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Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo Updated forecast says a burst of warm weather, with more sun to come, will be speeding up cherry blossom buds’ development.

Tokyo is getting its cherry blossoms extra early this year, updated Japan sakura forecast says.

Live-action One Piece’s Luffy teaches Sesame Street’s Elmo a Japanese word for friendship[Video] Aspiring pirate kings share hugs with each other and a bit of Japanese culture with the world.

Sesame Street's Elmo and the live-action One Piece's Luffy officially become nakama as they teach the world what that Japanese word means.

Is Starbucks Japan’s new Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino suitable for adults? Tiny Frappuccino is designed for young girls, so we find out if it's too sweet for adults. 

Starbucks' Japan-only Girls' Day Frappuccino is made for tiny hands, but can it please grown-up taste buds?

One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean After keeping secret for nearly 30 years, Eiichiro Oda has written it down on a paper, put that paper in a chest, and tossed it into the sea, where it remains even now.

One Piece's creator revealed one of the series' biggest secrets...and then he hid it at the bottom of the real-world ocean.

Sakuramochi festival sweetens things up at Tokyo’s Seibu Ikebukuro this season One of Tokyo's biggest shopping areas is giving you the chance to try 19 kinds of the traditional spring sweet spanning two major regional differences.

It's East vs. West as 19 kinds of sakura mochi gather for a spring sweets spectacular in Tokyo!

Is Tokyo Station’s startlingly expensive wagyu bento boxed lunch worth its high price?[Taste test] The Yukifuri Wagyu Obanazawa Sirloin and Rib Loin Steak Rice Box has a long name, a high price, and our stomach’s interest.

Is Tokyo Station’s startlingly expensive wagyu bento boxed lunch worth its high price?[Taste test]

Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026 Sakura is usually associated with the colour pink, so why is this collection so blue?

Starbucks turns Japan's most famous pink flowers blue for new sakura drinkware collection.

Kyoto raises hotel accommodation tax to fight overtourism, travelers could pay up to 10 times more Higher rates now in effect, projected to bring in more than 7 billion yen in extra revenue.

Kyoto's increased hotel guest taxes, raised to fight overtourism, are now in effect.

Sakura Festival in Chiyoda mixes illuminations, boats, music, and Rilakkuma in the heart of Tokyo Celebrate the fleeting cherry blossom season with a plethora of things to do right around the Imperial Palace.

Sakura festival is about to get started in one of Tokyo's best cherry blossom spots!

Chance to play Teris on a massive staircase in Kyoto Station coming in March The one time you won’t get in trouble for playing on the stairs.

Kyoto Station itself is becoming the screen for a gigantic game of Tetris!

Lawson adds doughnuts to its convenience store sweets range, but are they good enough to go viral? A new convenience store sweet...but you need to be lucky to find it.

Lawson's doughnuts might just become Japan’s next viral convenience store sweet.

Viral Japanese cheesecake from Osaka has a lesser known rival called Aunt Wanda Move aside, Uncle Rikuro – Aunt Wanda is here to steal your fluffy souffle crown, without the raisins.

If you don't like the raisins in the viral Uncle Rikuro cheesecake, Aunt Wanda is here to serve you.

The best Hobonichi diaries, covers and stationery for 2026 It's not too late to get organised with One Piece, Tomie, Mother, and Tamagotchi at your fingertips.

Hobonichi has become a global phenomenon, and here are our top picks from this year's collection.

Ramen for 99 yen?!? Best value-for-money noodles found at unlikely chain in Japan Not many people know about it, but there's a way to get ramen for just 64 cents in Japan.

Is this the cheapest bowl of ramen in Japan?

Potama serves up epic rice balls like no other, and there’s only one store in Tokyo Soul food from a tropical island, made fresh in the capital. 

Foreign tourists are yet to catch on to the local craze for Potama.

Family Mart ups its convenience store food game with special burger from beef bowl chain Matsuya Limited-edition release is quickly attracting attention online.

Matsuya teams up with Family Mart for a mighty new convenience store burger.

Can we be just like Shohei Ohtani on a budget with a Hello Kitty cap? Hello Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani cosplay...on an extreme budget.

Japan’s craziest burger chain takes menchi katsu to new extreme levels We find out what gives the Naughty Menchi Katsu Burger its unusual name. 

"Naughty" burger flouts all the fast food rules in Japan.

Eevee returns to Japan’s famous Tokyo Banana, bundled with a cute tote bag The beloved Tokyo souvenir re-introduces chocolate sponge Eevee cakes, along with a collectible keepsake for fans.

Eevee teams up with Tokyo Banana for a very sweet souvenir set.

The fish in rural Fukui that rivals Japan’s most auspicious sea bream This Obama delicacy impresses with its sashimi-like flavor, which is almost unthinkable for a preserved food.

Fresh from Obama...well, sort of.

Drift ice in Japan is a disappearing winter miracle you need to see now A trip on the Aurora icebreaker boat takes you to the southernmost point where the ocean freezes.

Drift ice has arrived in Japan, and here's how and where you can see it.

Tokyo street sweets: The must-snack treats of Nakano’s Refutei No trip to Tokyo’s other otaku neighborhood is complete without a visit to this local landmark.

These hockey puck-shaped discs of batter make for a delicious street sweet.

Which convenience store onigiri rice balls are the most popular? Survey reveals surprising results There's one rice ball that everyone chooses at Lawson, 7-Eleven, Mini Stop and Family Mart in Japan.

Can you guess which rice balls topped the list?

Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 2] Things got off to a good start on our crazy-cheap trip to the land of the gods, but with funds running low, will we have a roof over our heads on a snowy night?

The pressure is on as snow falls and money runs low on this epic journey.

Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring Goku’s putting the “kame” into Marugame Seimen.

Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring

Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino New mini-size Frappuccino caters to girls and the traditional doll's festival that honours them.

Starbucks releases a Hinamatsuri Frappuccino to celebrate Japan's festival of dolls.

Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven? Taste-testing the time-trip rice balls of Welcia.

A final bastion of cheap onigiri, where prices seem to have been frozen in time.

Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 1] Can we make it from the capital to the land of the gods, sightsee, eat, find a hotel, and make it home for just 30,000 yen (US$195)?

An epic Japan journey...on an epically small budget.

7-Eleven Japan’s sakura sweets season is underway right now! The first cherry blossom desserts are already here, and there are more to come.

Enjoy an early taste of sakura right now at 7-Eleven.

Japan has only one airport named after a samurai, so let’s check out Kochi Ryoma【Photos】 Local legend Sakamoto Ryoma was all about modernizing Japan.

Japanese airport finds unique ways to pay homage to a samurai hero.