Sotetsu’s would-be scrap is going to be someone else’s treasure. Sometimes, when a train is being taken out of service in Japan, the rail operator will sell of parts of it as memorabilia. For rail fans, owning even something simple like a hand strap or destination plate can serve as a keepsake of a special trip they took on the train, or be a symbol of their local pride if it comes from the train they commuted on every morning. But Sotetsu, also known as Sagami Railway Company, had something a little more substantial on offer recently. The company, which operates three train lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, put out an announcement asking if anyone would be interested in purchasing an automated station ticket gate. Actually, they were offering two Omron PG-R series ticket gates, since each panel is designed to be able to accept tickets and cashless payment taps by itself. However, Sotetsu cautioned prospective buyers that they would need to purchase both gate to recreate the sort of two-sided aisle that passengers pass through on their way into or out of a station. As you can see from the above photo with one of the panels pulled off, these are rather sophisticated machines, and they don’t come cheap, so Sotetsu priced them at 200,000 yen (US$1,335) each, or 400,000 for the set. They also added a set of wheels to the bottom of each unit, so that the owner can more easily reposition them in their home or wherever else they plan to keep them, if need be. Despite the price, Sotetsu received multiple offers to buy the gates during the application period from November 14 to 24. At least seven people have said they’re willing to pony up the cash for at least one of the gates, and so now the purchaser, or purchaser, will be chosen by a random lottery. Sadly, we didn’t find out about the sale until it was too late to apply, but with Sotetsu’s ticket gate renovation plans scheduled to continue until the spring of 2027, this probably won’t be the last decommissioned set that’ll be going on sale. Source: Sotetsu via Abema News via Hachima Kiko Images: Sotetsu ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Matcha Fair is now underway at Ikea Japan with brand-new green tea sweets for the winter holiday season. In Japan, Ikea is arguably as popular as a place to fill your stomach with something nice at an affordable price as it is to do the same to furnish your home. Since its opening, the chain’s cafeteria and refreshment stands have been earning fans for their Swedish meatballs and ice cream, and right now is an especially great time to stop by an Ikea Japan branch for a bite to eat, since they’ve just started their matcha green tea sweets fair! The Matcha Fair has become an annual, though irregularly timed, tradition at the chain, taking place in spring months in 2023 and 2024 before kicking off this year on November 20. Last year’s matcha afternoon tea set is getting an upgrade and becoming the Matcha Sampling Plate, which gets you four different desserts to enjoy and compare to one another for 690 yen (US$4.60). The Matcha Mont Blanc (chestnut puree) and Matcha Gateau Chocolat cake return, and this time they’re joined by a serving of Matcha Cremet d’Anjou (a mousse-like dessert made with whipped cream and egg whites) and a creamy Matcha Terrine cake square. Those with more focused cravings can opt for the Matcha Tiramisu Parfait (490 yen), with its layers of matcha sponge cake and tiramisu cream dusted with matcha powder. And finally, thought it’s the lowest-priced of the bunch at just 290 yen, even the Smooth Matcha Purin will look mighty tempting to green tea fans, with matcha custard pudding topped by a swirl of whipped cream, a dollop of azuki (sweet red beans), and more matcha powder. While almost every Ikea in Japan will be serving these items note that they won’t be available at the chain’s Tokyo Shinjuku, Yokohama Bay Quarter, Kyoto, or Hiroshima branches. Everywhere else, though, the green tea sweets menu will be on offer all the way through February 8, letting you make your Christmas both merry and matcha-flavored. Related: Ikea Japan location finder Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

