Mar 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Mister Donut unveils new sakura doughnuts for cherry blossom season 2026 Proof that hanami flower-viewing season is a delicious time of year in Japan. Every March, we look forward to the blooming of the sakura trees…and the blossoming of sakura sweets around Japan. One ...
Mar 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan asked to vote on what to officially call insanely hot days Good idea to hold the election before it’s too hot to think. The days are starting to warm up here in Japan, and while that used to be a nice thing, I can’t help but be filled with a sense of dread...
Mar 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japanese government planning higher ticket prices for foreign tourists at Tokyo National Museum Agency for Cultural Affairs wants two-tiered ticket pricing system at 12 National Museums. Located in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum is considered by many to be the finest museum in J...
Mar 06, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Studio Ghibli now sells Ursula’s backpack from Kiki’s Delivery Service at its anime shop in Japan Channel the cool confidence of a Ghibli character with a real-world bag…that comes with a giant price tag. Journeys, both figurative and literal, are a recurring motif in a lot of Studio Ghibli mov...
Mar 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Visiting Japan’s one-and-only, and only-for-a-limited-time, Dragon Ball noodle restaurant[Photos] Marugame Seimen branch in downtown Tokyo transforms into an anime eatery with awesome artwork inside and out. One of Japan’s most popular udon noodle restaurant chains is named Marugame Seimen, wit...
Mar 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- 7-Eleven Japan now sells bagels…cooked in bamboo steamers Like a bagel masquerading as a Chinese steamed bun. You never know what you might find when you stop by 7-Eleven, and we were reminded of exactly that on a trip to the chain recently, when we spott...
Mar 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Over four billion yen in lost cash was found in Tokyo last year, setting new record Billions turned in to police, and billions returned to owners. Botanists and economists agree that money doesn’t grow on trees, but it turns out that there’s actually a whole lot of cash to be foun...
Mar 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan’s Human Washing Machine pods are now on sale for home use, and they’re not cheap But can you really put a price on this kind of science fiction-grade luxury? When visitors to last year’s Expo 2025 world’s fair in Osaka saw that Japanese company Science was displaying a human wa...
Mar 05, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Starbucks Japan has a limited-edition candle…that hasn’t sold out yet Does this mean the candle isn’t any good? Starbucks is famous for its limited-edition wares, especially in Japan where you can get everything from sakura mugs and tumblers through to chocolatey Va...
Mar 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Taste-testing Japan’s real-world Dragon Balls and Senzu Beans at Marugame Seimen The treasures of Dragon Ball come to one of Japan’s favorite noodle restaurant chains. Marugame Seimen is a chain of udon noodle restaurants, and the “Marugame” part of their name translates litera...
Mar 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo Updated forecast says a burst of warm weather, with more sun to come, will be speeding up cherry blossom buds’ development. Though the cherry blossoms are a symbol of spring, Japan starts thinking ...
Mar 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Live-action One Piece’s Luffy teaches Sesame Street’s Elmo a Japanese word for friendship[Video] Aspiring pirate kings share hugs with each other and a bit of Japanese culture with the world. Considering how anime and manga were still pretty much a niche hobby in most parts of the world when O...
Mar 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Is Starbucks Japan’s new Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino suitable for adults? Tiny Frappuccino is designed for young girls, so we find out if it’s too sweet for adults. In Japan, 3 March is Hinamatsuri, commonly known as Girls’ Day in English. It’s a day when families pray ...
Mar 04, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean After keeping secret for nearly 30 years, Eiichiro Oda has written it down on a paper, put that paper in a chest, and tossed it into the sea, where it remains even now. As both the writer and illus...
Mar 03, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Sakuramochi festival sweetens things up at Tokyo’s Seibu Ikebukuro this season One of Tokyo’s biggest shopping areas is giving you the chance to try 19 kinds of the traditional spring sweet spanning two major regional differences. Perhaps you’re on your way to visit Chiikawa ...
Mar 03, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Is Tokyo Station’s startlingly expensive wagyu bento boxed lunch worth its high price?[Taste test] The Yukifuri Wagyu Obanazawa Sirloin and Rib Loin Steak Rice Box has a long name, a high price, and our stomach’s interest. With Tokyo Station being part of both the Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen l...
Mar 03, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026 Sakura is usually associated with the colour pink, so why is this collection so blue? As we enter meteorological spring in Japan, the blossoming of the sakura trees is now only a few weeks away. Ho...
Mar 03, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Kyoto raises hotel accommodation tax to fight overtourism, travelers could pay up to 10 times more Higher rates now in effect, projected to bring in more than 7 billion yen in extra revenue. For many of the things that draw travelers to Kyoto, their appeal is timeless. The elegant architecture o...
Mar 03, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Sakura Festival in Chiyoda mixes illuminations, boats, music, and Rilakkuma in the heart of Tokyo Celebrate the fleeting cherry blossom season with a plethora of things to do right around the Imperial Palace. While one of Japan’s most scenic spots has canceled its annual cherry blossom-themed e...
Mar 02, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Chance to play Teris on a massive staircase in Kyoto Station coming in March The one time you won’t get in trouble for playing on the stairs. Four decades ago, Alexey Pajitnov created one of the most groundbreaking and universally beloved video games of all time in Tetris. ...
