When Mr. Sato asks you if you want to check out a band with him, you say yes. You don’t ask which band or check your schedule, you just say yes, because you know it’s going to be a good night. It also doesn’t hurt that I already knew he was talking about NINGEN ISU, whose name literally means “Human Chair,” a metal band in the vein of all our favorite old-school traditional metal heroes.
NINGEN ISU’s rise in popularity has been on a slow but powerful burn for decades, and with their upcoming performance at OzzFest this year, they are sure to be popping up on a quite a few radars. So check them out here now and get ready to tell your friends that you knew about these guys way back when!
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
McDonald’s Japan releases a pancake pie for new retro kissaten coffeeshop series
Mt. Koya planning to instate visitor’s tax to cope with huge tourist numbers
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Secret Kitchen bento serves Japanese flowers, birds, wind and moon in a box, but is it worth it?
Sakura tree falls on man at Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto 【Breaking News】
Japanese company starts project to restore Nakagin Capsules to capsule hotel
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Beautiful Ghibli sealing wax kits let you create accessories and elegant letter decorations【Pics】
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
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
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
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
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Secret Kitchen bento serves Japanese flowers, birds, wind and moon in a box, but is it worth it?
Sakura tree falls on man at Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto 【Breaking News】
Japanese company starts project to restore Nakagin Capsules to capsule hotel
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Beautiful Red and Blue Star luxury trains set to be Japan’s new Hokkaido travel stars
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
Non-ramen Ramen Restaurant Stars: The quest begins at Tokyo’s Oreryu Shio
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Beautiful Ghibli sealing wax kits let you create accessories and elegant letter decorations【Pics】
Kyoto’s 100 Demons yokai monster parade returns!
Super Nintendo World expansion gets delayed for several months at Universal Studios Japan
Votes are in! Taiwan chooses its top 5 girls’ school uniforms【Photos】
The 2023 Sanrio character popularity ranking results revealed