LIFESTYLE & TOURISM
Latest Articles
Onigiri Boom is Happening

An increasing number of specialty onigiri shops have recently opened in Tokyo, attracting Japanese and friends from abroad. These shops offer onigiri with various toppings and fillings that are Instagram-worthy at affordable prices...

The Charm of Tourist Destinations Discovered by Foreign Tourists

With the COVID-19 pandemic under control, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan is increasing rapidly. Not only famous tourist destinations such as Kyoto but also places less familiar to Japanese people are creating spots crowded with foreigners one after another...

Toward the Promotion of Night-time Economy

JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) will begin offering evening tours for inbound tourists in March in cooperation with Asahi Breweries. They plan to organize 10 to 15 tour programs per season, or about 50 per year, on themes such as "traditional performing arts" and "boats," mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kansai region...

TKP Opens Accommodation Facilities in Aeon Mall

TKP, a primary rental conference room provider, will open a trailer house-type accommodation facility on the "AEON MALL Hanyu" (Hanyu City, Saitama Prefecture) shopping center in the spring of 2025...

The popularity of Cassette Tapes has Returned, and it is being Reevaluated both Domestically and Internationally

As listening to music via the Internet becomes more commonplace, cassette tapes are being reevaluated in the country and abroad. It has attracted the support of young people who find the soft sound quality and appearance unique to analog fresh and new...

The Number of Global Airline Passengers in 2024 is Predicted to Reach an All-time High of 4.7 billion

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 revenue forecasts for the world's airlines. Net income in 2023 is expected to be $23.3 billion...

Travel to Japan is Becoming Popular Again

The removal of travel restrictions in response to the new coronavirus has rekindled travel to Japan by people from South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan...

NTT Data will Develop Hotels that Support Good Sleep

NTT Data will develop capsule hotels that automatically measure heart and respiratory rates while sleeping, starting in the summer of 2024. Sleep data will be analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI) to propose measures to improve sleep for guests...

Domestic Luxury Hotels Will Increase the Number of New Openings Targeting Wealthy Visitors to Japan

The Palace Hotel will increase the number of hotels by 2.5 times by 2030. The Imperial Hotel will open its first new hotel in 30 years. These hotels envision filling most of the guest rooms with foreign guests...

Sports Hospitality

While "sports hospitality," in which spectators are treated to luxurious services at sporting events, is familiar overseas, it is still in its infancy in Japan...

U.S. Marriott's Hotel Development Emphasizes "Individuality" rather than "Unity"

Major foreign hotel operators are promoting a business strategy called "collection," which is more "individuality" than "unity." It is a method of loose collaboration among hotel owners in various regions while maintaining a degree of freedom...

Asian Ultra-luxury Resorts are Expanding into Japan One After Another

Singapore's "Soneva" and Hong Kong's "Rosewood" plan to expand into Okinawa and other areas. As tourism to Japan recovers with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, they aim to capture lodging demand from wealthy foreigners...

“Megami Hinoki Stick" May Have the Potential to Expand its Reach to Other Parts of the World

The 8th Organic Lifestyle EXPO was held for three days, from September 14 to 16, 2023, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center. Mr. Graham Wolland, known as an upcycling artist in the UK, was standing at the booth of the Aromatherapy Company...

The Use of Metaverse (virtual space) to Recruit New Graduates is Spreading

Neo Career (Shinjuku, Tokyo), a human resources services company, and others held a joint corporate information session on the Metaverse this summer, with approximately 750 companies exhibiting, four times as many as six months earlier...

Honda will Launch Regional Transportation Services Using a Small Jet, "HondaJet," for Wealthy Visitors to Japan

Transportation to rural areas is a challenge in attracting wealthy foreigners. Honda will sell the product as a package with local experiential services to help attract affluent visitors....

Municipalities in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area are Enhancing their "Night Tourism" Content to Target Tourists and Others

While there has been a rapid recovery in the number of foreign visitors to Japan, there is also an aim to have residents enjoy the area in cooperation with businesses and hotels...

Barter of Goods is Now Spreading in Kansai Area

In this age, when the nature of capitalism and the monetary economy is being reexamined, efforts to return to "barter" and exchange unused clothing and other items are attracting attention...

