Twentythree

Enjoy 45 unique drinks at budget prices.

When people hear the word “Harajuku”, anyone who has taken a walk around the neighborhood would picture the colorful fashion subcultures, packed streets, and social media-worthy snacks that make it up. However, it’s also a home to some of Tokyo’s more unique limited-time cafes, including one that opens for about a month every year that we’ve really come to love visiting.

Himitsu no Drip is a limited-time iced coffee specialty shop run by Japanese coffee company UCC, and it went viral on social media last year for being a cafe where you can drink authentic coffee for just 90 yen (US$0.56). This year’s iteration, running from July 10 to August 2, seems to have been powered up even further than our previous visit, with 15 types of coffee set as the base, which when combined with selections of soda, milk, fruits, yogurt, and flavorings make for a total of 45 possible varieties.

What really caught our attention this year was the Yogurt Coffee, which is making its first appearance in the lineup. While some people enjoy them side-by-side as part of a breakfast, it has never really crossed our minds to actually fuse both yogurt and coffee into one concoction.

We headed over to its pop-up location in Jingumae, a ten-minute walk from either JR Harajuku Station or the Meiji Jingumae “Harajuku” Subway Station.

Something really great about this event is that, unlike some limited-time cafes, no reservations, app downloads, or social media follows are required to partake in the experience, and you can feel free to drop by whenever the fancy takes you. However, this also means that it might get a little crowded on weekends and holidays.

▼ Still, if you do post on social media, you get a free jelly stick.

First, you need to select from the menu, choosing based on factors like aroma, mood, and appearance.

The price of 90 yen for black coffee is back again, and even the arranged menu items are at the low price of 200 or 300 yen, making these drinks exceptional bargains.

While deeply intrigued by the Yogurt Coffee, we were also drawn to many of the other options, like Coffee Tonic, and Almond Milk Coffee.

With drinks being limited to two per person, it was really tough to make up our minds. So, we decided to choose from the mood map.

A: Taking a breather
B: Chilling out
C: Enjoying some “me-time”
D: Sharing a cozy moment with someone
E: Getting in the zone
F: Refreshing your mood
G: Enjoying a fresh encounter
H: Treating yourself to a little indulgence
I: Getting in the summer mood
J: Making exciting plans

Since we had both a feeling of wanting to be refreshed (F) and a feeling of wanting to cozy up next to someone (D), we selected two items that fit those descriptions.

After deciding on the drinks, we took the base coffee capsule from the drawer, received an arrangement tag from the staff, and placed them into an “Order” slot to finalize our order.

▼ Drinks are available for both takeout and dine-in.

A short while later and the drink appears in a stylish manner.

With drinks in hand, we headed further inside to where an open, relaxed cafe space was revealed.

Even the stylish chair that we couldn’t sit comfortably on last year was also there, sparking joy at this surprise reunion.

Sitting down at the table, we took a closer look at the drinks we had ordered: the Strawberry Yogurt Coffee (300 yen) and the Coffee Tonic (200 yen).

Starting with the Strawberry Yogurt Coffee, we couldn’t imagine the taste at all, but according to what we’ve heard, yogurt coffee is apparently a drink you can often find in Vietnam.

We took a little sip and our brains short-circuited for a moment, but with a few more the taste really grows on you.

The refreshing acidity of the yogurt and the bitterness of the coffee match exquisitely, making it lighter than milk. This drink was much better than what we were expecting, and we could probably keep gulping this down on a hot day.

For the Coffee Tonic, we were similarly a little apprehensive about the match between carbonation and coffee, but it was surprisingly refreshing.

The pleasant bitterness of the tonic water and the aroma of the coffee go well together, leaving a clean aftertaste.

▼ You can also receive one cup of capsule-style drip coffee for free.

Like our previous visits, we really enjoyed these new culinary experiences, and what was possibly more impressive is that the coffee is not actually brewed by a barista. Instead, it’s made using UCC’s Drip Pod capsule coffee system.

It’s great for low-effort drip coffee, but we never really would have expected that the coffee they make could be expanded into arrangements like what can be found at Himitsu no Drip.

Since there are still a mountain of menu items we are curious about, we are sorely tempted to continue visiting throughout the duration of the event and conquer them all, discovering previously unimagined coffee creations (at least by us).

Whether you learned about last year’s event too late, or you’re finding out about it for the first time, it’s definitely a worthwhile experience this summer.

Event information
Himitsu no Drip / ひみつのドリップ
Venue: Rand Omotesando / Rand表参道
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 4-24-3 Court C
東京都渋谷区神宮前4-24-3 COURT C
Open: 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (last order 6:30 p.m.)
Period: July 10, 2026–August 2, 2026
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Iwate town sets traps to try to catch the bear with a sweet tooth, with some even being installed inside people’s houses.

