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.
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)
A former gangster living as a fisherman, Miura encounters a young boy named Kōta who has lost his sight in an accident. Kōta, who also lost his parents in a traffic accident, had been taken in by an aunt and her family but suffered repeated abuse.
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.
Universal Studios Japan in Osaka unveiled on November 18th the Christmas show it will present during this year’s holiday season, opening the performance to members of the press and invited guests, and marking a shift in direction after retiring its traditional 30-meter-plus Christmas tree in the previous event to focus instead on a show-driven program.