These bento are just too cute to eat. Kyaraben is the Japanese word used to refer to those incredibly cute and very impressive bento (boxed lunches) based on popular anime, cartoon and mascot characters (the word kyara is derived from the English word “character”). Pictures of these eye-catching food-art masterpieces can be found all over the internet, and odds are you’ve …

You don’t have to be insane to go to Sanatorium. Hidden away on the third floor of a rather unremarkable building on an easy to miss side street in Fukuoka’s lively North Tenjin area you’ll find (if you know where to look) a little cafe/art-gallery hybrid called Sanatorium (サナトリウム). Although not that well-known to the public at large, this place …

Not sure what African dancers have to do with snacks but… The Japanese snack company Koikeya has released a commercial promoting some new flavors of their popular Sukoon (スコーン) snack product, which features Zaouli dancers from the Ivory Coast. The Zaouli is a traditional mask dance performed by the Guro people of the African nation of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).  …

Welcome to Mango Town. Following the release of a promotional video in which a government official holds a fake press conference and declares that the Miyazaki town of Nangocho will be changing its name to “Mango Town” government officials have revealed that they have been contacted several times by people genuinely wishing to know whether the town would actually be …

It could be worse… A chain of shops specializing in karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken) called Tenka Torimasu has teamed-up with the Japanese pop idol group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) to create a special limited-time karaage that is intended to taste like the sweat of a pop idol. Thankfully, this bizarrely themed fried chicken is not actually covered in anyone’s sweat. …

A fun place to check out, unless you’re feeling lazy… For the uninitiated, Gudetama (ぐでたま) is an egg-based Sanrio character that made its (his? her?) debut in 2013 and is known for having a totally pessimistic outlook on life and an extremely unmotivated, low-energy disposition. Gudetama’s name perfectly encapsulates all these character traits due to it being derived from a …

Who wants to see a gravure idol make a strange face? RaMu, a Japanese model/gravure idol/YouTuber, has released an amusing video in which she tries “the most bitter tea in the world.” The intensely bitter tea that RaMu drinks in the video is made from the leaves of a type of holly plant called ilex kaushue. This tea is known …

Deep Fried Cockroaches. Yum! Located about a 5-minute walk from JR Sakuragicho Station in the Kanagawa city of Yokohama, Chinjūya (珍獣屋, Rare Animal Shop) is an izakaya (Japanese tavern) that specializes in serving dishes made using insects and exotic meats. Earlier this month, Ricchan and Yocchi, two Japanese YouTubers from the popular YouTube channel BonBonTV went to this interesting izakaya …

Earlier this month (Mar. 6) the Japanese rock band, Grilled Meat Youngmans, known in part for their extensive catalog of food inspired songs, released a music video for “GARI-GARI-GARLICK,” a song from the group’s new limited release (only 500 copies) 2-track 500 yen single CD, Curry On, which was released on March 8th. In this new song, the Grill Meant …

One hardCORE drummer. Nyango Star (にゃんごすたー), an unofficial apple themed mascot character (yurukyara) for the city of Kuroishi in Aomori Prefecture, has been getting a lot of attention lately for possessing some truly impressive drumming skills. Heavy metal apple Most recently, the hard rocking apple got people talking after he appeared in a music video for a new song by …

Just a few creative ways to get fit. Exercise, we all have to do it but it can be so boring. If only exercising was more fun then more people might actually do it. Well, Japan has a whole lot of interesting exercise programs and unique dances that are sure to not only get you sweating but also leave you …