There’s mushroom for improvement. AI is certainly handy for a lot of things. For example, anytime I want to know what a life-sized pick-up truck made out of orange peels looks like, I can get it visualized in seconds. But I’d stop short at using it for anything important involving health or money, mostly because everyone knows it would be impossible to get orange peels of sheet metal size to realistically build a full-sized pick-up. An AI with true intelligence would understand that it’d have to be a patchwork of smaller orange peels to make sense. Nevertheless, there are some people willing to take that leap of faith and have LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini make their decisions for them. Such a case happened on 3 November in the village of Shimokitayama in Nara Prefecture. A man in his 70s was out gathering wild mushrooms and found some that resembled either shiitake or oyster mushrooms. ▼ Shiitake mushrooms The next day, he tried to show them to a local botanical garden to verify what kind they were and whether they were edible or not, but the staff was unavailable. Unwilling to wait, he instead took a photo of them with his smartphone and uploaded it to an AI, which agreed with his theory by saying, “They’re either shiitake or oyster mushrooms and are edible.” Satisfied with the AI’s ID, the man grilled his mushrooms and ate them. About 30 minutes later, the vomiting started and he was hospitalized. Fortunately, the symptoms were only temporary and he could make a full recovery. A subsequent analysis by both the Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Natural History and the Wakayama City Public Health Division determined that the mushrooms were tsukiyotake, a poisonous species often confused for edible ones. One way to spot a tsukiyotake is by the presence of a raised band around the stem just under the gills. They are also known to have very dark spots on the inside, but not always, and they remain poisonous even when cooked. But despite that information, the Public Health Division strongly advises against self-identifying mushrooms, even when using illustrated guides or AI. ▼ Tsukiyotake mushrooms… Probably… I’m just going by the label on the photo. Always get your mushrooms checked by a trained professional, if for no other reason than to have someone liable in case of poisoning. Perhaps the hospitalized man could blame the AI for its misdiagnosis, but if we go by several online comments about the story, he himself bears at least part of the blame. “The AI wasn’t even sure if it was a shiitake or oyster mushroom. Why would he trust its judgement?” “I wonder if he went back to the AI and complained to it.” “AI is only as good as its user.” “There have been cases of edible mushrooms becoming poisonous too. You should always buy mass-produced mushrooms because if they are poisonous, someone would probably get sick before you.” “What’s the joy in eating wild mushrooms anyway? Just buy them.” “Shiitake and oyster mushrooms don’t even look similar.” “The golden rule is: If you don’t know, don’t eat.” Although it can be fun to go into the wilderness and gather your own food, anyone who does it really should know their stuff on an expert level before attempting it. Otherwise, just let that food be and leave it for the bears, and help maintain their food supply so they don’t come and bother the rest of us. Source: MBS News, Hachima Kiko Top image: © SoraNews24 Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The King of the Monsters is the newest friend of the queen of cuteness. If someone makes friends quickly, easily, and joyously, we call that person a social butterfly…but maybe we should call them a social Kitty instead? After all, it’s hard to think of someone who expands her social circle with more energy and aplomb than Hello Kitty, who just within this autumn alome has been hanging out with the casts of the Evangelion and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, as well as Japanese sign language artist Hidehiko Kado. And yet, Kitty-chan and her Sanrio pals still have space on their social calendar for another collaboration with a giant, this time literally, of the Japanese entertainment world: Godzilla. ⠀◥◣ #東宝ゴジラNEWS！◢◤⠀『GODZILLA・SANRIO CHARACTERS』⠀ゴジラとサンリオキャラクターズのコラボレーションが決定！⠀本日公開のキャラクターは・・・「クロミ」！キャラクターは随時公開です。続報をお見逃しなく！⠀#ゴジラ #Godzilla #サンリオキャラクターズ#ハローキティ… pic.twitter.com/VFZ1itdTzb— ゴジラ (@godzilla_jp) November 10, 2025 The Godzilla Sanrio Characters collaboration was revealed earlier this month through the official Godzilla Twitter account, with a teaser illustration showing Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and Kuromi dressed up in kigurumi-style Godzilla outfits. Kitty and Cinnamoroll appear to be dressed as the classic Godzilla form, while Kuromi looks like she’s taken on the guise of Shin Godzilla. That leaves three more Sanrio characters, concealed as silhouettes, that the account has been revealing one by one. The fourth character to be confirmed was Pom Pom Purin, winner of this year’s Sanrio Character Ranking, dressed as Burning Godzilla, the version of the King of the Monsters seen in 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and the recent Fest Godzilla II: Shinjuku Burning live-action short. ▼ Note that even when cosplaying as Godzilla, Pom Pom Purin still makes sure to put on his beret. #ゴジラよりお知らせ⠀ムービーモンスターシリーズより『フェス・ゴジラⅡ 新宿炎上』に登場した「ミレニアムゴジラ」が赤く燃え上がった姿を立体化！⠀若狭新一氏完全監修の「ミレニアムゴジラ ver.2.0」をベースに赤く燃え上がった姿を再現！⠀商品ページには… pic.twitter.com/nmttqxlZv7— ゴジラ (@godzilla_jp) November 3, 2025 The fifth, and so far final character to be revealed, is My Melody, who, like her self-proclaimed rival Kuromi, is also wearing a Shin Godzilla costume. ◥◣ #東宝ゴジラNEWS！