JAPAN TRENDS
 
Makoto Shinkai’s anime Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) has been the biggest film of the year in Japan, so it was surely only a matter of time before we had some spin-off cafes.
These tie-in spaces have become one of the most popular forms of marketing for franchises and character series ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
Narita Airport is crowded on Thursday as travelers head overseas on their year-end and New Year vacations. A seasonal peak of about 50,000 outbound vacationers were expected to depart from the airport on the day.
The flow of returning travelers is expected to peak on Jan. 3. Toky...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
Hit manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure meets casual fashion in the form ofstylish sneakers. 
Yes, the popular comic series known affectionately as “JoJo” by fans has once again been turned into a line of attractive merchandise, this time in collaboration with American footwear brand Con...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday drew prompt criticism from Japan’s two closest neighbors, with South Korea condemning it as “deplorable” and summoning a Japanese diplomat to lodge its protest.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry c...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Asics Japan will open a new sports facility in spring 2017 in Sumida, east Tokyo.
Suggestions for the future facility’s name are currently being accepted by the general public until mid-January. It is being touted as a “sustainable community space” that will feature a riverside caf...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
The actor, film director, TV host and comedian Takeshi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi) has met with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. There would be nothing news-worthy about that in itself, except for the fact that Kitano arrived dressed up as President-elect Donald Trump.
Kitano met with Ko...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
Now there are two Michelin-starred ramen restaurants in the capital, and we lined up to try the signature dish from the latest award-winning eatery.
Last December, Tsuta made international headlines after it became the world’s first-ever ramen restaurant to be awarded a prestigious ...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Here is a first look at the concept art for Super Nintendo World, set to open in Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, in 2020.
Universal Studios and Nintendo have partnered to create new attractions at parks in California and Florida, though the Japan park is not being left behind. USJ ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
OSAKA — The Asia and Pacific Trade Center (ATC), which attracts foreigners visiting Japan from China and other countries, started a “Robot Street” event on Saturday at a commercial complex in Osaka.
“Bilingual” humanoid robots wait on customers at the event and answer questions i...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
KYOTO — These days, I have been getting more and more chances to experience the internet of things (IoT), which means internet-connected devices and objects that can be controlled remotely.
Recently I visited an experimental “smarthouse” at Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto that, ...

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