JAPAN TRENDS
Kagawa prefecture on Shikoku island, famed for its udon noodles, has found another way to turn its popular food to good use — power.
Chiyoda Manufacturing in Takamatsu City has announced “udon power generation” in which waste udon noodles are fermented to make methane gas, which is t...

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JAPAN TRENDS
This is sure to get fans of Sanrio’s popular feline character super excited.
Behold, folks, the Hello Kitty Color Contact Lens, a pair of violet-colored contacts with the Hello Kitty character decorating them in a cute circle of cat faces and hearts.
Needless to say, these are not co...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang will be arriving in Roppongi in March 2016.
The Snoopy Museum, the second in the world, is opening in Roppongi for a limited two and a half years.
It will be located near the Roppongi Hills development and exhibit the original dr...

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ROCKET NEWS
If you forgot to stop by your local Hot Topic store to check out their very cute Studio Ghibli collection, go soon, because it’s all on sale now!
However, keep in mind that those pieces are so last season.
If you’re more of a fashion-forward Ghibli fan, you’ll be happy to hear that a ...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Henn na Hotel (literally, “Strange Hotel”) has opened in Sasebo, Nagasaki.
The unashamedly quirky accommodation carries the slogan “A commitment for evolution”, since apparently our hotels in the future will be staffed by robotic dinosaurs.
“What we have strove to achieve with Henn-n...

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JAPAN NEWS
By Mieko Furuoka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
“Wow, the cat is turning around.” “It’s always lots of fun here.” Small children frolicked with delight in a toilet at Shinseiwadai Kindergarten in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture. This was understandable, because this particular toilet is as...

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ROCKET NEWS
More often than not, stories and franchises start as manga in Japan and, if they become popular enough, you will see them evolve into an anime, musical, or sometimes even a live-action versions. While it is great to see our favorite stories presented in different formats, viewers will...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Japan can often seem like a bookstore fan’s dream come true.
From T-Site in Daikanyama and Shonan to hipster faves like B&B (Beer and Book) in Shimokitazawa, the city is full of unusual and stylish bookshops.
Now that “B&B” has evolved to “book and bed”.
Book and Bed Tokyo opens in S...

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JAPAN TRENDS
After wowing hipsters the world over with the first T-Site in Tokyo’s upmarket Daikanyama district three years ago, Tsutaya continues its quest to stop being the Blockbuster of Japan and be taken seriously as a sophisticated retailer: Shonan T-Site opened in mid-December, a complex o...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Another season, another overseas retailer or brand tries to crack Japan.
This time it’s Accessorize, a retailer who will be very familiar to British readers as a leading fashion accessories retail chain.
On October 16th, Accessorize opened its first standalone outlet in Asia with a n...

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