Kura Sushi to Open Largest-Ever Outlet at Osaka Expo

Lawson plans to cut prices on its main line of onigiri rice balls by 10 yen from September 29 as falling rice prices begin to feed through to retail costs.

Athletes competing in the Asian Games will be served around 370 dishes ranging from Asian-style curries and chicken dishes to Nagoya specialties such as chicken wings and kishimen noodles, with menus also designed to accommodate religious and dietary requirements.

A new type of fraud in which scammers pose as real farmers and advertise seasonal fruit at unusually low prices has been detected in the Kansai region, with police warning consumers to verify sellers through official websites before making purchases.

Shizuoka Prefecture has regained its position as Japan's leading producer of first-flush tea, overtaking Kagoshima Prefecture for the first time in two years as favorable weather and growing demand for matcha helped boost production.

Skylark Holdings is preparing to introduce "ghost restaurants" that operate without dining areas and specialize in delivery and takeout as Japan moves toward lowering the consumption tax rate on food.

Climate change is reshaping Hokkaido's fishing and agricultural industries, contributing to declining salmon and pink salmon catches while allowing crops such as sweet potatoes, once considered unsuitable for large-scale production in Japan's far north, to take root.

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.