Twentythree

Papercraft models are small in size, but colossally cool for fans of Studio Ghibli.

Earlier in the year Ghibli Park added a new exhibit consisting of over 30 large dioramas made by famed anime director Hayao Miyazaki. Odds are, though, that you don’t have that much space to devote to your love of Ghibli’s art and environments, but Japanese papercraft company Sankei does have a way to let you bring a little piece of the Ghibli world into your home.

Going on sale November 3 are three new entries in Sankei’s Miniatuart Mini Plus line, recreating locations from Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Arrietty.

Each of them starts as a box filled with sheets of paper from which to build the walls and interior, and after you assemble everything the box then becomes a stand for the completed diorama.

Though the scale is compact and the building materials simple, the kits contain an incredible level of charming detail. Howl’s hearth, for example, is cluttered with all sorts of magical baubles and reference materials, just as you’d expect the eccentric wizard’s living quarters to be, and even fire spirit Calcifer makes an appearance.

The room that Kiki and Jiji rent from bakery owner Osono is decidedly less chaotic, but still has a lived-in feel with the witch’s laundry hanging up to dry, her broom leaning against the windowsill, and Jiji making sure not to leave any dirty pawprints on the nice clean floor.

The Kiki’s kit also has the most detailed exterior, which really helps create the atmosphere of it being a miniaturized loft that scaled-down version of the characters could live inside.

▼ The kits’ boxes/bases bear different illustrations on different sides, too, giving you one more reason to view them from different angles

Rounding out the trio is Arietty’s family’s living room.

This one comes with an extra dash of coolness because the scale of the diorama (6 centimeters [2.4 inches] square) works as a reminder that Arietty and her kin are all so tiny that most of the humans whose house they lived inside of never noticed them.

All of the locations are filled with cozy vibes, but they are listed on Sankei’s website as being advanced-difficulty kits, with an estimated time of five hours or more to build Kiki’s room, and 10 hours or more for the others. Kiki’s kit is also the lowest-priced of the bunch at 4,290 yen (US$27), followed by Arrietty’s (6,160 yen) and Howl’s (6,600 yen). All three can be ordered starting November 3 through Sankei’s Rakuten online storefront (here, here, and here).

Source: Sankei
Top image: Sankei
Insert images: Sankei, Rakuten/Sankei (1, 2, 3)
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Those boots weren’t made for walking away with.

In tough economic times, where even stores are switching to automated checkouts to save money, it’s no surprise that incidents of shoplifting have been steadily rising in Japan. To combat this, some retailers have employed what are known as “manbiki G-men,” plainclothes security guards whose role is to patrol stores and prevent sticky-fingered shoppers.

Although the name is a throwback to prohibition-era FBI agents in the USA, these guards have no government authority like the police. Instead, they keep an eye on shoppers, shadow anyone suspected of shoplifting until they leave the store without paying, and then make a citizen’s arrest.

But having manbiki G-men watch shoppers begs the question of who is watching the manbiki G-men. The answer to that question has revealed itself recently at a home improvement store in Hiroshima Prefecture on 27 October. 

▼ The incident occurred at the Home Plaza Nafco in the picturesque town of Sera.

At about 11 a.m. on that morning, a plainclothes police officer spotted the plainclothes security guard taking a single rubber boot, concealing it in his clothing, and attempting to take it from the store without paying. It was later revealed that the man is actually employed by the same store as a manbiki G-man, but it is unclear if he was on duty at the time of the incident.

About a month prior to this, the store had contacted police about an uptick in shoplifting there, which put them on high alert. After being arrested on-site by the plainclothes police officer, the 66-year-old suspect admitted to the crime, saying he stole the single boot because he needed it.

Though with a tragically ironic twist, it was an open-and-shut case. Once again, a man’s desire for a single rubber boot corrupted him to the point of abusing the power entrusted to him by his employer.

“It’s always darkest right under the lighthouse.”
“I guess they need some manbiki G-men G-men.”
“Maybe he was just trying to get inside the head of his target.”
“Are they not even paying their G-men enough to get some rubber boots?”
“We’re not going to make it, are we? The country, I mean.”
“You either die a G-man or live long enough to become a shoplifter.”
“Fascinating! It’s like the end of a Poirot story.”
“I wonder if he just needed one boot or was planning to make two trips.”

