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.
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.
Student Merges Metal & Traditional Woodwork
Japanese student and bicycle enthusiast Hiroto has merged traditional Japanese craftwork with bicycle-making to create what he calls a "wa-modern" bicycle.
Lawson’s First Register-Free Store
Convenience store giant Lawson will open a store this month with no cash registers, and plans to more in the Tokyo area by summer 2020.
Bringing Natural Harmony to a Nursery School
A nursery school in Tottori is connecting children to nature with its award-winning design.
Kyushu Bank Redesigned Using Local Wood
The power of design was on full display when Higo Bank, a regional bank in Kyushu, opened its newest branch and completely transformed all our preconceptions of how a bank can make us feel.
Miniature Model of Shinjuku Made Only of Paper
Toshi is a Japanese office worker in his 20s who has a unique hobby: building miniature paper models of cities at a 1/2200 scale. And he has completed his most ambitious project to date: a mini model of Tokyo's sprawling area of Shinjuku.
New Osaka Louis Vuitton Resembles Sailing Ship
On February 1, 2020, Louis Vuitton opened its new Osaka Midosuji store. Although not necessarily a flagship, it certainly resembles a sailing ship!
