We head to Osaka’s world-famous canal district and see who’s thriving and who’s struggling with the drop in travelers from China. In November, both the Chinese central government and the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo issued statements telling Chinese citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan, and they haven’t yet done anything that could be construed as taking those words back. Since China accounts for the largest single source of leisure tourists to Japan, this frosty mood could potentially have a major effect on some of Japan’s most famous travel destinations, and we’ve headed to Tokyo’s Asakusa and Shibuya neighborhoods, as well as Kyoto, Nara, and Yokohama, to see what the current situation is like. One place we hadn’t checked in on yet, though, is Osaka. As Japan’s third-largest city, and the biggest metropolis of the Kansai region, Osaka has also become a major magnet for inbound foreign travelers, especially since it’s just a short ride from Kyoto while offering a wider variety of hotel, shopping, and dining options than Japan’s former capital. Osaka’s biggest tourist draws are the Namba neighborhood and canal area of Dotonbori, so that’s where our Japanese-language reporter Haruka Takagi went on a recent morning, arriving at the Ebisubashi bridge at roughly 11 a.m. Even this early in the day, there were large crowds of tourists standing on the bridge to snap pictures of Osaka’s world-famous signage, including the running man on the sign of snack food maker Glico. There were as many foreign tourists as Japanese ones, and out of the overseas visitors those coming from other Asian countries were the largest demographic, followed by travelers from Europe and North America. However, out of the Asian sightseers the majority seemed to hail from southeast Asia, with those from east Asian countries, including China, the minority within the subset. Haruka also noticed that Dotonbori’s atmosphere, in her opinion, is greatly improved compared to how she remembers it from 10 years ago. She recalls walking through the area in her more youthful days and finding it full of shady-looking teens and twenty-somethings, plus pushy barkers for bars trying to convince you to come to their establishments by making dubious discount promises. Granted, on this visit it was still pretty early in the day for any significantly seedy shenanigans to be afoot, but still, Haruka prefers the touristy vibe the neighborhood seems to have acquired compared to how the place used to feel. However, a cleaned-up aura isn’t the only way Namba and Dotonbori have changed since becoming a travel hotspot, and Haruka was shocked by the number of drugstores in the neighborhood. ▼ You can spot drugstores in Japan by the kanji for medicine (薬) on their storefront signs. Pictured above is a branch of Daikoku Drug, but without even seeking them out, Haruka also stumbled across shops from the Matsuoto Kiyoshi, Koko Kara Fine, Sugiyakkyoku, Sun Drug, Tsuruha Drug, Kokumin Drug, and Cosmos chains. It seemed like she couldn’t walk more than 10 seconds before suddenly finding herself in front of another. Japanese cosmetics and skincare products are perennially among the most popular shopping items for Chinese tourists in Japan, due to their high quality, low prices, and tax-free status when purchased by foreign travelers in sufficient quantities, and it’s even become the norm for drugstores in heavily-touristed areas to employ Chinese-speaking staff to assist Chinese shoppers. That explains the rapid proliferation of drugstores around Namba, but as Haruka poked her head into them, one after another she found them to be almost completely devoid of customers. She visited close to a dozen stores, and in each one she could practically hear crickets chirping in the emptiness. On the other hand, there were a lot of employees standing around, some wearing “Chinese speaking” badges, without much to do. It was kind of nice for Haruka to be able to browse as easily and freely as she wanted, then not have to wait in any kind of line when she found some eyeliner she was looking for. She can’t help worrying, though, about what now seems to be a whole lot of overcapacity in terms of drugstores in the area, and how that’s going to affect their long-term ability to stay in business and continue employing their workers. One clerk, in a store that had zero customers in it at the time, told Haruka that they usually start getting more patrons in the evening, but when she came back for another look sometime after 3 p.m., there were maybe five shoppers in the store. Even when Haruka did see people making purchases, they were in quantities consistent with individual personal use, not the giant bundles she’s become accustomed to seeing Chinese tourists make at drugstores in Japan. Haruka came away with a similar impression when she made the rounds of some of the neighborhood’s stores that specialize in brand-name fashions and accessories, both new and used. These types of establishments have also been enjoying significant popularity with foreign tourists during Japan’s weak yen-triggered inbound travel boom, but none of the stores she checked out were crowded with customers or making rapid sales. Stopping to chat with the operator of one of the canal boat tours, for which almost all of the passengers were foreign