The winter favorite is coming back to keep us all warm and full in the coldest part of the year. “Gurakoro, gurakoro, gurakoro, gurakoro, guraaakorooo!” They may not be the cleverest jingle lyrics you’ll hear this winter, but for Japanese fast food fans, they’re some of the most important. That’s because this siren song, as heard in McDonald’s Japan’s new commercial, is an abbreviated announcement of the return of the chain’s gratin croquette burgers, known as “Gurakoro” for short. ▼ Feel free to sing along and confuse anyone in earshot who hasn’t yet been initiated into the gurakoro fandom. Gurakoro are both a long-running and perennially limited-time menu item at McDonald’s in Japan. So why isn’t something that’s deeply loved served all year round? Because frying up a croquette so that it’s crispy on the outside but filled with piping hot melty white sauce, macaroni, and shrimp on the inside basically gives you a sandwich-form cup of cream soup, arguably the perfect meal for when you’re feeling simultaneously cold and hungry on a chilly winter day. This year the standard Gurakoro will be joined by a new variant with even more abbreviations packed into its name: the Koku Uma Beef Demi Gurakoro, which is extra rich (koku) and delicious (umai, shortened to uma) thanks to the additional topping of demi-glace beef stew. Arriving alongside the two Gurakoro burgers is the unrelated but tempting roast garlic butter flavor for McDonald’s Japan’s Shaka Shaka series of add-it-yourself French fry seasoning powders. The basic Gurakoro is priced at 440 yen (US$2.95) and the Koku Uma Beef Demi Gurakoro just a little more, at 490 yen, while the roast garlic butter Shaka Shaka powder is a 40-yen add-on to any French fry order. The entire lineup goes on sale November 26. Source: McDonald’s Japan via Narinari, Digital PR Platform Images: Digital PR Platform ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Filming is underway for Nintendo’s first live-action movie in more than 30 years. The Legend of Zelda live-action movie is one of those things that seems hard to believe is actually happening. Sure, video game-to-movie adaptations are all the rage recently, and the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie did rake in over a billion dollars at the box office in 2023. But the one and only time Nintendo greenlit a live-action theatrical feature based on one of its games they ended up with 1993’s Super Mario Bros., which was such an unpopular failure that it basically convinced Nintendo to take a 30-year break from movie-making. Zelda itself doesn’t have a particularly impressive adaptation track record either, as even though the U.S.-produced Zelda cartoon segments for the Super Mario Bros. Super Show have gone on to provide fodder for meme posting in the Internet era, they earned few genuine fans during their broadcast run in 1989. In other words, it’s going to take actual on-set photos to convince a lot of people that the live-action Zelda movie is real…and now those are exactly what we have, thanks to none other than Zelda series creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself. “This is Miyamoto,” tweeted the legendary game designer, using his customary greeting when at the helm of Nintendo’s official Twitter account, followed by “Filming is underway for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda in a lush, natural setting, with Bo Bragason-san who will play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san who will play Link.” This is Miyamoto. Filming is underway for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda in a lush, natural setting, with Bo Bragason-san who will play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san who will play Link (1/2). pic.twitter.com/fbadNgaDqY— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) November 17, 2025 The released stills show Bragason and Ainsworth in the midst of ranging across the wilds of Hyrule, which will be played by the New Zealand countryside. Both are sporting the pointy elf-like ears characteristic of the games’ Hylian people, and the costuming looks great too, walking that tightrope of still looking stylized enough to fit within the franchise’s established aesthetics but without looking too brand-new or impractical that it makes the characters look like they’re cosplaying. No story details have been revealed yet, but the color of Zelda’s attire immediately brings to mind the shade of blue used in many motifs for Breath of the Wild, the first game in the Zedla franchise for the Nintendo Switch, and that game’s environment, featuring vast undeveloped areas between small villages, also meshes with what we can see in the backgrounds of the stills shared by Miyamoto. Adapting 2017’s Breath of the Wild would also make sense from a storytelling standpoint, as in addition to having a more fleshed-out story and cast of characters than many earlier games in the series, it’s also the most recent major entry point to the franchise for many