Twentythree

Sure, Tokyo has fancy digital signage, but Sapporo has a better old-school idea.

If you’ve ever stared in confusion at a Tokyo train map, you’ll know how complex the system is. Even for locals like our reporter Seiji Nakazawa, who’s lived in Japan’s capital for about 20 years, it can be easy to not quite know where you’re going, even when you’re inside a carriage, as the route isn’t always clearly displayed.

However, during a recent trip to Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, Seiji came across something on the the Sapporo Municipal Subway that totally impressed him. Instead of frantically scrambling for his phone like he usually does mid-route to find out where he was going, all he had to do was look up above the door of the carriage he was on.

“So? Trains in Tokyo have that feature too,” we hear you say. Well, Tokyo has something similar but they’re not an old-school retro-style permanent display. Instead, they’re brightly lit panels that switch displays constantly, and they often only show the next stop on the route.

▼ Not much help if you want to know how many more stops until your station.

Along the way, these panels might reveal more than the next station, but even then, the information is limited to around 10 stations if you’re lucky.

Seiji has made the mistake of hopping on the wrong train before, which is a huge inconvenience, so when he saw the display on the Sapporo subway train, he wanted to stand up and applaud enthusiastically.

This intuitive display is incredibly easy to understand, as it lists about 19 stations, and it’s a permanent feature so it’s displayed all the time. Best of all, it shows you where you are along the route by dimming the lights on the names of the stations you’ve passed, and keeping the lights for upcoming stations brightly lit.

With a system like this you don’t even need a phone on you to know where you’re going, as you can intuitively understand where you are at a glance. It’s a simple system that’s also useful for out-of-town visitors, as the names of the stations along the route are clearly displayed in Japanese and English.

▼ Incidentally, Sapporo’s Tozai Line also has an easy-to-understand permanent display.

In recent years, trains in Tokyo have been showing commercials and videos on their in-car displays, but to Seiji, this is an unwanted evolution. Although he does sometimes watch the so-called “Train TV” on board, he prefers to know where he’s going instead.

It just goes to show that sometimes, old-school methods are best, and Seiji now has his fingers crossed for Tokyo trains to turn back the clock and adopt Sapporo’s methods instead.

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Why settle for a tiny snack when you can gnaw on one that doubles as a legendary sword?

Confectionery company Morinaga’s chocolate snack Koeda (“Twig”) has had tons of fans over the close to 55 years it has been on sale, with some enjoying the small chocolate twig with a glass of whisky. One such fan is our Japanese language reporter Mr. Sato who adores it for its cute size, about five centimeters (around two inches), and its crunchy texture, which is in stark contrast to Mr. Sato’s usual antics of seeking out abnormally-sized food.

One day, when Mr. Sato was walking through the basement of Tokyo Station, his finely-honed oversized-food senses started tingling, and he discovered something that fundamentally overturned the concept and identity of Koeda as he knew it: the Long Koeda Churro, which is an impressive 40 centimeters in length (close to 16 inches).

▼ That’s no longer a twig, but a full-on branch.

Located in Tokyo Okashi Land, a small collection of confectionery shops within the shopping mall First Avenue Tokyo Station, is a shop called Morinaga no Okashina Okashiyasan (“Morinaga’s Strange Confectionery Shop”). At the storefront, there was a very striking stand showcasing an impressive chocolate rod.

With the impact of the advertisement blowing away any notions his feet had of continuing on their way, Mr. Sato turned into the shop and perused the menu. There is a standard version of the Koeda Churro for 360 yen (US$2.28) at about 20 centimeters (roughly 8 inches), which still seems rather large for something inspired by such a small snack. However, the Long Koeda Churro (650 yen) has turned that absurdity up from the laughing disbelief of “This is supposed to be a twig?!” to the flabbergasted, “Are you sure this isn’t meant for jousting?!”

The system to purchase one of these katana-esque treats is by way of a vending machine, which automatically sends the order to the kitchen.

As it happened, there were no other customers ordering at the time of Mr. Sato’s visit, so he was pretty surprised when his number was called the moment he bought a ticket.

When Mr. Sato went over to the counter to pick it up, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight of the real thing. Even though it was wrapped in paper bags at both ends for holding, its presence was overwhelming.

The staff kindly told Mr. Sato to be careful as it breaks easily, but with it being so ridiculously long, there was no real way to be careful. Doing his best to maneuver through the throngs of people that perpetuate the area even on weekdays, he finally managed to find a safe spot to enjoy his purchase.