Bears have been in the news frequently in Japan recently, with a sudden increase in their boldness in entering human communities representing a potential threat to residents’ safety and homes…and now also their sweets.

Over approximately the past week, there have been at least 10 incidents of a bear barging into homes in the town of Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, and helping itself to something to eat. But similarly to how you or I might fall in love with the local cuisine while traveling and spend every day eating it, so too has this bear apparently become smitten with the flavors he’s found inside people’s homes, as he’s been targeting their sweet snacks and desserts.

For example, Shizukuishi resident Kiyoshi Yamauchi says the bear has broken into his home no fewer than five times now, and while it initially sampled some pickles and cat food that had been intended for Yamauchi’s feline pet, the bear has shown a strong preference for things like karinto (a kind of crunchy Japanese rice cracker flavored with brown sugar) and vanilla cream sandwich-style cookies.

▼ The aftermath of one of the bear’s uninvited visits to Yamauchi’s home can be seen in the video at the point queued here.

Further illustrating its newly developed sweet tooth, the bear also broke into a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionaries) workshop, where it managed to open up a refrigerator and then chowed down on some donuts it found inside, as both apparently the animal and the wagashi makers have a broad palate in terms of desserts.

The bear has also made repeat visits to the home of resident Yuta Matsubara, where it enjoyed some sweet-smelling powdered milk whose aroma can be detected even outside the container. Matsubara recorded video of his attempt to scare the bear off on one of its return visits, but you might want to turn down the volume on your device as his shouting is pretty loud.

The strongest display of persistence by the bear, though, has come at the home of one of Matsubara’s elderly relatives who lives nearby, whose home the bear broke into twice in one day, coming all the way into the kitchen and ransacking the fridge like a hungry teen, or at least how a hungry teen with no opposable thumbs but very sharp claws and apex predator-class brute strength would.

Matsubara says that while it was inside his relative’s house, not only did it consume the sugar it came across, it also tore open sacks of flour, apparently thinking they might be sugar too, before leaving them less than fully consumed after finding out they weren’t the sweet powder it was hoping for.

Now, with this happening in Japan, a country with famously low crime rates, and in the countryside, where people tend to be less concerned about potential burglars, you might think that the bear is getting into people’s homes because they’re leaving their front doors open, or at least unlocked. In at least some of the incidents, though, the residents’ doors were shut and locked, and the bear simply managed to exert enough force to break the door, its glass, or otherwise forcibly obtain entry.

In discussing the string of events, Kiyoshi Yamauchi, an associate agriculture professor at Iwate University, says that bears can indeed develop a preference for certain types of food, and that in summer they do become attracted to sweet flavors. This usually happens as a result of them searching out the most abundant, and thus efficient, sources of natural seasonal nutrition. With many sweet-tasting fruits and berries that they can scavenge in the warmer parts of the year, in summer that would ordinarily mean being drawn to things like cherries and strawberries. Now that this bear has learned that the interiors of human homes can be a consistent source of such sweet flavors, it’s going to be increasingly tempted to continue searching for them inside houses, and Yamauchi worries that it might not return to normal, non-invasive ways of satisfying those cravings.

Online reactions to the situation have included:

“Got the munchies, Mr. Bear?”
“He’s like me at 1:30 a.m.”
“Breaking into the same house five times in a week? That’s like working a regular job.”
“Bears are frighteningly good at learning and remembering things.”
“Well, I guess it’s better that he’s eating donuts than eating people.”
“I offer these donuts as tribute.”
“Who keeps their donuts in the refrigerator?”
“The bear probably thinks of the people’s houses as its vacation homes now.”
“This is cute, but also scary.”

That last one is really important, for as easy as it can be to forget when they’re acting adorably silly, bears can be extremely dangerous, especially once they become emboldened in their behavior around humans. The town has called for residents to exercise caution and report any bear sightings. As can be seen in the videos above, a number of tube-like bear traps have also been set up around the town, and in some cases, even inside resident’s homes, since the bear has shown it’s not shy about inviting itself in to see what kinds of snacks you’ve got.

Source: Nitele News, Teleasa News, YouTube/日テレNEWS, YouTube/ANNnewsCH (1, 2)
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
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It’s the perfect outfit for when you want to start relaxing three times as quickly.

The mobile suits of the Gundam franchise tend to command most of the attention from fans, seeing as how they’re giant robots. But there’s another kind of suit that frequently shows up in the hallowed mecha franchise: the normal suit.

