It’s quite normal to hear news of someone graffiting pieces of world heritage and feel a sense of outrage, but Kyoto’s Tandenan Temple actually encourages such scrawl. Our writer Masami grabbed a sharpie and went to check it out.
wish
On 7 July, Tanabata kicks off in many parts of Japan. It’s an annual festival season which celebrates the stars Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers who are separated by the Milky Way except for this brief moment on the seventh day of the seventh month.
A popular custom during this time for young and old is to write down a wish on a strip of paper and hang it from a bamboo plant. However, as the years go by it seems that fewer and fewer people are going out to make wishes. This is why Calpis Co. Ltd. has decided to spark up interest in bamboo wishes by launching a study of their effectiveness.
It pays to keep a keen eye on Japan’s Yahoo! Auctions every once I a while. You’ll never know when you can get a personal live performance form your favorite band, or the opportunity to hire them to clean your home.
So imagine our surprise when the chance to have the Dragon God, Shenlong, from the Dragon Ball series for one day went under the hammer! And in this deal you aren’t limited to one wish like in the manga, you can make as many as you want.
MOST POPULAR
Now
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Tokyo’s most famous arcade announces price increase, fans don’t seem to mind at all
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Time to vote for your favourite in Japan’s Sanrio Character Curry Election
Arrest proves a common Japanese saying about apologies and police
Final homework assignment from dearly departed teacher will bring you to tears
Weekly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community- Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
- Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】- Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
- More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
Monthly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Yearly
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Time to vote for your favourite in Japan’s Sanrio Character Curry Election
Arrest proves a common Japanese saying about apologies and police
Final homework assignment from dearly departed teacher will bring you to tears
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
The fastest mochi maker in Japan reveals secrets of his technique【Video】
Tokyo company’s HQ has indoor rice paddies, grows more than 200 types of vegetables【Video】
Our reporter takes her 71-year-old mother to a visual kei concert for the first time
After 10 years of secrecy, anime song duo ClariS finally remove their masks and show their faces
Genuine Muramasa blade and Muromachi katana on display at Tokyo’s Touken Ranbu store【Photos】
Legendary shojo manga classics get reprints as miniature capsule toys with full-volume contents
-
