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Elmo and Sesame Street-themed cafe now open in Harajuku
Themed cafes and pop-ups are the new bread and butter of Tokyo marketing. Following Sega’s Puyopuyo!! Quest cafe, the Sailor Moon cafe, and the Miffy cafe, this latest example turns to a foreign...
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Kirin Greeting Namacha campaign accused of racism
Oh, dear. A big Japanese corporation has done it again: made a marketing campaign that is causing offense to some. Kirin is promoting its recently relaunched tea product Namacha with a new online...
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S.H. Monster Arts Kou Kyou Kyoku Godzilla 1989 recreates rare kaiju look
As we get closer to the release of the new Japanese Godzilla movie, Godzilla Resurgence, this summer in domestic theaters, expect a heap of tie-in merchandise. So far, the best we have seen is the S.H....
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Tokyo Cheapo gives the lowdown on visiting the hedgehog cafe in Tokyo
This article by Lily Crossley-Baxter first appeared on Tokyo Cheapo. If cats and rabbits just don’t do it for you any more — how about a hedgehog? Roppongi’s latest animal cafe has these prickly...
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Japanese opposition politician mistakes British cartoon for Abe criticism
There is opportunism and then there is plain misunderstanding. A politician from the newly christened Democratic Party have seized on an overseas cartoon to support their belief that the other G7...
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Explore Edo in virtual reality
One of the big stories this year so far has been virtual reality. From a VR board game to virtual reality gaming centers around Tokyo, the fever will surely keep on building until the release of the...
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Kirin turns you into beer can voyeur
The latest bizarre marketing campaign by a Japanese beer brand purports to turn you into a voyeur spying on a beautiful girl’s life. Can Shiten shows the world from the perspective (“shiten” in...
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Archi-Depot opens, first museum in Japan for architecture models
As reported last year, Warehouse Terrada will officially open Japan’s first architecture model museum in Tokyo on June 18th. Exhibiting architecture is always difficult. Although there are regular...
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Restaurant and event space opens underneath Shimokitazawa railway viaduct
A new stage in the redevelopment of the beloved Setagaya district of Shimokitazawa includes a restaurant and event space opening under the railway tracks. In a similar way to how the western areas of...
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Go! Go! Second Time Gaijin mockumentary casts white man as Japanese...
Have you ever wanted to be something you physically can’t? Perhaps a world-class athlete? Or a top mountain climber? What about a member of another race? Moreover, an ultranationalist?! Go! Go! Second...
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Experience Zero Latency zombie game, virtual reality haunted temple in Tokyo
The virtual reality buzz in Tokyo continues to unfold. Following VR Zone Project i Can in Odaiba and Sky Circus in Ikebukuro, the latest virtual reality experience attractions in Tokyo are Zero Latency...
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JR East to redesign Harajuku Station
One of Tokyo’s most iconic railway stations is set to lose its beloved exterior and poky atmosphere. JR East plans to overhaul JR Harajuku Station with a new, larger station building and major changes...
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Mamoru Hosoda anime cafe opens in Tokyo
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time cafe will open at Guest Cafe and Diner inside Shibuya Parco, offering a menu inspired by director Mamoru Hosoda’s famous animes like Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy...
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Omnibot Charmy Baku Showtaro Comedian Robot is cheesy, but brilliant
The latest entry in Takara-Tomy’s series of Omnibot robotic toys is this Omnibot Charmy Baku Showtaro Comedian Robot, which functions like an alarm clock, joke-teller and household companion. Released...
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Self-drip pop-up coffee shop Minedrip Coffee opens on Shinjuku NEWoMAN rooftop
The third-wave coffee boom in Japan continues with Minedrip Coffee, which has opened on the rooftop of Shinjuku Lumine NEWoMAN. NEWoMAN, which itself only opened in March, already has an insanely...
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Bandai targets adult women with Tokyo Station character store
Bandai is targeting women in their twenties and thirties with its latest venture. Otona Joshi Biyori (literally, Adult Girls Beautiful Weather) will open on June 24th in Tokyo Character Street, a...
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Shibuya store cashes in on tourist boom with new Hachiko dog landmark
After already breaking records for inbound tourism last year, the government hopes to double the number to 40 million by 2020. So far this year, more than 10 million non-Japanese visitors have entered...
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Luxury tourist concierge services growing in Tokyo
Everything seems to be about tourism these days — and how to cash in on the boom. This has led to foreign-language-speaking staff and tax-free counters at major stores in Tokyo. We reported yesterday...
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Wise Owl Hostels Tokyo opens July with Eurasian eagle-owl
Animal cafes continue to develop in Japan. Not content with just cat cafes of all varieties, there are also cafes with rabbits and hedgehogs. One of the most popular types of animal cafe is the owl...
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Shiseido develops app that determines smile quality
Shiseido has developed an app that determines the quality of a smile. Shiseido is testing the software on 5,000 JAL flight attendants between July and September. The level of the female attendants’...
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