A customer ponders his choices in Animate Akihabara Electric Town is all too well known for the sale of its namesake on nearly every street corner. Yet while buying cheaper electronics and their indi…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 1 comment

There are a staggering number of unusual shops in Akihabara, the center of otaku culture. In fact, at Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan, a lot of gachapon (capsule-vending machines) are set up. (In some plac…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 2 comments

Since last year the folk from online magazine Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun (Hobonichi) have been building tree houses around Tohoku in areas like Kesennuma that were devastated by the 2011 disaster. Ping…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

On Jan. 23, the Chiba prefectural police announced that in 2013 there 724 reported cases of telephone swindling targeting older people, a phenomenon that is still referred to as ore-ore sagi (literal…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Despite its steep slopes, Mt. Fuji can be climbed up quite easily even by beginners, for it has signboards and mountain huts. Having said so, however, you will of course be confronted by the harsh co…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 2 comments

A series of tweets by a Japanese artist depicting the various female uniforms of different high schools in Aichi Prefecture has taken the internet by storm. Her charming illustrations are positively …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

It isn’t often that the words ‘gorgeous’ and ‘toothpick holder’ appear in the same sentence, but this is the most gorgeous toothpick holder we’ve ever seen. It’s unique base is carved so that when …

posted by  RamenRyan | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Hiroyuki Hirai has been here for 50 years, each day much the same as the last. He smells strongly of saltwater and cheap soap. His face is friendly and flat as a beaten coin. He chuckles a lot, espec…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 2 comments

Japanese candy is always a popular and striking pleasure for people around the world, but for the last few years these do-it-yourself candy kits have become all of the craze due to its unique exposur…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Seven leading Thai brands were chosen to showcase their innovative takes on traditional Thai craftsmanship at Slow Hand Design in Milan 2015. These brands specialize in various facets of furniture …

posted by  RamenRyan | 9 years, 3 months ago | 1 comment