We’ve talked before about the oddities of how Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, goes about collecting its fees from ordinary citizens. Rather than sending you an official bill in the mail, collectors will come to your door and ask you for a stack of cash to cover the 13,600 yen (US$133) Japanese residents are technically supposed to pay.
However, many people refuse to pony up the money, since there’s no official penalty for nonpayment, and many feel that NHK’s programming is sub-par and rarely watch it. However, should you make one particular NHK collector walk away empty-handed, he just might mark your house for all to see, as he apparently did to one person we talked to.
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
Red light district sushi restaurant in Tokyo shows us just how wrong we were about it
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Pokémon Sleep camping suite and guestrooms coming to Tokyo Hyatt along with giant Snorlax burgers
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market site to be redeveloped with 50,000-seat stadium, hotel, shopping center
Beautiful Red and Blue Star luxury trains set to be Japan’s new Hokkaido travel stars
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to the menu for a limited time
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Mt. Koya planning to instate visitor’s tax to cope with huge tourist numbers
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?
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
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
Beautiful Red and Blue Star luxury trains set to be Japan’s new Hokkaido travel stars
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to the menu for a limited time
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Mt. Koya planning to instate visitor’s tax to cope with huge tourist numbers
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
Sailor Moon character outfits modeled on high-fashion designs【Pics】
Japanese shiitake mushroom snacks from Don Quijote, created for people who don’t like mushrooms
Toyota built a life-sized Miraidon Pokémon and are letting people test drive it this weekend
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
World famous shadow artist shines a light on Tohoku relief【Art】
Japan’s Baby Bird Reincarnation sofa bed — So cozy you won’t want to go back to being a human?
We talk about everything except music with visual kei rock legends Fantastic Circus【Interview】