMC9Rm…

Amazing flip-book artist shows the dangers of overwork culture in Japanese “black companies” using a heart-wrenching, but brilliantly animated video. While there are more innocuous (and quite frankly, accurate) roots to the stereotype of unusually long workdays at Japanese companies, many of the darker stories surrounding grueling work schedules in Japan are in relation to what are referred to as burakku kigyo (literally “black companies”), or more aptly translated, “shady companies”. The term refers to companies that violate workplace standards with exploitative overtime systems (with no overtime pay), bullying, and damage to career reputation of workers who attempt to attempt to quit. The phrase made another term, karaoshi (“death from…

Citing rising danger for women living alone in Tokyo, a company in Japan is providing a “shadow boyfriend” service to trick criminals. Leo Palace 21, an apartment management company in Japan, is launching a product called the “Man on the Curtain” security system which projects a loop of an active man’s silhouette onto a curtain to give the illusion that an apartment’s tenant is not actually living alone. The company claims that as the number of women living alone in Tokyo is increasing, so are home invasions and crimes targeting them specifically. A promotional video (you can use their English website for help) explains the concept below. The system uses…

During its heaviest drinking season, Tokyo once generously offered a late night rescue bus aimed at boozehounds who missed their last train, but it appears such emergency services and a certain amount of logic were nowhere to be found for one intoxicated man in Hyogo prefecture who attempted to cling to the door of his departing train. The Sankei Shinbun reports that at 1:10 AM on April 3rd, Hyogo prefectural police arrested an intoxicated man, identified as Shigeki Nagao, who was clinging to the door of a train departing from JR Sannomiya Station. Nagao, an office worker in the city of Akashi, was noticed by the conductor shortly after the…

You can always count on everyone’s favorite creative engineering block, LEGO, to bring out the childhood imagination in all of us. In the past we’ve seen people use Lego bricks to build wonders such as Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky music box and a marvelous pop-up book model of Japan’s famous Himeji Castle. Japanese LEGO enthusiast and wizard Takanori Hashimoto, however, has been turning heads with his moving LEGO creations, such as this fully functioning LEGO escalator! The device caught a lot of attention at Japan’s Wonder Festival, a convention that showcases some of the brightest artists and cosplayers in Japan, but has recently blown up on Twitter and…