Twentythree

This Hideout is both a dessert we’d like to drink and a place we’d like to be.

Ghibli Park doesn’t have the roller coasters, parades, stage performances, or fireworks shows typically associated with amusement parks. Instead, the Studio Ghibli theme park in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture is all about artistic atmosphere, and that philosophy extends to its dining options. For example, inside Ghibli Park’s Rotunda Kazegaoka restaurant, you can enjoy a meal or snack while admiring a full-scale recreation of the Savoia S-21 “flying boat” seaplane flown by protagonist Porco in Ghibli’s Porco Rosso anime film.

In keeping with Porco Rosso’s Italian coast setting, the restaurant’s menu options include hearty pasta plates.

With summer here, though, the cafe wanted to serve up something cooling and refreshing, while still keeping with the Porco Rosso theme. The result is an absolutely beautiful dessert drink that draws inspiration from the Ghibli anime’s depictions of the azure Adriatic Sea and the skies above it.

Called the Hideout Soda, the 850-yen (US$5.25) drink references the portion of the anime in which Porco is lying low to avoid capture by his foes. “Soda” here isn’t being used to mean cola, but instead a citrus/apple cider of the sort best known in Japan under the Ramune brand, and which customarily has a sky blue color and is strongly associated with summer fun. Floating in the soda sea are bits of pineapple and what appears to be a candy/gelatin plane, and instead of sea grasses you have sprigs of dill, which should make for a uniquely complex flavor profile. Finally, up above is a cloud layer of fluffy cotton-candy like confectionary.

The scene of a seaplane tranquilly floating in the water brings to mind a quote from an interview with Ghibli co-founder and Porco Rosso director Hayao Miyazaki. Speaking shortly after Porco Rosso’s 1993 Japanese release (and later reprinted in now-defunct American anime magazine Animerica), Miyazaki was asked if, given his well-known love of flying machines, he himself had ever wanted to become a pilot. In his customarily complex way, Miyazaki said that while it might be nice, the time commitment necessary to become a pilot would pull him away from things he had a stronger desire to do, such as create films. Somewhat wistfully, he also lamented that the understandable realities of real-life aviation mean that pilots can’t simply take off and land wherever they want to, saying “I’d like to have a seaplane, but there wouldn’t be any point without a beautiful body of water to maneuver on and a place to hide out in.”

With Miyazaki’s video-documented fondness for Japan’s blue sodas, it seems like he’d enjoy Ghibli Park’s new drink, which was added to the Rotunda Kazegaoka menu this month and will be available for a limited time.

By the way, though it’s technically part of Ghibli Park, Rotunda Kazegaoka is outside the admission gates and is open to anyone, regardless of whether or not they’ve purchased a ticket. Of course, considering that the theater inside Ghibli Park is the only place in the world to see Studio Ghibli’s new short anime, a ticket would still be pretty nice to have.

Related: Ghibli Park official website
Source: Ghibli Park, Twitter/@ghibliparkjp
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Ghibli Park
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Take it easy and enjoy some painting with Harumichi Shibasaki.

In the decades following the passing of American painter Bob Ross, there was a huge void in the beloved genre of extremely-chill-person-painting-stuff content that borders on ASMR. It wasn’t until 2017 that artist Harumichi Shibasaki, a.k.a. Grandpa (Oji-san) Sensei, started his YouTube channel and invited the world to a relaxing time making pictures in watercolor, acrylic, and crayons.

▼ Video showing how he relaxingly made the painting above.

The 79-year-old’s channel now boasts over 2.1 million subscribers and a combined social media following of more than four million people who appreciate both his friendly demeanor and soothing works. However, when looking at online videos, it’s hard to really get a sense of the subtle textures and true color that a work of art can provide. Sometimes, you just have to see it in person to get the full impact.

For Grandpa Sensei fans, that chance is coming once again to the Hiltopia Art Square in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, from 23 to 28 July. Several new watercolor works will be on display, alongside various creations using Shibasaki’s own Art Crayons, developed with stationery brand Pentel.

But perhaps the biggest reason to head to this exhibition is that Grandpa Sensei in the flesh will be there every day. As can be plainly seen in his videos, he is far from standoffish, and more than happy to share the joy of painting with viewers who either enjoy his art technique or simply enjoy hearing him talk about his cats.