fans, as 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, and before that you have to go all the way back to 2011’s Skyward Sword for the next most-recent Zelda narrative entry point. Breath of the Wild being one of the few Zelda games with a direct sequel also leaves open an easy path to making a follow-up movie as well. All that said, the Zelda video game franchise has never been afraid of tossing out everything that came before in terms of story and starting all over again, so it’s possible that the movie will be telling its own original tale while retaining a lot of the look and tone of Breath of the Wild by nature of that being what’s most strongly associated with the series at this point in its history. “Filming is on track for the film’s release on May 7, 2027. It will take a while until the release, so we would be grateful if you would wait patiently and look forward to it,” added Miyamoto in a later tweet, and while it might be hard for fans to be “patient” in the sense of not feeling anxious to know more, it’s a pretty sure bet that they’ll be very willing to head to the theater on the movie’s release date. Source, images: Twitter/@Nintendo ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

We only took this ride to keep a promise to two elementary school girls, but it turned out to be well worth the ticket price. Our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun recently went on a family trip to the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, and by “family trip” we don’t mean just P.K., his wife, and their daughter. Also part of the group were P.K.’s dad, his younger sister, and her family, including P.K.’s niece. With the two girls being elementary school-age, a lot of the itinerary was focused on things that would be fun for them to do, which P.K., being a kid at heart himself, had no problem with. Well, almost no problem. As their sightseeing schedule for the first day was winding down and they were driving to their hotel, the girls spotted a mountain cable car, or “ropeway,” as they’re called in Japanese, and excitedly said they wanted to ride it the next day. P.K. said sure, but found himself regretting his promise a few hours later after he did some actual checking on the place. The ropeway, it turned out, is part of Izu Panorama Park, in the city of Izunokuni. To P.K.’s shock, round-trip tickets for the ropeway cost a whopping 3,500 yen (US$23.35) for adults and 1,600 yen for elementary-school age kids. Those prices are two or three times what many non-famous regional ropeways charge (tickets for children aged 3 to 5 are 800 yen and kids 2 or under ride for free, but those discounts weren’t going to do P.K. any good). P.K. was now faced with a difficult decision. Did he go back on his word and abort the outing, or did he shell out for what he suspected could be an overpriced tourist trap? In the end, guided by the faint light of optimism that couldn’t be extinguished without giving it a try, and also the wisdom that the silent ire of two disappointed kids could make for a very awkward drive home, P.K. bravely opened his wallet wide and purchased the ropeway tickets. As they got underway, P.K. started to feel a little more confident that he’d made the right choice. The cable car route runs from the foot of Mt. Katsuragiyama up to its peak, at an altitude of 452 meters (1,482.9 feet). The ascent takes seven minutes, and it definitely was cool seeing the city below them visually shrink as they got higher into the sky. But things started to get really good once they got to the top of the mountain. P.K. had expected a modest plaza to hang out in for a few minutes before hopping back on the cable car for the ride down. Instead, he discovered that there’s actually a lot to do at the top of Mt. Katsuragiyama, starting with enjoying the amazing view from the Aqua Ring. This panoramic viewing deck forms a circle, giving you a 360-degree panoramic view. While what you’ll see in any direction is beautiful, the best angle of all is the one that lets you take in both the snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji and the waters of Suruga Bay. While a big part of the appeal of cable cars is being able to get to the top of a mountain quickly and easily, this upper section of Izu Panorama Park also has a forest walking path and kids’ obstacle course playground for those with extra energy from not having to climb all the way up here yourself, as well as a shrine and two different cafes. But P.K.’s favorite spot of all just might be the open-air foot bath, which is free to use and lets you soak your toes while gazing at Mt. Fuji. So while P.K. had initially felt iffy about the expensive ropeway tickets, in the end they turned out to be totally worth the price, considering all there is to do at Izu Panorama Park, and he figures you could easily spend three or four hours here. There are even ways to trim a couple hundred yen off the ticket prices, as some hotels offer discounted tickets for