tourists, the employee told Haruka that most of their customers are from Europe and southeast Asia, and confirmed that they’ve had a drop in Chinese bookings lately. And yet, Haruka can’t say the crowds were sparse, especially as it got to be later in the day. By 4 p.m., there were so many people on the Ebisubashi Bridge, including a European tour group, that she had to weave back and forth through them when making her way across. The Dotonbori shopping street was also full of travelers, and Haruka observed long lines for local street food favorites like takoyaki octopus dumplings… …Rikuro’s cheesecake… …and 551 Horai steamed pork buns. Adventurous foreign tourists were even exploring the neighborhood’s less famous side streets, seeking out new dining experiences in their smaller restaurants and pubs. In contrast, Haruka felt like the more overtly consumerist touristy stores were getting less attention, like the ones displaying hodgepodge collections of anime souvenirs or cheap suitcases. Overall, Namba and Dotonbori have by no means become ghost towns during the Chinese government’s travel advisory, and one of the first impressions you’re likely to have when arriving is “Wow, there sure are a lot of foreign tourists here.” However, from what tourists there are, Haruka can definitely detect decreased interest at stores that have long been the beneficiaries of wealthy Chinese tourists’ passion for shopping. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Tokyo gift shop offers to put you in the cockpit of the very first anime mecha that had one. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of anime characters who pilot giant robots, and fans can spend endless hours debating which one of them is the most skilled. Gundam’s Amuro Ray? Macross’ Maximillian Jenius? Escaflowne’s Allen Schezar? You could make a solid case for any of them, plus a dozen others. Ah, but while “Who’s the best anime mecha pilot?” has no definitive answer. “Who was the first anime mecha pilot?” does: Koji Kabuto of 1972’s Mazinger Z. Why? Because Mazinger Z is the very first manga/anime to feature a giant robot that wasn’t sentient or remote-controlled but instead had a human controlling it from the inside. It’s quite an honor for Koji, but it’s also now one you can indirectly claim for yourself thanks to a new Mazinger Z figurine that kicks him out of the cockpit and puts you in there instead. That’s the previously unimaginable offer from Meta Mate Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi, a unique gift shop in downtown Tokyo. Inside the shop is a full-body 3-D scanning apparatus. Aspiring Mazinger Z pilots step inside the array of precision cameras, which record the contours and coloring of your features and clothing. ▼ The cheerful-looking silver-haired gentleman in this preview photo is none other than Mazinger Z creator and legendary manga artist Go Nagai himself. Once the scan is complete, the data is used to 3-D print a figure of you, scaled to match the size of the robot’s cockpit. The cockpit is then mounted within the crown-like protrusions on Mazinger Z’s head, just like it is in the anime and manga. Four different sizes of figurine are available, ranging from six to 15 centimeters (2.4 5.9 inches) and between 33,000 and 198,000 yen (approximately US$215 to US$1,295) in price. Once your scan is done, production of the figurine takes around six to eight weeks. Though reservations for the service can be made by contacting Meta Mate Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi ahead of time via phone or the store website here, walk-ins are welcome too. While the scanner has no problems with eyeglasses, participants are recommended to avoid wearing lacy, shiny, or transparent fabrics, as well as dangly earrings or other accessories, as those can result in glitches in the scanning/printing process. Also, while Nagai is seen standing up in the above promotional photo, for the best results you’ll want to sit on the provided chair, to mimic the posture you, or Koji, would have inside the mecha’s cockpit. Shop information Meta Mate Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi / meta Mate 誠品生活日本橋店 Address: tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Muromachi Sanchome 2-1, Coredo Muromachi Terrace 2nd floor 東京都中央区日本橋室町三丁目2番1号コレド室町テラス2階 Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (weekdays), 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (weekends) Website Telephone 03-6910-3530 Source: PR Times, Meta Mate Images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Effective against bears and very lazy people. The spate of bear encounters in Japan has certainly been surprising for many reasons, but one thing that caught my attention especially is that they seem pretty good at using automatic doors. I hope I’m not coming across as patronizing to any bears who might be reading this. I mean, I’ve been known to mistake a pane of glass for a door on more than one occasion myself. ▼ Just struts in like it’s no big deal ▼ This one struggled a bit, but it’s young; it’ll learn. This is bad news for people, however. Bear encounters are bad enough in the outdoors, but being trapped in a confined space with one is a whole other level of terror. Given the number of incidents involving bears going through automatic doors, some businesses and facilities have set