May 29, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot One of Japan’s most popular dessert mascots is set to go with you as you tap through ticket gates. Last year, one of Japan’s many railway companies, JR East, announced that they would be retiring t...
May 28, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart Lawson opens its first “mini supermarket” in Tokyo. Lawson is one of Japan’s big-three convenience stores (the others being 7-Eleven and Family Mart), but Lawson itself has multiple sub-brands. For...
May 28, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Another side of Kyoto – The prefecture’s top 10 “road stations” for traveling foodies We’re headed to Kyoto today, but not to see the temples or shrines. Temples and shrines are the first things that come to mind when travelers think of Kyoto, but the prefecture is also a treasure t...
May 28, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan New fusion food looks set to become a hit on social media. If you’re in Japan and find yourself in the mood for pizza, but with a hankering for sushi as well, there’s a new restaurant in Osaka rea...
May 28, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- 133-year-old Japanese company’s cookies go beyond matcha with dashi and shichimi flavors Kayanoya’s Satoyama Cookies give you four flavors for a snack session unlike any other. The other day, we found ourselves thinking “We want to eat some cookies.” In and of itself, that’s not at all...
May 27, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream A taste of the U.S. via Okinawa. Our intrepid reporter Mr. Sato was recently in Fussa, a part of Tokyo west of the downtown area, where he discovered Tampopo, a retro pachinko parlor that lets you ...
May 27, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef Watch the competition or sample multiple burgers in the sales area during this weekend celebration of gourmet burgers from around the world. Although burgers are often associated with the U.S., we’...
May 27, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tokyo’s insane Garlic Ramen is a meal, and an aroma, you’ll never forget[Taste test] There aren’t enough breath mints in the world to save us, but we’re going in anyway. Japanese folk wisdom holds that garlic is a food that boosts physical stamina, and it’s supposed to be helpful i...
May 27, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Same name tops lists of most popular dog and cat names in Japan, and there’s probably a reason why Cultural quirks have a hand in making the same name the favorite for dogs and cats in annual study. Japan’s most famous fictional cat might be the one named Kitty, but when it comes to actual pets,...
May 27, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Own a piece of anime history with U-Treasure’s Astro Boy gold miniature figure A new line of decorative mini figures made from gold pay homage to pioneering manga artist Osamu Tezuka’s massive influence on anime and manga. U-Treasure, a Japanese jewelry brand that frequently ...
May 26, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tokyo restaurant offers lunches for less than 1 U.S. cent…if you’re good enough at rock-paper-scissors We head to a unique restaurant for a harami bowl and a janken match. It wasn’t all that long ago that you could find lots of restaurants in Japan offering “one-coin” lunches, so called because the ...
May 26, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Government says 5.7 trillion yen of Japanese media was pirated last year, thinks AI could help Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry conducts study to estimate damage to producers of anime and other Japanese media. With Japanese entertainment media growing in popularity around the world, t...
May 26, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- What makes the Starbucks Japan chocolate terrine so popular? We find out why Japanese social media has gone crazy for this cake. Starbucks might be famous for its Frappuccinos, but fans of the chain will tell you its cakes are where it’s at. That’s what’s ha...
May 26, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos] Pikachu and Gyarados invite you to come by for a relaxing soak as Noto town recovers from disaster. A lot of storylines in the Pokémon anime and video games follow the journeys of Pokémon Trainers ...
May 25, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- KFC Japan’s “The American Burgers” include a pile of guilt KFC set out to recreate the image of three parts of the U.S. in sandwich form, and it looks like they hit at least one bullseye. People in Japan are well aware that KFC originated in the U.S. Seein...
May 25, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japanese government to allow desecration of flags on kids’ meals A victory for freedom of eats. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been hard at work drafting a bill to criminalize desecration of the Japanese flag. It’s apparently a pressing matter, even tho...
May 25, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Two new Sailor Moon art manhole covers are coming to Usagi’s real-world Tokyo neighborhood Outer Senshi join their anime/manga magical girl sisters on the streets of Minato Ward. Sailor Moon features some pretty fantastical settings, with much of its mythos involving ancient kingdoms on ...
May 25, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Krispy Kreme releases new limited-edition fox doughnuts at only four stores in Japan Kitakitsune Milk celebrates the charm of Hokkaido with kawaii style. Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido is famous for many things, including high-quality milk, thanks to the region’s many...
May 24, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue They’re very good at using chopsticks. Every day, millions of people in Japan crack open a bento or dig into a restaurant’s meal while holding a pair of chopsticks that are destined for the garbage...
May 24, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Gundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos] It’s a Gun-daruma! Being a mecha anime, Gundam is very focused on the future. As a matter of fact, it’s so focused on the future that the franchise has made up multiple “Century” and “Era” names fo...
