Travel

Buyers at Tokyo City Flea Market are 90% Foreign Tourists

TOKYO, Dec 15 (News On Japan) - At Oi Racecourse, the Tokyo City Flea Market has emerged as an unlikely gathering spot for overseas visitors even though it is far from a standard sightseeing destination, with the walkways filled on recent weekends with a mix of languages that reflects how sharply foreign tourism patterns are shifting.

Shoppers told reporters that they learned about the market through TikTok and Instagram, saying short videos and posts led them there more effectively than maps or guidebooks.

Multiple shop owners interviewed across a range of stalls—selling everything from retro game consoles to sakeware and vintage paper goods—said more than 90% of their customers are foreigners, a pattern that appears consistent regardless of product category.

Source: 産経ニュース

Japan's Main Opposition CDP and Komeito Agree to Form New Party

Prime Minister Sanae Takaiichi formally informed senior ruling-party officials on the evening of January 15th of her intention to dissolve the lower house, pushing Japan decisively into full election mode, only for political dynamics to shift again the following day when the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito announced they had agreed to form a new political party.

Japanese Astronaut Yui Returns to Earth After Five Months on ISS

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui returned safely to Earth on January 15th, smiling and waving after completing more than five months aboard the International Space Station.

Hokkaido Shinkansen Sapporo Extension Delayed by 12 Years

The long-delayed extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo is facing further setbacks, with the opening now pushed back by more than a decade and total project costs projected to more than double, even as construction steadily advances on the ground.

Water Gushes From Kasumigaseki Station

Water erupted from near the ceiling of an underground passage inside Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station in Chiyoda Ward at around 6:00 p.m. on January 14th, in what the operator believes was caused by a burst water supply pipe.

Hokkaido to Ease Brown Bear Alerts

Hokkaido is set to relax the criteria for issuing its so-called “brown bear alert,” making it possible to release warnings even before human injuries occur, as the prefecture seeks to respond more flexibly to the early appearance of dangerous animals.

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