Twentythree

This woman was the target of a criminal scheme, but she definitely wasn’t going the be the victim of it.

Over the past few weeks, Japan has seen a sharp spike in the number of data leaks and cyberattacks, with many organizations warning citizens that their personal information may have been compromised. So on October 21, when a 93-year-old woman living in the town of Aisho, Shiga Prefecture, received a phone call from a man informing her that he was a police officer, and that there had been an unauthorized withdrawal of funds from her back account, it was cause for concern.

He did assure her, though, that because the problem had been detected quickly, they could remedy it in a swift manner too. The police would need her help to do so, though. First, he instructed her to freeze her bank account. Second, he said that the authorities would need to examine her ATM card, but to make that part of the process as convenient as possible for her, he said that he could send an investigator to pick the card up at her home. Finalizing that pickup time took a little extra conversation, with the woman talking to the man on the phone the next day as well, but eventually they agreed that the investigator would come that very day, October 22, to take come get the card.

Now, there are a number of warning lights that might be going off in your head right now. For starters, if there’s been some kind of anomaly with your bank account, it’s usually your bank that will contact you, not the police. Your bank will probably want to be part of the conversation too if you need to relinquish possession of your ATM card, and it’s also sort of unusual for the police to do house calls to pick up evidence rather than asking you to come down to the station.

So it’s pretty clear that the woman was the target of scammers. Unfortunately, this sort of scheme, taking advantage of senior citizens’ trusting nature and confusion regarding technology and bureaucracy, is a time-tested, reliable way of defrauding them, and the 47-year-old man who came to pick up the her ATM card was probably feeling smugly satisfied from proving his superior intellect compared to the befuddled woman.

However, the woman turned out to be far savvier than the fraudster had bargained for. She hadn’t been sitting in her living room wringing her hands between phone calls. She’d sniffed out that this was a scam, so she got in touch with the nearby Higashiomi Precinct of the Shiga Prefectural Police. She then pretended to have been fooled, but when the man pretending to be a police officer came to her house, there was a squad of real police officers already there, lying in wait, and instead of getting the woman’s ATM card, the man got arrested.

As he hasn’t entered a plea or gone to trial, yet, currently his arrest is for “suspicion of attempted fraud.” Honestly, though, of you show up at the door of an elderly woman who’s never met you before and tell her she needs to give you her ATM card, the only possible explanation other than fraud would be if you were robbing her, so things aren’t looking good for him from a legal standpoint either way.

It’s unclear whether the man who came to the woman’s home is the same man who’d called her on the phone, but police (the real police) believe that he was working with other criminals to set up the scam, so hopefully they’ll be apprehended as well, perhaps with the help of an equally large network of tough-as-nails grannies.

Source: Kyoto Shimbun via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
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Yakiniku Like wants to help diners get some likes of their own.

Japan has a lot of yakiniku restaurants, where you grill your own meat, but Yakiniku Like is different from the rest. Whereas typical yakinuku places have their grills set into table for a group of dining companions to gather around, all of Yakiniku Like’s seats are at counters, with an individual-size grill for every customer.

This setup, complete with your own personal selection of sauces and controls for the strength of your grill’s fire, makes Yakiniku Like the perfect place for solo diners who’re craving yakiniku, But just because you happen to be eating alone doesn’t mean you’re not a socially minded person, and so one of Yakiniku Like’s branches in downtown Tokyo has created a special seat specifically for customers who want to take photos and record videos of themselves to share on social media.

Situated in a corner of Yakiniku Like’s Shinjuku Minamiguchi branch, just a short walk from bustling Shinjuku Station, Studio Like, as the special seat is called is equipped with handy self-photography equipment such as a lighted vanity mirror for checking hairstyling and makeup, camera mounts for overhead filming, and a backdrop and surrounding walls to guarantee some extra personal space and for the benefit of other customers who’d rather not be featured in someone else’s pics or video clips. The restaurant also explicitly states that live-streaming from the booth is allowed.

