Twentythree

Get your Kyun Pass while you can.

Ever since Japan Railways Group, a.k.a. JR, raised the price for its nationwide rail pass, a lot of the luster has been lost for what used to be widely considered Japan’s best tourism transit deal. But even if the nationwide pass has priced itself out of consideration for many travelers, there are still great bargains available for those looking for a more geographically focused trip in Japan, thanks to some great regional rail pass bargains, with the pass we’re looking at today one that you’ll want to act fast on.

East Japan Railway Company/JR East is currently offering a one or two-day unlimited train ride pass called the Kyun Pass. The pass can be used on all JR East lines, which stretch from Tokyo all the way up to the tip of the northeastern Tohoku region and also to parts of the Chubu region that include Niigata, and yes, it can be used on the Shinkansen too. In addition, the Kyun Pass gets you unlimited rides on five affiliated lines, the Aomori Railway Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Sanriku Railway Line, Hokuetsu Express Line, and Echigo Tokimeki Railway Line, and even BRT buses on the Kesennuma and Ofunato Lines.

▼ The area covered by the pass

Despite covering such a wide area, the price for the Kyun Pass is just 10,000 yen (US$65) for a one-day pass or 18,000 yen for the two-day version. Considering that a normal one-way Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Aomori (in northern Tohoku) by itself is roughly 17,500 yen, it should be very easy to get your money’s worth out of the Kyun Pass.

▼ The stunning snowscapes of Aomori’s Hakkoda Mountains, Nagano’s beautiful Zenkoji Temple, and other great destinations in Miyagi and Akita Prefectures are all accessible with the pass.

▼ The Kyun Pass logo (for more on the meaning of kyun, please refer to our recent examination of the logic behind the naming of Japan’s new “Cunte” contact lenses)

But there’s a catch, right? Sort of, although, depending on your perspective, it could actually make the deal even sweeter. The Kyun Pass is valid on weekdays only, but by planning your trip so that you’re avoiding the weekends, you’ll also be missing the biggest crowds, making your trip that much more enjoyable.

As mentioned earlier, though, you’ll need to jump on this deal right away, as the last day that the Kyun Pass can be used is March 12, and so the single-day pass is only available for purchase until February 26, and the two-day pass until February 25. The pass is available through the JR East website here.

Source: JR East, JR View, PR Times (1, 2)
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, JR East
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Osaka Municipal Water Bureau suddenly becomes quite a bit closer to being flush with funds.

Ironically, it’s hard to imagine a drier type of website than “municipal water bureau.” Browse through the one for the city of Osaka, for example and you’ll see announcements such as “Seminar held to exchange information on overseas expansion in water and environmental sectors” and “Second expert meeting held to discuss improving water supply sustainability.” Important stuff, to be sure, but not exactly compelling reading for laymen,

However, sandwiched between those two posts on the Osaka Municipal Water Bureau’s site is a statement explaining that a mysterious donor gave the bureau a gift of gold bars. How much gold did the bureau receive? 21 kilograms (46.3 pounds), as shown in this photo shared by the bureau of them stacked in a crate.

▼ Don’t let their coverings fool you. These are genuine gold bars, not individually wrapped chocolates.

So how much is all that gold worth? Approximately 566.54 million yen (US$3.655 million).

Though received in November, the bureau publicly announced the donation on February 19. “The Osaka Municipal Water Bureau has received a donation of gold bullion from a donor who wishes for it to be used for the city’s water services,” says the bureau’s statement. “With gratitude for this valuable donation, and in accordance with the donor’s wishes, we will make careful use of [the funds] for countermeasures such as [replacement of] aging pipes. In addition, as per the donor’s request, there will be no presentation of a certificate of appreciation from the mayor.”

▼ Video of the gold

It should be noted that donating gold is not a common cultural practice in Japan. Between Japan having had a relatively stable political and economic system for several consecutive generations and a general societal aversion to financial speculation, it’s also unusual for a Japanese person to be in possession of that much gold in the first place.

