Today’s Question On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is Panty Town? Topics Discussed The town of Shimogigaoka (下木ヶ丘) and its plan to use panty vending machines for publicity The history of the town of Shimogigaoka What fundoshi are How rural towns across Japan are trying to both boost tourism and attract new residents through various headline-grabbing PR …

Which is your favorite? With all the excitement surrounding the April 1st press conference in which the name of Japan’s new Imperial era was announced–it’s going to be called Reiwa by the way–this year’s April Fools’ Day was definitely a bit overshadowed. However, just like every year, a long list of Japanese companies put out April Fools’ Day jokes in …

Get ready for the youngest Japanese idol group ever. A mere hour after the highly anticipated press conference in which it was revealed that Reiwa would be the name of Japan’s new Imperial era, Yasushi Akimoto–the creator of Japan’s most popular idol group AKB48–held his own press conference in which he announced the formation of a new idol group composed …

It’s that time of the year again. Despite April Fools’ not being from Japan, Japanese companies have fully embraced it. Every April 1 brings with it a whole new batch of silly jokes. Some are hilarious, some are genuinely interesting, and some are a little lackluster. This year was no different and so here’s a quick roundup (in no particular …

Naked sumo is the new law of the land. Change is not something that occurs quickly or unexpectedly in the ancient and highly conservative sport of sumo. However, that seems to be exactly what happened earlier today (Apr. 1) when the organization that presides over professional sumo in Japan announced that the sport’s top athletes will no longer be allowed …

Ninja of the world, rejoice. Your day has come. For as long as ninja have existed, they have wanted one thing: to find a high quality wristwatch that can keep up with the rigorous demands of their profession. And now, it looks like ninja around the world will no longer have to worry about this because the Japanese watch manufacturer …