Regardless of whether or not he really did need a second piece of footwear, we can be certain the home improvement store will be figuratively giving him the boot. Hopefully, he was just caught up in the thrill and excitement of stealing some Wellies, because that’s at least slightly less bleak than an employed person being unable to afford a pair on his own.

So, let that be a lesson to all you junior G-men out there. While bustin’ two-bit flimflammers, it can be right tempting to get yer mitts on some cabbage for yourself too, but the only easy street that lands you on leads straight to the hoosegow. 

Source: TBS News Dig, Itai News
Photo ©SoraNews24
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Fender celebrates Red and Green’s 30th anniversary with guitars saluting the Pokémon world in both looks and sound.

In the English-speaking world, the start of the Pokémon video game series were the paired releases of Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy in 1998. However, unbeknownst to many young fans at the time, the real origins of the franchise had come out in Japan two years prior, and were titled Pokémon Red and Green.

Here in 2026, the global Poké-fan community has a more comprehensive picture of the franchise’s history, which brings us to the appropriate color schemes for the latest collaboration celebrating Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, a pair of customized guitars created in partnership with Fender Japan.

In a parallel to how mainline Pokémon games customarily have a similar but still different sibling, so too has Fender chosen two different models of guitar for this team-up, the Made in Japan Pokémon “Red Version” Stratocaster and Made in Japan Pokémon “Green Version” Telecaster.

Within the series’ visual design language, the color red is often associated with Fire-type Pocket Monsters, and green with Grass-types, so the body of each guitar is covered in pixel art of species from those categories.

More fan-service flair can be found on the neck, where Poké Balls are subtly scattered about…

…and the backside features a Pokémon 30th anniversary plate.

In addition to their visual salutes to the Pokémon world, these made-in-Japan guitars make an audio one too.

Push in the volume knob, and you can activate what Fender has dubbed the instruments’ “8-Bit Sound System Mode,” a clever audio effect that gives the guitar’s sound a quality reminiscent of nostalgic chiptunes, which should lend itself really well to playing covers of classic Pokémon games’ soundtracks.

▼ A demonstration video of the 8-Bit Sound System Mode

楽器メーカーFender®とコラボした『ポケットモンスター 赤・緑』デザインのギターが、ポケモンセンターオンラインに登場！
11月19日（木）、12時から抽選販売の応募が開始されるよ。
音色に8-bitサウンドが加わるギミックも搭載！
ぜひ動画で聴いてみてね。https://t.co/c6Xlr0hX3H #ポケモンセンター pic.twitter.com/ydajspcaQ0

— ポケモン公式 (@Pokemon_cojp) October 30, 2026

Each guitar also comes bundled with a selection of pixel art picks, plus a custom hardcase and certificate of authenticity.

Because they’ll be available in limited quantities, both guitars, priced at 396,000 yen (US$2,490) each, will be offered for sale through a lottery system from the Pokémon Center Online store, which will be accepting applications between noon on November 19 and 4:59 p.m. on November 24 (Japan time).

Related: Pokémon Center Online
Source: Pokémon official website, PR Times
Top image: Pokémon official website
Insert images: Pokémon official website, PR Times
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The Museum of Narratives has an oasis for your feet.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but it turns out there is a free foot bath in Tokyo. It’s not some rinky-dink little tub in some obscure spot on the outskirts of the capital, either, but right in the middle of downtown, near Takanawa Gateway Station on the Yamanote train line that encircles the city center.

Takanawa Gateway is the newest station on the line, and is connected to a shopping, entertainment, and cultural development called Takanawa Gateway City, part of which is MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives.

The museum, which opened in March, hosts rotating artistic and cultural events, but on our visit, we didn’t need to purchase a ticket, because we weren’t heading inside the main exhibition areas. Instead, our destination was someplace on the sixth-floor, an exterior area that many people aren’t aware of called the Ashiyu Terrace. Ashiyu is the Japanese word for “footbath,” and that’s exactly what you’ll find here!

