Sound-bite version of legal ruling is an imbalanced substitute for a proper meal/understanding of the situation. Before we get into the meat of this article, let’s start with a linguistics appetizer. Pretty much anyone with a passing interest in the Japanese language, or even Japanese culture in general, knows that the suffix -san often gets used after people’s names in Japan. It often gets approximated to “Mr.” or “Ms.,” but -san’s actual nuance is a little more complex, since it gets used after given names too, but the key point is that it’s used as a sign of polite respect, especially since addressing someone with no suffix at all in Japanese can sound brusque and overbearing. However, -san isn’t the only commonly used name suffix in Japan. There’s also -chan, which has a warmer, more affectionate tone. That’s not necessarily affectionate in the sense of romantic affection, either, as -chan is often used when talking to kids. It’s also pretty common within friend groups of young women, and it’s not shocking for it to be used by guys addressing platonic female friends with whom they’re on good terms (and to be clear, “good terms” means just that, with no wink or nudge). And now, on to the main course: following a verdict announced on October 23, a number of Japanese media outlets have posted articles with headlines saying, in one way or another, that the Tokyo District Court ruled that using -chan in the workplace constitutes sexual harassment. The nature of modern news being what it is, the urge to condense a complex issue down to its pithiest, most impactful single-bite summary is understandable. That doesn’t make it applaudable, though, and there are definitely other factors to take into consideration here. The lawsuit was filed by an ex-employee of Sagawa Express, one of Japan’s largest home delivery service companies. The woman, who is in her 40s, began working at a Sagawa sales office in Tokyo in 2020. Among her coworkers was the older man who she would eventually sue for sexual harassment. According to the suit, the man’s conduct caused the woman to suffer from depression, and after she was diagnosed with the condition she took a leave of absence from work before later quitting her job in 2021. Two years later, the woman filed lawsuits against both the man himself and Sagawa Express, seeking monetary damages from sexual harassment. This past February, Sagawa settled out of court for a sum of 700,000 yen (US$4,665), but the man chose to fight the accusations in court, ultimately losing the case. Because the woman’s grievances included the man’s use of -chan when addressing her, the verdict resulted in alarmist headlines presenting the situation as the court ruling that -chan qualifies as punishable sexual harassment. And it is true that in explaining the ruling, presiding judge Shinji Tahara mentioned the suffix, calling it unnecessary in a business environment and saying that even if used with the intent of friendly familiarity, in light of the age and gender difference between the plaintiff and defendant, and the fact that they were simply coworkers without a personal friendship, the use of -chan could be considered offensive to the woman. Though she was awarded far less than the 5.5 million yen she was seeking from the man in the suit, the court has ordered him to pay her 220,000 yen in damages. ▼ Definitely not life-changing money, but at least month-changing money. However, framing this as “using -chan is now legally classified as sexual harassment” or “if a man uses -chan in talking to a woman it means he’s a creep” is a gross oversimplification. What the soundbite headlines are leaving out is that in addition to addressing the woman with -chan, he also had a pattern of telling her things like “You’re cute” and “You have a good figure.” As such, this doesn’t appear to be a case of someone whose office conduct and conversational habits were otherwise impeccably courteous getting the judicial hammer slammed down on him just for being too familiar in his choice of suffix. Instead, it paints a picture of someone who didn’t understand or didn’t care about common-sense boundaries in a professional environment, and it’s the basket of questionable comments that got him in trouble, not the use of -chan alone. Linguistic fine points and societal norms often don’t have a one-to-one translation into other cultures, but if you were looking for one for the tone that -chan has, it’s kind of similar to putting a -y or -ie on someone’s name. Let’s say, for example, that you have a coworker whose name is Susan. Calling her “Susy” could be seen as a warm, friendly way of