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 …

Japan just can’t get enough Snoopy. The Hokkaido city of Otaru will soon be home to the latest location of Snoopy Chaya (Snoopy 茶屋,  Snoopy Tea House), a popular chain of Japanese style cafes featuring food and decor based on Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip: Peanuts. When the Otaru Snoopy Chaya opens its doors on April 19, it will …

It’s that time of the year again. Although it may seem a bit strange given that people in Japan don’t celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, Black Friday is indeed a thing in Japan. Never one to ignore an opportunity to get people to spend money, over the past several years an increasing number of Japanese retailers have started participating …

Bet no one was expecting a not sexy okonomiyaki making robot. On Monday (Oct 23) the Tokyo-based animation production company DLE released the fifth and potentially final installment in their bizarre anime web series Henkei Shoujo (Transformation Girls) and like the previous four videos this one stars a Japanese high school girl with the ability to transform into a machine. …

Sexy legs and big boobs, she is the embodiment of every guy’s fantasy, right? From middle-aged eagle men to giant pink dog poops, Japankyo has covered a number of bizarre Japanese mascots in the past but the one we’ll be looking at today may just take the cake. Who is Paiko-chan?   The name of this bizarre mascot is Paiko …

The latest dance craze to hit Japan, the “omusubi.” Dance Studio Native, a dance studio located in the Hokkaido city of Sapporo has released a tasty new dance video based on one of Japan’s most delicious portable food, the  rice ball. Set to the tune of the hip hop song “Just Like That” by E-Rock & Clayon Willam, this carbohydrate-laden …

As long as it’s good sushi, who cares what it’s served on, right? Even if you’ve never heard of the term nyotaimori, odds are you’re familiar with what this word refers to. Composed of the kanji characters for “woman” (女), “body” (体) and “to heap” (盛り), this word refers to the act of eating sushi and/or sashimi of the body …

At least it wasn’t the bunhole… Unlike some other kinds of bread, hot dog buns are good for pretty much only one thing, putting hot dogs in. However, one Hiroshima college student doesn’t seem to have gotten this memo because according to police she tried to use one of these weiner covers as a way to smuggle marijuana into Japan. …

If you’re feeling a “little” hungry, then this YouTube channel is for you. Miniature Space is a very popular Japanese YouTube channel that since December of 2014 has been uploading cooking videos. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill cooking videos though. Yes, all of the videos on the channel show someone skillfully preparing delicious looking food. However, as one might expect given …

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).  …