Author: Japan Trends

The 2020 Olympics is turning out to be one controversy after another. Granted, compared to the expensive debacle of the National Stadium -- to which the original architecture firm has also now hit ...

An umbrella. A parasol. And a fan. All in one? Yes, the Rurudo Fan Shade is just that. Coming in a lacy black design, the shade initially looks just like a typical parasol that many Japanese ...

Move over AKB48, Nogizaka46 and all you young 'uns. There's a new band in town and they're old. Super old. KBG84 hail from clement Kohama Island in Okinawa and bring their long-living charm to ...

Japan has always had a big thing for Star Wars, and characters like C-3PO and R2-D2 have been frequent sights on advertising billboards and TV commercials for random products. The franchise is ...

People recently got very angry about the "kimono incident" at Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), which was canceled after being called "racist" by protesters. The event allowed visitors to try on a ...

PythagoraSwitch is an educational NHK TV show about science and engineering. It has inspired a generation of youngsters (and dads) to try building and figuring out how things work. It's unashamedly ...

The rainy season is upon us: get ready for several weeks of rain around Japan. Any visit to a major store in Tokyo will mean you are confronted with a mountain of products designed to help you ...

We were already amused and surprised when Bandai celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Tamashii die-cast metal model series Chogokin ("super alloy") last year with some spectacular tie-ups like Taro ...

Dyson, the UK vacuum cleaner brand, has chosen Japan to be the first market for its upcoming new robot vacuum cleaner, the Dyson 360 Eye. To get local consumers in the mood, it has opened a mini ...

The new arrival in Tokyo will be surprised by the trains. We don't mean how efficient the transport system or its modest fares. Nor that the trains run more or less always on time. Or even the ...

When we think of Japanese food we think of sushi, noodles and miso soup. But actually there's plenty of curry in the country's diet too, especially so-called curry rice, which is basically white rice ...

Japan has a declining birth rate but the toymakers are still trying hard to find new ways to entertain children in the twenty-first century. Here's a brilliant example from Takara-Tomy. The ...

We loved the Forestarium Lamp, so we were super excited to hear about another plant-related product from the same brand. Created by Pianta x Stanza, the Torch Plant Light Botanical Candle is a ...

Flamboyant rock band KISS continue to conquer Japan. The makeup-loving rockers have for years been a staple of both summer music festivals and mainstream advertising campaigns. And now they have ...

Just in time for Valentine's Day, if you don't have someone to spend February 14th with this year, then call on Miku. Yes, the darling of the otaku world, virtual idol Hatsune Miku, has become ...