Tokyo jeweler Ginza Tanaka is offering a life-size Darth Vader mask made of 24-karat gold at a hefty price of 154-million yen ($1.9-million) to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the first S…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

With Tokyo Olympics coming up, one of the hot topics is that the International Olympic Committee and the WHO have agreed that they should promote a smoke-free Olympics, in order to protect against se…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

Thirty-year-old Kisenosato Yutaka finally ascended to sumo’s highest rank in January this year, after claiming his maiden top-division championship. In doing so, he became the first Japanese to be pr…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

Kiyohiko Azuma is a manga artist perhaps best known for his series Yotsuba&! about the naïve 5-year old Yotsuba who humorously stumbles her way through life. Stylistically, Yotsuba is always draw…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 1 comment

Soy Sauce is said to have originated in China and then brought over to Japan by a Buddhist monk who settled down in current-day Wakayama Prefecture in 1254. Using the abundance of clear, spring water…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

Taizo Son onstage at Tech in Asia’s Startup Asia conference 2014.

Southeast Asia has a new billionaire, and he wants to invest in unconventional startups who can help him reimagine city living.

Taizo…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 1 comment

The Japanese tradition of furoshiki is an important one. These beautiful square clothes are used for any number of functions, but they’re probably most easily recognized as the fabric used for wrappi…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 1 comment

Chicago-born Curtis Patterson has lived in Japan since 1986, dedicating himself to the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument something like the harp. In addition to composing and performing music f…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

I saw this news story on mainstream media today:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/02/national/social-issues/kochi-mountain-village-may-adopt-direct-democracy-system-council-population-slides/…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments

East Japan Railway's new luxury sleeper train has departed on its first journey from Tokyo.

The 10-car "Train Suite Shiki-shima" left Ueno Station carrying 33 passengers on Monday.

It will travel aro…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 6 months ago | 0 comments