Author: Japan Trends

Bandai has created a communication robot based on the mechanical mascot robot that appears in the popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. Showcased at this month's technology expo CEATEC Japan ...

Japanese education tends to get a bad rap. Class sizes are large and the learning famously leans towards passing tests with only the "correct" answers rather than encouraging student participation or ...

Psychic VR Lab, which operates the fashion virtual reality service STYLY, has teamed up with label chloma to create what is touted as the world's first mixed reality fashion event. Running from ...

Star designer and artist Tokujin Yoshioka has collaborated with MHD Moët Hennessy Diageo to produce two special limited-edition Dom Pérignon bottles. On sale at department stores in Japan from ...

When gravure idol (glamor model) Miyako Akane kickstarted a new body painting cosplay subculture back in June, certain sections of the web went nuts. While this is hardly a genuine trend -- a handful ...

Sailor Moon fans will rejoice at the news that a themed cafe is opening in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya this autumn with a special menu of burgers, curry, desserts, and other dishes. The Naoko Takeuchi ...

The claw game is a staple of the Japanese game center arcade, where it is known as the crane game. It has also withstood the tests of time quite well and remains popular, despite its obviously analog ...

Four years ago, the hot spring resort of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, was transformed into an art bonanza, with artists allowed to customized and redesign rooms in hotels in Dogo. Given the pedigree ...

Last week the Japanese media was caught off-guard by the announcement that the actress Emi Takei and singer Takahiro from the pop group Exile had got married, and that Takei is ...

The public's (and tourists') appetite for wacky accommodation experiences continues unabated, it seems, as Henn na Hotel has announced a major expansion. The Sasebo-based hotel, which is ...

Japan is suffering from a phenomenon known as "umi-banare" -- literally, "moving away from the sea" -- whereby fewer and fewer people visiting Japan's beaches to take advantage of one the country's ...

Japanese virtual reality continues to thrive and expand in the entertainment industry. Following the success of the pilot VR Zone facility in Tokyo Bay and then the recently opened space in Shinjuku, ...

Thomas the Tank Engine fans in Japan young and old can now enjoy two special events this summer. At the observatory of Tokyo Skytree, you can get a great view of the city while taking in an ...

Pokémon Go fans have been rallying in Yokohama since August 9th, bringing together participants for a mass hunt of virtual creatures on the augmented reality phone app that became a global ...

Japanese electronic musical instrument manufacturer Roland has teamed up with Kodo, a taiko traditional drumming company, to provide the world's first electronic Japanese taiko. Although still in ...