guests and the park itself sometimes has reduced prices on weekdays or for advanced purchases, which can be made through the Izu Panorama Park website here. Park information Izu Panorama Park / 伊豆パノラマパーク Address: Shizuoka-ken, Izunokuni-shi, Nagaoka 260-1 静岡県伊豆の国市長岡２６０−１ Website Aqua Ring, forest walk, shrine images: Izu Panorama Park All other photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Century-old dorayaki specialist in Ginza is asking for a little more considerateness from its recently expanded foreigner fan base. Usually when you come across the traditional Japanese dessert called dorayaki, they’re round, looking like two little pancakes with a layer of anko (sweet red bean paste) sandwiched between them. However, at Kobikicho Yoshiya, a sweets shop located on one of the backstreets of Tokyo’s Ginza neighborhood, they come folded in half like this. 念の為に申し上げておきますが...よしやの二つ折りのどら焼きは、紅を塗った歌舞伎役者さんでも大きな口を開けないで召し上がれるようにと、先代が考案した形です。話題の「#国宝」を鑑賞しながらおひとつどうぞ。 pic.twitter.com/vqPiZjS49g— 木挽町よしや【公式】 (@kobikicho_y) November 12, 2025 The reason why is that Yoshiya’s original founder wanted their dorayaki to be shaped in a way that kabuki actors could snack on them without opening their mouths too wide and smearing their stage makeup. That might sound like a very old-school design criteria, but Yoshiya is a very old-school place, having been in business for 103 years and counting. However, while Yoshiya is committed to doing things the old-fashioned way, making its dorayaki by hand and without preservatives, they’re now facing a modern problem. Recently, the shop has found its way onto the radars of foreign tourists, and many of them have been reserving boxes of dorayaki but never picking them up or paying for them. 訪日外国人のお客様。予約の場合ほとんどの方が、#無断キャンセル で取りに来てくれません。無下にお断りすることもできないので、本当に困っています。 pic.twitter.com/bPmu2QWg0m— 木挽町よしや【公式】 (@kobikicho_y) November 11, 2025 “Almost all of the foreign tourist shoppers who make reservations [for our dorayaki] do not come to pick up their orders,” the Yoshiya official Twitter account posted on November 11, going public with a lament the store has had for some time now. Like many small, family-owned sweets shops in Japan, Yoshiya tends to produce its wares in modestly sized batches. It’s not unusual for the morning stock to sell out before noon, and when that happens, walk-in customers can reserve boxes of dorayaki to pick up later that afternoon. The confectionaries can also be reserved over the phone or through the Line smartphone messaging app. Recently, though, instances of foreign tourists reserving sweets but not coming to pick them up have become a near-daily occurrence, the shop says, sometimes happening two or three times in a single day. This causes multiple problems for the store. As mentioned above, Yoshiya’s traditional dorayaki recipe means that they don’t keep for very long. The store recommends eating them no later than one day after they’re made, and as such doesn’t want to sell customers day-old leftovers, and so reserved dorayaki that aren’t picked up are disposed of when the store closes for the night. Not only does this mean the ingredients go to waste, since Yoshiya generously allows customers to pay for their reserved items at the time of pick-up, that means the store doesn’t get paid for the unclaimed reserved dorayaki either. However, the purpose of the tweet regarding the unclaimed orders wasn’t made out of anger, but rather to raise awareness of the issues such behavior is causing for the store. “This has become a very big problem for us, as we cannot flatly refuse [requests to reserve dorayaki],” the tweet goes on to say, and Yoshiya’s owner says they have no intention whatsoever of instituting a policy of not taking reservation requests from foreign customers. The owner also believes that some of the non-pick-ups could be the result of foreign shoppers not understanding the reservation system, as there have been times when customers who reserved a box but never came to pick it up in the afternoon come back to the store the next day to see if there are dorayaki available. “Not all foreign customers who reserve dorayaki fail to pick them up,” the shop said in a follow-up tweet. “There are, of course, [foreign customners] with common sense as well, so we ask everyone to not forget to pick up your orders.” 【本件について】お騒がせしております。記事にも書かれていますように外国人全員が無断キャンセルをするということではありません。当然常識のある方もいらっしゃいますのでお忘れないようお願い致します。ただ、あまりにも無断キャンセルが多いということです。