When I was first in Japan I was texting a female friend who was studying in the same class as me. I told her that I had a Japanese exam coming up. I was expecting a 頑張れ message but instead I got a sm…

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

Blu-rays for "Yuri!!! on Ice" are finally on sale, however, it looks like fans would need to make a quick trip to Japan to buy it. Avex Pictures, the publisher behind hit anime series like "Osomatsu-…

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

It's been getting easier for foreign travelers to rent a car in Japan. Some places even have car navigation systems that support English. This post explains in detail how you can rent a car while tra…

posted by  Tanuki | 8 years, 8 months ago | 2 comments

I have seen news reports on increasing PM 2.5 levels in early spring, due to the winds that blow from the East carrying them from China. Is this a serious issue? Should we worry or take care?

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 8 months ago | 3 comments

Put together by director Rupert Sanders and screenwriters Jamie Moss and Ehren Kruger, it looks like we can expect a big ol' mashup of influences, plot points, premises and themes from all across the…

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

When was the last time you let loose and just drew out whatever was in your mind? Sometimes, we all need a little freedom to engage in the pure joy of expression, whether it’s a quick sketch or simpl…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 8 months ago | 2 comments

Last year Saikai Toki, and Nagasaki-based ceramics company that specializes in hasami ware, decided to renovate their main shop and showroom. And in doing so, they’ve turned the entire structure into…

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

With major exhibitions opening in Japan and North America this year, 87-year-old Kusama Yayoi, known for her “obsessive” repetition of polka dots and reticulated patterns, is one of the most widely a…

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

For $2,500, you could score a deal on a round-trip business class ticket to Europe...or eat 12 ounces of beef.

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

In December, the Tokyo High Court upheld the Tokyo Immigration Bureau’s decision to deport 17-year-old Utinan Won from Japan, the country he was born and raised in his entire life.

Despite the court’…

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