Sleep is likely to be in short supply this month as the country follows Japan’s progress in the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany. As the team heads to Europe, Jon Day asks national captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto what the stalwart defender hopes to take away from soccer’s glamorous tournament. When Japan’s first game at the…

JR East’s largest in-station shopping area “Gransta Tokyo” opened on Monday the 3rd of August, 2020. 66 stores opened in the new area around the north passage of Tokyo station. With the existing 87 stores already in the area, a total of 153 stores will be available. “Try New Tokyo St” features an unprecedented in-station…

100% Domestically-grown vegetables – No chemical seasonings – Zero additives REPUBLI9, founded with the mission of “Connecting families through gyoza and wrapping the world with a smile”, has created a vegan dumpling with excellent flavor and nutritional balance. Packed with vegetables and high-quality soybean protein, “Tokyo Vegan Gyoza 1.0” is now on sale. Currently, it…

In amongst a sprinkling of dots in the Pacific Ocean is a sub-tropical island whose ivory shores will lead the insouciant, this July, to secluded emerald-green coves which, as the sun bids its daily adieu, transform into inlets of fire – epitomizing the warmth, vibrancy, depth and serenity of all that is Okinawa. MOTHER TONGUE…

Enjoy authentic KANI(crab) cuisine in a traditional Japanese atmosphere. KANI Doraku is a long-established crab specialty restaurant celebrating 60 years of serving delicious dishes that bring out the best of each ingredient. Featuring delicacies such as snow crab, king crab, and horsehair crab. They serve a variety of crab dishes including their specialty KANISUKI (crab…

In an ecological bid to counter the effects of the concrete jungle, city green space takes to the rooftops. Tokyoites are likely sweating the summer months to come for good reason. The number of hours that the city broils above the 30-degree Celcius mark has more than doubled in recent years. Temperatures will hang —…

The kimono is one of Japan’s most iconic symbols, its colors and designs exemplifying Japanese cultural sensibilities and aesthetics. Lesser known, however, is that, the kimono originated as an undergarment. The predecessor to today’s kimono is a robe called the kosode (literally, “small sleeve openings”). The kosode first came into its own as an outer…

Looking after a bonsai is not as simple as it first appears, writes Jonathon Walsh. If you think bonsai is nothing more than a baby tree parked in a pot, think again. In fact, dig a little deeper into this ancient Japanese hobby and you will see that there is much more to bonsai than…

In December 2019, Watami Co. Ltd. established a joint venture with the Kagoshima-Kamichiku Group. On Saturday, May 16th 2020, they established Kamimura BBQ, a yakiniku business specializing in wagyu beef, the pride of Japanese cuisine at the highest cost-performance. It opened in Kamata, Ota ward in Tokyo. On the 23rd of June, they will expand…

Japan’s tennis hot shot is continuing a career in which she’s risen from strength to strength. J SELECT found Ai Sugiyama courtside to talk about her recent volley into the women’s world top ten ranking. When people discuss Japanese professional athletes who have made an impact on the world stage, it’s usually names like Matsui,…