them to manual instead. While inconvenient for some, this poses a particular accessibility problem for disabled people. Speaking of whom, Fulltech and Mirairo are two companies that have been developing Mirairo Door. This automatic door can communicate with smartphones via Bluetooth and was originally intended for use by people with varying levels of mobility so they could adjust the speed at which the door closes to suit their needs on their phones. It just so happens that these doors are also really good at keeping bears and other wildlife out of buildings. Mirairo Door can also be set so that only people with smartphones can access the door’s automatic feature, and since bears are currently unable to purchase such devices, they cannot go through. ▼ The app better have a clear “no-bear” clause in its Terms and Conditions, too. One drawback is that you need to install the Mirairo Door app on your phone for it to work, but once you do, it works all on its own when near a compatible door. But even without the app, the doors have touch switches and are still relatively easy to open. I suppose a bear could hit the touch switch too, but it’s still a much bigger hurdle than conventional automatic doors. It does offer a solution for businesses and other organizations who want to keep their doors closed to dangerous animals but also don’t want to hinder other people from coming inside. For now, at least… Given the rate at which the bears have managed to disrupt our infrastructure, I give them about three years before they acquire quantum computing technology that can decrypt the elliptic-curve discrete logarithmic problem and override the doors’ controls. Hopefully, by that time, better bearproof encryption for wireless devices will have been developed. Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Driving test pass rates as low as two percent in some areas. For a long time, Japan had a very convenient system for licensed drivers from other countries to convert their permits to Japanese ones. For some, this involved a very, very, very simplified version of the written and practical tests to get a license on par with anyone else in Japan, and as a regular license, it could also be renewed independently, regardless of the status of their home country’s license. This is compared to the standard way to get a license in Japan from scratch, which either involves a moderately easy course in driving school that costs upwards of 200,000 yen (US$1,300) or attempting the very difficult test at a local police station. That way only cost me about 50,000 yen ($320) and a good chunk of my mental well-being. Still, if someone already proved they could adhere to the rules of the road in their home country, it seemed fair that they could get a pass in qualifying for a Japanese license, so this huge discrepancy has been overlooked for a long time. Then, last May, a horribly negligent hit-and-run by a Chinese national made headlines across the country, followed by a Peruvian national caught driving the wrong way on an expressway that same month. It was enough to give people pause and wonder if the foreign license conversion tests were effective enough. Subsequent pressure was put on the government to review this system, resulting in a vow to make testing stricter from 1 October. The previous written test involved 10 illustrated questions, such as identifying a stop sign, from which examinees needed to get seven correct to pass. Now, the test consists of 50 written questions, and in addition to the illustrated ones, there are also questions regarding traffic laws and driver responsibilities in cases such as accidents. Also, the passing threshold has been raised from 70 percent to 90 percent, making the test about the same as the first written test that regular Japanese examinees must take. ▼ Some argue that all Japanese license holders should be able to read these signs perfectly as well, but it’s not required for any of the tests. As for the driving test, it once basically involved driving around the block of a closed course, but now is basically the same — if not exactly the same — as the standard first driving test on a closed course. Having done this one myself, I can say it involved navigating extremely narrow paths, requires precision turning in the style they demand, stopping on a slope, rolling down your windows at a fake railway crossing, and is, quite frankly, insanely hard. But don’t take my word for it – since the changes took effect, average test scores took a nose dive. In Mie Prefecture, the driving test’s pass rate fell from about 20 percent to just 1.8 percent. Both Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures saw written test pass rates slide from an average of about 94 percent way down to around 35 percent. Despite the increased difficulty, this is still only what prospective drivers in Japan have to endure just to get a learner’s permit. After that, there’s an even more difficult written and practical test to take before a full license can be awarded. So, it’s still technically easier to get a foreign license conversion than obtain a Japanese license from scratch, unless you want to pay out the nose for it. Also, it should be noted that the cases of countries that have reciprocal agreements with Japan, such as most of Europe, Australia, Canada, and some U.S. states, which