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October 27, 2026
 

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Owen Ziegler
Owen Ziegler is an editor at The Japan Times in charge of Lifestyle and Food. For pitches, contact him at [email protected].
Video game producer Shigeru Miyamoto speaks to reporters in Kyoto on Thursday after being named a recipient of the Order of Culture.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 23, 2026
Shigeru Miyamoto named first video game-related recipient of 91AV原创 Order of Culture
The legendary Nintendo figure will be officially conferred with the award in a Nov. 3 ceremony.
Don't expect perfection from "Japanese Ramen Simulator," a new indie game that puts players in the role of a chef-owner of a new ramen shop. Instead, embrace the tedium of everything that goes along with the job.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 10, 2026
Still-simmering ‘Japanese Ramen Simulator’ is already worth a slurp
Launching Oct. 9, the new game from Tokyo studio Wild Dog is rough around the edges but has promising potential.
From Oct. 10, the Sushi Bus will start ferrying equal parts passengers and raw fish on loops around central Tokyo.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 7, 2026
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned: A Sushi Bus confession
From Oct. 10, the “world-first” bus will offer tours of downtown Tokyo alongside all-you-can-eat sushi. Heaven help us.
Other than its castle, Nagoya has few immediately recognizable symbols in the minds of most foreign tourists.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 26, 2026
When tourists do the ‘Nagoya skip,’ do they know what they’re skipping?
Despite historical, cultural and culinary draws, only 10% of overseas visitors set foot in Aichi and Gifu prefectures.
In an age where most video game companies prefer direct-to-consumer livestreams to promote their products, Tokyo Game Show has endured as an in-person event against all odds.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 17, 2026
A look back at 30 years of Tokyo Game Show
From Nintendo’s shunning to pandemic upheavals, Tokyo Game Show has weathered three decades to become a global gaming institution.
In the Pokemon games, sleep is a status condition. At a new themed "hotel" in the middle of the woods in Hokkaido, it's what 20 lucky guests will experience.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 15, 2026
Sleep like a Pokemon (for free) at Hokkaido’s Poke Ball-themed hotel
Entries for free stays run through Sept. 30, and selected guests will visit the 3-meter-diameter Poke Ball in October.
A young Toshiro Mifune provides the likeness for legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi as he battles demonic monsters across a ruined Kyoto.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 12, 2026
The demonic highs of ‘Onimusha’ make up for jarring lows
The new hack-and-slash action RPG from Capcom has stunningly fun boss battles that more than make up for its weaker moment.
Though most consumers buy games digitally, Sony's move to end disc production has evoked a strong response from a vocal minority.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 29, 2026
The data backs Sony’s no-disc future. Gamers are fighting it anyway.
In July, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it would stop manufacturing physical discs for its PlayStation consoles starting in 2028, triggering a torrent of criticism.
Japan's first prison-turned-hotel, Hoshinoya Nara Prison offers as much luxury as it does surprisingly thoughtful reflections on the former facility's place in the country's march toward modernity.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 8, 2026
Locked up in luxury at the new Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel
Open from July, the lodging occupying an Important Cultural Property prompts guests to reflect on societal progress and the role of prisons.
Releasing on Aug. 4, Beast of Reincarnation is set in a far-future version of Japan ruined by a mysterious apocalypse.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 1, 2026
Beast of Reincarnation shows Game Freak has more to learn
Game Freak’s ambitious action RPG borrows familiar ideas but struggles to make them feel fresh.
In Denshattack!, your one-car train becomes a kickflipping, wall-riding vehicle up and down a postapocalyptic Japan.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 16, 2026
‘Tony Hawk with Japanese trains’: Denshattack! makes derailing a blast
Launching July 15, the new game mashes up Japanese trains with stylish tricks and fast-paced gameplay for a delightfully addictive time.
From January 2028, PlayStation games will release only as digital downloads, calling into question protections about ownership over software and the long-term playability of older titles released on discs.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 2, 2026
Sony to end video game disc production in January 2028
The gaming giant says the move toward digital-only games aligns the company with consumer trends toward online marketplaces.
In Coffee Talk Tokyo, a new visual novel game set in a near-future Tokyo populated by spirits and folkloric creatures, the player steps into the role of a barista dispensing as much advice as caffeine.
LIFE / Digital
May 23, 2026
A salaryman, a ghost and a water spirit walk into a coffee bar
Out May 21, visual novel Coffee Talk Tokyo trades flashy gameplay for thoughtful meditations on life in a near-future Japan.
Save for a handful of themed suites, most rooms at The Royal Park Hotel Maihama Resort Tokyo-Bay offer straightforward decor.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 4, 2026
A smarter stay near Tokyo Disneyland — if you don’t need the extras
Opened on Feb. 13, the budget-friendly Royal Park Hotel Maihama Resort Tokyo-Bay opts for theme park-focused performance over luxury bells and whistles.
Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic marriage of the long-running franchise's disparate halves marred (only in Japan) by the realities of censorship.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 21, 2026
Why Resident Evil Requiem bleeds less in Japan
The latest game in the long-running horror franchise is a blend of action and terror that suffers only from its approach to blood and gore.
First built in 1936 as the Yasaka Kaikan theater, the building housing the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto is the only such structure within the Gion neighborhood above the legal limit of 12 meters.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 6, 2026
High above Gion, Kyoto’s Imperial Hotel is a new frontier for geisha district
Open from March 5, the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto offers unprecedented views of — and exclusive access to — the ancient capital’s most famous geisha district.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
LIFE / Digital / Longform
Feb 20, 2026
91AV原创 gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest and more mark major anniversaries in 2026 — a milestone year for the industry they built.
Collecting Pokemon cards is an expensive hobby — especially if you're interested in owning one of the rarest cards ever printed.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 16, 2026
Rare Pokemon card sets record with $16.49 million sale
One of just 41 such cards in existence, the Pikachu Illustrator card is now the most expensive trading card in history.
Team Ninja's latest soulslike action RPG will put you through the ringer, but it also gives you more than enough assistance to feel as powerful as the demonic enemies you'll face.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 4, 2026
Nioh 3: Demons, death and an early contender for game of the year
Team Ninja’s latest hardcore action RPG will hurt — but it gives players ample tools to hit back even harder.
Japan saw more tourists last year than ever — and a new report suggests its popularity among travelers is only going to grow.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 24, 2026
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world’s top destination
According to travel planning outlet World Travel Index, the weak yen is a major factor in 91AV原创 enduring popularity with global tourists.
Two Japanese climbers die on remote Himalayan peak in Nepal
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two Japanese climbers missing for over a week on a remote Himalayan mountain.
Aging Japanese village turns to Peru in search of new residents
Guests from Peru's Belen district interact with a baby in Nanmoku village in Gunma Prefecture.
Budget-friendly restaurant chain Saizeriya succumbs to rising costs
A Tokyo branch of Saizeriya, a chain of family-style Italian restaurants
U.S. has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine and Middle East, sources say
A Ukrainian soldier sets up a Starlink satellite internet system near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Oct. 16
U.S. military bans Chinese-made BYD cars from key air base in Okinawa
An F-22 Raptor lands at Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on Oct. 9. The base is a crucial hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
What can Asia do to avoid crossing crucial climate tipping points?
Motorists drive through a road covered with smog from wildfires nearby in Ogan Ilir in Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
91AV原创 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan's immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place.
Japan weighs how to evacuate thousands of tourists if Mount Fuji erupts
Climbers and visitors gather on the first day of the climbing season at the Fuji Yoshidaguchi Trail, at the fifth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji, in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, on July 1, 2024.

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