◢◤⠀『GODZILLA・SANRIO CHARACTERS』⠀ゴジラとサンリオキャラクターズのコラボレーションが決定！⠀本日公開のキャラクターは・・・「マイメロディ」！キャラクターは随時公開です。続報をお見逃しなく！⠀#ゴジラ #Godzilla #サンリオキャラクターズ… pic.twitter.com/DzFuzwk6XS— ゴジラ (@godzilla_jp) November 24, 2025 That leaves one last Sanrio character that we’re still being left in the dark on. Given that they’re standing next to Pom Pom Purin, whoever it is will probably also decked out in Burning Godzilla gear. Considering that all five of the already revealed characters were part of the Evangelion and Sonic crossovers too, and the Hangyodon was also part of both of those gatherings, the smart bet is that he’ll be joining this one too. The tweets say that the final character could be revealed at any time, but so far the illustration has been updated on a once-a-week basis, so odds are we’ll be finding out who it is around the end of this month. And while nothing has been said yet about plushies, keychains, and the like, you have to assume that Sanrio and Godzilla rights holder Toho have a whole line of cute and cool stuff in the works, right? I mean, Helly Kitty showing up without brining new merch is like Godzilla appearing without destroying a city. It just doesn’t happen. Source, top image: Twitter/@godzilla_jp ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Foodies today might be the dishes in a very different light than they did a generation ago as sushi now sits in the number-three rank. The ramen restaurant industry is booming in Japan these days, with analysts estimating the size of the market to soon hit 7.9 billion yen (roughly US$52.65 million). That represents a growth of about 60 percent since 10 years ago, Ramen has been rising in popularity among pretty much all demographics. That includes inbound foreign tourists as well, and as proof of how enamored global foodies have become with ramen, it ranked even higher than sushi on the most recent comprehensive report on consumption trends by foreign visitors to Japan from the Japanese government’s Japan tourism agency. Sushi only managed a third-place finish in the report, which was published in March. When foreign tourists were asked what food or drinks they felt the most satisfied with while on their trip to Japan, sushi only ranked third, chosen by 14.5 percent of respondents, and outpaced by ramen’s 18.9 percent. Considering that, for generations, sushi has been seen by the international community as Japan’s representative dish, it might seem surprising to see it surpassed by a humble bowl of noodles. However, as knowledge of Japanese ramen increases globally, it’s become a feather in the hat of food-focused travelers to be able to say that they’ve had the pleasure of eating at an authentic, in-Japan ramen restaurant, says Daisuke Iijima of business research firm Teikoku Databank. Ramen finishing higher than sushi in the survey seems a bit odd when looking at the reasons why respondents made their picks. They were allowed to give multiple reasons, but for many sushi scored very close to ramen, and even significantly higher in several areas. It was the most satisfying because: ● It was delicious: chosen by 92.7 percent of sushi respondents, 95.2 percent of ramen respondents ● The ingredients were fresh: sushi 71.2 percent, ramen 29.5 percent ● The price was good: sushi 21.6 percent, ramen 19.5 percent ● It was traditional/uniquely Japanese: sushi 21.9 percent, ramen 21 percent ● The presentation was beautiful: sushi 6.9 percent, ramen 4.6 percent ● The service/restaurant ambiance was good: sushi 10.1 percent, ramen 8.9 percent However, ramen proved more popular than sushi in regards to two key reasons. One, as alluded to by Iijima, is ramen’s current trendy status in overseas dining circles. 16.7 percent of ramen respondents listed “it’s popular/famous” as a reason for their pick, comparted to just 11.1 percent of sushi fans. Perhaps even more important, though, was the reason “I can’t find a flavor like this in my home country,” given by 18.2 percent of ramen respondents, as opposed to 13.9 percent of those who chose sushi. The report didn’t press for more detailed answers, but in regards to not being able to find the food in their home country, there is something that sets ramen apart from sushi. Ramen noodles themselves, having become a regularly in-stock item at supermarkets in many countries, might be easier to find internationally than sushi, but sushi restaurants, or general-purpose overseas “Japanese restaurants,” that have sushi on their menus bot not ramen, still outnumber ramen specialty restaurants overseas. What’s more, while sushi restaurants in Japan do use a wider variety of seafood than their counterparts in other countries, the most commonly ordered types of fish, as well as the kind that make up the majority of set sushi meals, are things that foreign sushi fans have probably