https://t.co/ar7a3FjXCB— 木挽町よしや【公式】 (@kobikicho_y) November 13, 2025 Some online commenters have suggested implementing a required pre-payment for reserved orders, but Yoshiya isn’t ready to take that step just yet, citing the cost of setting up such a system. So for now, they’re hoping that the appeal for consideration from foreign customers will be enough to keep from souring the sweets deal. Shop information Kobikicho Yoshiya / 木挽町よしや Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Ginza 3-12-9 東京都中央区銀座3-12-9 Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Sundays, holidays, and on irregular Saturdays Website Source: J-Cast News via Itai News, Twitter/@kobikicho_y (1, 2) Top image ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Perfect for scrapbooking and New Year’s nengajo cards. As we race towards the end of the year, people in Japan are preparing to send out nengajo, New Year’s cards that can be popped off at the post office anytime from 15-25 December for guaranteed delivery on 1 January. The custom of sending nengajo to friends and family is similar to the way people in Western countries send Christmas cards, although rather than buying the cards pre-made, people commonly buy them blank from the post office, as they’re sold like postcards with one side free for the user to decorate or print with either original or chosen designs. Studio Ghibli fans will no doubt want to add a dash of anime magic to their New Year’s greetings, and here to help them do that is a new range of 2026 New Year’s stamps, featuring characters and motifs from My Neighbour Totoro. All you have to do is press these into an inkpad and then stamp them on your New Year’s cards, using as little or as many of them as you like to create your own original designs. The first stamp in the lineup, called “Spinning Top“, shows the Big Totoro unleashing the top with a rope, which is the traditional way to use Japanese spinning tops. Umbrella in hand, and with Soot Sprites close by and auspicious winter berries on opposing corners, this image recalls the scene from the movie where Totoro flies through the sky on a spinning top with Satsuki and Mei, the two young stars of the film. The next stamp is called “あけましておめでとうございます” (“Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu”) which means “Happy New Year“. Like the stamp above, this one features the Big Totoro, and befittingly they’re the largest of the bunch, and are priced at 1,870 yen (US$12.08) each. Moving down a size, we have a stamp that features a row of white Small Totoros, with the oft-used New Year’s message “昨年は大変お世話になりました。今年も幸せな一年になりますように。” (“Sakunen wa taihen osewa ni narimashita. Kotoshi mo shiawase na ichinen ni narimasu you ni”), which means: “Thank you very much for all your support last year. I hope this year will be a happy one as well.” ▼ This sweet stamp is priced at 1,265 yen. ▼ Now we move on to the final three, which are all square-sized and equally priced, at 792 yen each. This Small Totoro comes with the kanji characters “年賀” (“Nenga”) “New Year’s greetings”. Plum blossoms are often seen on New Year’s cards as a harbinger of the new spring to come, and here they feature on the Soot Sprites and Plum Blossoms stamp. The final stamp is “Ojigi”, or “bow”, which is what the Small and Medium Totoros are doing here, while holding forest leaves. While the stamps are designed to be used for decorating nengajo, they can also add joy to diaries, letters, notes and scrapbooks, especially if you purchase the last two stamps, which can be used all year long. Whether you have a soft spot for the Small, Medium or Large Totoro, now is the perfect time to invite them into your home as Donguri Kyowakoku, the specialty chain that sells the stamps, also has a range of purses and porcelain dolls in their honour as well. Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Japanese convenience store chain hops on the boosted-volume-for-the-same-price train for a limited time. While more under the radar than other convenience store chains in Japan, Ministop has always been near the top of our list in large part thanks to its tasty prepared food options. A special promotion is also currently underway at locations across the country–the “50-percent volume-up campaign,” which is an occasional occurrence at other chains as well. ▼ Whoah…in this economy?! From November 4 through 24, 20 popular food items have upped their size while retaining their usual price. Not every item on the list has increased its volume by a whole 50 percent, but regardless, each one is now a better value than it was. The items have been released in waves, and for this final stretch from November 14 through 20, the star member of the lineup is the hotdog (double wiener) for 215 yen (US$1.39). Ministop is somewhat famous for the hotdog’s cousin, the pizza dog, so this one is likely to win hearts as well. We were curious to see what else was currently on the shelves for the promotion so we headed over to our local Ministop branch. Here’s what we found. Butter melon bread (149 yen) 30-percent volume increase Ham and cheese bread (127 yen) 30-percent volume increase Want-to-eat-it-every day curry bread (108 yen) 30-percent volume increase Tuna and egg sandwich (278 yen) Extra layer of egg sandwich Three kinds of mixed sandwiches (321 yen) Extra layer of tuna sandwich Sauce yakisoba (399 yen) 50-percent volume increase Double cream puff (108 yen) 30-percent volume increase Some of the campaign items were out of stock, but it didn’t appear to be a situation where the campaign would