exempts them from the tests altogether, will remain unchanged and is an easy process. Still, the new requirements ought to be very effective at curbing the practice of tourists from some countries coming to Japan just to get a license. The high-profile traffic incidents last May put the spotlight on widespread cases of people from countries such as China and Vietnam coming to Japan in order to get their licenses converted. The reason for this was that their home countries’ licenses aren’t included in the Geneva Convention’s International Driving Permits, but Japan’s are, so they could use that to be able to drive in a large number of foreign countries. This trend was made easy not only by the simple tests, but also because a Japanese license could even be obtained by using a hotel’s address. That also ended on 1 October, and now a Juminhyo residence certificate is required for all applicants. It’s too early to see how this will affect the number of examinees, but it will probably be much lower than the nearly 76,000 license conversions conducted last year. While it’s a bit of a setback for some people trying to get their foreign licenses converted to Japanese ones from here on out, you can at least use our handy guide to getting a driver’s license in Japan to help you with this new test. Source: Best Car Web, Itai News Top image: Pakutaso Insert images: Pakutaso   ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Finally a store that understands that sometimes it’s you who needs refreshing, not just your clothes. Having lived in fairly modern apartments in Japan with decent amounts of space for a washing machine and drying racks, I have always been rather fortunate to not have to make a journey to the laundromat every week or so to wash my clothes. That being said, I do find myself using one now and again to wash my futon or larger rugs that simply don’t fit into my washing machine. After filling up the machine in the laundromat and setting it to wash, and since I don’t use a dryer as I air-dry at home, I find myself with between 30 to 60 minutes to fill before coming to pick my wet futon up. Do I stay and read a book on an uncomfortable seat? Or do I go back home, do something for a short while, before returning again? Or do I find a shop to browse around? Nowadays, there are more and more laundromats branching out into other services, like cafes and shops, in the hopes of drawing more customers, and there’s one store in Osaka that has decided that it’s not just clothes that need a wash, but the people themselves need a refresh too, although not in a high-tech wash pod sort of way. Neverending is a facility run by Toraya Cleaning that combines a laundromat with a fully-equipped private sauna, only a ten-minute walk from either Awaza Station on the Osaka Chuo and Sennichimae Lines or Nakanoshima on the Keihan Line. The sauna is reservation-only, intended for small groups, and features a high-performance sauna stove, a specially designed cold bath, and an indoor cooling/rest area, creating a place where you can relax completely. Reservations for the sauna can be completed online and paid via credit card, costing 2,000 yen (US$12.87) for 60 minutes or 2,800 yen for 120 minutes. While it is also possible to reserve on the phone, as well as pay in cash on the day, both options come with a 300-yen premium. If you are coming with friends, reservations are only for one person, so each person will need to make their own reservation, and there is a hard limit of a maximum six guests in the sauna at any one time. However, the store prefers that larger groups opt for the 120-minute private rental for 20,000 yen to avoid inconveniencing other customers. There are a lot of saunas out there that cater mostly to men, but Neverending sets aside two days a week for women-only use of the sauna at the same prices, being Wednesdays and either Saturday or Sunday. Upon arrival at the sauna, you will be given three free rental towels for use inside the facility. You should aim to arrive about five minutes prior to your reservation for a smooth check-in on the first floor, before proceeding up to the sauna on the second floor, where you can get changed and enjoy the carefully formulated aromatic steam that is matched to the season and time of day. However, what if you get so relaxed after your sauna that you end up forgetting to get your laundry out on time? Neverending has thought of that too, and if you request it, they offer a special service where the staff will remove your finished laundry and store it in a locker, so there is no need to worry or wait around. So, feel free to take your time enjoying some after-sauna tea from the on-site tea stand, or peruse the art gallery (although it is still under preparation), before you collect your laundry from the locker or from the dry cleaning service. In the future, I would love to see more laundromats allowing people to make more efficient use of their time, be it for relaxation or entertainment, so that washing laundry feels like less of a chore and more of an enjoyable day out. Store information Neverending / ネバーエンディング Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Edobori 3-chome 3-27 Grandpia Edobori 大阪府大阪市西区江戸堀３丁目3-27 グランピア江戸堀 Open: Sauna 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. (last entry 9:00 p.m.), Laundry 