For a sport renowned for bruising runs and thumping tackles, the mascots for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan are on the softer side.

Described as mythical, lion-like creatures that "bring happiness…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

Government figures show the number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high of more than 1.27 million last year.

The labor ministry said on Friday that 1,278,670 foreigners worked at Japanese co…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

People on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido are making the most of the frigid weather by taking part in a fun event on a frozen lake.

The annual winter festival on Lake Shikaribetsu in the tow…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc. said it will use its own capital to reimburse customers who lost money in Friday’s $400 million theft.

The Tokyo-based company will repay all 260,000 u…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

Tokyo’s ambulance service experienced its busiest day in more than 80 years, officials said Thursday, amid icy conditions as the Japanese capital shivers through its coldest temperatures in decades.

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

tarting Monday, Tokyo Metro Co. will experiment with playing background music on their trains in a bid to provide a more comfortable travel experience for passengers. The background music will be pla…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

First, scientists plant and grow banana trees in an environment kept at negative 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, the team thaws and replants them. The change in temperature encourages the plants to rapi…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

What happens to someone's land when the owner dies? In Japan, no one knows. In fact, no one knows who owns more than 10 percent of the nation's landmass -- about 16,000 square miles, equivalent to th…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

Miitomo, Nintendo's initial entry into the world of smartphone apps, is shutting down. Nintendo has announced that it will stop selling Miitomo coins, the in-app currency, today, and service will end…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments

Japan’s financial regulator is in no hurry to follow the U.S. and enable the listing of futures contracts linked to cryptocurrencies, according to a senior Financial Services Agency official with dir…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 7 months ago | 0 comments