speaking, but it’s important to make sure that she’s comfortable being addressed that way, and to respect her opinion if she’s not. Insisting on calling her Susy regardless of how she feels about it would be inappropriate, and if you’re choosing to call her that while saying things like “You sure are good-looking, Susy” or “Nice bod, Susy!”, then yeah, that’s not cool for multiple reasons. All of which is to say that it’s not using -chan that’ll get a man accused of sexual harassment in Japan, but unilaterally deciding that it’s OK to press in past established baseline formality when dealing with a woman, which is true in any language or culture. Source: 47 News, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Teleasa News, Hachima Kiko Top image: Pakutaso 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!

Men and women show a difference in opinion on how strongly they need the cinematic romance staple in their real-life love life. You can’t talk about dating in Japan without the concept of kokuhaku, or directly confessing one’s romantic feelings, coming up. But while a pivotal kokuhaku scene is a must in romance TV dramas and anime, is it something that Japanese singles think is absolutely necessary in real-life courtship? To investigate, Japanese matchmaking service Zwei recently conducted a survey of 361 adults, 232 identifying themselves as men and 121 as women, regarding their kokuhaku history and aspirations. When asked how their previous relationships started, the respondents showed that confessions of feelings have indeed been a big part of their love lives. 69.8 percent of women said that their past relationships had been solidified with a kokuhaku to make them part of an official couple, and even more men, 73.1 percent, said the same. However, those past patterns didn’t perfectly translate into an assumption that their next relationship has to have a formal declaration of feelings. When asked what their ideal way of starting a new relationship would be, a proper kokuhaku was still women’s top choice, from 52 percent of the respondents. 32 percent of them, though, said they’d be happiest with a relationship that starts as friendship, and then organically evolves into romantic love, followed by 16 percent who said their ideal would be a sudden sensation that they’d found their romantic match from the moment they met. Kokuhaku were seen as even less mandatory by the men in the survey. Friendship that grows naturally into love was their top choice for how a relationship could start, at 40.4 percent. An explicit confession of love finished second in their ranking, at 38.6 percent, with 19.3 percent saying things clicking immediately upon the first meeting is best and 1.8 percent giving a mysterious answer of “other” when asked about the ideal way to become a couple. ▼ “We’d first connect through our shared life experiences from being born with traffic cone heads, and things would just sort of develop naturally from there,” would, ostensibly, fall into the “other” category. Still, with the majority of women and nearly half of men saying that they think a relationship should have a kokuhaku, it’s not like the concept has become outdated. As for which side of the relationship has been doing the feeling-confessing, it’s overwhelmingly the guys. Out of the respondents whose past relationships began with a kokuhaku, the men said they were the one who first confessed their feelings 78.1 percent of the time, and women with kokuhaku in their dating past said that their boyfriends were the one who confessed their feelings 89.5 percent of the time. So does this mean that it’s a man’s duty to do the kokuhaku? Not necessarily. Only 1.9 percent of the survey participants said that the confession of feelings is something that the woman should do, but also just 13.6 percent said it’s something the guy is supposed to do. The most common sentiment, by far, came from the 83.9 percent who said that it’s fine for either person to be the one who put their romantic feelings into words first. Source: PR Times Top image: Pakutaso 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!