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m., Dry Cleaning 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Tea stand 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Website Images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Marugame Family Night is for the Marugame families, not the customers. Japanese noodle restaurant chain Marugame Seimen, also known as Marugame Udon, has announced that later this month it’ll be having a Marugame Family Night. From the name, you might expect this to be a one-night promotion with special deals for families dining out together, like a kids-eat-free service or a discount for groups that order three or four bowls of noodles at a time. However, while the goal of Marugame Family Night is indeed to put a smile on families’ faces, they’re not trying to entice customers to come eat dinner at their local Marugame branch. As a matter of fact, there’s not going to be anyone at the restaurant on Marugame Family Night, because the company is giving workers that night off to spend with their families and loved ones. Marugame Family Night falls on a date with a different, more widely known name: Christmas Eve. On December 24, Marugame branches will be open for lunch as usual, but will close at 3:30. While Christmas Eve has long been a major date night in Japan, celebrating Christmas with family and friends has become increasingly popular too, and rather than have employees working away over hot noodle pots, Marugame figures they’ll be much happier exchanging presents, eating Christmas cake, or just having some extra time to relax. ▼ A piping hot bowl of udon can be very satisfying on a cold winter night, and Marugame’s limited-time udon with duck does look like a particularly tasty example, but we’ll survive having to find something else to eat for dinner one time. The decision has been met with a very positive reaction from the public, with comments on Japanese Twitter including: “It’s wonderful that they’re taking the time to think about their workers’ families!” “This is a wonderful idea. Even if you have vacation time built up, it can be hard to ask for the night off if you know everyone else is going to be busy and working hard, so I hope more companies will start giving the entire staff the night off like this.” “So good to see a company taking care of its workers like this.” “To everyone who works at Marugame, I hope you enjoy a restful night with your family.” “It’s like the company is full of Santas!” Marugame Family Night is part of the Happiness Capital Management initiative started earlier this year by Marugame’s parent company Toridoll Holdings. The program’s aim is to find ways to promote mental wellbeing and emotional health amongst its workers. A few cynical, or perhaps simply comprehensively observant, online commenters also pointed out that most Marugame branches probably don’t do all that much business on Christmas Eve, given that most Japanese people opt for either fancy Western cuisine or fried chicken for dinner on December 24, and so the Marugame Family Night will probably benefit the company too through reduced food waste and utility costs. Workers still get the night off, though, regardless of the win-win nature of the situation. One commenter also took issue, in a tongue-and-cheek way, of Marugame Family Night wrecking his plans to, as a lonely guy with no Christmas Eve plans, go to Marugame and eat a bowl of udon in stoic solitude. The chain has said, though, that a handful of restaurants may remain open on December 24, so he might still be able to stick to his original plan by expanding his dining radius if his local branch isn’t open, but for most people, they’ll need to find someplace other than Marugame to eat at that night. Source: Marugame Seimen, Twitter/@UdonMarugame Top image: PR Times Insert image: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Mario is also taking over the Sonic train as part of collaboration with JR. Mt. Fuji may be the most recognizable natural symbol of Japan, but if we’re throwing man-made ones into the mix, the Shinkansen has to be pretty high on the list, right? The crown jewel of Japan’s rail network represents not only technological innovation, but also the culture’s sense of hospitality towards travelers and how there are cool places to explore at all corners of the country. Just about the only way the Shinkansen could be more Japanese is if it had Nintendo’s Super Mario plastered all over it…which is just what’s happening soon. As part of rail operator JR Kyushu’s Let’s Go Kyushu collaboration with the video game franchise, the Kamome Shinkansen is getting a special wrapping in Mario’s red and blue image colors, plus a whole lot of graphics depicting the heroic plumber. ▼ There’s even a Fire Flower-powered-up Mario on Car 5! But with Mario being one of the most prolific stars of the video game world, one bullet train isn’t enough, and he’ll also be appearing on JR Kyushu’s Tsubame Shinkansen, joined by a gathering of friends and foes that show just how huge the Super Mario cast of characters has grown over its decades as Nintendo’s flagship franchise. A near-rainbow of Yoshis, the three princesses, and both Donkey and Diddy Kong are along for the ride, and the extended Koopa family has their own car too. And though they may not be quite as speedy as the Shinkansen, a number of JR