Could this be Tokyo’s “smartest” bar? Takashi Nomura loves science. For many years he worked as a researcher specializing in developmental biology. And yet, today he is the owner of a bar in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Why did a scientist decide to open a bar? And what makes his bar unique? In this JapanKyo Docs video Nomura talks about his …

One day Aya decided to start a bar. It ended up being one of the best decisions of her life. Aya is the owner of Urue, a lesbian bar located in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district. She’s a talkative and cheerful person who seems to truly enjoy what she does. However, this wasn’t always the case. For many years Aya dealt with …

A brief overview of dementia in Japan. With about a third of Japan’s population aged 65 or older and no signs of this number going down anytime soon, Japan is having to deal with a long list of pressing issues that are stemming from its rapidly aging population. Perhaps one of the most pressing of these issues is how to …

“Aged maguro” sounds so much better than “old tuna.” When it comes to sushi and sashimi, many say that for the best taaste you should use the absolute freshest fish. However, when it comes to maguro (tuna), apparently, this isn’t necessarily the case. At a press conference on Thursday (Nov. 7) the popular kaiten-zushi (“revolving sushi”) chain Kura Sushi (Kura-Zushi) announced that …

Who needs revolving raw fish, when you can have revolving raw meat? A restaurant in Tokyo has opened that has combined the conveyor belt part of conveyor belt sushi with the raw meat part of hotpot. Called Ichi (full name: Hitori Shabu-shabu Ichi, or Solo Shabu-shabu Ichi), this interesting new restaurant opened on October 23 in the busy Shinjuku area …

The most lethal bowl of udon & rice you’ve ever eaten. These days it seems like everyone is talking about eating healthy and watching one’s calorie intake. This is the case even in Japan. However, it looks like one Japanese restaurant chain has decided to rebel against this trend because they have given birth to a new menu item which …

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 …