encountered before coming to Japan, such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and the like. On the other hand, as far as restaurant-quality ramen is concerned, coming to Japan opens up many options that foreign fans may not have in their home countries. Japan has a wide array of ramen broths and noodle styles, from the thick noodles and rich miso of Hokkaido-style ramen to the tonkotsu pork stock and thing, firm noodles of Fukuoka and dozens of other variations as well. So while a foreign traveler might come to Japan and indeed find the tuna sushi they had on their trip to be fresher and tastier than the tuna sushi they can get in their hometown, it might not have the same “This is really something new!” impact that they’ll get from eating, say, Akihabara’s delicious beef-broth ramen or a bowl of Jiro-style ramen. In other words, the sushi they have in Japan might be a better version of something they’ve had before, with maybe a morsel or two being something they haven’t previously tried, but the types of ramen they enjoy while on vacation might be whole bowls of a dining experience they can’t replicate in their home country if that particular type of ramen isn’t available there. That would explain why there are now ramen tours in Tokyo, where guides lead foreign travelers on a walking tour with stops at multiple ramen restaurants specializing in different styles so that they can find their new favorite. There’s also the simple fact that as a more heavily flavored dish, it’s easier to dazzle the taste buds with ramen than it is with sushi, where the more subtle flavor provides less spectacle. One could also make an argument that the weak yen making Japan a travel bargain for overseas tourists has lowered a barrier of entry enough that there’s an increase in travelers with less adventurous tendencies who might find a bowl of noodles more congruent with their food preferences than raw fish. But if sushi finished third and ramen second, what was at the top of the survey rankings? “Meat dishes,” presumably getting a lot of support in recognition of Japan’s vaunted wagyu beef. Meat was chosen by nearly one in three respondents, 32.3 percent, for the reasons of delicious flavor (95.3 percent), freshness of ingredients (45.8 percent), and “this is a kind of food I [already] like” (22.2 percent). Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Yomiuri Shimbun via Golden Times Photos ©「SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The Small, Medium and Large Totoros finally get their time in the sun.   Last month, Studio Ghibli specialty retail chain Donguri Kyowakoku announced the grand reveal of its “Komorebi Series“, a collection of plush toys that plays upon the charming word “komorebi“, or “dappled sunlight“. The range shines a light on Ghibli characters that tend to appear out of the shadows, but there was one type of character missing from the lineup: the Totoros from My Neighbour Totoro. ▼ Now, the range is finally complete with the release of the My Neighbour Totoro Komorebi trio. While the large grey Totoro is usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the gentle giants in the forest, it’s not the only Totoro in the film. There’s an all-white version known as “Small Totoro“, which is distinguished not only by its short stature but the absence of a nose and mouth. This sweet little Totoro stands at 16.5 centimetres (6.5 inches) in height, 11 centimetres in width and 15.5 centimetres in depth. The shape has been beautifully replicated to make it look like it’s jumped straight out of the movie world and into real life. Moving up a size, we have the blue Totoro, officially known as the “Medium Totoro“. This Totoro has belly markings and a small nose, and measures 20.5 × 18 × 18 centimetres. Finally, we have the grey Totoro, known as the “Large Totoro“, which measures 21.5 × 18.5 × 17.5 centimetres. With large arms, a large tail, large nose and whiskers, this Totoro has everything it needs to scurry across your desk for magical adventures when you’re not looking. Just as the three Totoro vary in size, they also vary in price, with the Small Totoro retailing for 3,080 yen (US$19.68), and then 3,960 yen and 4,180 yen for the Medium and Large Totoro respectively. The three Totoros can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online, where you can also meet the other characters in the komorebi range, which hail from five different Ghibli movies. Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