Percentage of Women in Management Positions is only 12.9% in Japan

According to the White Paper on Gender Equality, 45% of Japan's employed population is female. However, the percentage of women in management positions is only 12.9%. The difference with foreign countries, where more than 30% are in the market, is evident...

“Capsule Toy” Specialty Stores Are Becoming More Popular Than Ever Before

According to a survey by the Japan Capsule Toy Association, the capsule toy market became worth 72 billion yen in the fiscal year 2022. The increase in the number of specialty capsule toy stores supports the popularity...

Nikkei Woman "A Company Where Women Play an Active Role”

"Nikkei Woman," a monthly magazine of Nikkei Group for working women, conducted the "Corporate Women's Activity Survey" and compiled the 2023 edition of "The 100 Best Companies for Women in Business."...

AI Proposes Room Rates

Royal Holdings (HD) launched a full-fledged system in April in which artificial intelligence (AI) proposes room rates at all 43 directly managed hotel facilities. Based on past reservations and competitor data, it derives sales prices that lead to higher unit prices and occupancy rates...

There is a Growing Movement among Foreign-affiliated Hotels to Expand their Hubs in Regional Areas

Hilton in the U.S. will double the number of domestic hubs to 40 by 2026, mainly in rural areas such as Toyama. It will also consider contracting the management of facilities that are experiencing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic...

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has Set a Target of 200,000 Yen per Inbound (Foreigner Visiting Japan) Consumption by 2025

MLIT has shifted the emphasis of its tourism policy from "quantity" to "quality," including attracting wealthy foreign visitors and extending the length of their stay. The proposal is to increase the number of nights per person in inbound tourism by 10 percent...

Frozen Foods have Become a Mainstay on the Dinner Table

Frozen foods have taken root in households as an alternative to eating out under the new coronavirus, with the market size reaching a record high in 2022. Sales are strong despite high prices, and significant food suppliers such as Nichirei Foods are introducing high-value-added products as staple foods...

Average Room Rates in Domestic Hotels are Increasing

The increase in room rates is particularly noticeable in the high-price range hotels, which is 30% higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of inbound tourists (foreigners visiting Japan) is more likely to increase further after the completion of the waterfront measures by the end of April...

The Presence of Foreigners as Buyers of Vacant Houses is Slowly Increasing

Old private homes with tatami mats and alcoves are gaining popularity. The high evaluation of the architecture, filled with good ancient Japanese culture, combined with the sense of affordability due to the weak yen, stimulates the desire to purchase...

"Retro boom," which Reevaluates the Appeal of Analog Products, is Now Spreading around the World

Japan is truly a modern-day "Zipangu," the land of gold, where treasure-trove sleeps, with abundant second-hand goods, including hit products and rarities from the 1980s and 1990s, when Japanese products dominated the World. More and more people are visiting Japan for shopping...

AEON will Begin to Attach Labels Indicating the Degree of Reduction in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions from Food Products

AEON will label and sell up to 23 items, including vegetables, from June onward. European companies are leading the way in "decarbonization labels" that inform consumers about the level of emission reductions...

"Real Bookstores" are Back in Popularity in the U.S.

The popularity of "real bookstores" is reviving in the United States. The new coronavirus rekindled the reading boom, and U.S. consumers rediscovered the pleasure of visiting bookstores and buying paper books...

Citrus Consumer Preferences Are Changing

The decline in citrus imports is also a long-term effect of changing consumer preferences. A fruit and vegetable distributor noted, "In recent years, people prefer sweeter fruit."...

The Most Common Reason for Working as a Non-Regular Employee Is "At a Convenient Time"

According to a detailed labor force survey released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 14th, the number of people who became non-regular staff or employees because of "I want to work when it's convenient for me" was 6.79 million on average in 2022...

The Presence of Private Brands (PB) is Increasing in Food Supermarkets

As the rush to raise the prices of manufacturers' products continues, the presence of private brands (PB) in supermarkets is expanding. The industry group's 2022 survey showed that the percentage of supermarkets that carry PB reached 76.5%...

Hotel Okura will Expand the Number of Hotels it Operates in Japan and Abroad to 150 by 2030, Approximately Double the Current Number

Okura will increase the number of hubs, especially in Southeast Asia and other foreign countries. With the COVID-19 pandemic under control, international tourist and business traffic will grow again...

