The latest poll released by a major Japanese newspaper on May 5, 2020 shows Taro Kono is by far the cybercitizens’ favourite to be the next Prime Minister. Taro Kono, a 57-year-old Liberal Democratic Party member and the Minister of Defense, is an influential politician with more than 20 years of political career. He is known for tweeting on a daily basis and...
We are in a time to face the challenge. Just like any other restaurants and cafes, Starbucks Coffee stores in major Japanese cities are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its Koriyama Station store in Fukushima created a heartwarming handwritten poster to help the locals enjoy coffee at home. The poster titled “Basic 4 Rules for A Great Cup of Coffee” is...
Khachapuri is a traditional pastry in Georgia, a country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia by the Black Sea. Bread is often shaped like a boat and filled with cheese, raw egg and butter. On April 22, 2020, Mr. Teimuraz Lezhava, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Georgia in Japan, came across a tweet about this Georgian staple food. According to...
Let’s face it – we are staying home long enough. The longer we stay home, the more we eat. Eating all day while shelter-in-place is becoming a huge problem in Japan, too. In the midst of this overeating trend, ACECOOK, a major Japanese instant noodles company, released a brand new, much talked about “instant noodles without noodles.” “Wakame Ramen” series is one of the...
On April 28, 2020, Toyota Motor Corporation announced the upgraded Supra edition to become available in October. Toyota says the maximum performance of its 3.0L B58 engine will be 285kW (387PS) / 5,800rpm, 14% up from the current model. Also, the limited model comes with a front brace for more rigidity and a retuned suspension for superior cornering.
Japanese Movies You Should Watch Now – Tokyo Story (1953) The British Film Institute runs a poll of the Greatest Films of All Time every 10 years. “Tokyo Story” by Yasujiro Ozu is regularly ranked high in the list and placed first in the directors’ poll in 2012. The movie portrays “family bond” and “aging and death” through an old parents who came to...
Animal Crossing’s Bank of Nook Lowers Interest Rate Cities all over the world are on coronavirus lockdown. People are staying home and naturally many of us end up playing games more often. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizon, the latest game of the “Animal Crossing” series, is one of the popular games during the weeks of lockdown. It is a peaceful game in which...
The Japanese government issued a self-restraint request to the nation’s restaurant industry to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many restaurants in Kyoto discontinued the dine-in services in response to the request and started the delivery and pickup services. Some Izakaya offer appetizer platters to go with your drink at home and some restaurants offer bentos at less than 300 yen ($2.80)! A few of...
Toyota To Build a “Woven City” On January 7, 2020, at CES 2020, Toyota Motor Corporation released its plan to build a prototype smart city in Shizuoka Prefecture. All the goods and services will be fully connected online at this living laboratory. The vision is to build a prototype city where the autonomy, mobility as a service, robotics, smart home connected technology, and...
Kei Kobayashi, a 42-year-old French chef and owner of “KEI” in Paris, became the first Japanese-born to win three Michelin stars in France. During the MICHELIN Guide France 2020 Star Revelation ceremony on January 27, 2020, Kobayashi said, “I truly respect France. France has accepted me, a foreign chef. Thank you so much.” in French. Kobayashi was born in Nagano; his father was a...
