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December 22, 2024
 

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Angela Erika Kubo
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 30, 2014
Crackers from the briny deep courtesy of Calbee
Calbee has given its popular Kappa Ebisen snack a fancy makeover this month with the release of a gourmet-lobster-bisque-flavored version of the product (¥138).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 24, 2014
Pastries and sweets by Sangenjaya Station
Bonnet Dane is a long walk from Tokyo's Sangenjaya Station, and is a tiny shop with only a small selection of baked goods, but it makes up for any inconvenience in quality. Owner Hiroshi Ogihara spent 5½ years in Paris working at bakeries, patisseries and chocolate shops, and it shows. The croissants...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Dec 16, 2014
Zima gets a new look and a second chance
In Japan, a man can order a bottle of Zima at a bar and no one will make snide comments questioning his sexuality.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 16, 2014
Seven-Eleven comes out with a creamy treat
Seven-Eleven has been selling Cold Stone Creamery's ice cream since 2012, but the two took their partnership a step further by collaborating on a new series of candies that were released last week. One of the new treats you can find at Seven-Eleven stores across the country are chocolates inspired by...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 9, 2014
Christmas in Tokyo is pretty sweet
Just before the Halloween decorations were taken down and packed up, the signs advertising Christmas cakes went up. Bakeries, department stores and convenience stores all seem to have a corner for small cakes topped with whipped cream and tiny Santa Claus figurines. A traditional Japanese holiday feast...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 9, 2014
Organic chocolate-covered fruit snacks from Biople are a great gift idea
Biople by CosmeKitchen (biople.jp) has locations in Ogikubo, Odawara and Machida, and is known for a line of organic cosmetics. In addition to selling beauty products, the company also imports a growing selection of organic food, including tasty freeze-dried fruit covered in chocolate from Landgarten...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Dec 2, 2014
Get the taste of Brazil right at Caipirinha Bar
Even if you don't care for the nightclubs, rowdy bars and other delights of the Roppongi scene, Caipirinha Bar is one of those rare places that doesn't give off that general "Roppongi" feel that leads some patrons to take their drinking elsewhere. The bar, with its dim lighting and relaxing Brazilian...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 2, 2014
Pizza and chocolate are delicious, but not together
Pizza and chocolate are two delicious foods, but together they don't make for a tasty treat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 25, 2014
Little Pie Factory draws big crowds
The newly opened Little Pie Factory in Tokyo's Hiroo neighborhood (5-16-6 Minami-Azabu, Minato Ward) serves up tiny pies in all kinds of flavors from classic apple (¥380) to a savory turkey and mushroom (¥450). The turkey and mushroom variety is only available during the month of November. While the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Nov 18, 2014
Step into another era at Cafe Streamline
Leaving the tranquil streets of Tokyo's Daikanyama district and entering Cafe Streamline is like going back in time. The bar contrasts the modern architecture outside with antiques and old kitchen appliances cluttering the interior and soft jazz music playing on a radio. Then again, the bar counter and...
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 18, 2014
Popcorn flavors take ever stranger turns
Frito-Lay Japan releases some pretty weird flavors in its Mike Popcorn line. Earlier this year it was Indian butter chicken curry, while others have included seaweed wasabi, ponzu (citrus soy sauce) and salad. Its latest creation is maple butter (¥105), which has a subtle sweetness and tastes almost...
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 11, 2014
Donuts and ice cream united at last at Krispy Kreme
Two of life's greatest comfort foods — donuts and ice cream — come together at Krispy Kreme stores across the country, where you can top your warm honey-glazed donut with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and extra toppings, adding more calories to an already overly decadent dessert.
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 4, 2014
'Super Sour' Pringles pack an added punch
Pringles is true to its word when it describes its newly released dill pickle-flavored chips (¥152), released last week in convenience stores throughout Japan, as "Super Sour." Eating one of these chips is like reaching into a jar and biting into a juicy pickle flavored with plenty of the delicate...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Nov 4, 2014
Drunk Bat: Attune your sonar to this cozy craft-beer bar
Admittedly, the only reason craft-beer bar Drunk Bat in Mitaka caught my attention was because of its name. For English-speakers, it comes off as amusing; for Japanese speakers with only a few years of compulsory English education under their belt, it can be misheard as "Drug Bad," which leads to some...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 28, 2014
Croissant-muffin hybrid prepares to tackle the Cronut
Dominique Ansel's famous Cronut has inspired endless imitations in Japan, including a croissant taiyaki sold at Gindaco stands across the country, as well as other bizarre hybrid pastries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 21, 2014
Cinnabon joins the popcorn bandwagon
While popcorn may be one of the hottest snack trends in Japan right now, it's still unexpected that Cinnabon, of all places, started selling its own gourmet version this month. The popcorn comes packaged in small (¥380) and medium (¥750) sizes and can be found at the chain's Roppongi branch (Roppongi...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Oct 14, 2014
Craft beer on tap couldn't be simpler
Opened last month, Pump is the newest addition to Tokyo's continuously expanding craft-beer scene. The interior is clean and simplistic with unadorned concrete walls, spotless counters and tables and a stainless-steel wall behind the bar counter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2014
One Happy Turn snack deserves another (this time with ice cream)
While it is sad that the summer weather is more or less behind us, Meiji's latest product, Happy Turn Ice (¥130 plus tax) — an unlikely appropriation of its hugely popular Happy Turn rice crackers — is a good cause for cheer. Meiji mixes in the savory "Happy Powder" used to coat its rice crackers...
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 7, 2014
The popcorn craze continues at Clap Your Hands
Continuing Japan's craze for popcorn (of all things!), Hiroshima-based popcorn maker Clap Your Hands has opened its first Tokyo branch in trendy shopping district Shimokitazawa, far from Omotesando, where people currently line up for hours at KuKuRuZa and Garrett. Prices range from ¥300 to ¥350 for...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Sep 30, 2014
Unleash your inner fetishist at Tokyo's Shag
While the naming of newly opened Shag in Omotesando might cause sniggers among anyone familiar with British innuendo, the name — inspired by Sex, a boutique run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the 1970s — is fitting for a place that touts itself as Japan's first mainstream fetish nightclub....
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Ride-hailing restrictions to be eased during 2025 Osaka Expo
A venue for the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka
Foxconn's interest in Nissan said to be on hold amid Honda merger talks
Foxconn’s pause in its pursuit of Nissan is the latest development in the unexpected emergence of two suitors for the ailing Japanese carmaker.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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