Looking at it again, it’s really far too long for a churro, and calling it a “twig” is a massive stretch to say the least.

Taking a photo while holding it in front of his face, rather than looking like he was holding a snack, Mr. Sato felt that he had the vibe of a character in a role-playing video game holding a legendary short sword. As time continued to pass, his sense that he was holding a mysterious weapon continued to increase even more.

Not wanting to risk waiting too long and it breaking apart, Mr. Sato took a big bite.

Just as he expected: it was delicious. The outside was generously coated with the almond and chocolate characteristic of Koeda, and perfectly recreated that crunchy texture, which also paired really well with the churro dough inside.

Being so long, it’s very satisfying to eat. Although… about halfway through Mr. Sato came to a realization. It seemed to dawn upon him that he was beginning to understand the feelings of a beaver gnawing on a log.

The Long Koeda Churro is a snack with an impact on a completely different dimension from the typical Koeda that most Japanese people are familiar with, but it’s impressive that Morinaga have managed to make it taste exactly like Koeda despite it being so long.

As it is a limited-quantity and limited-time product, with an undecided end date, interested people shouldn’t hesitate to pay a visit, but even if you miss out you’ll still be able to pick up the standard version. Just try not to snap it, as it truly is easy to break.

Store information
Morinaga no Okashina Okashiyasan / 森永のおかしなおかし屋さん
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi 1-chome 9-1, Tokyo-eki Ichibangai
東京都千代田区丸の内1丁目9-1 東京駅一番街
Open: 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Related: First Avenue Tokyo Station
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This ramen behemoth only appears two days a week, but for serious carnivores, it’s worth waiting for.

Even with the continual upward creep of restaurant prices in Japan, 1,800 yen (US$11.60) feels like a lot for ramen, considering that it wasn’t all that long ago that basic bowls of the stuff could be found for well under 1,000 yen, even in downtown Tokyo. However, the rumors we’d heard about the 1,800-yen ramen at Ramen Niki, in the capital’s busy Shinbashi district, claimed that the Monster was well worth its asking price.

And yes, that’s Monster with a capital M, because the official name of this massive offering is called the Kaibutsu, which translates as “Monster.” To put a finer point on it, kaibutsu refers to hulking, brutish behemoths of mythological stature. So Ramen Aniki’s Kaibutsu isn’t going to try challenging you with incapacitating spiciness, but instead test the limits of your carnivorous instincts with more meat than just about any other noodle joint in Japan.

▼ ラーメンニキ = Ramen Niki

You probably wouldn’t guess that there’s a Monster lurking within Ramen Niki from its low-key sign and unassuming shopfront, located at the back of the first-floor hallway of a mixed commercial/office building about a two-minute walk from Shinbashi Station’s Karasumori exit, and actually, like any good legendary creature, the Kaibutsu only appears at certain times, Sundays and Mondays, to be exact. These are, ironically, the days of the week when Ramen Niki’s owner/chef works the restaurant entirely by himself, with no support staff. Ordinarily, in that situation you’d expect a restaurant to limit itself to smaller, easier to prepare dishes, but instead Ramen Niki’s owner, all by himself, serves up ramen like this.

And yes, there actually are ramen noodles and broth in that bowl. It’s just that they’re entirely covered by no fewer than four different kinds of meat!

▼ Chashu pork

▼ Another type of chashu pork

▼ Chicken

▼ Duck

We honestly had mixed feelings looking at the Kaibutsu. On the one hand, we were filled with gluttonous glee at all that meat, but we also felt some trepidation as we wondered if we’d actually be able to eat the whole thing.

However, as soon as we started eating our taste buds told our brain/stomach to stop worrying and just enjoy the ride. The flavor is outstanding, with all four kinds of meat being of excellent quality and pairing wonderfully with the strongly salty broth, and adding a dollop of the grated garlic the restaurant provides made it even better.

Much as the Kaibutsu can’t be limited to a single kind of meat, so too is it not bound to a single kind of noodle. There are both thin and thick noodles sharing space in the bowl, all part of the Monster’s dominion.

This is, by no means, a ramen eating experience to be taken on lightly, and as we walked slowly away after finishing the whole thing, we were as full as we could be…but also pretty much as satisfied as possible too. So if you’re looking to cap off your weekend with a finale of decadence, or feeling the need to treat yourself to something special to fight off a case of the Mondays, this Monster just might be your best friend.