▼ Actress, singer, and social media influencer Maari Iwata trying out Studio Like

＼スタジオライク いわたまありの部屋／
焼肉ライク新宿南口店限定
ご予約・詳細はこちらhttps://t.co/jaup1bmV3n pic.twitter.com/EYyEGcFmhK

— 焼肉ライク【公式】 (@like_yakiniku) October 21, 2026

Though there’s only one grill in the Studio Like booth, it is large enough to accommodate two people, so there’s room to squeeze in your BFF, co-host, or other social media sidekick.

撮影スタジオ…ではありません。
焼肉ライクです。

いわたまありさん（@iwatamaari ）と作った
『スタジオライク いわたまありの部屋』が
新宿南口店でスタートしました

行ってみたい人はで教えてください！#スタジオライク #いわたまあり pic.twitter.com/mWSvHL6fb6

— 焼肉ライク【公式】 (@like_yakiniku) October 21, 2026

Studio Like seating sessions are 60 minutes long, and while the restaurant itself is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the social media-oriented booth’s availability is from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Reservations are required for Studio Like, and can be made through the official Yakiniku Like Shinjuku Minamiguchi branch account on mobile messaging app Line, and can be made now.

Restaurant information
Yakiniku Like (Shinjuku Minamiguchi branch) / 焼肉ライク（ 新宿南口店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi Shinjuku 1-19-11 Nishi Shinjuku
東京都新宿区西新宿 1-19-11
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Studio Like available 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Website
Official Line account

Source: PR Times
Top image SoraNews24
Insert images: SoraNews24, PR Times
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This mission is expected to be the first-ever Martian moon landing.

At 4:41 a.m. on 20 October, an H3 rocket took off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. It was carrying the MMX (Martian Moons eXploration), one of Japan’s largest-ever spacecraft, with a weight of 4,480 kilograms (9,877 pounds), and as of this writing, all systems are operating normally.

▼ And was there ever any doubt that there’s also a cute mascot version of MMX?

The MMX’s mission is to travel to Phobos, one of Mars’ moons, land there, pick up samples, and bring them back to Earth. It’s one of the most ambitious Mars missions to date, but Japan’s space agency JAXA has already made a name for itself by landing on asteroids and returning samples successfully on two previous endeavors.

Considering Phobos is up to ten times the size of those asteroids and locked into Mars’ orbit, this might seem like an easier mission. However, the key factor is overcoming the gravity of both Phobos and Mars. The MMX will have to make a soft landing on Phobos, then take off again in order to return to Earth. As a result, about 68 percent of the spacecraft’s total weight is just propellant.

It is hoped that by collecting material on Phobos, we can learn more about how it and Mars’ other moon, Deimos, were formed. The two leading theories are that they were once asteroids that got captured by Mars’ gravity or that they formed from the debris expelled by a massive collision of something with the red planet. In addition, it is said that about 0.1 percent of material on Phobos is actually Martian soil, having been ejected when meteorites struck the planet. The goal of the MMX is to pick up at least 10 grams of material from Phobos for an estimated 0.01 grams of actual Martian material.

▼ Here’s a simulation of how it should all go down in a nutshell.

Whether this will be the first sample from Mars transported by humans back to Earth remains to be seen, however. China is currently preparing to send its Tianwen-3 to Mars, where it will collect 500 grams of pure Martian soil and bring it back to Earth. Both projects are scheduled to return here in 2031, so if everything goes as planned for everyone, it’ll be a relative photo-finish to see which country will be the first to break off a piece of Mars and carry it back.

Going according to plan is a big “if” as well. The MMX was originally expected to launch in 2024, but development of the H3 was delayed and the very tight window when Earth and Mars are properly aligned once every two years closed. China will also need to make sure everything progresses like clockwork from now until their launch in 2028 to avoid their own two-year delay.

Regardless of whoever does get back first, these samples will help to blow open our understanding of the Martian environment, including the possibility that life once or even still exists there in some form. Then, maybe we can finally get back to checking out our neglected other neighbor Venus someday.

It’d be pretty funny if all this time there actually were a bunch of aliens living in those boiling sulphuric clouds, wondering why no one ever comes looking for them.

