News On Japan

Unko Museum Opens in Okinawa to Wash Away Dirty Image

NAHA - The Unko Museum, a popular interactive attraction that has drawn more than two million visitors worldwide, opened in Okinawa on September 21st at Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom. The colorful and pop-themed venue seeks to overturn the traditional perception of unko (poop) as dirty, instead presenting it as something fun and cute.

The Okinawa branch is the third domestic location after Tokyo and Nagoya, with earlier events also held in China and Australia. Inside, visitors can enjoy about 20 interactive contents, including the ‘Unko Arcade,’ where poop-shaped objects spout out of a giant installation, and the ‘Unko Shout,’ in which participants yell the word unko and see it appear on screen in proportion to their volume.

At the pre-opening event on September 20th, local kindergarten children were invited to test the attractions, screaming with delight as they shouted and played. Organizers said the museum is designed as a space where people of any age, gender, or nationality can set aside stereotypes and enjoy themselves freely.

The project is produced by a group also involved in managing professional soccer club FC Ryukyu. A representative noted that they aim to collaborate with Okinawan companies and boost excitement across the entire region through this initiative.

With its bold, colorful design and shareable content, the museum is expected to appeal not only to families and children but also to women and men alike, with strong potential to go viral on social media. The Unko Museum Okinawa officially opens on September 21st.

Source: 沖縄ニュースOTV

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Toyota Motor will begin operating fully autonomous taxis in 2027 through a partnership with U.S. self-driving technology company Waymo, marking a major step in the Japanese automaker's efforts to expand driverless transportation services.

Mount Fuji has received its first snowcap of the season, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced on October 30, after temperatures at the summit plunged to minus 9.4 degrees Celsius, marking the arrival of winter conditions on Japan's highest mountain.

U.S. intelligence agencies suspect that a Chinese female intelligence operative developed a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in an attempt to obtain confidential corporate and U.S. government information, according to a report published by The New York Times on October 29th.

The Japanese government has asked major telecommunications operators to forcibly block access to websites believed to contain personal information stolen in a cyberattack on GMO, it emerged on October 29th, as authorities moved to prevent further exposure of sensitive data online.

Typhoon No. 31 was located near Minamitorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean, as of 3 a.m. on October 30, and was expected to approach the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo over the October 31-November 1 weekend while maintaining very strong intensity, bringing a growing risk of dangerously high waves, powerful swells and extremely rough seas.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Entertainment NEWS

Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator behind globally popular franchises including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, reflected on nearly 50 years of game development after being named a recipient of Japan's 2026 Order of Culture in October, revealing how Mario's original gameplay emerged from a simple idea and why he believes artificial intelligence could encourage a deeper understanding of human creativity.

Japanese flea market app operator Mercari opened an exhibition in Tokyo's Harajuku district on October 28, recreating the rooms of fictional overseas fans of Japanese anime, manga and other pop culture to highlight how ordinary secondhand goods in Japan have become treasured collectibles around the world.

Aggregated user ratings, review platforms, and community scorecards provide initial direction for Western singles seeking connections across Eastern Europe.

Tetsuya Chiba, the acclaimed manga artist best known for the popular boxing series "Ashita no Joe" and the first manga creator to receive Japan's Order of Culture, died on October 22 at a hospital in Tokyo from myelodysplastic syndrome, a disorder affecting blood cell production. He was 87.

Japanese singer-songwriter ano has revealed the personal message behind her new song "23ji" (11 PM), which became the ending theme for TBS's nightly news program News23 in October, saying she hopes the music reaches people who feel excluded from society and reminds them that even days without visible achievements are not meaningless.

The view is partly hidden by a reflection: a sleeve, the edge of a seat, and a faint strip of light inside a train. Outside, rain softens the buildings into darker shapes. I would use that quiet moment as the beginning of a proposed travel film inspired by an evening rail journey in Japan.

A long-running legal battle between two nearly identical Japanese mascots, Chiitan and Shinjo-kun, is heading to the Supreme Court after the city of Susaki in Kochi Prefecture announced on October 21 that it had appealed a ruling ordering it to pay 18.87 million yen in damages to the operator of Chiitan.

Hashimoto Rina (橋本梨菜) is a gravure model and idol. She is an original member of sherbet and a former member of SKETCH.