Discover insider tips, travel guides, and inspiring stories for your next adventure in Japan
Nijigen COSPA is releasing a full-color T-shirt depicting a scene from the Girls Band Cry ending, with advance sales at Comiket 108 on August 15-16, 2026, ahead of general release in early November 2026.
Kamaboko no Kanezaki, the long-established Sendai maker of sasa kamaboko, is holding a collaboration with the anime Haikyu!! from August 1 to August 31, 2026, featuring newly drawn artwork of Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio visiting Kanezaki Sohonten Sasakama-kan, limited-edition kamaboko sets with bonus novelties, and original goods such as acrylic figure stands and a B2 half tapestry, available at Kanezaki stores in Sendai, Fukushima, Yamagata, and Morioka as well as online.
Hakutsuru Sake Brewing is rolling out a new tokubetsu junmai release, renewed dry sake packs, limited-time seasonal sake, and an updated non-alcoholic sparkling drink nationwide starting in September 2026.
Hakutsuru Sake Brewing renews its non-alcoholic sparkling drink "Hakutsuru Ginrei Sparkling," first released in 2022 as a sparkling sake-taste beverage, with a redesigned label spelling out that it won't make you drunk, launching nationwide on September 11, 2026.
Hakutsuru Sake Brewing is renewing its "Hakutsuru Maru Karakuchi" sake, updating the package design for easier recognition on store shelves while keeping the same original koji mold used in brewing. The refreshed lineup goes on sale nationwide from Friday, September 11, 2026.
A new tokubetsu junmai sake brewed with an in-house yeast that produces a floral aroma reminiscent of freshly pressed sake goes on sale nationwide on September 11, 2026, made with 100% high-quality Hyogo-grown Yamadanishiki rice.
Himeji Castle and アクリエひめじ will be illuminated in cyan on August 1, 2026, in observance of "Water Day," a day established under Japan's Basic Act on the Water Cycle to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy water cycle.
From September 1 to November 29, 2026, Japanese Restaurant HANAMUSASHI at Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro serves the seasonal "HANAMUSASHI Kaiseki" course (¥17,000), offering a choice of Ise lobster or Japanese domestic beef sirloin through October 12, and kinki (a prized Japanese rockfish) or Japanese domestic beef sirloin from October 13 onward.
A new seasonal afternoon tea, "Gratitude for Autumn's Bounty and Rich Blessings – Harvest Festival," is coming to the all-day dining restaurant "Terrace and Table" at Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki on weekdays from September 1 through November 30, 2026, priced at ¥3,900 (tax and service charge included).
From July 30 to September 22, 2026, Hotel New Otani Makuhari is offering a two-day, one-night "Night Pool & Afternoon Tea Stay" plan that pairs an evening at the outdoor "Shell Pool" with a melon, mango, and peach afternoon tea set at the 24th-floor Bay Court Café.
The Jujutsu Kaisen animation exhibition featuring the "Hidden Inventory / Premature Death" and "Shibuya Incident" arcs is now open at Daimaru Sapporo Store, running through August 10, 2026. From July 27, a newly designed subway ad for the exhibition is on display near Exit 3 of Sapporo Station.
Kanzashi-ya WARGO Yufuin Kinrinko, a new hairpin specialty store from Wagokoro Co., Ltd., grand-opened on July 24, 2026, in the Kinrinko area of Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, becoming the company's third brand store in the area and bringing traditional Japanese kanzashi craftsmanship to visitors.