This outdoor urban oasis has an outer ring of greenery, and beyond that offers impressively open views of the surrounding cityscape, of a kind that’s not easy to come by this deep in downtown without going to a skyscraper’s upper floors.

This is thanks to the terrace’s position adjacent to the train tracks, plus Takanawa Gateway’s proximity to the next station to the south, Shinagawa. Shinagawa is one of Japan’s densest rail hubs, and the seven different lines that converge there each need their own amount of space as they approach the station, creating a rare broad, low patch in downtown Tokyo’s urban topography that creates wide lines of sight.

▼ This also makes the MoN Takanawa footbath a great place for trainspotting rail fans.

Because the foot bath is open-air, it’s probably not the most pleasant place to spend a blisteringly hot summer day or a frigidly cold winter evening. Right now, though, on a fall afternoon, the weather is perfect for this sort of thing, especially since in addition to a cozy-warm hot water area…

…the Ashiyu Terrace also has a cold water area.

This means you can start off in the warm section until you’re feeling nice and toasty, and once you get a little too hot, you can mosey on over to the other end of the bath and cool down. Then, if you’re anything like us, you’ll eventually migrate back to the warm section, and repeat the process a couple more times before you’re ready to leave this ankle-deep aquatic paradise.

If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy traditional Japanese culture on the free-to-access museum grounds, there’s a little Shinto shrine on the rooftop…

…and a tatami reed-floor relaxation room on the fourth floor with digital art displays, which is also free to access.

▼ The tatami mats are new enough that they still have a very noticeable relaxing earthy fragrance.

Really, the only possibly negative thing we could say about the Ashiyu Terrace is that no towels are provided, but we’re happy to bring our own handkerchief to dry off with when the rest of this experience is this awesome.

Location information
MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives
Adress: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Mita 3-16-6
Open 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Internationally acclaimed art collective will have a new home not far from Disneyland.

Japan’s TeamLab has risen from relative obscurity to become one of the most admired digital art collectives in the world, using their technological wizardry and ethereally emotional sensibilities to craft experiences unlike those from anyone else. Their exhibits and museums regularly top lists of must-visit places for artistically inclined travelers in Japan, but now it’s time for TeamLab itself to embark on an overseas journey, as it’s announced that it will be opening its very first permanent museum in the U.S.

Sunny southern California is where TeamLab will be setting up in the States. The group’s facility will be part of the city of Anaheim’s currently in-development OCVIBE cultural, entertainment, and sports complex, which will also have green spaces, offices, hotels, and apartments.

▼ Examples of the sort of art that TeamLab creates

TeamLab Museum Anaheim is the tentative name of the facility, but it won’t be a shock if they eventually decide on something with a little more pizazz, seeing as how their museums in Japan have creative names such as TeamLab Borderless or TeamLab Planets. The Anaheim museum is planned to have a total floor space of roughly 10,000 square meters (approximately 110,000 square feet).

▼ A preview image showing TeamLab Museum Anaheim, with its shimmery sea green exterior, connected by a pedestrian bridge to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center rail station, with Angel Stadium behind it on the opposite side of the 57 Freeway

In announcing the Anaheim museum, TeamLab co-founder and director Toshiyuki Inoko said:

“I am filled with happiness that we will be opening TeamLab’s first large-scale museum in America at OCVIBE in Anaheim. Through art, TeamLab seeks to explore the nature of consciousness and existence. Our exhibits change through the existence of people, with visitors themselves becoming part of the piece. By becoming immersed in the artwork, visitors are connected, without boundaries, to both the installation and the world. By gathering and placing ourselves alongside others in this location where sports, music, and culture intersect, we will come to perceive the world in new ways and share those perceptions with others.”

OCVIBE is planned to open in phases, with the first coming in the spring of next year and featuring an amphitheater, restaurants, and park. TeamLab’s museum, though, is projected to open in 2030, but fans will tell you that the group’s creations are worth the wait, and that’s still two years earlier than the projected opening of its new Tokyo museum.

Source: PR Times, TeamLab
Top image: TeamLab
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2), TeamLab
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