have to end early or anything because the shelves were truly wiped clean, as has been the case at similar promotions at other convenience stores. We elected to bring home three of the volume-up items to try them out. ▼ Something looks a little big bit off about these sizes from usual. First, the ham and cheese bread was clearly heavier with its increased volume. It spilled out of our hand. The double puff pastry was even more shocking in that we couldn’t believe the feeling of satisfaction we got for only 108 yen. Since many convenience store sweets these days cost double or even triple that, it felt like we were privy to a truly miraculous gift. Finally, it was time for the moment we were all waiting for–the unveiling of the 1.5-times-bigger-than-normal sauce yakisoba! A store worker had humorously told us that they never expected the portion size to be that big. We’d definitely recommend it for any serious carb-loading you need to do in the next week. It was delicious and put us into a slight noodle coma. There’s only a week left of the 50-percent volume-up campaign at Ministop, so now’s the perfect time to swing by and eat to your heart’s content. For more convenience store fun, see the upcoming Black Friday fried-food discounts at 7-Eleven Japan. Top image: Ministop Insert images: Ministop, SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

We share a few simple tips about the dress code, performance length, and dining options if you’re headed to watch the classical performing art form. Late last month, our Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma went to the Kabuki-za Theater in Tokyo for the first time ever. His visit was inspired after watching the 2025 film about kabuki titled Kokuho (“National Treasure”)…just kidding, it was actually because an old university friend was performing there, and he took it as the perfect opportunity to try something new. However, precisely because this was a new experience for him, he was full of questions: How long is a typical performance? Is there a dress code? Could he get food anywhere on the premises? It made him a little anxious not knowing these things, so he hopes to share his observations with others after the fact. ▼ Stern portraits of legendary kabuki performers line the theater walls, undoubtedly judging Masanuki and his tendency to overthink. Getting straight to the point, perhaps surprisingly there is no strict dress code for the theater. The official website states that “normal attire that you’d wear to go shopping should be OK” and “Guests are welcome to dress up if they feel inclined.” Of course, Masanuki recommends using common sense and not dressing like him during his midnight Don Quijote runs in sweats or anything that reveals too much skin. ▼ What NOT to dress in: Masanuki’s “typical” shopping attire He also had plans to visit his friend in his dressing room on this particular day, so he decided to wear a basic sweater and slacks combination–altogether a step up from his typical work attire at the SoraNews24 editorial office (which tends to err on the side of extreme casualness). Now that he was dressed, he took the train over to the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district. He could feel the history and tradition of the traditional performing art form simply by gazing up at the elegant facade. He found his seat on the third floor, which he recommends as the best vantage point in order to overlook the entire stage. Things were starting to feel exciting! The performance began at 10 a.m. on this particular day. He enjoyed the different acts while reading the history-filled explanations in the pamphlet. After two hours, however, there was still no sign of his friend coming out. He started to realize that this experience wouldn’t be like a long movie…it was going to be even longer, running up until about 4:30 p.m.! Thankfully, the pamphlet clearly listed the length of intermissions between acts so he knew what to expect. In other words, he still wasn’t even halfway done at this point, so his friend had plenty of time to make an appearance. During one of Masanuki’s breaks, he explored the building a bit and found himself at the Hanakago dining area. It was still a bit early, but he decided to buy a bento. The ajishigure bento cost 1,600 yen (US$10.39). Besides this one, there were other choices, including some particularly luxurious ones that needed to be reserved in advance. It all felt very appropriate for a day of traditional theater-going. He sat down in the fancy dining area to enjoy the food. Taking the lid off the bento, he was pleased to see the colorful and varied contents. There was salmon grilled with salt, dried daikon strips, rolled omelet, flower-shaped lotus root, kombu rolls, simmered shrimp, chicken and kabocha skewers, beef simmered with ginger, other stewed bites, and rice served with five-grain and ume furikake. Its visuals were extremely sophisticated. Thankfully, its taste was equally as sophisticated. The salmon was