“Normal suit” is the in-anime term used to describe the outfits worn by mobile suit pilots on operations in outer space. As with a lot of Japanese sci-fi terminology, the exact logic behind the naming is unclear, but one fan theory is that it’s because the suit creates a pocket of “normal” atmospheric pressure around the pilot. However, it’s hard to shake the mundane mood of the word “normal,” which poses a question. What if you wore a normal suit not to go fight a space war, but just to do, you know, normal stuff like loafing around the house on a lazy Sunday afternoon or making a quick dash down the block to the convenience store?

Well now you can do just that, and with the added panache of the Principality of Zeon’s very own Red Comet, ace pilot Char Aznable. Tokyo-based anime fashion company Cospa is now offering a Principality of Zeon Armed Forces Normal Suit Char Version roomwear set, which adds some additional practicality and comfort while still making its inspiration obvious to fellow fans.

For starters, instead of being a jumpsuit, the Char normal suit roomwear is a two-piece design, with a separate zip-up top and pants. The real-world garment is also cut to fit a little more loosely and has handy pockets. The fabric should also be softer than whatever combat-grade material the in-anime version is made from.

The pants have a drawstring-equipped elastic waistband, so that you can loosen it if you’re sliding down the couch during an extended Gundam rewatch or tighten it up if you desire a more put-together appearance.

The top and bottom being separate pieces means that you can also wear just one of them and have the other half of your outfit be normal, non-normal suit fashion.

As a matter of fact, if you only want the top, you can buy it by itself. The pants, though, are only available as part of a top-and-bottom bundle.

Cospa boasts that the normal suit roomwear set is entirely made in Japan, with everything from the production of its polyester material to the sewing done domestically. Though that’s the sort of national pride that would make Char smile, Cospa also apparently believes it justifies a price of 36,850 yen (US$228) for the top/bottom bundle and 24,200 for just the top.

If the depth of your pockets is only surpassed by that of your admiration of Char, though, pre-orders are open for Cospa’s normal suit through the company’s online store, (set here, top-only here) with shipping projected for mid-November.

Source, images: PR Times
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Iconic quotes, air pirates and a very subtle Gina reference make this collection a must-have for fans of this Ghibli classic.

Back in 2017, Studio Ghibli founded a cool new streetwear label called GBL. Short for “Ghibli”, the new brand filled the niche for cool and stylish Ghibli gear, bringing out everything from Hawaiian shirts to skateboard clocks and even Russel Athletic clothing, all with details that set them apart from anything else on the market.

Now, the brand is catering to Porco Rosso fans with a trio of T-shirts that pay homage to the coolest characters in the film – Porco himself and the Air Pirates.

▼ The first shirt in the range is called “A Pig That Doesn’t Fly Is Just a Pig”.

This design recreates one of the most memorable moments from the film, when Porco calls Gina and delivers his famous line, “A pig that doesn’t fly is just a pig.”

Rather than plastering the character of Porco on the front or back of the T-shirt, this one adds some unique visual interest by placing the porcine pilot on the side, near the hem.

Dressed in his iconic trench coat, Porco can be seen on the phone, which cleverly connects to Hotel Adriano, the seaside hotel owned and run by Gina.

The design details continue on the tag, where Gina can be seen on the phone, showing concern for Porco.

▼ The next shirt in the range is called “Air Pirates Coalition”.

This design shines a spotlight on the airships of the Air Pirates Coalition, with meticulous attention paid to every detail.

A Mamma Aiuto Gang flag made from canvas fabric adds a stylish yet subtle accent on the front, so you can ensure all the attention is drawn to the planes on the rear.

Every aircraft has been carefully recreated, with close attention paid to the individual planes, characters, colour schemes and even the crew members, all rendered with fine linework to faithfully capture the world of the film.

▼ The Air Pirates also make their presence felt on the tag.

▼ The third and final shirt is “Ambush”

Inspired by the scene where the Mamma Aiuto Gang lies in wait for Porco, this playful design makes clever use of the shirt’s seamless body, allowing the artwork to flow continuously from the front to the back.

Both the tension and humour of the film is captured in this design, which brings the ambush of Porco by the Air Pirates to life in a humorous way.

▼ The artwork wraps around from the front to the back to create a sense of movement…

▼ … and the Mamma Aiuto Gang flag is sewn onto the chest as a design accent.

As with many GBL releases, this collection is designed for adults who want to express their love for Studio Ghibli in cool and understated ways. All three shirts are made from 100 percent cotton, in a classic fit that’s designed to soften with wear, and are available in sizes S to XXL.

Purchases are limited to two shirts per person across all sizes, and they can be purchased at GBL stores and through the official Donguri Kyowakoku online store (links below) while stocks last.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
Featured image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3)
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