Restaurant information
Ramen Niki / ラーメンニキ
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Shinbashi 3-16-9, Kyoritsu Building 1st floor
東京都港区新橋3-16-9 共立ビル 1F
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Sundays, Mondays), 11 a.m.-4 a.m. (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays), 11 a.m.-6 a.m. (Thursdays, Fridays, days before holidays)

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Pokémon sub-brand schedules event roughly six weeks after Pokémon Center stabbing.

Pokémon baby apparel and toy brand Monpoké is getting ready to open a popup store in the Tobu Department Store’s Ikebukuro branch in downtown Tokyo. The Tobu branch is located in the same neighborhood as the Sunshine City shopping center, where on March 26 a woman working at the Pokémon Center retail store was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend.

Following the incident, the Pokémon Company announced that it would be scaling back in-store Pokémon Center promotional events nationwide, including cancelling costumed character meet-and-greets for the month of April. While the Monpoké popup will be opening before the end of April, it’ll be operating through early May, and has announced that it will be having meet-and-greets, suggesting that they’re likely to return to Pokémon Center stores around the same time.

The Monpoké shop will be open from April 22 to May 6. There are no meet-and-greets during its first weekend, but on its second Sunday, May 3, both Pikachu and Eevee will be visiting to frolic with fans and pose for pictures in the building’s rooftop Sky Deck Plaza.

It does appear that the organizers are looking to keep the environment controlled, with participation limited to 30 “groups” of shoppers at each of the three 30-minute events, scheduled for 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. (it’s currently unclear how many people will be allowed per group). Still, the announcement of the Monpoké store’s meet-and-greets coming roughly two weeks after the stabbing demonstrates that the company feels ready to start holding such events again, and with Japan’s Golden Week vacation period coming up from April 29 to March 6, an early-March reinstatement of such events at Pokémon Center branches seems likely as well.

Source: PR Times via Ikebukuro Keizai Shimbun
Images: PR Times
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In the land of vending machines, what’s behind the biggest single-year decrease ever for soft drinks?

Visitors to Japan are often amazed at just how many vending machines the country has. Residents, though, are noticing fewer and fewer of them, as the number of soft drink vending machines in Japan has dropped to its lowest number in 30 years.

According to the latest statistics from Tokyo-based Inryo Soken (“Beverage Research Institute”), in 2025 there were 1.95 million soft drink vending machines operating in Japan. While that still sounds like a whole lot, it’s a decrease of 90,000 machines since 2024, the largest single-year drop ever. It’s also the first time since 1994 for Japan to have fewer than 2 million soft drink machines, as it initially crossed that threshold in 1995 with 2.17 million, and from 1999 to 2016 the number was approximately at or even more than 2.4 million.

The number of soft drink vending machines has been in continual decline since hitting its all-time high in 2014, with analysts pointing to rising prices and falling demand as the primary reasons. There’s a growing sense of consumer exhaustion at the repeated price hikes for just about everything in Japan, and many are now choosing to buy their drinks elsewhere. It’s become common to see vending machines charging prices 20 or more percent higher than just a few years ago for staples such as bottled water, green tea, and coffee.

That hasn’t made vending machine drinks an unpurchasable luxury, but it has made them expensive enough to erode the breezy, guilt-free impulse-buy image they used to have. That’s an especially big problem for vending machines, since they’re often located in places where potential customers aren’t going to be hanging around very long, such as a commuter train station platform or a street corner, and so extra time potential customers spend asking “Is it really worth it for this price?” makes it that much more likely that they’ll continue on to wherever they’re headed without stopping to buy something.

▼ Japan’s famously punctual public transportation system means that many people have their commutes timed down to the minute, so any time at all spent having to weigh a drink decision is probably going to be too much.

So if Japanese people are buying fewer drinks from vending machines, where are they getting them at? Convenience stores are one alternative. While they’ve also raised prices and aren’t significantly cheaper than vending machines as far as regular drink prices go, convenience stores often have discount coupons and promotions, such as giving customers a free drink with the purchase of an onigiri (rice ball) or bento (boxed lunch) that make them more enticing to budget-conscious consumers. Supermarkets and drugstores also have good soft drink lineups and prices that are significantly lower than vending machines, even if buying a single drink. Supermarkets/drugstores may not be quite as conveniently located as vending machines or convenience stores, but to a lot of people they’re worth making a quick little detour for, especially if they’re buying a drink every day as part of their commuting routine.

While not specified in Inryo Soken’s research, it’s also likely that the increased normalization of online shopping is making increasingly expensive vending machine soft drinks less attractive. Again thinking of a scenario where someone buys a can of coffee every day as part of their morning commute, it’s much more cost effective to simply buy a whole case at a discounted price online, have it delivered to your home, toss the cans in the fridge, and just grab one as you go out the door every day.

