Astounding Origami Tea House
Come check out Shi-an, a mobile tea house constructed entirely from origami without the use of bolts or adhesives.
Designer Creates Free Template for Face Shield
Bespectacled Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka wanted to do something to help healthcare and public safety workers on the front lines of COVID-19, so he created a simple and easy way to make face shields.
Tourists Can Finally Buy JR Rail Passes Online
After years of complicated and added-expense hoops to jump through, JR will start letting international travelers buy their passes online and inside their home countries.
Savor Gourmet Chocolate with Weird Flavors
Choci Tokyo is a gourmet chocolate specialty shop with 20 unique flavors like banana split and sakura sour. If you can't decide on a single flavor, you can try them all with some of their curated mixes.
Unique Home Design Takes Steps Into the Future
When Akihiro Ito, half of the design team Nendo, wanted to build a home for his family and in-laws, he turned to his business partner to design it for him. And it features a set of stairs that appears to extend from the sidewalk through the house.
Online Store Features Virtual Shoe Fittings
Online fashion mall operator Zozo has come up with a virtual shoe fitting service that recommends shoes that fit your size by using a special mat and a smartphone app.
Drawing out the Japanese Spirit of Epidemics
The people of Kumamoto have a legendary spirit that comes in time of epidemics. All you have to do is draw a picture of it.
Find Your Next Best Pal at the Mameshiba Cafe
Unfortunately, there aren't that many chances to meet a Shiba dog in Japan for tourists—until now. At the Mameshiba Cafe located in Takeshita Street in Harajuku, for 880 yen for 30 minutes, you can play with the 12 friendly canine staff members.
Yusuke Asai's New Exhibit Uses Wild Materials
Tokyo-born artist Yusuke Asai travela the world, creating wild and unrestrained art with whatever canvas and materials are available to him locally: soil, water, dust, flour, tape, and pens.
The Quirkiest Shaved Ice in Tokyo
Yelo in Roppongi is not just any normal shaved ice store, especially once you see their toppings list!
Color Your World with Vegetable Crayons
A company in Aomori Prefecture is making sustainable crayons out of vegetable waste.
Japan Now Has 5G Network Service
Major Japanese cellphone service provider NTT Docomo launches next-generation 5G wireless service, the first in the country to do so.
A.I. Tells Your Fortune with Bubble Tea Order
With all the different bubble tea shops trying to compete, Answer Tea serves delicious bubble tea with tapioca entertainment for your mouth, with a side of A.I. fortune-telling entertainment for your soul.
Tadao Ando's Library in Osaka Is Off the Wall
You simply have to check out Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest in Osaka, designed and built by master architect Tadao Ando, who donated it to the city's children.
Japan Post Starts Testing Drone Delivery
Japan Post conducts a trial delivery of snail mail to residents in a remote area of Tokyo using a drone.
Nihonbashi's Neighborhood Noren Gallery
Over 30 Nihonbashi-based businesses came together to create noren (the curtains that hang in shopfronts) that symbolize their own identity.
Travel to Toyama to Peek the Japanese Alps
Who knew Japan had its very own Alps? And they are right in the heart of the nation.
JNTO Multilingual Coronavirus Hotline
Japan National Tourism Organization has a visitor hotline at 050-3816-2787 that accepts inquiries about coronavirus in English, Chinese and Korean.
Enjoy a Public Bath from the Privacy of Home
Some public bath houses in Japan are doing their part to support social distancing by uploading videos of their soothing baths.
Hako in Hiroshima: Thinking Outside the Box
Take a look at this innovative home of stacked boxes, designed to overcome the challenges of building on the side of a cliff.
