Jul 08, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Foreign tourists injured in Nissan GT-R crash near Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing Late-night incident highlights concerns over Japan’s illegal “white taxi” operators. Three foreign tourists were injured in a crash involving a Nissan GT-R near Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing af...
Jul 08, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Climbing season officially opens for Japan’s Mt. Hiyoriyama, the shortest mountain in the country Ceremony marks official start of climbing season for this six-step summit trail. While Japan’s alpine topography, of course, exists all year round, many of the country’s most prominent mountains ha...
Jul 08, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tochigi man shares his family’s process for creating 16 years worth of rice paddy art The Nakano family opens a second rice paddy art site this year and shares more about the process that goes into their annual labor of love. For the 16th year, the Nakano family in Nasushiobara, Toc...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Famous sweets store in Ameyoko fills a bag with sweets and a show, but is it still worth it? This bargain bag comes with a unique performance, but things have changed over the years. Ameyoko (short for Ameya Yokocho, or “Candy Store Alley”) has changed dramatically over the years. Starting...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Yoshinoya and Dragon Quest slaying scalpers with shift to made-to-order collaboration merch Following suspiciously swift sell-out of Yoshinoya’s Dragon Quest Slime bowls, new policy means that everyone who wants one can buy one at the regular price. At the start of the month, beef bowl ch...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tokyo revises accommodation tax amidst tourism boom, Airbnb rentals now included Both Japanese and overseas travellers could soon be paying more to stay in Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced major revisions to the city’s accommodation tax, replacing the curr...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- 7-Eleven Japan now has Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, but how do they taste?[Taste test] Vietnam’s star sandwich reaches a new milestone on the road to mainstream popularity in Japan. I’ve had a lot of people in Japan ask me what foods I miss from my hometown. Usually they assume I mis...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- New Mt. Fuji overnight bus takes travelers from downtown Tokyo straight to the most popular hiking trail If you’re looking to start your Mt. Fuji hike as early as possible without having to spend the night, here’s how. Popular tourism destination though it may be, there’s still a certain amount of pla...
Jul 07, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Potato-Chip-Flavored Dressing coming to stores in Japan Dressed to impress. An age-old problem for many parents is how to get kids to eat their vegetables. In an age of hyper-palatable ultra-processed food, it can be hard to turn kids on to the wonders ...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Kirby Cafe gets even cuter with new summer menu and dishware you can take home[Photos] Nintendo’s big-appetite video game star is ready to get summer started. When does summer start? For a layperson, the first day of June might seem the most natural, since it can feel weird to call, ...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tokyo’s giant Pokémon Stamp Rally is back for 2026 with exclusive prizes up for grabs Including a chance to relive your starter Pokémon anxiety a whole nine times. Japan is a nation that loves a stamp rally, and it’s not just kids getting in on the action. From highway rest stops to...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan to get new high-speed train connecting Haneda and Narita airports, ease overtourism There’s actually a good reason for a train to quickly get people between the Tokyo area’s two airports. Keisei Electric Railway, which operates trains in Tokyo and the neighboring prefecture of Chi...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan announces plans for twenty-fold increase in permanent residency fees, alongside higher visa costs Government reveals long-awaited fee schedule ahead of proposed October implementation. On 3 July, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan published detailed draft guidelines setting out a new fee ...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan moves to enforce language requirements for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency Programmes on community etiquette may also become part of the screening process. Japan is moving forward with plans to establish more formal guidelines for foreign nationals seeking permanent resid...
Jul 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- A visit to Sri Lanka’s knockoff knockoff Uniqlo (no, we didn’t stutter) to see its rare “Pikachus” Nicknack is the culmination of layers upon layers of branding quasi-copying, and also home to some very unusual Pikachus. Our travel-loving Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa recently took a...
Jul 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- 7-Eleven Japan releases chocolate cookies that taste like freshly baked melon bread New melon pan crossover looks set to be a hit with customers. 7-Eleven has been shaking up the convenience store scene in Japan recently, overhauling sandwiches with pink bread, rolling out tea-bre...
Jul 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- How to cook shiitake mushrooms like a Japanese manga character Easy recipe shows how to grill a mushroom so it tastes just like meat. There are a lot of places where you can pick up Japanese recipes and cooking tips, but when they come from a manga, we always ...
Jul 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Udon pudding is about to shake up the noodle scene in Japan Purin, like you’ve never seen, or tasted, before. Marugame Seimen (known as Marugame Udon overseas) has been outdoing itself with new noodle innovations recently, giving us all sorts of surprising ...
Jul 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- The quest for Dragon Quest Yoshinoya figure sets: Worth taking for fans, tricky for scalpers[Pics] Dragon Quest Slimes appear at Yoshinoya, and the restaurant is trying to make sure they go home with actual fans. Considering that dragons make up only a small portion of the games’ collective best...
Jul 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Don’t judge this Kiki’s Delivery Service book by its cover, because it’s not actually a book! Studio Ghibli pseudo-literature isn’t for reading, but is still something fans will want on their shelf. Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku has a sub-brand called Donguri Closet. Aimed at fas...
