Hollywood quality computer graphics illustrate meteorites causing dynamic Earth impacts, raindrops traveling to an underground reservoir and gushing out to hot springs. You may think these scenes are from NOVA, but they are actually from a promotional video for Beppu Onsen (hot springs) in Kyushu. The 7-minute-long “Beppu The Onsen Journey” was released on June 25, 2020. Narrated in English with Japanese subtitles, the...
The Hanshin Tigers, one of the professional baseball clubs in Japan, has implemented “Engate,” a new online tipping system. The Tigers is the first team in the Nippon Professional Baseball to bring about the structure. The club expects the new platform will let the fans stay connected with the players and bring revenue to the team. “Engate,” a sport gifting platform by Engate, Inc.,...
A new project by geishas at Hakone Hot Spring is attracting much attention. The online “Meet Geisha” event lets anyone in the world hang out with Hakone Geishas via Zoom. As with all other tourist destinations in Japan, Hakone Hot Spring has been quiet since the outbreak of COVID-19. Hakone geishas have initiated the world’s first “online drinking with geisha” project to bring rays...
On June 24, 2020, Tadashi Yanai, chairman and CEO of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., pledged to donate 10 billion yen (about $94 million) to Kyoto University for medical research. Fast Retailing operates several clothing apparel brands including Uniqlo which has expanded its business to Asia, the U.S., and Europe. During the press conference at Kyoto University, Yanai and two Nobel Prize winning university professors,...
Kura Sushi, a major conveyor belt sushi chain, brought in a robot to sell desserts in their restaurants. The self-driving robot carries desserts on the trays and weaves through the diners. An image of the robot delivering food was so futuristic that many Twitter users reacted to the post. Kura Sushi is a leading revolving sushi chain with 453 restaurants in Japan and 21...
A yakitori restaurant Toriko has released a premium skewered chicken set, the “Veranding Yakitori,” on their e-commerce site. Toriko is a high-end Yakitori restaurant brand with multiple locations throughout Tokyo and New York. Families can enjoy the supreme skewered chicken on their patio and balcony with the Veranding Yakitori. The set comes with an original yakitori grill, 5 different parts from high-quality chickens (2...
Sanrio Co., Ltd. appointed Tomokuni Tsuji as a new company president. Sanrio is the creator of Hello Kitty, the world famous kawaii character. Tomokuni, a former senior managing director at Sanrio, is a grandson of the founding president, Shintaro Tsuji. This is the first change of leadership for Sanrio since its inception. Shintaro started a silk business in 1960 and expanded to producing a...
The rainy season has officially started in Japan. Summer will be here before you know it; the temperature rises over 100°F, the humidity records near 100% and you are at risk of heat stroke if you stay outside. It is literally difficult to breathe. Additionally, the government now recommends people wearing protective coverings in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wearing face masks...
On June 15, 2020, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) launched a free medical interpreter service for the healthcare facilities that provide care for the confirmed and potential COVID-19 patients. The new service is expected to remove the language berries the foreign patients often face in Japan. The free language assistance is offered in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portugese. According to...