With a diplomatic spat prompting a warning from the Chinese government, we go to see if it’s had any effect on Tokyo’s most popular historical neighborhood. On November 14, the Chinese government issued a travel advisory calling on its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan. The condensed version of the spat is that Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi insinuated that, were China to attempt to occupy Taiwan through military force, Japan would provide aid to Taiwan in resisting an invasion. Though this isn’t really a divergence from the stance Japan has long had in terms of Taiwan’s autonomy, Chinese politicians bristled at the comments from the new-in-office Takaichi, prompting the travel advisory. With Chinese travelers ordinarily being one of the largest source of inbound tourism to Japan, hotels and other travel-related businesses have braced for a slowdown, especially in major sightseeing areas. Curious to see how Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood is doing, our ace reporter Mr. Sato hopped on the train to see if the crowds are looking depleted at its most famous attractions. His first stop, naturally, was the Kaminarimon, or “Thunder Gate” of Sensoji Temple, Asakusa’s most prominent landmark and a must-selfie spot for travelers. As you can see in the background of the photo Mr. Sato snapped of himself… …there are still plenty of travelers visiting this part of Asakusa. Bear in mind, too, that this was before noon on a weekday, so the crowds are likely to be even bigger on a weekday afternoon. The crowds weren’t sparse at all either along Nakamise-dori, the street lined with snack and souvenir shops that leads from Kaminarimon to the temple’s main hall, with vendors doing a bustling business. The crowd, obviously, wasn’t made up entirely of Chinese tourists, but Mr. Sato could hear snippets of conversations in Chinese several times as he made his way down the street. Arriving at Hozomon, the gate that stands in front of Sensoji’s main plaza, there were enough people that there was just barely enough space to not brush shoulders with other sightseers while passing through Denboin-dori, a shopping street that runs west from Nakamise-dori, had no shortage of customers either, with a particularly long line of people, including students on field trips, lined up to buy the fabled Asakusa Menchi mincemeat cutlets to munch on. It wasn’t until Mr. Sato got over towards Hoppy Street that the crowds really began to thin out to a noticeable degree. However, this part of Asakusa, with its collection of old-school pubs, usually doesn’t attract as much tourist attention as the other parts of the neighborhood, and it’s also more of a night spot anyway. Honestly, even at a week-plus into the Chinese government’s travel advisory, it didn’t feel like Asakusa has become any less crowded. Whether the crowd sizes are going to stay unchanged or not, though, remains to be seen. Independently traveling Chinese tourists who made their own arrangements, and thus were unlikely to be able to get refunds for any pre-payments, would also be unlikely to call off their travel plans on such short notice. If the frosty political situation continues, however, some who were considering trips to Japan over the next few months may rethink things. Likewise, since the advisory was issued, multiple state-controlled travel agencies in China have cancelled bookings for Japan flights and hotel stays that were supposed to take place weeks from now. The combined result of those two aspects could be a delayed reaction where the full effects of the Chinese government’s travel warning won’t manifest until several weeks from now. That said, this is hardly the first time the Chinese government has bristled at the Japanese government having a different political view than its own, nor is it the first time the Chinese government has responded with a blustery call for its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan. In the past, those tensions have eventually blown over, leading to Japan becoming a more popular destination than it ever was before, so while there may be a moderate-term dip coming in inbound Chinese tourism to Japan, there’s a good chance the long-term effects won’t be so dramatic. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Take a bite out of one of these popular places where you can see the behind-the-scenes manufacturing process of some of your favorite foods in Japan. Japanese travel site Jalan recently published its ranking of the top ten fall foodie factory tours throughout Japan. The results were compiled from a survey of 1,050 respondents in their 20s-50s from all 47 prefectures of Japan. When you’ve exhausted your cravings from Jalan’s previous list of the top ten most beautiful travel spots for fall colors, these can be next on your list to fill your stomach with fall food fun! 10 (tie). Konnyaku Park (Gunma Prefecture) Website We kick things off with a theme park dedicated to the manufacture of blocks of konnyaku and shirataki noodles–high-fiber food products made from konjac that are used in a variety of Japanese dishes. Park entrance, tour participation, and food sampling are free, with about 15 products waiting for you to taste. You can even try making konnyaku yourself in the special experience corner. 