US Hotel Companies are Accelerating their Investments in Tourism Facilities in Rural Japan

Marriott International of the United States will increase the number of hotels it operates in Japan by 30% from the current level to approximately 100 by the end of 2024...

Menicide (Bag Manufacturer in Tokyo) and TSUKUMO (Sandal Manufacturer) have Jointly Developed Flip-flops that Incorporate Japanese Paper as Material

Combining the manufacturing technology of a local factory, the product has been made into a highly unique product. The company plans to test-market the product through crowd-funding to raise small amounts of funds, with the aim of making it a standard product..

10% of those Interested in the "Metaverse” Own a VR Headset Device

According to a survey by Cross Marketing (Tokyo), about 10% of those interested in the "metaverse," a virtual space, owned a virtual reality (VR) headset device...

Japanese Government Relaxes Border Measures

The government will relax the border control for COVID-19 by October, bringing the situation closer to one before the spread of the virus...

DNP will Use VR and AR to Attract Foreigners to "Virtual Akihabara"

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) will attract people from other countries to "Virtual Akihabara," a metaverse space that reproduces the streets of Akihabara, Tokyo, utilizing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)...

Tokio Marine will Sell Insurance through Amazon

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd. will begin selling insurance through Amazon Japan's e-commerce site on 22nd...

NTT Designs a Virtual Venue for the Osaka Expo 2025

On 7th September, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the governing body for EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN announced that NTT will design a virtual reproduction of the Expo site in Osaka...

Use of Telemedicine is Increasing due to Seventh Wave of COVID-19

Capturing the demand to avoid face-to-face medical treatment due to infection risk, Medline and LINE systems had the highest single month of usage in August...

AEON Provides Same-day Delivery of Prescription Drugs

AEON will begin a service that delivers physician-prescribed medications to the home on the same day the order is placed...

Mos Food Services will Introduce Biomass Plastic Spoons and Forks Mixed with Rice

These spoons and forks will be offered as to-go tableware at "Mos Burger" stores in Tokyo and Osaka from August, and will be expanded to approximately 1,250 stores nationwide from October...

Can be Processed from Dried Soybeans to Meat Substitutes

Ryonetsu Kogyou (Ota-ku, Tokyo), a company that designs air conditioning systems, has developed a machine that can process whole soybeans into meat substitutes...

COVID-19 domestic infection, more than 110,000 people, the highest number ever

On July 16, the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus reached approximately 110,600 nationwide, the highest number ever recorded per day...

Ajinomoto works jointly with Mitsui to develop new products for "Generation Z" who are born after mid-1990s

Ajinomoto will launch a three-color "instagrammable" congee based on Taiwanese and Korean cuisine toward the end of June, proposing it as a guilt-free healthy snack...

With the Spring Relocation Season Upon Us, Moving Rates Are on the Rise

According to a private survey, moving costs for family households as of February were 10% higher than in the same month last year...

Nara and Wellness Tourism

Nara, Cradle of Kampo, Medicinal Herbs, and the History and Culture of Health...

Many supermarkets will switch spoons and forks offered free of charge from plastic to wooden

Supermarkets are switching from plastic to wooden cutlery, such as spoons and forks, which are given to customers when they buy lunch boxes...

Challenges Faced by Japan’s “ryokans (inns)”

Speaking of hot springs, they are “ryokan”. Ryokan is a wonderful culture and content that represents Japan...

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Collaborates with NTT DoCoMo to Analyze the Behavior of Visitors to Japan

It is aimed to collect information on users connected to DoCoMo lines after visitors arrive in Japan, creating a database for tourism policy in anticipation of post-Corona tourism.

Japanese People’s Sleep Time is the Shortest in the OECD

Lack of sleep costs the Japanese economy JPY15 trillion in losses

370,000 Foreigners Blocked From Coming To Japan

Other countries are moving to loosen restrictions on entry, looking ahead to economic restart

Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store is Starting “Stores Which Don’t Sell Products”

It is building sales areas adapted to be showrooms for new brands

Netflix Establish a Production Center in Tokyo

Backed by an enormous budget, they are pushing to round up anime talent...

Tuna and Other High-grade Fish are the Next Cultured Meat

Supplementing over-exploited fishery resources...

Generation Z Men Spend Money on Cosmetics

Pursuing their own style beyond gender differences...

Biotech Venture Company Euglena Uses Fuel From Euglena Gracilis in a Civilian Aircraft for the First Time

Successful test flight using the fuel in a privately-owned jet...