exquisite, the simmered beef incredibly rich together with rice, the rolled omelet as fluffy as a cloud, and the other simmered bites were bursting with dashi flavor. It was an incredibly satisfying lunch on his classy day out. ▼ Drool-worthy food shots coming up The only drawback was that he could have eaten just a little bit more. Therefore, he popped over to the restaurant on the first floor to order this reproduction of “original Oriental curry” during another one of the breaks. That did the trick, ensuring that he had a full stomach to enjoy the individual acts right up until the very end. He eventually did witness his friend’s performance and was filled with a sense of pride to see him on this world-class stage. Visiting him in his dressing room afterwards was the icing on top of a wonderfully fulfilling day. All in all, while Masanuki had initially been a bit nervous before his visit that he would have to be in extreme “formal mode” for the duration of his visit, the atmosphere at Kabuki-za turned out to be more relaxed than he expected. He especially appreciated that he could wear everyday attire. More than anything, this visit has now made him excited to see kabuki performances at other theaters as well. Perhaps it’s time for him to seek out a more modern take on the traditional theater as well! All images © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Rethinking soup as we know it.  Starbucks is continually surprising us with new releases, but its latest addition to the menu takes things to a whole new level. Called the Soupuccino, this new offering straddles the line between soup and cappuccino, and is said to be the first “soup beverage” in the history of the chain. ▼ The debut flavour for the Soupuccino is truffle. The soup beverage is made by steaming milk in a Starbucks machine, similar to making a cappuccino, and then combining it with black truffles and three types of mushrooms, including porcini mushrooms, with the flavours of fried bacon and vegetable broth. ▼ It’s then garnished with a sprinkling of parsley. Staff recommend experimenting with the milk options, so when our reporter K. Masami purchased hers on the 14 November release day, she made the free switch from regular to soy, which is said to give it a smoother taste. As for the size, the Soupuccino is only available in a Short size, priced at 500 yen (US$3.23) for eat-in, and slightly cheaper for takeout. Masami got hers to eat-in, and the first thing she noticed when she lifted the mug to her mouth was the wonderful aroma, which instantly aroused her appetite. After taking a sip, she quickly found herself diving in for another taste, as it was packed with the umami flavour of mushrooms and a delicious kick of bouillon. The fluffy, foamed milk turned out to be perfection, as it imparts a smooth, mellow texture that allows the soup to seep into your body, nourishing you from your core. The richness made it feel similar to potage, and according to staff, it was made by Soup Stock Tokyo, a highly popular soup specialty store with branches around Japan, so it’s no surprise that it’s so well-crafted. As you might expect, the Soupuccino pairs well with meals, which is convenient as Starbucks’ morning service deal was launched on the same day. When you purchase one drink and one food from the designated list below, you’ll receive a 40 yen discount on the regular price. Masami didn’t need any convincing to try this deal, opting to pair the Truffle Soupuccino with the newly released Bacon Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwich (440 yen). Together, they made for the ideal breakfast. ▼ The bagel sandwich, while simple in flavour, is filled with thick-cut bacon and cheese, and is utterly delicious. The Truffle Soupuccino is wildly different from any Starbucks drink you’ve had before, and it exceeded our expectations. The only downside is the limited sales period, as it’s only on the menu while stocks last, but with a soup this good we have high hopes that it’ll soo become a mainstay, with more flavours to try in future. Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

What is a train really? Christmas is just around the corner, and many of us have children in our families that are really hard to shop for. It’s difficult to keep up with the changing trends, and even if you do, how can you know which Skibidi figure the kid already has? It’s a problem our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was facing, so he decided to check out Amazon Japan for some ideas. However, after years of seeking out the lowest-rated items sold there, his algorithm is a little skewed towards the abysmal. Despite that, he found what looked like a decent toy in the Transparent Gear Train for 2,299 yen (US$15). It promoted itself as “the best educational toy” that “encourages children to crawl” and “makes a great gift for kids.” The body of the train is see-through, and having young ones view the rotating gears inside is thought to help them develop early