McDonald’s is very popular in Japan, and their popularity might rise with the addition of three limited edition Pikachu food and container designs. Together, the three items are referred to as “Sweets Trio Furuchu,” which is a play on the word Pikachu and the Japanese …Read more »
The Sanrio Summer Puro Festival occurs at Sanrio Puroland and mixes adorable Sanrio characters with traditional Japanese summer activities. The festival obviously didn’t happen last year because of COVID, but is scheduled to return this July 9. It will take place until August 31. They’ll …Read more »
The hundredth volume of the One Piece manga is scheduled to come out before 2021 ends, and the ninety-ninth volume is being released this June in Japan. As a way to celebrate this, one hundred taxis in Tokyo are getting One Piece themed artwork in …Read more »
Japan has a long history of using printed seals called hanko instead of signing names. While in this day and age they could become something of the past, hanko stores are still coming out with special designs to keep people interested. Pokémon hanko have been …Read more »
Last week the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested six people because of how they were operating their maid cafés. It has to do with the Adult Entertainment Business Regulation Law in Japan. So-called regular restaurants can be open at any hour, but a “social” restaurant or …Read more »
Decades before the era of VTubers, one anime idol made waves in the media mix world. Creamy Mami, despite her odd name, was a massive hit. And thanks to her, a lot of what we consider to be anime idol culture became popular. Not only …Read more »
It may seem like an incredibly late April Fools’ Day gag, but the latest Hatsune Miku collaboration is very real. This one sees the Vocaloid superstar teaming up with My Little Pony to become part of the collaborative bishoujo figure line from Kotobukiya and Hasbro. …Read more »
Japan can’t seem to get enough Attack on Titan displays. Statues of characters have been placed in creator Hajime Isayama’s hometown, there’s an Attack on Titan museum, and there’s even a Titan-sized Attack on Titan manga. And right now if you head over to the …Read more »
Train stations can be a site for tourism in Japan, and the Station Idol Latch! franchise is here to up that tourism. AOI Pro., Amuse, and Origamix Partners are behind the franchise, with the East Japan Railway Company supervising. Their plan is to create fictional …Read more »
The Tokyo Revengers anime has gotten sales of the manga to skyrocket, and there’s an upcoming live-action Tokyo Revengers movie to look forward to. But that’s not all — the franchise is also getting a stage play this August! The play will be performed in …Read more »
Cinnamoroll came in first in the 2020 Sanrio Character Ranking after more than 14 million votes were cast, and Sanrio is keeping him busy. The kawaii character has officially hooked up with the Hilton Hotel in Osaka for specially themed desserts. These sweets (which reference …Read more »
There’s a Gundam café in Akihabara, and it’s joined forces with Bandai and traditional craftsmen from Oshu City for some new merchandise. Taking a cue from MS-06 Zaku II, they’ve made a Zaku head cast iron kettle. These are not factory made items being pumped …Read more »
The Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, which is located in Japan close to Mount Fuji, has shut down its Evangelion: World attraction. But it’s not being shut down temporarily because of COVID, the way places like Super Nintendo World are doing. Evangelion: World is gone for …Read more »
When we think of the alternate forms of Hatsune Miku, digital diva and multimedia star, we tend to think of her cuter forms. There’s Snow Miku, celebrated annually in Hokkaido. There’s Sakura Miku, who celebrates the beauty of spring in Japan. But what about the …Read more »
Slowpoke is the Pokémon ambassador for Kagawa prefecture, and part of that entails a special Slowpoke mailbox, mail truck and decorative stamps. It’s meant to be a boost for tourism, but it appears soon the whole country of Japan will be able to enjoy Pokémon …Read more »
Danica Davidson
Kara Dennison
Joseph Luster