Kyushu’s special limited express trains are also getting Mario makeovers: the Relay Kamome, Kasasagi, Kirameki, Midori, and Sonic, the last of which, coincidentally, shares its name with Mario’s one-time rival from Sega. The artwork for these trains has an especially clever aspect to it, as it’s designed to look like a side-scrolling Super Mario level, complete with Mario making a jump towards the finish flagpole at the end. You won’t spot these trains along the so-called Tokyo-to-Kyoto “golden route” of the Shinkansen, though. Since this is a JR Kyushu collaboration, the trains’ routes are all contained within Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu (which is also where you’ll find Japan’s newest Nintendo specialty shop). The red-and-blue Kamome will be run between Nagasaki and Takeo Onsen Stations on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line, and the Super Mario Tsubame between Hakata (Fukuoka) and Kumamoto or Kagoshima Chuo. The non-Shinkansen limited express trains follow a variety of routes connecting Hakata with Oita, Saiki, Takeo Onsen, Mojiku, Bizen Kashima, Kokura, and Sesebo. The Super Mario limited express trains are running as of November 29, while the Kamome Shinkansen debuts February 7 and the Tsubame Shinkansen one month later, March 7. Shinkansen schedules have yet to be announced, but specific by-date timetables for the limited express trains are already available on the JR Kyushu website here, from which reservations can also be made. The collaboration is scheduled to last until June 30. Related: Super Mario x JR Kyushu Let’s Go Kyushu official website Source: JR Kyushu Images: JR Kyushu ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Even at the cheapest option, you’re getting a fantastic deal. With its hearty pork bone broth noodles and unique dining experience, whereby customers are able to order, dine, and interact with staff all without saying a single word, Ichiran’s popularity is not surprising. It’s not uncommon at all for lines to sprawl out of the door and around the building. Our Ichiran-loving Japanese language reporter K. Masami makes it a yearly tradition to check out what the restaurant has in store for fans each year when fukubukuro (“lucky bag”) season comes around. Lucky bags are a way for Japanese companies to celebrate the new year by filling up a bag with random goods and selling them at a discounted price, often without revealing exactly what is inside. Ichiran usually sells three types of lucky bags, with this year’s prices being: ● The smallest, Ume (“plum”), at 9,000 yen (US$57.87) ● The medium size, Take (“bamboo”), at 12,000 yen ● And the largest, Matsu (“pine”), at 19,000 yen Last year, they also included a slightly cheaper “Hana” (“Flower”) size, but it seems that Ichiran has decided to return to its original three this year. Masami had been thinking she’d want to pick up the Hana lucky bag this year, but since it was unavailable, her quest for more original goods overrode her concerns about a higher price tag, and she opted for the Ume size. Upon receiving the Ume lucky bag, the first thing that stuck out to her was the box’s original design, which incorporated elements from the “Ramen Focus Booth” in which individual customers sit to enjoy their meals. ▼ On the top left is an image of the chain’s ordering sheet, and on the right, the button to call staff. Looking into the box, Masami was greeted by an impressive assortment of goods. First came the food. ▼ Five servings of both Kamadare Tonkotsu and Hakata-style Thin Straight Noodles (usually 2,300 yen each) ▼ Five servings of Curly Noodles (2,150 yen) ▼ Two packs of Fried Tonkotsu Ramen, each containing two servings (a total of 1,160 yen) With the normal cost of the food reaching 7,910 yen, that leaves only 1,090 yen left until it reaches the value of the Ume lucky bag. So, what other goodies were included in the box? ▼ A small Ichiran-themed Japanese sake cup, perfect for sipping some alcohol. Masami was a little bit disappointed on receiving this, since she received one as part of the 2024 lucky bag. However, upon closer inspection, the design was a little bit different. The original cup was designed to be a miniature version of Ichiran’s iconic bowl, however this one uses a horse motif, alluding to 2026 being the Year of the Horse. So, in the end, Masami was pretty pleased with her new adorable variation of the sake cup. ▼ Alongside the original Japanese sake cup After buying Ichiran’s lucky bags for so many years, Masami has amassed quite the collection of goods, to the extent that she felt that she might just have everything that Ichiran has to offer… until she took the next objects out of the box. ▼ Ichiran chopsticks and a renge spoon Masami had yet to get a renge spoon, so she immediately tried it out with a bowl of ramen, and it added an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. Her at-home Ichiran set has quite possibly reached its ultimate form, with the ramen noodles tasting even better than usual. Rounding off the box, there is also a calendar in the shape of the Ramen Focus Booth, and a message card. With a lucky bag that is filled to the brim with food that can satisfy your stomach and goods that can make you happy, Ichiran’s lucky bags are truly not to be missed. ▼ The full contents of the lucky bag They went on sale to the