TRAVEL
More Tokyo Trains Are Supporting Credit Card Touch Payments
Is this another stake in the heart of Japan's beloved IC cards? Several Tokyo train companies announce credit card tap payment support.
tokyo
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TRAVEL
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Why This Bookstore in Tokyo is Charging Admission
Would you pay to shop in a bookstore? Many in Japan would. Here's why Bunkitsu and other admission-based bookstores are booming.
POLITICS
Japan Proposes Changing Election Poster Rules to Avoid a Repeat Disaster
This summer, Tokyo was plagued by election posters that included cute cats, pornography, and outright financial scams. A new law hopes to…
FOOD
Family Mart Says Cute “Save Me!” Onigiri Mascot Reduced Food Loss
Combini chain Family Mart wanted to reduce food loss in its stores. So it did the most Japan thing ever: it created…
LIVING IN JAPAN
“Only The Emperor Lets Us Sit For Free”: Tokyo Residents Decry Vanishing Benches
A recent viral tweet bemoaned the lack of free places to sit in Tokyo - a trend that only seems to be…
LIVING IN JAPAN
What Are Tokyo’s Happiest Neighborhoods?
An annual report looks at which cities in Tokyo rank highest in happiness and which ones most residents want to keep living…
FOOD
Standing Soba Restaurants Bemoan “500 Yen Wall” As Prices Soar
Could standing soba restaurants meet the fate of ramen shops in Japan? Here's why owners are lamenting the so-called 500 yen wall.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Is That Japanese Town a “Chou” or a “Machi”?
The character 町 - pronounced either "chou" or "machi" - is common in Japanese town and neighborhood names. But how do you…