He issued the following statement leading up to the exhibition:

Hello, I’m Shibasaki. How are you doing? In 2025, I had the privilege of holding an exhibition at Hiltopia Art Square, where I was able to enjoy wonderful encounters with so many of you. Those warm memories remain with me, and I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to once again meet you all in Tokyo. In this exhibit, I’m going to have a wide range of new pieces on display. The main focus is on watercolors, but works made with acrylics and Art Crayons will also be there. The goal of my art is to capture the beauty of nature and casual moments in everyday life, while bringing out the warmth and tranquility that can be found in them. I hope everyone who comes can feel inspired and soothed by them. I plan to be present at the gallery throughout the exhibition and look forward to speaking with all of you in person.

In addition to seeing Shibasaki himself and his artworks, this event will also provide a chance to purchase pieces, giclee prints, and limited edition merchandise, such as T-shirts, stuffed toys, magnets, and more. The first 5,000 guests will also get a special Harumichi Shibasaki card with artwork exclusive to this exhibition.

News of the exhibition enticed many people, as shown in online comments. Even potential haters found themselves disarmed by his pleasant demeanor and undeniable skill.

“I’m going! I can’t wait!”
“The painting of the cat is incredible.”
“I bet seeing Grandpa Sensei in person would be really moving.”
“It’s the elderly gentleman with a nice smile who sometimes appears in my recommended videos.”
“He looks really young for someone near 80.”
“I went last year, and it was incredible. You really have to see it in person.”
“I watched a video intending to make fun of it, but the art was so good it just made me smile.”
“He’s more like Alwyn Crawshaw than Bob Ross though.”
“He’ll be there the whole time? I want to go and meet him.”

General admission to the exhibition is free for everyone, but capacity is limited, so you’ll need to book a time slot in advance to ensure entry. Some slots are already filled up, so don’t delay if you plan to head down. Another alternative is to purchase a Premium Ticket for 19,800 yen ($122), which includes the ability to come and go as you please throughout a single day, some merchandise, and best of all, the ability to get your photo taken Grandpa Sensei as well as his autograph.

However, you do it, it’s a great way to really get in touch with the joy of painting.

Event information
Harumichi Shibasaki Painting Exhibition 2026 Tokyo / 柴崎春通 絵画展 2026 東京
Hiltopia Art Square
ヒルトピアアートスクエア
Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi-Shinjuku 6-6-2 B1F
東京都新宿区西新宿6丁目6−2 B1F
23 – 28 July, 2026
Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Admission: Free (reservations recommended, premium tickets available)

Source: PR Times, Hachima Kiko
Top image: PR Times
Images: PR Times 1, 2
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Soon you’ll be able to book a flight to Toyama-Takayama Sushi Airport in Japan.

Overseas tourists have reached record numbers in Japan, but regional areas still find themselves struggling to lure international visitors away from big cities on the well-worn Tokyo-to-Kyoto tourist trail.

Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, is one of those regions that remains sadly overlooked, but now it’s throwing the old rulebook out the window in an effort to attract tourists, by giving its airport an unforgettable new nickname to help put it firmly on the map.

Up until now, the local flight terminal has been known as “Toyama Airport”, with the nickname “Toyama Kitokito Airport”. “Kitokito”, a word from the Toyama dialect that means “fresh” or “full of vitality”, was chosen for the nickname in a 2012 public contest to mark the prefecture’s 130th anniversary in 2013.

However, on 8 July, Toyama Governor Hachiro Nitta announced that the airport would receive a new nickname: “Toyama-Takayama Sushi Airport”. Though a name this outrageous might sound like a joke, it really is happening, with the governor saying the new branding aims to raise the prefecture’s profile amongst overseas visitors by highlighting two words that they believe have instant global recognition: “Sushi” and “Takayama”.

▼ Governor Nitta unveiled the new nickname at a press conference earlier today.

Using “sushi” in the airport’s official new nickname will certainly help to capture the attention of travellers unfamiliar with the area, and officials hope the branding will strengthen the message that Toyama is a leading destination for sushi.

The second part of the nickname refers to Takayama, the historic city in neighbouring Gifu Prefecture, which is a more popular destination for overseas tourists. Officials say the inclusion of “Takayama” in the name reflects Toyama Airport’s role as a gateway to the wider Hida Takayama area, helping visitors to explore destinations across prefectural borders.

While details remain unclear on when and how the airport’s sushi moniker will be used, it’s likely to feature in tourism promotions, overseas marketing, and other promotional materials as part of the prefecture’s branding strategy to attract inbound tourists.

Given that the current “富山きときと空港” (“Toyama Kitokito Airport”) nickname appears on the terminal building, a new “富山高山すし空港” (“Toyama-Takayama Sushi Airport”) sign is likely to replace it soon, either in Japanese, English, or perhaps both.

