THE JAPAN NEWS
 
The government of Sumida Ward in Tokyo has started issuing a motorcycle license plate featuring works from ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai’s famous “Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji” series of landscape prints. The move is to celebrate the Nov. 22 opening of the Sumida Hokusai Muse...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
MATSUYAMA — A character based on the Japanese river otter from Susaki, Kochi Prefecture, won this year’s grand prix award for yurukyara mascots on Sunday, topping about 1,400 rivals representing local municipalities and businesses.
Shinjo-kun, which was inspired by the Japanese r...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
So-called スー女 (sūjo, women who are sumo devotees) are on the rise, joining the ranks of 格闘技女子 (kakutōgijoshi, women who go in for martial arts) who have gone mainstream.
Though 相撲 (sumō, sumo) and the culture surrounding it is still off-limits to women, a huge chunk of the...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Before Netflix. Before even HBO. Take a step back in time to the early days of television with this Vintage Taste 20-inch LCD Japanese Retro Television Screen by Doshisha.
It might look like one of those wacky chindogu gadgets from Thanko, but this is a genuine television mocked up...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO — Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, went to school Tuesday after being absent for a month and a half due to health reasons, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 14-year-old princess went to Gakushuin Girls’ Junior High School ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
FUKUOKA — A large sinkhole opened on a road in front of Hakata Station in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, at about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday.
The hole gradually became bigger. It measures up to about 15 meters deep, about 27 meters wide and about 30 meters long.
 
According to the Fukuoka City Tra...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
This month marks 30 years since the first episode of the anime Dragon Ball was originally broadcast in Japan. So what better excuse is there for a few pop-up cafes in Japan’s two major cities?
Three Dragon Ball Cafes will open inside branches of Tower Records — whose cafe spaces fr...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
Pikotaro still can’t believe it all. Two days before he sits down with The Japan Times, the performer saw that American DJ duo The Chainsmokers had changed their Twitter name to “Pineapple & Pen,” a nod to his song “PPAP.” That pair previously claimed YouTube’s most popular clip wit...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
The main funeral ceremony for Prince Mikasa, an uncle of Emperor Akihito who served as an officer in World War II and later spoke out about the importance of peace, was held Friday at a cemetery in Tokyo eight days after his death at the age of 100.
The ritual, called the renso no g...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Just when you thought the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen viral phenomenon was fading away, along came a widely reported press conference at the FCCJ in Tokyo to boost the ratings, and now news that Piko Taro’s annoyingly catchy tune has inspired its own cafe.
Created on a modest budget by...

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