Discover insider tips, travel guides, and inspiring stories for your next adventure in Japan
A limited-quantity collaboration between Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night and Village Vanguard has launched, featuring newly drawn illustrations created exclusively for this project. Pre-orders are open at the Village Vanguard Online Store from July 21 through August 9, 2026, with no restock or additional production planned.
Kajitsuya Cafe's three Tokyo locations are serving limited-quantity "White Peach Shaved Ice" and "White Peach Parfait" made with peaches from Yamanashi and Fukushima, alongside a new "Sweet Ripe Mango Shaved Ice," available through late August 2026.
From August 12 to 18, 2026, Sake Market Shinjuku will host a limited-time pop-up pairing 10 ice cream flavors with 100 varieties of sweet sake and 10 toppings, creating more than 10,000 possible combinations.
A stage devoted to the roughly 600-year-old comedic art of kyogen arrives at Roppongi Tricolore Theater this October and November, led by the young performer Mannojo Nomura.
New original merchandise for the TV anime Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, featuring specially drawn artwork themed around a moonlit mermaid serenade, will be sold at touring pop-up shops in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Osaka, as well as online.
Starting Saturday, July 25, 2026, Metsä Village is opening a dedicated hand-held fireworks area that runs nightly through August 23, joining the ongoing "Metsä's Nordic Fireworks" and Moominvalley Park's "Moominvalley Lake Fireworks" as part of Metsä's summer lineup.
An online lottery for the TV anime MIDORI NO MAKIBAO has launched on FaNeMa Kuji, featuring exclusive prizes such as a plush toy, a tissue case, handkerchiefs, acrylic stands, and can badges. A repost campaign is also running to celebrate the launch.
MOO-MOO SPARK, a new steakhouse using only female Japanese cattle, opens in Naha, Okinawa on July 20, offering thick-cut steaks paired with a melting bear-shaped butter and supervised by a chef with Michelin-starred restaurant experience.
Hachette Collections Japan launches "Let's Build Nostalgic Ginza," a partwork series recreating the Showa-era Ginza streetscape as a 1/150 scale diorama, complete with a running streetcar and illuminated landmark buildings. Launching August 19, 2026.
Ohori Park's Japanese Garden in Fukuoka will open a new nighttime art event, "SEKAI," on August 1, 2026, following on from last year's "SORA." The event centers on a giant illuminated sphere floating on the garden's pond, paired with interactive projection-mapping content, and runs through December 31 as part of a program marking the garden's upcoming temporary closure for renovation.
The Onegai AiPri POP UP SHOP in OIOI brings new character merchandise to Shinjuku Marui Annex and Namba Marui starting July 25, 2026, with a special AiPri card for purchases over 3,000 yen and a prize lottery for Epos Card holders.
Roadside Station Oze Katashina in Gunma Prefecture is celebrating its 8th anniversary with a two-day festival on July 25–26, 2026, featuring a grilled corn experience, taiko drum performances, discounted local vegetables, and a special cold tomato udon dish.