After more than 40 years of effort, Tokunoshima Coffee is finally available for purchase. Many of Japan’s favorite things to eat and drink are also things that the country takes great pride in producing. Rice and green tea are the two most obvious examples, but foodies in Japan also sing the praise of Japanese-grown fruit and vegetables, and in recent years there’s been a growing fanbase for Japanese-produced black tea too. One thing you’ll hardly ever find, though, is Japanese-grown coffee. That’s not because Japan doesn’t like coffee, as you’ll actually come across more specialty coffee cafes than tea ones. The issue is that there are very few places in Japan with a suitable climate for cultivating coffee plants. But “very few places” means that there are indeed a handful of spots in Japan where farmers grow coffee, and one of them is the Kagoshima Prefecture island of Tokunoshima. If that’s not a name you’ve come across while skimming through Japan travel guides, it’s probably because Tokunoshima is part of the remote Amami Island chain, which is part of Kagoshima but actually closer to Okinawa. ▼ Tokunoshima is about an hour away by plane from Kagoshima City. Tokunoshima’s warm subtropical weather patterns make coffee cultivation a possibility, but the process hasn’t been easy. The island is typhoon-prone, with high winds bringing the potential to damage or destroy the plants, and local agricultural and distribution infrastructure is limited as well. Since 1982, though, Japanese food and beverage company Ajinomoto has been providing funding and assistance in an effort to make Tokunoshima-grown coffee a viable reality. ▼ A Tokunoshima coffee farm It took four years until the first beans could be successfully harvested, and many more until yields were strong enough to bring Tokunoshima Coffee to market. Last year, it was finally offered for sale for the first time, and today our taste-testers are going to be trying a cup. Tokunoshima Coffee is offered in drip coffee bags, and we got ours for 300 yen (US$2). As soon as we opened the package, we were greeted by an enticing aroma, and we waited in anticipation as the brew dripped into our cups. Taste-testing duties fell to our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun and SoraNews24 owner Yoshio. Yoshio didn’t snag this assignment strictly through his authority as our boss, but because he’s a coffee enthusiast who used to work at Starbucks before various turns in his career path led to him founding our site. So what did Yoshio have to say about Tokunoshima Coffee? “It has a chocolatey taste, but there’s also a sensation of acidity to it. The acidity is especially noticeable on the left and right sides of the tongue, but it’s not at all unpleasant, and the flavor comes to a clean finish. This is a high-class coffee, and it wouldn’t be at all out of place as a special coffee of the day at Starbucks.” P.K. was impressed too. Compared to the coffee he grabs at 7-Eleven every day, the richness here is on a whole different level, and while that might not make it a great match for something to thoughtlessly gulp down for a daily caffeine jolt, he thinks Tokunoshima Coffee is a properly special coffee for special times. Related: Ajinomoto Tokunoshima coffee farm photos: Ajinomoto All other photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Promises to be accessible to domestic and international Sailor Moon fans. Given the franchise’s now generations-spanning popularity with fans both in Japan and overseas, a Sailor Moon-themed restaurant seems like it should be a slam-dunk success, especially with daily stage shows featuring the Sailor Senshi performing live for audiences. And so it was that Shining Moon Tokyo opened in an atmosphere of great excitement in Tokyo’s Azabu Juban neighborhood. There was no way that such a promising venture could fail, short of some sort of global catastrophe that not only took going out for entertainment and leisure traveling completely off the table, but did so for so long that no one could say when things would return to normal, but such a far-fetched scenario seemed laughably unlikely when the restaurant opened…in August of 2019. Within a few months the coronavirus pandemic would begin, and by early 2020 it had made its way to Japan. While mandated restaurant closures didn’t take place in Tokyo, Shining Moon Tokyo was also a stage theater, and those venues were ordered to shut down. Shining Moon Tokyo had its final visitors in April of that year, and in July, still without the OK to reopen, made the difficult decision to close down permanently. It’s hard to imagine a clearer case of an enterprise failing not because of any flaws in its concept, but simply because of bad timing regarding utterly unforeseeable events. So with pandemic protocols now a thing of the past and inbound international tourism to Japan booming, Shining Moon Tokyo isn’t just reopening, it’s coming back bigger than ever, with the announcement of the grand opening of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo. The theater will be a renovation and rebranding of the Club eX venue within Tokyo’s Shinagawa