Search results for Japanese Obscurities

Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”

We find out just how devilish and angelic these 100-yen surprises are. Our reporter Natsuno Futon was strolling the streets of Oyama City in Tochigi Prefecture the other day when s...

Urajiro manju (うらじろまんじゅう)

Not every Japanese sweet makes it into travel guides. Urajiro manju is exactly the kind of thing you stumble across in a small confectionery tucked into a Yamanashi mountain town,...

Japan's Top 5 Mysterious Places: Ancient Ruins to Lake Monsters

Japan is famous for its neon-lit cities and peaceful shrines, but stepping off the beaten path reveals a landscape filled with enigmatic wonders. A recent nationwide survey asked l...

You’ll never win cash or prizes or cash at this Tokyo pachinko parlor, and that’s why it’s so cool

Tampopo is part pachinko parlor, part video game arcade, and part museum. Being a man of culture, when our ace reporter Mr. Sato is out and about in the suburbs and sees on the map...

Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan

Japanese konbini blends into a setting that inspired Studio Ghibli. Japanese convenience stores are known for their bright lights and stand-out signage, but in a country filled wit...

Now on the multilingual margins, can Japanese bookstores be more than just a vibe?

While some travel companies are now offering book-centric tours around Jimbocho, foreign visitors are often leaving bookstores empty-handed, despite intentions to buy books.

The Samurai Era Is Alive and Well…If You Know Where to Look for It!

Where to catch a glimpse of the lords, ladies and daily life of Edo Era Japan The reign of samurai lords who spent money with legendary abandon in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter ca...

Hand-Colored Photographs from 19th Century Japan: 110 Images Capture the Waning Days of Traditional Japanese Society

What we euphemistically refer to as the “Opening of Japan” catalyzed a period of seismic upheaval for the proud formerly closed country. Between the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate...

Bungakukai June 2026 Issue Features Yasutaka Tsutsui’s First Hard-Boiled Mystery

Sorry, this entry is only available in Japanese. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown belo […]

Japanese manhole lid raises eyebrows with fertility god symbol that looks like… well, you know

Festival of the Steel Phallus deity gets a steel lid in a rural city.  For all its staid traditions and formal etiquette, Japanese culture can be surprisingly uninhibited in ways t...

Art Spotlight: The Unique, Weird, and Wacky Japanese Art

Japan's old arms in demand as export rules eased, says Takaichi aide

Curated article

Tea, Irises, and Nordic Homeware: Visit These Four Tokyo Spots Before They Get Trendy

Tokyo always offers "unseen" spots to explore. Here are four we've found lately, including a black tea experience and a hidden bento box.

Why This Japanese Phrase from Kansai Sounds Strange to the Rest of Japan

It's a phrase that confuses Tokyoites. But to many in the Kansai region, it's a daily expression rooted in the region's unique breakfast habits.

See Another Side of Asakusa! Discover Unique Gifts at These 9 Hidden Shops

Asakusa is one the best spots in Tokyo to experience “old school” Japan. Nakamise Street, the path connecting Kaminarimon Gate to Sensoji-temple, is always flooded with visitors. W...

JAPANESE SUPERMARKETS

7 SURPRISES WHEN YOU VISIT A JAPANESE SUPERMARKET I’m a huge Will & Grace fan and I always think of that tongue in cheek quote :“Well, yeah. Why else go to foreign countries? Y...

Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country

Local sweets-fan favorite serves as inspiration for one of two donuts not available anywhere else in the world. You’d think it’d be hard for a city of nearly two and a half million...

Japanese-style afternoon tea in this Japanese manor house outside downtown Tokyo is something special

The atmosphere is as elegant as the cuisine at this amazing restaurant. Ganko is a Japanese restaurant group with most of its locations in the Osaka area. They’ve got a whole bunch...

Shippoku Ryori (卓袱料理)

Shippoku ryori is one of Japan’s oldest fusion cuisines. Born in Nagasaki during centuries of international trade, it blends Japanese, Chinese, and Western influences around one st...

Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]

Mr. Sato heads to the neighborhood of a famous TV drama and finds a nostalgic taste of a youth he never had. Welcome back to Fading Tokyo, in which our ace reporter Mr. Sato sets o...

Hokusai’s erotic art on display at a Kabukicho noh theater

"Kabukicho in Full Bloom" is the third in a series of shunga art exhibitions organized by the Smappa!Group, which operates host bars and restaurants across Shinjuku's Kabukicho.

‘Noir, Japan’s Hard-Boiled Bittersweet Answer to Oreos’

Jake Adelstein (author of Tokyo Vice) on his blog Tokyo Paladin: For decades, Japan’s Oreos weren’t made by Nabisco at all. They were produced domestically by Yamazaki Biscuits...

A Kyoto factory vending machine sells gourmet mystery meals at bargain prices

Frozen home-style cooking with unbelievable tastes. If you ever find yourself away from the bustling crowds of Kyoto’s cultural hotspots, wandering around the quiet industrial pock...