trip
How many of the top 20 most popular Japanese castles (according to TripAdvisor) have you been to?
Who wouldn’t want to have their own private island? Imagine being able to get away from the world whenever you liked, free yourself from the stress of the daily grind and just relax under the sun or the nighttime stars on the beach.
Well the best place to start looking for such a private island is Japan. There are lots of small uninhabited islands owned by real estate companies that you can buy one almost as easily as you’d buy a house.
We recently visited one such island for sale to see what it was like and decide whether we should start saving up our pennies to buy one ourselves—after all, Rocket Island has quite a nice ring to it. Read on to see what our trip there was like, and to see some of the surprises that we ran into.
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McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
Beautiful Sailor Moon manhole cover coasters being given out for free by Tokyo tourist center
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Hamster abandoned at Tokyo ramen restaurant gets new home
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
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- More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
- 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】- Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】- All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
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
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
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Kyoto creates new for-tourist buses to address overtourism with higher prices, faster rides
Yearly
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
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
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Hamster abandoned at Tokyo ramen restaurant gets new home
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
Mister Donut ready to make hojicha dreams come true in latest collab with Kyoto tea merchant
Häagen-Dazs’ triple cherry blossom mochi ice cream promises Japan an early taste of spring
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
One of Tokyo’s most famous meeting-spot landmarks is closing for good
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Fried sandwiches arrive in Tokyo, become hot topic on social media
New Japanese KitKat uses cacao grown in Tokyo
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