Prince Hotel complex, located just a short walk from Shinagawa Station (which is located on both the Yamanote loop line that circles the Tokyo city center and the Tokkaido Shinkansen line that connects Tokyo with Kyoto and Osaka). The producers are promising a “spectacular” show featuring all 10 Sailor Senshi, and while the switch to a more dedicated theater format appears to mean that full meals won’t be offered, special Sailor Moon-themed drinks will be served. ▼ Early concept images for the theater’s interior As many overseas fans of Japanese pop culture are painfully aware, it can be difficult for non-residents of Japan to get tickets for entertainment events in Japan. Some require an in-Japan address or phone number, and others only accept payment through Japanese credit cards or have stipulations that the purchaser’s name must match that of the ticketholder, preventing proxy purchases. However, the Sailor Moon theater intends to be traveler-accessible, with its website saying that tickets “will be available not only for domestic audiences but also for international tourists.” The Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Tokyo is scheduled to open in April of 2026. Source: PR Times, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Tokyo official website Top image: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Tokyo official website Insert images: PR Times, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Shining Theater Tokyo official website ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Esteemed plush toy maker brings over a century of tradition to three new Totoros. One of the great things about Ghibli, outside of the movie sphere, is its willingness to support and champion local companies through its merchandise. Now, the studio has enlisted the help of Sekiguchi, a Japanese manufacturing company that’s been in business since 1918. Though it specialises in stuffed toys, most famously with its line of Monchhichi dolls, Sekiguchi is now breaking new ground by creating a trio of Totoro porcelain dolls for Studio Ghibli. The dolls can be purchased separately, starting with the Large Totoro (6,600 yen [US$43.29]), which measures approximately 10.8 centimetres (4.25 inches) in height, 8.5 centimetres in width and 7.8 centimetres in depth. Though the grey Totoro is perhaps most well known to overseas fans of My Neighbour Totoro, here in Japan the studio likes to shine a spotlight on the two other Totoros that appear in the film, and this range depicts them beautifully. ▼ The blue “Medium Totoro” (4,400 yen) measures 6.9 x 5 x 5.4 centimetres. ▼ And the white “Small Totoro” (3,300 yen) measures 5 x 3.4 x 4 centimetres. The round-eyed figurines have such a charming, whimsical ambience to them that it’s difficult to choose a favourite. Sensing that might be the case, the studio is giving us the option to purchase them all as a three-piece set, priced at 14,300 yen. ▼ These dolls are cute from every angle, including the rear. Although the set doesn’t represent any savings compared to purchasing them separately, it does mean you can purchase them all at the click of a button at the online store, and you can rest assured that you can own them all without the fear of one of them selling out. ▼ Because items this cute are known to sell out within days of being released. Whether you purchase them as a trio or individually, each Totoro comes with its own box, which is perfect for storing or gift-giving. The dolls will bring warmth and joy to your home, fitting in perfectly with any type of interior. The dolls were released on 24 October, and can be purchased at the studio’s Donguri Kyowakoku retail chain and online through the links below. Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Tokyo noodle joint is open 24 hours a day, but it may or may not be what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for good ramen in Tokyo, Akihabara is one of the places that ought to be on your list. With the area becoming a centre for youth and otaku culture, Akihabara attracts tech workers, tourists, and late-night shoppers who are all looking for quick, inexpensive, and satisfying meals while they shop around town, and ramen perfectly fits that bill. As one of Tokyo’s most vibrant ramen hubs, Akihabara’s noodle scene is constantly evolving, and now there’s a new place to get your noodle fix, at Akihabara Ramen Center. Previously, a store called Gattsuri Udon (“がっつりうどん”) sat at this once-vacant lot along Showa-dori, and though it was only meant to operate for a few months, its popularity saw it stay for a year. ▼ With bukkake udon priced at 300 yen (US$1.97), this was a great-value spot that drew customers both day and night. The container kitchen and semi-outdoor seating had a certain charm of their own that added to the store’s popularity, but just a week or so ago, Gattsuri Udon seemingly morphed into Akihabara Ramen Center, with a flashy red and yellow signboard to catch everyone’s attention, and big bold letters declaring “Open 24 hours” and “500 yen”. While it’s unclear whether the owner simply switched business models or a new tenant took over, it’s clear that the udon shop has now become a ramen shop, and it serves two things only: Tonkotsu Ramen and Soy Sauce (“shoyu”, written here as “syoyu”) Ramen. ▼ Each standard bowl costs 500 yen, which is a very reasonable price for Akihabara. When we visited, the Soy Sauce Ramen had sold out so we opted to try the tonkotsu ramen. At the ticket machine, there are additional toppings to choose from, like red pickled ginger, wood ear mushrooms, and spicy cod roe, and you can also get extra noodles (“kaedama”) for 150 yen. For this visit, we decided to order the most basic tonkotsu ramen so after placing our order we stood at the counter and took a look around. The sign behind us read “替玉” (“kaedama”), “生ビール” (“nama beer”) and “ハイボール” (“highball”), all at good prices that suggest this would be a good place to unwind with a drink or two, especially in the evenings. It didn’t take long for our noodles to be ready, and when they arrived, they had everything we’d want in a hearty bowl of noodles, with menma (fermented bamboo shoots), green onions and a slice of chashu pork. ▼ Plus, a deliciously thick-looking pork-bone broth. As for the taste, well… it was neither good nor bad. The broth turned out to be moderately thick, and the noodles had a nice, chewy texture. Of course, you can find plenty of tonkotsu ramen stores offering tastier bowls but for 500 yen, it wasn’t bad at all. Plus, with the 150-yen kaedama, which we ended up ordering towards the end of the meal, the value for money was solid, as the 650-yen meal filled us up nicely. Rather than being a place to go for a gourmet experience, Akihabara Ramen Center is more like a convenient spot to fill your stomach when you’re pressed for time. With 24-hour service and 500-yen ramen, we have a feeling the store will be around for a while to come, so you might want to keep it in mind when you want to avoid the queues at this Akihabara ramen joint that’s popular with foreign tourists. Store information Akihabara Ramen Center / 秋葉原ラーメンセンター Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kandahirakawacho 4-1 東京都千代田区神田平河町4-1 Open: 24 hours every day Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Jiji, Calcifer and Totoro bring mist to dry days in the cutest of ways.  With temperatures in Japan finally dropping after a sweltering, too-long summer, people across the country are finally breathing a sigh of relief. That sigh might feel a little bit scratchy, though, because with cooler temperatures comes dry air, which can affect everything from your skin to your respiratory tract and even your mood. Here in time to help us with all of that is a range of small humidifiers from Studio Ghibli’s specialty retail chain Donguri Kyowakoku, and there are three designs to choose from. The first design is “Totoro Playing the Ocarina“, inspired by the scene where the titular character plays the instrument in My Neighbour Totoro. Here, though, the magical ocarina blows out steam to soothe and moisturise your airways while putting a smile on your face with sweet details. You’ll find gorgeous forest motifs around the trunk, along with a trio of Soot Sprites and the white Small Totoro blowing into an ocarina-like blossom. Simply fill the bottle with water and connect it to a USB cable and it’ll pump out plumes of mist — perfect for cold dry days by the computer. ▼ The second design, called “Calcifer’s Bacon and Eggs“, features the charismatic fire spirit from Howl’s Moving Castle. This cleverly designed product will warm you up just by looking at it, as the magical mist makes it seem like Calcifer is using his fiery energy to cook the bacon and fried eggs. ▼ This is a humidifier that’ll make you feel warm…and hungry too. ▼ The only thing missing from the scene is the glorious sizzle of a fried breakfast. Calcifer doesn’t only appear at the top of the humidifier, as his cute face can be seen on the body of the bottle as well. Staying on the theme of breakfast, we have the third design in the lineup, called “Jiji and Breakfast“. Black cat Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service is the star of the show here, sitting atop a table with a stack of pancakes… ▼ …and a hot mug that sends out plumes of steam. As is the case with a lot of products related to Kiki’s Delivery Service, Kiki herself doesn’t make an appearance but her presence is felt in the bright red hues that are evocative of her ribbon. The Ghibli humidifiers first made their appearance back in 2022, with a restock in 2023 and 2024, but this year there’s one thing missing from the lineup as the Otori-sama bird bathers from Spirited Away are sadly unavailable. Still, after previously selling out and becoming impossible to get, we’re thankful to see the three humidifiers return to help us fight the good fight against dry air for another year. 