The end of an era. Hostess culture magazine Koakuma Ageha will cease publication in the wake of the bankruptcy of its publisher, Inforest Publishing. The title first went on sale in October 2005 ...

As previously reported on JapanTrends, AKB48 has recruited a new older female member for its ranks as part of a spring and summer campaign for Papico, an ice cream product by Glico. There was some ...

Tokyo Dome City will be converted into a remarkable planetarium event this summer. TenQ is a space museum that opens on July 8th in Tokyo Dome City, complete with a 11-meter "Theater Sora" that gives ...

Been there, done that. Sometimes it seems that fashion has little new left to offer. But then along comes another neat innovation that proves you wrong. Fashion models strutting their wear down a ...

Despite the recent ruling on March 31st by the International Court of Justice that Japan must stop "scientific" whaling and the government's initial announcement that it would abide by the ruling, ...

Almost no sight says "Tokyo" more than Shibuya's "scramble crossing", the immense intersection in front of the Hachiko exit of the station in which multiple banks of pedestrians converge on each ...

Tears. Tantrums. And a yuru-kyara mascot character. The Public Affairs Section/Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has produced a very original video promoting studying abroad in ...

Vending machines come in all shapes and sizes, and seem to sell everything from books to snacks, drinks, used panties and more. But how about a vending machine that lets you have a private dance ...

Snoopy and green tea? Whatever will they think of next. Actually, this isn't such a big shock, since Snoopy is a popular character in Japan, though this is still a pretty original way to utilize ...

Take two things Japan does very well -- and combine them! Just when you think there isn't much more room for innovation with the world of karaoke, along comes FamilyMart with a new branch, ...

Another day, another intriguing Hatsune Miku collaboration. From expensive opera productions to every piece of merchandise an otaku can get his hands on, Hatsune Miku is not just a virtual idol, ...

Blackface or a clever marketing campaign? Imagine a female minstrel show with svelte legs and you might have the right image of this Astigu, a Japanese tights brand. The ads feature 11 ...

Nissan has created a fun film of an eight-year-old giving his mom a very nice surprise. Hinata and his mom take a drive in a Nissan Dayz Highway Star. Mrs. Masuda thinks she is going to be ...

Top Japanese design studio nendo has designed this coffee mugs for Starbuck's in Japan. Sold at Starbucks branches throughout Japan, the mugs have a print on the bottom that makes it look like the ...

Dutch artist Jeroen Bisscheroux installed a brilliant swimming pool artwork in Osaka as part of the Namura Shipyard Creative Center Osaka's artist-in-residency program. "POOL loss of colour" was ...