mechanical concepts, imagination, cognitive ability, and motor skills. However, going by the reviews, it was a very divisive product. People either loved it or hated it, but a majority hated it, with 62 percent of the reviews giving only one star for an average rating of 2.3. Positive comments included, “the lighting is beautiful” and “kids seem to enjoy it.” Criticisms mentioned that “It has the vibe of a seedy Shinjuku bar,” “It spins so fast you can’t see the gears moving,” and “The music is like weird EDM, so it doesn’t seem like it’s good for education.” Parents tend to be very picky about what toys their children use, so Masanuki decided to give this train the benefit of the doubt. But just to be sure, he decided to test it out before giving it to someone, lest it catch fire and melt like that birthday candle he bought a while back. Opening the box, he was immediately impressed to find not only three AA rechargeable batteries, but also a charger case. That’s not something often found in toys, but very much appreciated. The train itself looked great too. It was very cute and colorful. It had a solid design and seemed like it would look really nice when lit up. He couldn’t imagine kids not liking something like this. It was easy to set up. Masanuki just charged up the batteries and flipped the switch on the bottom of the train. The locomotive began to emit brilliant colors in all directions. And then it started spinning wildly… In addition to rotating at insane speeds, it played some sort of ear-splittingly loud Chinese techno music. It seemed to defeat the purpose of educating kids about gears and mechanics, since the thing moved so fast it was impossible to see what the gears were even doing. Masanuki decided to try one more time with the lights turned off. Again, after turning on the switch, it radiated an array of dazzling colors. And then… Watching the twirling train and with Chinese music blaring in his ears, our reporter contemplated what exactly this was. It begged the question, what is a train? He wasn’t familiar with any actual trains that spun around in one place and sounded like a rave in Kowloon. Sure, it was shaped like a train, but is that enough to call it a train? We don’t call a train-shaped cookie a “train,” so why should this be one? In that way, maybe this was an educational toy, but not in the sense of mechanics. Rather, it made Masanuki consider existentialist principles, whether it is form or function that defines the true nature of this toy. It could also be good for older people to exercise their dynamic visual acuity, which is known to degrade rapidly as we age. It’s a pretty fun and energetic toy too, so Masanuki felt the one-star reviews were far too harsh for this product. After all, having rechargeable batteries included should at least warrant an automatic minimum rating of two stars. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Recreate the Starbucks life at home this holiday season.   Every time the festive season rolls around at Starbucks a lot of the focus gets turned towards the drinks, which means a lot of the special food releases end up flying under the radar. So when we saw that the chain was selling gingerbread cookies in a super cute tin, we couldn’t resist grabbing one for a closer look. The round tin has an eye-catching design filled with various Christmas motifs in a wreath-like style. The vivid red grabs your attention as soon as you lay eyes on it, enticing you to lift the lid to find out what’s inside. When you open it up, you’ll be greeted by the warm and welcoming aroma of spiced gingerbread cookies, enveloping you in the joys of the festive season. Each tin contains 18 cookies, in two different shapes – the classic gingerbread man and the charming face of Starbucks’ Bearista character. The smiles on both these cookies are incredibly charming, and Starbucks fans won’t be able to resist popping them on the top of drinks and desserts at home. ▼ We love a multipurpose cookie. Adding whipped cream to the top of a homemade coffee will help you live the Starbucks life at home, and a couple of gingerbread men on top add just the right amount of sweetness. Other ideas are to pair the cookies with puddings and coffee jellies purchased from the supermarket, as they’re already topped with a soft yet supportive layer of cream. ▼ The slightly spicy, sweet gingerbread cookies are delicious on their own but they can easily elevate an everyday snack. With Starbucks currently offering a Joyful Cookie Topping customisation for a limited time, where you can add a mini cookie to the top of any cream-topped beverage, this is like a mega version of that special treat. Like all the other holiday-themed drinks and goods at Starbucks, the gingerbread cookies are only available while stocks last until Christmas, and at 1,890 yen (US$12.27) each, they’re a great way to spread holiday cheer with friends, family, and colleagues this festive season. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!