Rainy and humid June is the calm before the storm. That is, in terms of events and activities, it’s relatively quiet compared to May (what with its spring festivals) and July, which marks the start o…

posted by  Tanuki | 7 years, 11 months ago | 0 comments

Despite several high-profile gaffes in their 2020 Olympic preparations, Tokyo 2020 organisers reckon choosing the Games mascots will be child's play -- so much so they're leaving the decision to scho…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 1 comment

Since AKB has claimed Akihabara, Credit Saison has opted for the somewhat less iconic East Ikebukuro for its group, which comprises actual female employees of the credit card provider. Despite the na…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 0 comments

Tourists were given a rare treat Sunday when Kyoto’s Nishi Honganji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, opened its centuries-old Karamon gate for the first time in 34 years.

“This is my hometown bu…

posted by  Yubi | 7 years, 11 months ago | 0 comments

Legendary Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement from making feature-length films.

Miyazaki's production base, Studio Ghibli, said on Friday that he had begun working o…

posted by  Tanuki | 7 years, 11 months ago | 2 comments

People across Japan sweated it out in summer-like conditions, with temperatures on Saturday surpassing 30 degrees Celsius in some areas. Most observation points recorded their highest temperatures of…

posted by  Tanuki | 7 years, 11 months ago | 1 comment

PD-ANY is a new concept drone, “Don’t use a drone to carry your payload, turn your payload into a drone”. This unique and easily adaptable platform concept can be attached to virtually any item.It al…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 2 comments

Capybaras are typically described as the “world’s biggest rodent,” but their murine roots are rarely spoken of in Japan, where they are arguably the country’s favorite animal. According to recent dat…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 2 comments

Japan counts years using a system of era names. The current era is Heisei, which began when Emperor Akihito succeeded his father in 1989. A new era will begin when his heir takes the throne. This art…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 1 comment

According to the Foreign Language Institute, Japanese is classified as the most difficult language to learn for English speakers, as it requires 2,200 hours of classroom study to reach professional p…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 11 months ago | 0 comments