Source: Seizo Trend, JAXA, Tokyo Shimbun
Top image: JAXA
Insert image: JAXA
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Refresh yourself with fruity sweetness while the crowds have yet to discover the store.

Japan’s cafe culture is a flourishing landscape of specialty roasters, themed cafes, and retro junkisssa coffeehouses. However, the presence of large foreign players, led by companies like Starbucks and Gong Cha, can’t be understated due to their expanding presence in the sector. Recently, a budget, large-capacity coffee brand from South Korea, Fave Coffee, has been opening locations one after another, while the world’s largest food and beverage chain Mixue from China is also steadily increasing its number of stores.

In this environment, B-Fresh, billing itself as “a brand from the Middle East,” has made its first splash into the waters of the Japanese market with  opening a store in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood on October 1. Our ace reporter Mr. Sato was slightly worried it would already be bearing the brunt of the throngs of young people that flow through Harajuku’s streets, he still decided to give it a go.

About three weeks after the opening of the store, Mr. Sato stepped foot into Harajuku, and despite it being a weekday, Takeshita Street was crowded as usual, with places like Marion Crepes seeing no drop in customers regardless of day or time, with people lining up endlessly.

Scouring the streets, Mr. Sato was sure that he was in the right area and was keeping an eye out for one of these telltale lines, indicating a store’s popularity, but it turns out there was no line for B-Fresh at all.

This meant great convenience for Mr. Sato, but he lamented the fact that it had just opened and felt kind of desolate already. It may just be that word of mouth for the store hasn’t spread yet, and business will pick up in the weeks to come. On top of that, it looked as if the building is undergoing exterior wall construction, so if there hadn’t been a sign indicating they were open as usual (tsujodori eigyochu, 通常通り営業中), an uninformed passerby might assume they were not open at all.

The store itself is a juice bar that serves smoothies using fresh fruit, acai bowls, and yogurt, with a variety of items that Mr. Sato was unfamiliar with or unsure how to choose.

Using the ticket vending machine inside the store, Mr. Sato chose based on appearance and ordered something called B-Pink Brûlée, priced at 1,100 yen (US$7)] for a large (please note that only cashless payments are accepted in the store).

While waiting for his order, Mr. Sato inspected the menu some more. The products seem to be broadly divided into three categories: bubble drinks, smoothies, and acai bowls and frozen yogurt. The main representative of the bubble drinks is the Bubble Tea, and you can also choose fruit juice-filled pearls. For smoothies, there are drinks that blend things like Nutella and Oreos along with fruit, and toppings such as superfoods like chia and flaxseed can be added to any order. The range of customization really is quite wide.

In light of the numerous options and indecisiveness, Mr. Sato focused on which menu photos looked appealing, but seeing the actual drink itself, he was confident that his choice was not wrong as it looked incredibly delicious.

▼ Plenty of whipped cream and strawberry crunch on top

Making up the drink was a mix of strawberries, vanilla milk, and “creme brulee,” but even after drinking it, Mr. Sato wasn’t quite sure what the creme brulee was actually represented by—he believes it might be the custard cream.

The menu photo also showed strawberry pearls inside of it, but that was an additional topping for 100 yen, so Mr. Sato passed on it this time. Even without the additional pops of fruit, it was deliciously sweet. Amid the unseasonably hot weather and a feeling of fatigue after his morning pole dancing practice, the flavor was very refreshing.

In the end, it remains to be seen whether or not this brand can catch on in Japan, but for now, it appears that crowds are yet to form.

Store information
B-Fresh
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 1-chome 20-4, tenpo kukaku chuo
東京都渋谷区神宮前1丁目20-4 店舗区画中央
Open 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Related: Official Website, PR Times
Photos ©SoraNews24
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Pikachu Sweets bakes up new treats to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th birthday.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, which is another way of saying it’s the franchise’s 30th birthday…and everyone knows you can’t celebrate a birthday without cake, right?

And if you’re looking for a cake to celebrate this particular birthday, there’s no more appropriate choice than a Pikachu cake.

