Japan’s gaming culture is one of the world’s most influential. From tradition and technology to artistry and innovation, it blends these elements together to continue to inspire global entertainment.
When the sun dips below the horizon and paints the sky in shades of gold and crimson, Dubai's vast desert transforms into a playground for thrill-seekers and explorers.
IKKO, a talent and beauty professional, revealed on her Instagram account on December 1st that she had been hospitalized for facial nerve paralysis, a condition that left part of her face immobile.
The Fair Trade Commission issued a warning to four livestreamer management agencies after finding that performers on the Pococha streaming app were bound by contracts that restricted their activities, including clauses requiring them to refrain from livestreaming for a certain period after leaving their agency.
On December 14th at 4:30 p.m., a special program marking the 100th year since the start of the Showa era will air, focusing in particular on the more than six decades that defined the Showa period and revisiting Akita’s collective memories through archival footage from Akita Broadcasting and a trove of nostalgic photographs.
Technology may never sleep, and neither do modern casinos.
The severed remains of an infant less than one year old were discovered inside a freezer at an adult entertainment business office in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward on the night of December 6th, with subsequent investigations revealing that the entrance to the office had been left unlocked at all times.
Osaka’s Minami district, one of the busiest entertainment areas in Kansai, is grappling with a worsening garbage problem as the sharp increase in foreign visitors coincides with a rise in litter throughout the area, and when the reporting team walked through the neighborhood last week they found trash piling up in abandoned bicycle baskets and food containers tossed into alleyways just off the main shopping streets.
A new feature-length animated adaptation of Peleliu — Guernica in Paradise — is coming to theaters, built on a collaboration with Mone Kamishiraishi, who performs the theme song titled “A Miracle-like Thing.” The story is based on the brutal Battle of Peleliu, where only 34 soldiers survived out of an estimated 10,000, and is being released to coincide with the 80th year since the end of the war, offering a depiction of friendship forged in the midst of devastating conflict.
Japan and Saudi Arabia moved to strengthen cooperation in the entertainment sector as officials and industry representatives gathered in Tokyo on December 2nd for a bilateral forum that highlighted new avenues for cultural exchange, including competitive gaming among high school students.
Universal Studios Japan launched its annual Christmas event on November 19th, offering visitors a lineup of character greetings, seasonal foods, and a large-scale nighttime show designed to highlight the spirit of the holiday season.
The average budget for Christmas gifts in 2025 is set to rise from 2024 as so-called age-less toys gain popularity, according to a survey released on December 2nd by the Japan Toy Association on toys people hope to give to their children or grandchildren.
Superman is suddenly appearing far more often at Japan’s biggest cosplay events—from Ikebukuro Halloween to Comiket—and not in a casual or ironic way.
A fire broke out recently in Kyoto’s Pontocho district, yet despite the area’s narrow alleyways and tightly packed wooden buildings, the damage was limited to the complete loss of a single establishment with no injuries reported.
Today we cover some happy news from the kabuki world, and look back at the history of an important modern kabuki family! (Kabuki In-Depth)
A fire broke out on the night of November 29th in Kyoto’s busy Pontocho entertainment district, prompting a large-scale evacuation as flames spread from one restaurant to neighboring buildings.
Christmas stalls and German winter dishes have filled Odori Park since November 21st, as the annual “Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo” opened in celebration of the long-standing sister-city relationship between Sapporo and Munich.
With the release of his second studio single, Space Race, we get another glimpse into the shining star of Little Mick, and what makes him tick.
A new local production in Kitanakagusuku Village is shining a light on the little-known life of Taro Higa, the Nisei from Hawaii who led efforts after the war to send pigs to Okinawa, even as his contributions have long remained overshadowed and largely forgotten.
The annual “Kichirei Kaomise Kogyo” Kabuki program, a long-established event that signals the arrival of the year’s end in Kyoto, is set to begin shortly, and Minami-za in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward held its traditional “maneki-age” ritual on November 26th, raising wooden signboards bearing the names of the performers.
Arashi will hold the opening concerts of its final nationwide dome tour in Sapporo in March 2026, sending hotel bookings soaring across the city and raising concerns that the spike in accommodation prices will affect university entrance examinees arriving for crucial tests on March 12th.
In this week's video, we focus on the September production at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka! (Kabuki In-Depth)
Tensions between Japan and China have escalated rapidly following remarks by Prime Minister Takaichi in the Diet regarding a potential contingency involving Taiwan, prompting Beijing to introduce a series of countermeasures including a call for citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan, with the impact already spreading across the Kansai region’s economy.
Kusama Richard Keita (29) has announced that he is leaving the idol group Aぇ! group. Kusama, who made his debut with the group in May 2024, decided to withdraw after being arrested in October in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on suspicion of exposing his lower body, a case that later led to a summary indictment on charges of public indecency.
A series of arrests involving Japanese nationals overseas is drawing renewed attention to the expansion of special fraud rings, with on-the-ground reporting in Cambodia revealing the presence of hidden power brokers whose influence is believed to extend into the country’s political establishment. As scam groups establish bases across Southeast Asia, new details are emerging about how these networks operate and why Japanese citizens have become prime targets.