Feb 16, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos] Wearable salutes to six iconic characters from the shonen ninja saga. There are a lot of anime/manga franchises that feature ninja, but part of what makes Naruto stand out from the rest is its ecle...
Feb 15, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- What’s up with the secret basement at this Japanese train station? There’s one level in this underground dungeon that can only be seen, but not accessed, by the public. “There’s something that’s been bothering me on my commute, so could you please look into it?” T...
Feb 15, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Now is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardens The ume of Ikegami grow up a terraced hillside, and under the radar. Though they tend to get overshadowed by the more famous cherry blossoms, Japan’s plum blossoms, or ume, are not to be missed. Fl...
Feb 15, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Here comes Japan’s newest fruit dessert sandwich: 7-Eleven’s purple Blueberry Sandwich! Purple bread, all in my Japanese convenience store sweets. With Valentine’s Day chocolate being such a big deal in Japan, it’s generally a bad idea to try to tempt people with any sort of non-choco...
Feb 14, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- New zombie ship sets sail in Japan, includes Shinkansen tickets and all-you-can-eat sushi Are you ready to go on the scariest cruise of your life? Escape rooms in Japan know no bounds, with people being encouraged to escape from hotels, trains, and haunted manors. Now, the boat is being...
Feb 14, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- It’s illegal for yakuza to go to professional baseball games in Japan, Tokyo arrests remind us Life of crime or live baseball fan? You can only choose one. There are a whole lot of reasons to not make the decision to lead a life of crime. Aside from the moral implications of profiting via ha...
Feb 14, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Tokyo’s best ramen breakfast? Restaurant two minutes from Tokyo Station is a strong contender Special morning-only ramen is a great way to start your Tokyo day. They say that you should never put off until tomorrow that which you can do today, and by that same logic, you should never put of...
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Elderly Japan man arrested for stealing toilet, using it in his home for three months Veteran contractor becomes senior thief. A lot has been said about the reasons for Japan’s low crime rate. Some people point to Confucian philosophy, while others look for more modern factors such ...
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Room 404: What happened when we stayed in an unlucky hotel room in Japan There’s a reason hotels don’t use this number for their rooms. In Japan, the numbers “4” (“shi”) and “9” (“ku”) are associated with death and suffering, due to the way the word “shi” can also be us...
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism Prefectural government will pay for tickets to encourage international travelers to visit their corner of Japan. Japan’s Shinkansen bullet network is made up of a number of different lines, but oft...
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed Home economics class pizza had more tsumami than it was supposed to. Pizza, famously, is hard to screw up, so much so that “_____ is like pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good,” became ...
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen? We go in search of the elusive cheap meal to find out what you can eat for US$3.20 in Tokyo. It wasn’t that long ago when spending less than 500 yen (US$3.20) on lunch in Japan was an easy option....
Feb 13, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- How to make fancy matcha sake chocolates with just 15 minutes of real work【Recipe】 Matcha mirin nama chocolate sounds, looks, and tastes fancy, but is super-easy to make. With Valentine’s Day coming up, all of Japan is thinking about chocolate…but here at SoraNews24, we’re thinki...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Asakusa’s Yoi no Yoi bar crawl is one of Tokyo’s best local nights out Just 1,000 yen per stop lets you drink, eat, and mingle with friendly strangers through this historic neighborhood. Here at SoraNews24, we’re always on the lookout for fun and exciting events to pa...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026 Hanami season arrives early with this limited-edition collection of mugs, tumblers, gifts, and Stanley cups. One of the things we look forward to as we inch closer to spring in Japan is the soon-to...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026 Limited-edition drinks capture the excitement and anticipation of a Japanese spring. As we come out the other end of winter, spring feels like it’s just around the corner, and in Japan that means s...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Is a snow day the perfect day to beat the crowds at a popular ramen restaurant? [Experiment] Restaurant known for numbingly spicy ramen and intimidatingly long lines lures us out in the Tokyo snow. As we headed to bed last Saturday night, meteorologists warned us that snow was on the way t...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Sanrio changes Hello Kitty lead designer for first time in 46 years A new dawn calls for Japan’s most famous cat…but who will be picking up the baton? Back in 1974, a new character called Hello Kitty appeared in Japan, born from the hands of then-27 year-old Sanrio...
Feb 12, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Testing Japan’s fluffy mayonnaise pancake cooking hack【SoraKitchen】 Mr. Sato heads to the SoraKitchen with a bowl of pancake batter, a tube of mayo, and a desire to know if, and how, this cooking hack works. Pancakes are one of those wonderful foods that are honest...
Feb 11, 2026 from SoraNews24 -Japan News- Five amazing snow-view open-air Japanese hot springs in Hokkaido [Photos] Great reasons to add yukimiroten to your vocabulary and itinerary alike. Before we talk about places to hop into a hot spring, let’s dip our toes in the waters of bathing-related Japanese linguisti...