That’s exactly what’s coming to Tokyo’s Pikachu Sweets by Pokémon Cafe next month. Not to be confused with the full-scale, sit-down Pokémon Cafe near Tokyo Station, Pikachu Sweets is a dessert stand located inside the Sunshine City shopping/entertainment complex in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro neighborhood.

Seen in these photos is the Poké-patissiers’ newest creation, the Pikachu Shortcake Sandwich, made of two Pikachu-shaped slices of moist, fluffy shortcake with whipped cream and sliced strawberries between them, giving you a mix of sweet, tart, and milky flavors.

Served in a little celebratory paper holder, this is a shortcake you can eat without your hands without getting your fingers messy, and the raised corners of the holder should keep the cake securely in place as you raise it up to snap a photo before your first bite, maybe with the Pikachu Sweets storefront in the background.

Coming to the menu on the same day as the Pikachu Shortcake Sandwich is a new dessert drink, the Eevee Chocolate Frappe, with an adorable Eevee Pokémon 30th anniversary cookie and a swirl of whipped cream sitting atop the slushy chocolate drink, creating a color pattern evocative of Eevee’s coat.

If you order a Pikachu Shortcake Sandwich plus an Eevee Chocolate Frappe or a Catch ‘Em Latte (“Get Latte” in Japanese) also gets you one of three 30th anniversary stickers with an illustration of a Pikachu wearing a cafe uniform.

The lattes come in four different varieties (caffe latte, tea latte, caffe mocha, or caramel latte), hot or cold, and they’ll also be getting 30th anniversary foam art.

The lineup goes on sale November 5 and will be available until December 31, with both the Pikachu cake and Eevee frappe priced at 1,200 yen (US$7.60).

Pikachu Sweets has no actual eat-in space, so customers generally either take their treats home or enjoy them on one of the benches within Sunshine City or in the adjacent outdoor plaza. The shop does caution, though, that because of the whipped cream, the Pikachu Shortcake Sandwich won’t keep for very long once it’s taken out of its refrigerated showcase, so they advise against waiting until you get home to eat it, especially since the store doesn’t provide cool packs to keep the cake chilled, and so this is a case where the healthiest thing to do is not resist digging into your dessert promptly after you have it in your hands.

Cafe information
Pikachu Sweets by Pokémon Cafe / ピカチュウスイーツ by ポケモンカフェ
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 3-1-2, Sunshine City Alpa area 2nd floor
東京都豊島区東池袋3-1-2 サンシャインシティ 専門店街アルパ 2F
Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Website

Source: Pikachu Sweets
Top image: Pikachu Sweets
Insert images: Pikachu Sweets, Sunshine City
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If anyone deserves an Order of Culture, it’s-a-him.

Every year, the Japanese holiday of Culture Day is observed on 3 November. This is also the day that the Emperor of Japan bestows the Order of Culture on selected citizens who made significant contributions to Japanese culture. These include researchers, leaders of industry, artists, doctors, and more.

And when it comes to people who made an impact on Japanese culture, I doubt there’s anyone who’d disagree that Shigeru Miyamoto belongs in that group. After creating one of the most influential games of its time, Donkey Kong, in 1983, he played a critical role in revitalizing the slumping global video game industry with Japan at its center through Super Mario Bros. in 1985, creating both a revolutionary style of game and iconic characters that would thrive for the next 40 years. And everything he’s done since then, such as contributions to classic franchises like Zelda, Mario Kart, Star Fox and Pikmin, is just a ton of thick, sweet icing on the cake.

In honor of this, Miyamoto will be presented the award by Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace alongside seven other recipients, including Kenso Soai, who also won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year, and Shunichi Tokura, the composer of Pink Lady’s smash hit “UFO” and the current chair of JASRAC.

In a press conference following the announcement, Miyamoto said, “I am truly happy to have found video games. As a creator, I have just as much fun developing games as the players do playing them. It is a joy to be able to keep doing this.”

He also had the following advice for younger game designers: “I often tell them it is better not to start with a game they’re already a big fan of and find entertaining and just try to tweak it to make it ‘more fun.’ Instead of refining something that already exists, it is much more rewarding to start at the core and ask yourself, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if I tried this?’ Then focus your energy on building something from that idea.”