The rebranding comes as Toyama Airport seeks to revive passenger numbers following a decline last fiscal year, its first annual decrease in five years. The airport has faced growing competition from the Hokuriku Shinkansen, which opened direct rail links to Tokyo in 2015, and although it once operated flights to international destinations like Seoul, Shanghai and Dalian, many scheduled overseas routes have been suspended. Flights to Taipei, however, are expected to resume in August after an absence of around six and a half years, so there may be an uptick in passengers in time for the new rebranding.

Hopefully the new name will help to reverse the declining numbers, particularly amongst international visitors who can hop on a direct flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, so more people from overseas can enjoy the hidden charms of the region, including vending machine sushi and a Starbucks branch deemed to be the world’s most beautiful.

Source: Yahoo! Japan News/Kyodo, Yomiuri Shimbun, YouTube/東海テレビ ニュースONE
Top image: Wikipedia/Respite
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport wants to help bring travelers to a part of Japan that could use more visitors.

For domestic flights, the standard recommendation is to get to the airport an hour ahead of your scheduled takeoff so that you have ample time to get through any check-in, baggage-check, and security protocols, plus make your way to your gate for boarding. However, even though Japan’s Noto Satoyama Airport only has domestic routes, we strongly encourage travelers give themselves much more than 60 minutes before takeoff. This isn’t because Noto Satoyama is inefficiently run, though. No, the reason you’ll want to get there very early is because it’s Japan’s first-ever Pokémon airport.

As of July 7, Noto Satoyama Airport, located on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, is now Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport. The most dramatic part of the new theming is the gigantic Pikachu in the main atrium which is surrounded by illustrations of other Pocket Monsters. Take the time to count them, and you’ll tally up 111 different Pokémon varieties, with at least one representative of every Flying-type species since the franchise began 30 years ago.

▼ The first day of operations under the Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport name

In addition to the atrium, Pokémon can be found in various common-use section of the airport, including three spots outside the building with Pokémon statues. “Capture” them using your smartphone’s camera, and you can watch a special short animated video.

The airport is also the proud home of Japan’s newest Pokémon manhole cover/Pokéfuta, this one showing Bagon and its evolved form Salamence taking off from the facility.

Annon, the airport’s restaurant, is also now serving a Pokémon-themed pancake dessert set…

…and a gorgeous piece of key art has been created not only to celebrate the collaboration…

…but also to serve as a motif for exclusive Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport merch being offered in the airport’s souvenir shops.

As mentioned above, Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport doesn’t have any international flights, but it does have a route connecting it with Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, and flying is often the quickest way to get from the capital to this part of Ishikawa Prefecture.

The collaboration is part of the continuing partnership between Ishikawa and the Pokémon franchise to promote tourism to the Noto Peninsula, which is still recovering economically from the effects of a powerful earthquake that occurred in 2024, but is now more than ready to start receiving visitors again. Other parts of the initiative include the Pokémon hot spring footbath in Ishikawa’s Wakura Onsen district.

Like the Pokémon mailboxes in Yokohama, though, the Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport won’t be a permanent theming, but Pikachu and all those Flying types are currently scheduled to be there until at least the end of September 2029.

Related: Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport official website
Source: Pokémon with You, Burari Noto Net, Pokéfuta official website
Top image: Pokémon with You
Insert images: Pokémon with You, Pokéfuta official website
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Government probably always just assumed common sense was enough.

When it comes to choosing something to eat, there’s always a risk-reward calculation that needs to be done. For example, when it comes to eating pufferfish, even though the risk of dying a horrific, fully-conscious death is rather low, I personally decided that it was mid-tasting enough that I could easily live the rest of my life without ever eating it again, and just drop that risk right down to a flat zero.

▼ Ironically enough for this topic, I always felt it tasted a bit like chicken.

Raw chicken seems like a no-brainer in this sense. In addition to the days of hardcore, toilet-hugging food poisoning it can very easily cause, there’s also an added risk of Guillian-Barré syndrome. This is a particularly terrifying medical condition wherein your own immune system begins to attack your nervous system. The Campylobacter bacteria on chicken meat bears a certain resemblance to nerve cells, which is why it can sometimes trick your own body into assaulting itself on a cellular level, occasionally resulting in death, but if you’re lucky will only result in weeks or months of varying degrees of paralysis.

Considering the vast array of delicious ways to enjoy conventionally cooked chicken, I can’t imagine raw chicken being anywhere near good enough to even bother putting myself in the path of all that. Still, taste is a subjective thing, and it appears quite a few people are rather keen to dine on uncooked poultry regardless.