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!

Bring the warmth of Japanese train seat heating into the comfort of your home.  It’s been a particularly odd year for weather in Japan, with the heat lingering until just a few days ago, when the temperatures fell dramatically to winter-like levels. As it feels like we’re skipping autumn and going straight into winter, we’re already looking for things to keep us warm, and this year there’s a new product to give us one of the most comforting features of a Japanese winter: train seat heating. Created by Thanko, the quirky innovators who brought us a hot air bag clothes dryer and the chair umbrella, this clever product lets you enjoy the cosy warmth of a heated Japanese train seat, right in the comfort of your home or office. Released on 22 September, the “Like a Train Seat Heater” provides calf-warming comfort in a choice of three colours — Red, Green, and “Glay” (“Grey”) — which are reminiscent of real train seat upholstery, to make it feel like you’re actually sitting on a train. While Japanese trains tend to push air out from heaters underneath the seat, this product replicates that action with four heating zones: two under the thighs and two behind the calves, warming up those hard-to-reach areas. The calf section includes a polycarbonate board with built-in springiness so the heating element feels comfortable against your lower legs. It’s also designed with raised edges to recreate the snug fit of a train seat, which might just send you off into the same sort of blissful slumber you might enjoy on a long train ride. Powered by USB, the temperature can be adjusted through three levels — High (46 degrees Celsius [115 degrees Fahrenheit]), Medium (44 degrees Celsius), and Low (42 degrees Celsius) — using a wired remote control. It automatically switches off after 60 minutes to prevent overheating and as a safeguard in case you forget to turn it off. ▼ With a storage pocket for a mobile battery included, the operating time is about four hours on High, five hours on Medium, and six hours on Low. There are a lot of products on the market that’ll keep your body warm in winter but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that warms your heart with the sensation of a cosy Japanese train ride as well. The “Like a Train Seat Heater” is priced at 6,980 yen (US$45.70), and can be purchased at Thanko’s official online store and physical retail locations. Related: Thanko Retail Locations Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Unlimited fish and a menu that changes every day at an unbeatable price. When people decide to visit Japan, there are many items that can be found on their itineraries: go up Tokyo Sky Tree, wander through the torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, or enjoy a hot spring facebath. While some of these might be fine to skip over, the one thing you should never leave Japan without fully immersing yourself in is the food. Be it trying out local varieties of udon noodles, or sampling the predecessor to takoyaki octopus balls, Japanese cuisine is vast and varied, and has something for everyone. One of the foods that Japanese people hold most dear is raw fish, which while most people would imagine as being served on top of rice in the form of sushi, is also equally enjoyed just by itself as slices of raw fish called sashimi. If you find yourself wanting to feast upon endless amounts of seafood, a new restaurant has just opened a dream-like restaurant with an all-you-can-eat sashimi buffet. Gyoko Shokudo opened on September 20, 2025 in Hadano, Kanagawa, which is a city that is just over an hour’s train ride from Shinjuku Station on the Odakyu Line. The system at Gyoko Shokudo is pretty simple: just pay 2,750 yen (US$18.12) on weekdays, or 3,300 yen on weekends and holidays (both tax included), and you can enjoy 60 minutes of unrestrained fish feasting frenzy. If it just so happens to be your