Miyamoto will also be the first person from the gaming industry to have received this honor. After the news broke, there was an outpouring of support and congratulations from people all over Japan in online comments.

“It’s long overdue, but wonderful news. Mario and Zelda are beloved not just in Japan but all over the world.”
“I make recipes but was happy to hear he feels the same joy in his work and always thinks ‘Wouldn’t this be interesting?’ like I do.”
“Even as the game market has grown to a huge scale, Mario and Zelda continue to rank among the top-sellers. He is a person who shaped countless lives all over the world.”
“His work influenced our youths, the way we spent time with our family, and some of our unforgettable memories.”
“Miyamoto never pandered to trends and always asked himself if his creations made people feel something.”
“When he started out, video games were seen negatively. Now, his characters have appeared at the Olympics!”
“I remember being completely hooked on Donkey Kong. I tried the famous shortcut trick over and over but could never do it!”
“Paul McCartney even asked for Miyamoto’s autograph when they met and greeted him by singing the Super Mario song.”

Speaking of Paul McCartney, it’d probably be fair to say that the next person from the game industry who should get an Order of Culture is none other than Koji Kondo, whose scores for Super Mario Bros. and Zelda were just as impactful and enduring as the games themselves.

Source: TBS News Dig, Yahoo! Japan News
Photo ©SoraNews24
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Multiyear relationship will include new works specially created for L.A. audiences.

At the age of 75 and with a career that’s already spanned more than 50 years, it wouldn’t be unnatural for Joe Hisaishi to be easing into retirement. Or maybe it would be, since the acclaimed composer best known for creating the soundtracks to Studio Ghibli’s most beloved anime films, including My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, since Hisaishi continues to display a boundless passion and enthusiasm for making music and sharing it with as wide an audience as possible.

For example, en route to setting a couple of Guinness World Records, he held a series of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles over three days this past July. If you missed your chance to see him then, don’t worry, because Hisaishi has now been named Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.

This isn’t some simple honorary title/goodwill ambassador deal either. The L.A. Phil is describing the relationship as “a five-year creative partnership” that will start with the upcoming 2027/2028 concert season. In addition to recurring performances at all three of the organization’s customary venues (the iconic hillside Hollywood Bowl, the adjacent John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, and the downtown Walt Disney Concert Hall), Hisaishi “will create new works specifically for the LA Phil and its audiences” while also engaging in new commissions, recording projects, and educational and community outreach endeavors.

“Los Angeles holds a special place in my musical life-from the premiere of my Harp Concerto with the LA Phil’s Emmanuel Ceysson at Walt Disney Concert Hall to our recent performances at the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford,” said Hisaishi following the announcement, and also that he’s “deeply honored” to be chosen for the role. “In the seasons ahead, I look forward to exploring new musical horizons with this extraordinary orchestra and sharing the spirit of discovery with audiences in Los Angeles and beyond.”

▼ An audio clip of one of Hisaishi’s previous Hollywood Bowl concerts

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▼ With Hisaishi scheduled to be spending a lot more time in L.A., he’ll also be able to check out America’s first One Piece store, should the mood strike him.

Hisaishi’s resume isn’t composed entirely of Ghibli soundtracks, as he’s also made contributed selected compositions or arrangements to other anime including Mobile Suit Gundam, Children of the Sea, Kimagure Orange Road, and Creamy Mami, as well as creating the soundtrack for video game Ni no Kuni and a handful of live-action Beat Takeshi movies. There’s no denying, though, that Hisaishi is most strongly associated with the work he’s done for Ghibli, As a matter of fact, there’s never been a Hayao Miyazaki-directed Ghibli feature film that Hisaishi didn’t write the score for, and with the studio’s track record of leaving a deep impression on fans around the world with its soundscapes, no doubt the new creative journey Hisaishi is about to embark on will be another movingly memorable one.

Source: Los Angeles Philharmonic via Anime News Network/Rafael Antonio Pineda
Top image: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Insert images: Studio Ghibli, PR Times
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