All that said, with 1.95 million soft drink machines still out there, they’re not going to completely disappear from Japan’s cityscapes anytime soon. Unless someone figures out a way to once again make them appealing to disenchanted consumers, and profitable to operators, odds are that number is going to continue to go down.

Source: Nitele News via Hachima Kiko, Tokyo Shimbun
Top image: Pakutaso
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Familiar voice provides narration for reminder that there’s something special about the in-theater experience.

Studio Ghibli was one of the last anime studios to allow for digital distribution of their creations, and to this day they’re big champions of the in-cinema experience, with both the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo and Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture having their own screening rooms on the premises. So with a new movie theater about to open in one of Japan’s biggest anime culture neighborhoods, Ghibli has produced a short video message featuring art from Hayao Miyazaki to celebrate the joy of not just watching movies, but going to the movies.

“Stories have always been born at the movie theater,” says the narrator as a series of charming sketches of iconic Ghibli characters, ranging across the studio’s filmography from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind through to The Boy and the Heron appear within film strip-framing. “A new movie theater is born in the city of Nagoya,” the narrator continues, announcing the opening of the Toho Cinemas Sakae branch, in the primary anime district of the largest city near Ghibli Park. Toho has served as the theatrical distributor for almost all of Ghibli’s anime in Japan, and all of them since 2001’s Spirited Away.

If you’re a Ghibli fan who’s thinking you’ve heard that voice before, it’s because that’s Noriko Hidaka, the voice of My Neighbor Totoro’s Satsuki, providing the narration. One of the anime industry’s all-time great talents, the 63-year-old Hidaka is still an active member of the industry, currently reprising her role as Akane Tendo in the new Ranma 1/2 anime.

While the video was created to commemorate the opening of the Sakae branch of Toho Cinemas, which is happening on June 11, posters featuring the Miyazaki artwork will be on display in the chain’s theaters nationwide from April 11, and a limited number of leaflet-size versions of it will be given out free to guests starting April 24. The above video will also play at the start of screenings starting April 10.

Source: Toho Cinemas
Top image: YouTube/TOHOシネマズ公式チャンネル
Insert images: YouTube/TOHOシネマズ公式チャンネル, Toho Cinemas
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Jagarico one-ups a viral global trend for fans of Japanese flavour. 

If you’re the type of cook with a high desire to eat tasty food but a low desire to make it, then you may have heard of a new hack taking the world by storm: Pringles Chocolate.

This sinfully simple snack involves pouring melted chocolate straight into a Pringles can and leaving it to harden, and it recently caught the attention of our snack-loving reporter P.K. Sanjun. Gripped with an intense desire to make it, P.K. headed out to a nearby store to grab some chocolate and a tub of Pringles, but when he was there, he spotted something that might just one-up the original hack.

▼ Jagarico

This iconic snack is insanely popular in Japan, and much like Pringles, it comes in its own tub that would be perfect for pouring hot chocolate into. It would give the hack a distinctive Japanese flavour too, especially when combined with another popular treat – Lotte’s Ghana milk chocolate.

While these ingredients are slightly different to what’s used in the viral Pringles Chocolate, the core components are there, and the method of preparation is the same.

▼ Simply melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling hot water.

▼ Then open the snack tub and pour in the melted chocolate.

It’s a good idea to tap the cup a few times while pouring to let the chocolate settle evenly around the snacks. Then, once you’ve poured in all the chocolate, cover the tub with plastic wrap and refrigerate for around four hours.

▼ Four hours later

Now we get to the fun part – ripping the tub away from the hardened chocolate.

Pulling the chunk of chocolate out reveals some parts are more evenly covered than others.

That’s okay, though, because the next step is to cut the whole thing up into bite-sized chunks.

▼ After the first cut, the chocolate ratio might seem a little high…

▼ …but the smaller chunks are perfect.

Now all that was left to do was try it, and after popping a chunk into his mouth, P.K. opened his eyes wide in surprise. Not only was his creation insanely delicious, it was an exciting experience in texture as well. Super hard and crunchy on the outside, but tender on the inside, the salty sweet combination was like the best of two decadent worlds, and P.K. reckons it might actually be better than the Pringles Chocolate everyone is raving about right now.

So next time you’re craving a taste of Japan but don’t have the time or motivation to cook, why not grab a tub of Jagarico from your nearest Japanese store? It’ll add a unique twist to your chocolate, and then you can down it with Peanuts and Coke, Japan’s other new viral obsession.

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