Beginning tomorrow in Japan, all Donguri Kyowakoku stores in the country are getting new vending machine capsule toy collections. The Donguri Kyowakoku chain is all about selling Studio Ghibli merchandise, and these latest products are from the iconic movie My Neighbor Totoro. A brief, musical …Read more »
How do you sell locally produced apples, with the intent of especially advertising to women between the ages of 30 and 40? That’s easy: you just make advertising posters with sexy anime men. The Iwate Prefecture branch of ZEN-NOH (which is abbreviated from the Japanese …Read more »
If you’re in Japan and feeling hungry, there are new Demon Slayer foods to eat, and not just at the Demon Slayer restaurant in Universal Studios Japan. Now that we’re close to December, Japanese brand Priroll is rolling out a line of officially-licensed Demon Slayer …Read more »
Bandai Namco Group sounds really intent on helping with sustainability, and they’ve tapped their enormously successful Gundam franchise as a vehicle to use in this process. One of the things they’ve been up to is asking people to donate their runners, which are the plastic …Read more »
It turns out Kanji Yamanouchi isn’t just the Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York – he’s also a rocker with knowledge of otaku culture. Ahead of Anime NYC, which starts tomorrow, he released a video of himself playing musical instruments for Demon …Read more »
Any popular anime is going to come with plenty of merchandise, but the production committee behind Attack on Titan recently pulled some of their new merchandise because of Nazi comparisons. Rather than your typical character plushies or specialty foods, this merchandise has parallels to very …Read more »
The other day we got a sneak peek of the upcoming Spirited Away stage play, in the form of two posters showing actresses Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi in costume. The two actresses will switch on and off for the play. A lot of fanfare …Read more »
The Comic Market event (also known as Comiket) in Japan is a major convention for otaku. In 2019, 750,000 people attended during the four days it took place, which was a new record. But if people thought the next Comiket would break records again, they …Read more »
Over in Japan, the chain Mister Donut has made it a habit to release special Christmas Pokémon donuts at the end of each year. Their new 2021 donuts will be hitting stores on November 12, but in the meantime they’re sharing pictures and descriptions to …Read more »
Pokémon is going big for its 25th anniversary, partnering up with everyone and everything from Katy Perry to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. And Pokémon’s latest announcement has the Pocket Monsters working closely with one of Japan’s most iconic traditions: sumo wrestling. Specifically, Pokémon has …Read more »
Virtual YouTubers have really taken off in recent years, but how many of these anime avatars are posting content on YouTube? The Japanese data analysis firm UserLocal decided to find out. It began crunching the numbers, seeing not only how many VTubers there are, but …Read more »
The 59-foot tall Gundam statue in Yokohama is offering something special on November 3. This is the Culture Day holiday in Japan, and Gundam Factory Yokohama is using the opportunity to teach people more about sustainability. The Gundam franchise is owned by Bandai Namco Group, …Read more »
COVID has caused many arcades in Japan to shutter, and in September it appeared that the Sega Ikebukuro GiGO arcade was joining those ranks. The arcade, which had been around for 28 years, closed amid throngs of well-wishers, and the manager said, “From tomorrow, Sega …Read more »
Fans of Doraemon would be familiar with the Anywhere Door (Dokodemo Door in Japanese), a special portal that allows you spectacular traveling abilities. Recently something that looks very similar to the Anywhere Door has been set up in the Saruka Park in Hirakawa, Japan, and …Read more »
Universal Studios Japan is determined to keep expanding. They recently opened their Super Mario themed Nintendo World extension, promised us a massive Donkey Kong extension in 2024, and are now teasing us that Pokémon will be a major part of the park next year. The …Read more »
Danica Davidson