general public on December 2 through the online store, but as of writing this article, only the Take size is left. If you happen to miss out, you can still pick up most of the items through their online store, and perhaps start to create your own at-home Ichiran experience. Related: Ichiran 2026 Lucky Bag, Online Store Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Usually you have to head to the store to see your options for this win-win-win Japanese shopping custom, but Starbucks has made it extra-easy. In Japan, there’s a common practice of supermarkets and takeout places discounting leftover items as they get close to closing time. It’s a win-win-win policy, as consumers get to save a little cash, the store gets to make some extra sales, and the reduction in food waste is a plus for the environment too. Since these discounts are for leftover items, though, you can’t necessarily count on them happening every day, especially if there’s a particular item you’re looking for. You actually have to go to the store to see what, if anything, is marked down that night…unless, that is, you’re looking for close-to-closing discounts at Starbucks Japan. Because these kinds of discounts are limited to pre-made items with short shelf lives that wouldn’t be able to be sold the following day, Starbucks doesn’t mark down, say, coffee or S’mores Frappuccinos. They do, however, discount things like their sweets, snacks, and sandwiches, something they started doing in 2021 through their Save Food Program. Until now, the discounts were only offered to customers making regular in-store purchases, but beginning this month Starbucks Japan is expanding the program to include close-to-closing discounts on orders made through its Mobile Order and Pay app, letting customers purchase marked-down items before arriving at the branch to pick them up. When selecting a Starbucks branch to place an order with, a Save Food mark will appear on items with reduced prices. Exact availability and discount timing will vary by branch and day, but Save Food items usually start showing up around three hours before closing time. A portion of Save Food sales is donated to a children’s hunger charity program too, adding one more group to the list of beneficiaries. Save Food items were added to the Mobile Order and Pay system on December 1 and are in the process of being implemented for Starbucks Japan branches nationwide. Source: Impress Watch via Hachima Kiko Top image ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The Ninniku Garlic the One-Pounder is a burger so pungent they garlic-named it twice. It’s often said that the most popular day on which to start a diet is “tomorrow,” and I suppose we could stretch that concept out to say that “next year” is an appealing choice of timing as well. So if you’ve given yourself a pass to eat whatever you want in the remaining days of 2025, Burger King Japan has an offer for you: all-you-can-eat one-pound burgers. The chain has announced the third round of its One Pounder Challenge 2025 promotion, which gives participants 45 minutes to eat as many of its four-patty jumbo burgers as you want. Unlimited refills of soft drinks and French fries are also included, in case you want to keep your meal well-balanced (by fast food burger joint criteria) even as it becomes gigantic. For this event, the specific burger that participants will be dining on is the Ninniku Garlic the One Pounder. Ninniku is already the Japanese word for “garlic,” so you could argue that the Ninniku Garlic the One-Pounder’s name is redundant. However, the counterargument to that is that simply mentioning the marque ingredient once isn’t sufficient to fully convey how much garlic is in this thing, as the four all-beef patties are accompanied by fried garlic chips, garlic powder, garlic paste, and a “Special Garlic Sauce” accented with black pepper and chili pepper. You also get four slices of melty cheddar cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. The all-you-can-eat deal is being offered at 60 branches of Burger King Japan daily between December 12 and 18, with seatings at 2:30, 4, 5:30, and 7 p.m. With tickets costing 3,900 yen and the à la carte Ninniku Garlic the One-Pounder ordinarily priced at 2,290 yen, the break-even point is eating 1.7 burgers, or 6.8 patties. However, in addition to unlimited burgers within the time limit, all participants also receive a T-shirt and two stickers. ▼ Though really, you probably won’t need to present these to anyone as proof that you just did an all-you-can-eat challenge for burgers with four kinds of garlic, cheese, and pickles, as the aroma you’ll radiate afterwards will probably be just as effective at telling your story. Each seating has a limited number of slots available, with reservations currently being taken through the Burger King Japan website here. Oh. It looks like there are a lot of people who’re eager to take on this challenge, and just one day after reservations opened, they’ve all been snatched up. However, Burger King Japan says that if anyone cancels their reservation between now and its date, tickets will be offered once again, so keep your eyes on the reservation site and your stomach ready. Source: PR Times Top image: Burger King Insert images: Burger King, PR Times, Burger King (2) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!