One such way is the tataki method of cooking, in which the outside is flash-seared, leaving the middle raw or extremely rare. Katsuo no tataki is probably the most famous version of this, in which skipjack tuna is seared on the outside and raw on the inside. The conventional thinking in Japan is already that if seafood is served fresh enough, then it is safe to eat raw, and preparing it tataki-style makes it even less daunting to eat.

▼ Katsuo no tataki

While that applies to a lot of seafood, though, chicken is an entirely different matter. In fact, freshly slaughtered chicken is even more hazardous to consume raw, because the Campylobacter is also just as fresh and thriving at that time.

Another problem is that eating raw chicken is a bit of a recent trend in Japan. Other meats are either prohibited from being eaten raw, like pork, or heavily regulated, like beef. Raw chicken always flew under the radar legally because it hadn’t really been a thing. One exception has been Kagoshima Prefecture, where serving raw chicken was refined over centuries, and more recently high standards on a local governmental level have been enacted to make it safe to eat.

But more and more, restaurants all across Japan are offering tataki-style chicken, only without the same stringent precautions developed in Kagoshima. As a result, cases of food poisoning and even Guillian-Barré have been occurring. So, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare have announced they will finally enact guidelines for the proper consumption of raw chicken.

▼ While not quite tataki, we tried a very rare chicken cutlet that easily bordered on raw on the inside.

The guidelines are still in development, but are likely to include rules regarding the separation of chicken meat meant for cooking and serving raw, methods to sterilize the surface of meat by searing, and storage methods. In addition, the ministry knows that this will not eliminate the chance of illness, so they will likely also require businesses serving raw chicken to warn customers of the health risks involved.

Going by online comments, a lot of people said this was a long overdue decision, but many also felt the Kagoshima, at least, had it all under control already, and should be able to continue with their cultural heritage.

“It’s about time.”
“I saw some places in Tokyo serving chicken tataki, but was too scared to try it. I’d only ever try it in Kagoshima.”
“I think raw chicken should be banned everywhere except Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures.”
“I do really like it when I get fried chicken that’s just a little undercooked.”
“Forget guidelines. Just throw the book at any restaurant that poisons customers. Charge them with assault too.”
“We evolved from monkeys and learned to use fire on meat, but some people still insist on this…”
“This is a perfect use for irradiating food. If only people weren’t so ignorant about radiation.”

That last comment brings up an interesting point. Since the dawn of the atomic age, for about half a century, there has been intensive study about the effects of sterilizing food with radiation, the logic being that it destroys the DNA of bacteria and viruses while leaving the meat safe to eat. The WHO, EFAS, FDA, and EPA have all concluded that doing so adds no hazardous chemical changes to the meat beyond standard cooking techniques.

However, it’s not a universal solution, since some forms of food poisoning aren’t caused by the bacteria themselves, but by the toxins they leave behind, which radiation has no effect on, but in the case of Campylobacter it would be theoretically effective. The biggest hurdle is really just marketing meat that’s been blasted with gamma radiation to people, and it’s also possible the process can have some effect on the overall taste for the really discerning raw-meat aficionados out there.

It’s a good example of how understanding the science behind the food you eat can really help you know the risk that goes along with it, allowing you to both stay safe and get the best dining experience possible. 

Source: NHK One, Twitter/@nhk_news, Hachima Kiko, EPA
Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Ceremony marks official start of climbing season for this six-step summit trail.

While Japan’s alpine topography, of course, exists all year round, many of the country’s most prominent mountains have a dedicated climbing season. Sometimes this is done for safety reasons (like how Mt. Fuji is closed to hikers for most of the year), and in other places the climbing season is more of a traditional cultural custom.

Regardless of the reason, those mountains that do have a climbing season often hold a ceremony to mark the first day and officially welcome visitors aiming to reach the summit. And so it was that on Sunday, July 5, a took place in the city of Sendai’s Miyagino Ward to declare Mt. Hiyoriyama officially open to climbers for the summer. Around one hour later, the first hikers reached the peak and basked in the mountaintop sunshine as they took in the view.

Now, you might be thinking that if it only took an hour to get to the top, Mt. Hiyoriyama can’t be all that tall, and you’re right. However, the opening ceremony wasn’t even held at the foot of the mountain, so after it was done, hikers had to walk from the venue to Mt. Hiyoriyama, and that alone took them about an hour…and if you’re now thinking that left almost no time at all for the actual hike, you’re right, because Mt. Hiyoriyama is the shortest mountain in Japan.

▼ Video of last year’s opening-day Mt. Hiyoriyama hikers, in which one of the interviewed girls says “When I made it to the top, the view was amazing.”