birthday, you can enjoy your meal for half of the usual price. Do note that the refillable drink bar, and the alcoholic beverages, are charged separately for both deals. Once you’ve been shown to your seat, you’re ready to see what is on today’s menu, because another thing that makes the store so special is that the lineup of fish changes daily, depending entirely on what was caught that day. Perhaps you want that beautiful-looking yellowtail? After all, it looks so thick and juicy… There’s the all-time favorite: salmon. Oh? There’s some albacore tuna, too. And even some seared bonito! Various types of marinated sashimi are also available. There are almost too many things to try, but remember you only have a limited amount of time so you need to be decisive; pick out what you fancy, or take a little of everything, and return to your seat for what promises to be a sumptuous meal. Try some of the sashimi and you’ll be astounded at how firm and springy it is, not to mention delicious. You would be forgiven for thinking that the freshness or quality might drop given the price, but that’s not the case at Gyoko Shokudo. In fact, it might even outshine the sashimi you get at conveyor-belt sushi restaurant chains. Don’t forget to pair it with some sweet sashimi soy sauce, for an unbeatable combo. After polishing off your first set of fish, there’s no time to rest on your laurels. Remember: you only have 60 minutes, and there’s just too much to try. Look at these gigantic shrimp, for example! So plump, and not even a hint of any unpleasant odors, only a deliciously sweet flavor. It’s wild to think that you could eat as many of these as you want. Standing around in a puddle of your own saliva as you look around at all the different delicacies on display, you’ll start to wander back to some of your favorites from when you went up before, but then the staff bring out some salmon roe. ▼ The sign here asks that customers limit their roe intake to one spoonful each time. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, you turn around and see the holy grail: Pacific bluefin tuna. Not every guest will be lucky to sample it though, as it’s a limited item, so if you happen to see it there, snatch it up fast or it’ll likely be gone. Of course, there’s not only sashimi on offer, as there are other items, such as fish bone soup, to enjoy too. The chunks of fish are large and satisfying to eat, while the broth is rich and flavorful. There is also an assortment of rice accompaniments like boiled whitebait and salted fermented squid. If you want to switch it up with some grilled and fried items, Gyoko Shokudo has those for the taking too. Even some fried chicken, if you happen to feel like you’re drowning in too much fish. Or partake in their homemade curry. You might think, “Sure, sashimi is great and all, but I really can’t do without that sushi rice.” In which case, you’re in luck as not only does the store have a big pot of vinegared sushi rice (shari) for your sushi, or seafood bowl-making, pleasure, there’s also a pot of regular white rice just next to it. ▼ The shari is on the left with the normal rice on the right. So, you’ve now stuffed yourself to the point where you’re now more part fish than human, but that doesn’t mean the experience is over; there’s still dessert to go, all of which are well-prepared. If there were to be one negative thing to say about the whole experience, it would be that the sashimi can disappear instantly, particularly during the dinner rush. As the staff only restock every 10 to 15 minutes or so, if you happen to miss the timing, you’ll be wasting valuable eating time until the next refill, or have to switch over to other options. Even the oden, an assortment of ingredients simmered in a soy sauce broth, from the side menu was emptied out promptly, so you’ll need to be prepared for a battle if you want a chance at the popular items. This all-you-can-eat experience is less of a leisurely graze, and more of a meal where you need to come determined to eat the food you want to eat. Whether you want to enjoy as much quality seafood as your stomach will allow, or you’re just passing by on your way to enjoy the beauty of Hakone and its hot springs, Gyoko Shokudo is a genuinely fantastic restaurant that is well worth a visit. Store location Gyoko Shokudo Hadano-ten / 漁港食堂 秦野店 Address: Kanagawa-ken, Hadano-shi, Naganuki 383-1 神奈川県秦野市名古木383-1 Open: 12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Closed: No regular days off Website Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The Kita Kanto Brothers make an unexpected detour in Gunma Prefecture. Welcome back