Clear Exports the Finest Sake to North America and Europe

Clear is opening directly-managed stores in Japan and raising its brand value...

Vegan Bistro Jangara is Surging in Popularity

Vegan Bistro Jangara aims to be a comfortable dining space which pursues delicious cookery from plant-based ingredients. Deputy manager Kazuo Anzai, nicknamed Kazu, is the key person in that effort...

Nippon Shokubai is Working Towards Mass Production of Raw Material for Plant-derived Paper Diapers

The company is ahead of competitors in mass producing raw materials for paper diapers that do not use oil...

AI-generated “Virtual Actors” are Used in Business Situations

AI generates “avatars” based on face and voice data from real people...

Japan’s Total Population Drops 0.7% to 126.22 Million

In the world population ranking, Japan has been overtaken by Mexico, dropping to 11th place...

Kewpie Develops Egg Substitutes

The first sale of plant-based egg products by a Japanese food manufacturer...

Accelerating Shift to Cashless Payments

Covid-19 is accelerating the move in payments and transfers worldwide...

Hotels are Taking Action as They Look Ahead to Post-Covid Times

Hotel Okura will open a high-grade hotel in Kyoto in January 2022...

Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. Invest in a European Meat Substitute Fund 

Fuji Oil aim to enter the European and North American markets by investing in plant-based meat feedstocks to replace soy...

Serious Online Fitness at Home

Simultaneous strength training and aerobic exercise in spare moments at home...

Sushiro Increase Revenue Despite the State of Emergency 

Their key words are automation, touchless, and a push in city centers...

Sit on a Toto Toilet to Manage Your Health

Toto is Developing a “Wellness Toilet” that Judges the User’s Physical Condition Using Sensors in the Seat...

The Front Lines of Food Tech

Various countries have started setting rules related to the diffusion of cultured meat...

Foreign Visitors to Japan in 2020 Dropped to 4.11 Million, Down 87%

Visitors only numbered one tenth of the government's target of 40 million in 2020, with no recovery in sight...

60% of Japanese People Have Used Cashless Payments

The spread of cashless payments has been accelerated by the avoidance of interpersonal contact and the increase in home nesting consumption, which are both responses to the spread of COVID -19...

The Government of Singapore has Approved the Sale of Cultured Chicken Meat

Eat Just, the US startup, is the first company in the world to start selling artificial chicken...

Seven and i to Share Home Delivery Networks Centered on its Convenience Stores

Seven and i Holdings is building a system for bundled home deliveries of Group products from convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and the like...

Diffusion of Online Shopping is Now at 50%, With Room to Grow

The expansion of the novel coronavirus pandemic brought the proportion of Japanese households using online sales to 49.9% in September, up 6.9 points from the preceding September...

Dispensing and Home Delivery of Drugs Will be possible With Online Medical Treatment

Under the Covid-19 pandemic, major pharmacies are jumping into competition to offer digital services...

Data from Shoe Soles

In December, Asics launched new shoes with internal sensors that analyze how you run...

Coaching and Lessons Seen in the Mirror

Mirror Fit is starting an online fitness business that uses a device which combines a display with a mirror...

Home Meal Delivery Companies Also Carry Miscellaneous Items, and are Expanding their Delivery Areas

Home meal delivery companies are broadening their retail partners and their delivery ranges...

The Rapid Growth of Sleep Tech

A growing number of companies are working on "sleep tech", which uses advanced technologies to improve the quality of sleep...

Car Subscriptions are Spreading

Toyota Motor Corporation's Kinto flat-fee car subscription business is performing well...

The Art of Japanese Wrapping

Now that carrier bags cost money and carrying one's own shopping bag is the norm, the furoshiki, an idea handed down for over 1,000 years, is in the spotlight...

Now You Can View Paintings Without Going to an Art Gallery

An NTT-affiliated company is planning digital streaming of paintings and other cultural assets as high-resolution digital images...

What is the Definition of Beautiful Skin in Japan

Facelabo Co., Ltd., the contracted manufacturer of skin care products, makes J-Beauty its keyword and communicates the things that Japanese people see as most important in skin care...