▼ Mt. Hiyoriyama

Of course, it would be irresponsible to claim the title of “shortest mountain in Japan” without sufficient scientific data to back it up. So in 2014, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, an official government entity, conducted a survey of Mt. Hiyoriyama and determined its peak to be at an elevation of three meters (9.8 feet). This allowed it to slide under Osaka’s Mt. Tempo, which has a peak elevation of a dizzying 4.54 meters (14.9 feet), and Hiyoriyama has since been recognized as Japan’s shortest mountain. There appears to be only one trail to the top, and it can be completed in roughly six steps. This year’s ceremony was attended by roughly 150 people, 50 more than last year’s.

▼ The closest train stop to the Mt. Hiyoriyama is Rikuzen Takasago Station on the Senseki Line. The walk from the station to the trailhead takes about 65 minutes.

It’s worth noting that the Japanese language does in fact have different words for “mountain” and “hill.” It’s not clear what specific criteria, if any, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan uses for differentiating between the two terms when talking about any specific raised landmass, but the Mt. Hiyoriyama name has been in use for centuries and the “yama” part of it is the word for “mountain,” so perhaps linguistic precedent helped it earn its title as Japan’s shortest mountain.

Mt. Hiyoriyama used to be about twice as tall as it is now, but lost around three meters of height in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Thought the circumstances by which it became Japan’s shortest mountain are sad, the opening ceremony has become a source of community fun and also a way to attract out-of-prefecture visitors to the area. So if you’re in the area, and up for a 10-second hike this summer, Mt. Hiyoriyama is waiting, and once you’ve got that experience under your belt, you should be physically prepared to try summiting Mt. Tempo, like we did.

Source: TBS News Dig (1, 2), Kahoku Shimpo
Top image ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The Nakano family opens a second rice paddy art site this year and shares more about the process that goes into their annual labor of love.

For the 16th year, the Nakano family in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture creates stunning rice paddy art for the public to enjoy. Part of their mission is for visitors to discover the charm of the northern Kanto region, which consists of the prefectures north of the Greater Tokyo Area but south of the Tohoku region.

This year’s artistic creation, which opened for viewing on June 18, pays homage to local singer Rie Utagokoro and Chika Ozeki, the original Meiji Era (1868-1912)-inspiration for the nurse protagonist of the currently airing NHK TV morning drama Kaze, Kaoru (The Scent of the Wind). The kanji for “wind” is also depicted between them.

▼ Viewing platform

However, for the first time ever this year, a second art site opened for public viewing on July 1. This one features Ujikoji, a Tochigi-based comedian duo, and Kaminari, a comedian duo from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture. The former’s likenesses have returned to the rice paddy art after two years while the latter two have made their field debut.

A final bonus scene depicts a simple but sleek Mt. Fuji, which officially opened for climbing season on July 1.

▼ Viewing platform

If you’re wondering about the mastermind behind these unusual works of art, that would be 81-year-old rice paddy artist Tokio Nakano, pictured here in front of this year’s creation. He recently shared a bit of insight into the behind-the-scenes process that he’s perfected over the years. The four main steps for creating his rice art paddy are detailed below.

Step 1. Nakano makes a blueprint of the illustration he has in mind while considering factors such as the size of the rice field and the viewing angle. He then makes adjustments as needed to arrive at the correct perspective.

Step 2. He prepares eight varieties of rice that differ in the color of their leaves and rate of growth, deciding how to position them based on the image blueprint.

Step 3. He uses a projector at night to shine the blueprint onto the rice paddy and carefully figure out zones for the different plants with markers. Accuracy is extremely important at this stage.

Step 4. The Nakano family plants the individual rice plants by hand. It takes an enormous amount of time and energy to accomplish, but it’s always worth it to see the final image materialize in the end.

Nakano further shares that while the rice is harvested at the end of September, there’s actually a second crop after that–so the artwork can be enjoyed all the way up until the first frost of the season.

We love seeing residents take pride in their local communities by making some kind of meaningful impact. Perhaps Nakano would someday be willing to partner with our own two “Kita Kanto Brothers” (“North Kanto Brothers”) writers who have a similar mission to promote the charm of the region!

Rice Paddy Art information
Site 1 address: Tochigi-ken, Nasushiobara-shi, Nishiosozawa 279-1
栃木県那須塩原市西遅沢 279-1
Site 2 address: Tochigi-ken, Nasushiobara-shi, Sekiya 416-1 (next to the Michi no Eki Yunokashiobara)
栃木県那須塩原市関谷416-1 (「道の駅 湯の香しおばら」の隣)
Duration: June 18 (Site 1)/July 1 (Site 2) through October (exact date TBD)
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Source, images: @Press
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!