10 (tie). Shiroi Koibito Park (Hokkaido Prefecture) Website This park made it onto a list of the top romantic date spots in Hokkaido last year. You can view the production of Hokkaido’s famous white chocolate or milk chocolate cookie sandwich souvenirs, Shiroi Koibito (“white lovers,” after snow), inside of the Chocotopia part of this facility. A unique projection mapping feature allows you to learn the history of chocolate, and foodies will appreciate the on-site cafe that sells limited-time sweets. Heads up–the factory viewing area will undergo improvement rennovations in January 2026 and some sections will be closed for a period of time. 8 (tie). Otabe Honkan (Kyoto Prefecture) Website Observe all of the steps that go into making Kyoto’s traditional nama yatsuhashi sweets that are filled with coarse sweetened red bean paste from the initial shaping to the packaging. Viewing is free, doesn’t require a reservation, and can be completed in about 5-10 minutes by walking through the observation gallery. Shopping enthusiasts will enjoy the opportunity to load up on take-home souvenirs in the specialty store as well. Just be sure to check the facility’s hours before going because they can vary quite a bit depending on production schedules. 8 [(tie). Royce Cacao & Chocolate Town (Hokkaido Prefecture) Website Royce Chocolate is famous for its line of nama “fresh” chocolate (a type of ganache) and even has store locations in other countries now. Learn everything about the cultivation of cacao beans to the production of chocolate at this chocolate theme park through technologically enhanced exhibits and viewings in the factory. Visitors can even try their hand at cacao farming via a simulated recreation, experience the production process of popular products in a play area through games, and craft their own chocolate bars. 7. Ichiran no Mori Itoshima (Fukuoka Prefecture) Website People who swear by tonkotsu (pork bone-broth) ramen will find themselves at a branch of the Fukuoka Prefecture-based chain Ichiran Ramen at some point. This factory home base would also be the perfect destination if you’d like to know exactly what goes into the making of your favorite bowl of noodles as well as the history of the beloved chain. In particular, the flavor concentration booths showcase Ichiran’s unique partitioned and private style of seating that allows you to focus on nothing but the flavor of your food. After the tour, enjoy a freshly made bowl of noodles at the store with Showa-retro vibes. Admission and ramen are both free for children of families who have the official app. 6. Mentai Park (Aichi Prefecture) Website Kanefuku’s mentaiko (spicy pollack roe) is the theme of this park where you can freely observe the seafood production process. There is an admission fee but reservations are unnecessary. While the adjacent Mentai Museum teaches the history of mentaiko along with trivia, the food corner for sampling mentaiko products is likely to be the biggest hit. 5. Kanezaki Sasakamakan (Miyagi Prefecture) Website Factory tours here start early at 8 a.m., so this one is perfect for early risers. Learn about the history and the manufacturing process of Miyagi Prefecture’s famous sasakamaboko specialty fish cake by watching the culinary craftsmen at work through the viewing window. Once you’ve finished watching, treat yourself to a special breakfast of the brand’s signature “tairyobata” sasakamaboko and arajiru (fishhead shoup). Please note that the factory has limited hours on weekends and reservations are required. 4. Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda (Osaka Prefecture) Website Instant noodle lovers–this one’s for you! This museum features various exhibits about the history of instant ramen and its manufacturing process. A highlight is the Instant Noodles Tunnel composed of 800 varieties of packaging from over the years. The My Cup Noodles Factory is also a unique chance to design your own singular flavor. Lastly, if you make it in time, check out the special exhibition on space ramen that’s available until December–it’s out of this world. 3. Okashigoten Yomitan Main Shop (Okinawa Prefecture) Website Reservations aren’t necessary for this factory tour where you can watch one of Okinawa’s most famous souvenirs being produced at its place of origin–the beniimo tart, made from Okinawan purple sweet potatoes. See the tarts being made up close as well as being individually packaged. The factory also has an attached store where you can eat freshly made tarts and a cafe that sells various beniimo sweets. 2. Kiyoken Yokohama Factory (Kanagawa Prefecture) Website This is your chance to observe the manufacture of shumai (Chinese-style steamed dumplings) and bento, as well as enjoy exhibits on the history of ekiben and meet Kiyoken’s own mascot character Hyochan (styled after a soy sauce dispenser). Better yet, at the end of the tour you can sample freshly made shumai and side dishes as well as purchase limited goods and chukaman at the attached store. The 90-minute tour is suitable for the whole family, but don’t forget to make reservations. 