to Kita Kanto Brothers, where our Japanese-language reporters Masanuki Sunakoma and Takamichi Furusawa journey across northern east Japan to visit the region’s best hidden, quirky, and off-the-beaten-path sightseeing spots. And to be clear, we’re talking about the northern (“kita”) prefectures of Japan’s eastern Kanto area, not the prefectures that make up the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. As has become tradition, the Kita Kanto Brothers began their expedition by meeting in a random north Kanto field. After mulling over their options, they decided to head to the town of Ashikaga in Tochigi Prefecture. Ashikaga has a number of sites of interest, such as the oldest school in Japan and Ashikaga Flower Park, which boasts some of the most beautiful wisteria in the county. As has also become tradition, their mode of transport would be neither train nor car. Instead, the Kita Kanto Brothers filled their minds with loving thoughts of north Kanto, leapt into the air… …and warped. Except, hold on, this wasn’t Ashikaga! As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even Tochigi. Instead, Masanuki and Takamichi had somehow ended up in Ota, Gunma Prefecture. Confused as to what could have interfered with their Kita Kanto powers, the brothers looked around, and quickly found the reason for their unintended arrival here. “Vending machines,” “Coffee,” “Snacks,” and “Video games” said the tiers of the sign for someplace called Orange Hat. Since those are some of the finest things in life, Masanuki and Takamichi came to the conclusion that the greater will of north Kanto must have pulled them to this location, even though they’d been trying to warp somewhere else, so that they wouldn’t miss it. Placing their trust in this fate, they decided to head on in and check the place out… …and felt like they’d traveled not only to Ota, but also several decades back in time. The architecture, interior, and overall atmosphere were like something from Japan’s Showa era, which ended in 1989. Nowhere were the old-school vibes stronger than at the row of food vending machines, which contained multiple models that haven’t been commonly encountered in Japan for decades. Not wanting to pass up this rare opportunity, Masanuki sauntered up to the vending machine for hot soba and udon noodles and fed in 380 yen (US$2.55) in coins in order to then feed himself some noodles. ▼ The buttons for the two options, tempura soba (天ぷらそば) and tempura udon (天ぷらうどん) After a short wait, the LED timer indicated that Masanuki’s food was ready, so he opened up the door at the bottom of the machine… …and got his tempura udon! They weren’t anything fancy, but the broth had an enticing color to it, promising rich flavor, and the kakiage cluster of sliced vegetable tempura looked tasty too. Masanuki dug in, and found the broth did indeed have a very satisfying touch of sweetness to it, and was nice and thick with a pleasing texture. The unique surroundings also seemed to add their own special seasoning, sort of like when we recently ate Japan’s most expensive Cup Noodle in a not-so-everyday location. And with Orange Hat open 24 hours a day, you can stop in for a bite whenever the mood strikes. As Masanuki ate, Takamichi dropped a coin into one of the video mahjong games, and when it eventually hit him with a game over screen, he hit up the vending machines too to get a drink. Coca-Cola itself is common in Japanese vending machines, but finding one that sells it in glass bottles is a rare treat. What’s more, it was priced at just 150 yen, which is quite a bit less than what modern vending machines charge for plastic bottles of it now, with rapid inflation continuing in Japan. The machine even has an integrated bottle opener, where you can pop the cap off and it’ll be directly dropped back into the machine so that you don’t have to carry it around with you. ▼ Orange Hat Having enjoyed this refreshing pause, it was time for the Kita Kanto Brothers to get back on the proverbial road/warp path to Ashikaga. Except when Masanuki warped out at Ashikaga Station… …Takamichi was nowhere to be seen. ▼ “…Takamichi…?” ▼ “Takamichi?” ▼ “Takamichi!” ▼ “TAAAKAAAMIIICHIII!!!” What happened to Takamichi? Will he and Masanuki reunite? Those answers will have to wait for the next installment of the Kita Kanto Brothers, unless Takamichi really is gone for good and we have to change the name of this series to just Kita Kanto Bro. Location information Orange Hat (Okinogo branch) / オレンジハット（沖之郷店） Address: Gunma-ken, Ota-shi, Okinogo-cho 448-4 群馬県太田市沖之郷町448-4 Open 24 hours Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!