Mar 25, 2025 (Japan by Food) - Welcome to Tokyo’s newest attraction: Grand Hammer! This mega complex in Shinbashi has it all, including dining options to cultural activities from across Japan and a relaxing floor with a sauna and massage chairs (both open 24/7), as well as stylish karaoke, a rooftop BBQ, geisha, and... a club?
Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.
Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) is expected to make landfall near Ibaraki Prefecture between around 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 11, bringing rapidly strengthening winds, high waves and heavy rain to parts of Kanto and southern Tohoku, with unsettled weather potentially continuing even after the storm moves inland.
Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.
The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.
Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.
Japan's cat cafes, now numbering around 300 nationwide, trace their origins to Neko no Jikan in Osaka's Nakazaki-cho district, where founder Yoko Yoshida combined the quiet atmosphere of a manga cafe with the companionship of cats to create what is regarded as the country's first cat cafe in 2004.
We explore the streets around Nishiki Market, stroll through Teramachi and Shinkyogoku, take a sweet break, and slow down beside the Kamo River before ending the day with a bowl of ramen that is anything but ordinary.
Water spinach, a heat-resistant leafy vegetable that can cost about half as much as spinach and be regrown at home from leftover stems, is attracting attention in Japan as households look for affordable ways to cope with rising summer vegetable prices.
A banana grower in Okinawa is working to transform the fruit into a major local industry after recognizing the potential of a market that depends almost entirely on imports despite strong consumer demand.
Shipments of Kyotango Melons, a luxury fruit known for its juicy texture and refined, rich sweetness, have reached their seasonal peak in Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture.
Wasabi, an essential condiment on Japanese dining tables, is seeing rising demand as its popularity grows among foreign consumers drawn to its distinctive flavor and ability to enhance food.
A cafe where visitors can interact with nine giant dogs weighing more than 50 kilograms each is set to open next week in Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, offering close encounters with the animals as well as dining excursions accompanied by a favorite dog.
A tiny aquatic plant known as wolffia is emerging as a potential next-generation protein source, offering rapid growth, high nutritional value and a significantly smaller environmental footprint than soybeans or beef.