1. Nakamuraya Chukaman Museum (Saitama Prefecture) Website Here we are, the crowning jewel voted the number-one best factory tour–a museum dedicated to chukaman, Chinese-styled steamed buns! After a period of closure, the facility resumed giving tours on August 15 of this year. Reservations are required in order to limit each group to a maximum of 20 people but the tours are free. Learn about the history of chukaman in a theater then observe the manufacturing process through glass. The best part? Sampling freshly steamed chukaman at the end to warm your body and spirit in the chillier fall weather. There are plenty of interactive exhibits and games inside of the building as well, making it great for all ages. For our own special suggestion of a spectacular fall food experience, we strongly recommend stopping by Yamagata Prefecture after you visit Miyagi’s Kanezaki Sasakamakan to experience the riverside tradition of imonikai–or, if you’re lucky, to take part in the world’s largest imoni festival. Source: PR Times Top image: PR Times Insert images: PR Times, Jalan ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!-

You’ll need skills at a different kind of game to get your hands on these video game plushies. There’s a lot to like about the design of the original PlayStation. Not only did Sony’s bet that the future of gaming would be polygonal and disc-based position the company for nearly instant success as it entered the video game console arena, the PS1’s form factor was pretty much perfect. A mix of hi-tech flourishes with invitingly soft lines to its disc lid and buttons, plus a playful splash of color within the PS logo itself, quickly conveyed that you were getting something both cutting edge and fun. Just looking at a PS1 is enough to fill old-school and retro gamers with warm fuzzy feelings, but today we’re looking at a PlayStation that is, itself, warm and fuzzy. That right there is the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation, part of toymaker Banpresto’s line of super (“mecha”) fluffy (“mofu”) and huggable (“gutto”) stuffed animal crane game prizes. Given the PlayStation’s overall rectangular shape, though, it probably makes more sense to call it a PlayStation cushion. The attention to detail is impressive. Rather than just pick out a PlayStation-gray shade of fabric and slap the logo on it, Banpresto’s designers made sure to faithfully recreate every single line that was present on the actual console, including details that would have been easy for anyone but hardcore fans to overlook, like the reset button or the little rectangular strip in front of the power button that illuminated when the system was turned on. Also present and accounted for are controller and memory card plug-in ports. ▼ That’s right, kids, wireless controllers didn’t become the industry standard until the time of the PS2. Had Banpresto stopped here, the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation would already by a very satisfying piece of huggable plush nostalgia. And yet, as you might have guessed from looking at the side view of the cushion, they weren’t done just yet, because they needed to represent the series of ridges that were found on the system’s flanks. And since they went that far, naturally they were going to keep going and recreate the hookups for the AV cables, power cords, and even the covered expansion port, which never ended up serving any major purpose but which Sony’s hardware team included just in case. Finally, on the bottom, you’ll find illustrated versions of the PS1’s rubber padding, closure screws, and airflow vents. ▼ I’m sorry, original PlayStation air vents, if you had to do more work than you’d counted on after I modded mine to play import games. At 42 centimeters (16.5 inches) in width, the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation is longer than an actual PS1, and softer too, of course, but it’s otherwise an extremely accurate recreation of Sony’s pivotal hardware release from 1994. Its monumental success lead to the PlayStation 2, a system that’s also earned a special place in the hearts of many gamers…and has now earned a Mecha Mofu Gutto version too. ▼ It’s always nice to see siblings getting along so well. The PS2’s physical form was in many ways simpler than that of its older brother, with the side bearing the PS2 logo being basically a flat plane. Still, it has its own characteristic design points, like the splash of blue surrounding its front USB ports or the secondary power switch and cooling fan at the back. Though the actual PS2 was slightly bigger than the PS1, the cushions are the same size, with the PS2 also 42 centimeters along its longest side. ▼ The Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStations with a standard 500-mililiter (16.9-ounc) water bottle for scale. As these are crane game/UFO catcher prizes, they have to be won, not bought. Our photo shoot here shows off the pair won by friend of the site Marcus Lai of video game website Punch Jump, and if you’re hoping to obtain your own, the Banpresto site has a list of arcades where the prizes have been stocked can be found here and here. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Proponents say they want to use extra money to improve quality of life for foreign residents, strengthen programs to find and deport illegal residents. Recently, the Japanese government indicated that it will likely be raising departure taxes by a considerable amount, requiring international travelers to pay more when flying out of Japan. Now it looks like it’s going to cost more to remain in the country too for Japan’s foreign residents. Currently, the Japanese government’s Immigration Services Agency charges a fee of 6,000 yen (US$40) when foreigners living in the country apply to renew or change the classification of their residency visa (such as changing from a student visa to a work visa, or a work visa to a spousal visa). This price was instituted in April of this year, and is already a 2,000-yen increase over the previous fee. However, Japanese politicians are already indicating a desire to raise the fee again, and this time by a much more dramatic degree. Multiple media outlets, citing unnamed sources related to the proposal, say that the intent would be to raise visa renewal fees to somewhere in the range of 30,000 to 40,000 yen, five times or more than the current price. With some foreign residents of Japan only granted one-year visas, they would have to pay this fee on an annual basis in order to remain in the country. The planned increase would be even larger for foreigners living in Japan who are applying for permanent residency status, which currently carries a 10,000-yen application fee and would, under the plan, be raised to 100,000 yen, 10 times the current price. ▼ The price of a permanent residency application should the idea go through. Note also that these are the fees that must be paid specifically to file applications. There’s no guarantee that the visa or permanent residency status will be granted, meaning that foreign residents could wind up paying as much as 100,000 yen only to be told “Sorry, but no” and having to eat the financial loss. Also worth considering is that visa status is granted on an individual basis, so in the case of foreign resident couples or families, each member of the household will be charged the application fees. As to why some Japanese politicians want higher fees, some have said it’s a response to inflation, but the idea that the costs the Immigration Services Agency incurs in processing a visa application have risen by 400 percent is laughable, so this is clearly a move to substantially boost government revenue by draining it from foreign residents. To be fair, Japan’s current visa renewal fees are much lower than the onces charged by many other countries, Converted to yen, the cost of renewing a work visa is roughly 16,000 yen in Germany, 70,000 yen in the U.S., and 169,000 yen in the U.K., and some of the Japanese politicians pushing for higher fees say they want Japan’s to be more in line with the amounts charged in Western countries. However, a justification of “We’re only gouging you because other countries gouge their foreign residents” is likely to be of little comfort to foreign residents in Japan if they end up having to pay the higher prices. As for what it would do with all that extra cash, some proponents of the fee increases have said they want to use it to improve the quality of life of foreign residents in Japan, using it to speed up the visa processing process or improve Japanese-as-a-second-language educational opportunities. Other, though, have said that they would put the extra money taken from visa and permanent residency applicants to strengthen immigration control programs for identifying and deporting illegal immigrants in Japan, apparently unbothered by the irony of making Japan’s nearly four million legal foreign residents foot the bill for dealing with the estimated 70,000 who are skirting the rules, despite the latter group, by definition, not having visas and who thus wouldn’t be paying the higher renewal fees. However, Japan’s current immigration laws set a maximum amount of 10,000 yen for visa renewal and permanent residency application processing fees. As such, raising the prices beyond that would require amending the law, which is expected to be what proponents will be formally proposing in the Diet when the new fiscal year begins in the spring. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun Top image: Pakutaso Insert image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!