Japan by Food and Shizuka head into the mountains of Nagano to explore Karuizawa, a historic highland resort just over an hour northwest of Tokyo, to see if it’s truly Worth The Trip. Join Shizuka as she strolls the iconic street food and rolls up her sleeves to make Nagano soba from scratch!
Source: Japan by Food
Typhoon No. 31 (In-Fa) was moving north-northwest over waters south of Japan as of 3 a.m. on November 3, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, with forecasts indicating that the storm will turn north and then northeast before becoming an extratropical cyclone east of Chichijima around November 7, posing little direct threat to mainland Japan but raising concerns about dangerous waves along the Pacific coast.
Kyoto City announced plans on November 2nd to introduce tougher regulations on private lodging facilities, including a requirement for staff to be stationed permanently inside the properties or in nearby buildings, as complaints from residents continue to rise over noise and disruptive tourist behavior.
Spanish authorities have confirmed that a Japanese national was among the 69 people killed in a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain on October 28, while Japanese officials are continuing efforts to establish the identities of victims following the disaster, which also left about 200 people injured.
Train services remain suspended on part of the JR Soya Line in Hokkaido on November 2 after a limited express train collided with a brown bear and derailed in Nakagawa on Saturday night, with replacement bus services beginning Monday morning between Asahikawa and Wakkanai.
Tokyo's Shibuya district was crowded with costumed revelers on October 31 as Halloween fell on a Saturday for the first time in six years, prompting the Metropolitan Police Department to deploy hundreds of officers and impose traffic restrictions around the area's famous scramble crossing.
Japan by Food and Shizuka head into the mountains of Nagano to explore Karuizawa, a historic highland resort just over an hour northwest of Tokyo, to see if it’s truly Worth The Trip. Join Shizuka as she strolls the iconic street food and rolls up her sleeves to make Nagano soba from scratch! (Japan by Food)
Bean sprouts, long regarded as one of Japan's most affordable and dependable vegetables, are becoming increasingly expensive as rising raw material costs and soaring energy bills push up production expenses, putting pressure on ramen shops and hot pot restaurants that rely heavily on the ingredient.
Hokuyo Bank has launched an agricultural initiative in Hokkaido aimed at addressing a growing shortage of farmers and agricultural workers, with bank employees taking to the fields themselves to gain practical experience and help aspiring farmers and businesses enter the industry through financial assistance, technical training, and hands-on guidance.
Egg prices in Japan have reached a new record high of 312 yen per pack, while imported beef and chicken thigh prices have also matched their previous peaks, adding to the growing burden on household food budgets.
Students at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a 100% plant-based creamy shrimp miso ramen that recreates the rich flavor of seafood without using shrimp or meat, offering a glimpse of a future in which people with different dietary restrictions can enjoy the same meals.
Japan's new rice harvest is reaching stores at significantly lower prices, with initial trading prices for the 2026 crop falling 42% from a year earlier and some supermarkets selling freshly harvested rice for around 2,000 yen per 5 kilograms, creating an unusual situation in which new rice is cheaper than older stocks.
Foreign business owners in Japan are facing growing financial pressure following a sharp increase in the capital required to obtain a business management visa, with an Indian curry restaurant in Shizuoka warning that it may be forced to close unless its sales quadruple.
A vibrant purple ingredient from the Philippines is gaining popularity around the world, with ube, a type of yam known for its mild sweetness and striking color, emerging as a potential successor to matcha in the global dessert market.