The Okura Tokyo: Dining Experiences for Encountering Japan's Terroir

The Nouvelle Epoque of French cuisine began in September 2019, when The Okura Tokyo opened. Chef Tetsujiro Takahashi is seeking for dishes that are founded on the classics, but also present "health and gastronomy" by using the seasonal ingredients of all parts of Japan...

2020 Trending Products in Everyday Life in Japan

Online tourism is spreading. In an environment where the novel coronavirus continues to make travel difficult, online tourism is an effort to see and interact with locations through video and other media...

Palace Hotel Tokyo: Experience the Heart of Japan

Palace Hotel Tokyo had its grand opening in May 2012, as a newly rebuilt hotel which blends traditional Japanese hospitality with the latest innovative fixtures. We talked to Executive Chef Masatoshi Saito and Chief Concierge Mayako Sumiyoshi...

The Current State of Gradually-spreading Online Tourism

Online tourism is spreading. In an environment where the novel coronavirus continues to make travel difficult, online tourism is an effort to see and interact with locations through video and other media...

Japan's Sub-cultures

Why not enjoy the fusion between the country's traditional culture and its sub-cultures, such as anime, manga, and cosplay...

2020 Trending Products in Everyday Life in Japan

Finding popular products to sell can be a challenge for overseas suppliers. We will introduce here ten product categories in series to help you uncover new trending product ideas...

Average Lifespan and Healthy Lifespan

On July 31, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that the average lifespan for Japanese people had reached a new record in 2019, at 87.45 years for women and 81.41 years for men...

The World's First BOSAI FOODS of VEGAN “V-Aid Bread”

Veganism has been gaining worldwide attention in recent years due to the growing awareness of global environmental protection and animal welfare...

Worcation -It’s a New Way of Working

“Worcation” is a coined word that combines work and vacation. It's a new working style, which you can take advantage of remote working while enjoying a vacation in a natural tourist destination away from your workplace...

Japan: A New Path Toward the Realization of Tourism-oriented Country

Tourism is facing an unprecedented crisis. Although it is a business that can be enjoyed on a trip away from everyday life, the spread of the new coronavirus has stopped the movement of people all over the world....

Are Music Festivals Viewed From Cars Here to Stay?

June 13, a Saturday afternoon in heavy rain. A tower had been erected in a former quarry in Tochigi. The rain had already formed deep mud on the ground of the site...

Glamping is a Travel Style in the Spotlight for its Low Risk of Covid-19 Infection
Series (1)

Glamping is gaining popularity with men and women of all ages as a new outdoor-style camping. This series will present the characteristics and advantages of glamping...

Japan: A Shopper’s Paradise

Two of the top interests for foreign travelers visiting Japan are “to experience Japanese food” and “to shop in Japan.”...

NIHONSHU - The art and history of Japanese sake and Japanese culture

Nihonshu, or Japanese sake, is Japan’s national drink, and the epitome of Japanese culture. Made from rice and water, the blessings of Japan’s land and climate...

The Essence of Washoku

Washoku (Japanese Food) was registered by UNESCO as an intangible cultural asset in December 2013. That means the traditional food culture of the Japanese people has been globally recognized as...

Real Japan

The basement food floors of department stores are a paradise for souvenirs and gifts. They are abbreviated to “depachika” in Japanese. Big department stores are clustered around each of the major station in Tokyo, and their depachika floors...

A Smart Way to Use Japanese Convenience Stores

One word can be seen on signs wherever you look while walking around Tokyo. That word is “コンビニ” (conbini, short for “convenience store”). There are 55,000 convenience stores in Japan...

General Merchandising Stores are the Place to See Japanese People’s Lifestyles

General Merchandising Stores (GMS) are places for the masses, good for shopping and for eating out. How about adding a GMS to your urban sightseeing itinerary? And if you’re wondering...

Regional Foods that Color Japan’s Dining Tables

Japan is an isolated archipelago, surrounded by sea on all sides. Centering on the main islands of the archipelago (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, etc.), the Izu and Ogasawara island groups...

Tokyo - A Gourmet Cluster

Tokyo is a world-renowned city for excellent food. It is bursting with an endless variety of restaurants and shops. As a world culinary metropolis, offering ramen, tempura, soba, sushi, kaiseki, and teppan yaki...

Places to Visit

TripAdvisor announces its annual Top 30 tourist attractions in Japan based on reviews and comments by international travelers. We present here those top 10 with some introductions from the websites of those facilities...