However, colorful theories about this being a bribe from the yakuza or some other criminal element are most likely inaccurate. The Japanese justice system has gotten pretty good at putting the screws to yakuza when they try to interact with law-abiding entities, and gifting gold is going to instantly draw attention, especially when the bureau itself is announcing its receipt, and attempts at currying public favor through largesse also haven’t usually gone well for the yakuza in recent years. Also, while no name has not been revealed to the public, the bureau has not inferred that it itself is unaware of the donor’s identity, and in speaking about the gift of gold, Osaka mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said that the same donor had also donated 500,000 yen in cash to the water bureau last October.

The bureau has not made any public statement as to whether it has already liquidated the gold, or is holding on to it in case its market value increases.

Source: Osaka City via Oricon News, Jin, Yomiuri Shimbun, YouTube/ABCテレビニュース
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Osaka City
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Ecological goals and economic concerns mean no more free bags and more by-location price variations.

There’s been a lot for Japanese Starbucks fans to be happy about over the last few days, as the chain rolled out its new sakura beverages and drinkware. But while those additions to Starbucks’ menu and merch catalog are putting smiles on many people’s face, there are some less crowd-pleasing ones going into effect too.

Starting with the one that has a silver lining, as of February 18 Starbucks Japan branches will no longer be providing free bags to takeout customers. Instead, customers who need a bag and haven’t brought one of their own will be charged 11 yen (approximately 7 U.S. cents) per order, and can receive a number of bags up to the number of items they’re purchasing. It’s a very modest fee, and is part of Starbucks’ initiative to reduce the chain’s environmental impact by encouraging customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags.

▼ Since 2009, Starbucks Japan has been using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-approved sustainable-source paper for its takeout bags, but they want to be even more ecologically friendly.

The less popular change, though, will be that Starbucks is raising its prices, or, to use their press release’s terminology, “adjusting” them, in response to “rising materials and energy costs.”

The nature of the price increases is complex and vague. To start with, in 2025 Starbucks introduced a system of “location-specific pricing,” with Starbucks locations inside certain Japanese airports and expressway rest stops put into the category Location A, and branches in major metropolitan areas such as Tokyo’s 23 central wards and Osaka in the Location B classification. Prices at Location A Starbucks are, on average, six percent higher than they are in a normal Starbucks, and at Location B branches they’re four percent higher than the norm. In total, about 30 percent of Starbucks Japan branches are in either the Location A or B group.

Under the new system, though, Starbucks will be transferring some of the Tokyo 23-wards branches to the more expansive Location A group. In addition, while the beverage prices for Location A and B branches will not change, at Starbucks Japan’s remaining branches (i.e. those with the cheapest prices under the old system), prices for some permanent-menu beverages will be increased by 5 to 30 yen. And at all participating Starbucks Japan branches, regardless of location classification, the price for the chain’s “One More Coffee” brewed coffee refill service will be increased by 20 yen, and some regular-menu food items will have their prices raised by between 5 and 30 yen.

None of these are massive changes, but with consumers in Japan growing exhausted at the constant string of prices for just about everything going up while most workers’ wages remain stagnant, being asked to pay more for what’s supposed to be discretionary, “fun” eating and drinking probably isn’t going to sit well with some people. In addition, while it might be a common practice in the U.S., in Japan it’s somewhat unusual for a national chain to charge different prices based on branch location. Starbucks Japan isn’t the first company to do so (McDonald’s Japan also charges different prices for certain items depending on location), but Starbucks does run the risk of being seen as trying to squeeze every last yen they can out of their customers by saying that people in certain parts of Tokyo have to pay more for the same cup of coffee than they would in another part of the country, or even another part of the same city.

All that said, with how consistently crowded Starbucks Japan branches in prime locations are, Starbucks probably isn’t too worried about losing a handful of customers if they can earn more per person who does buy something.

Source: Starbucks Japan (1, 2)
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Insert image: Starbucks Japan
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Minor changes to majorly congested Tokyo train station are good to know before you go.

Shibuya Station is one of the most crowded stations in Tokyo, and arguably the most chaotic too. Part of that is simply due to the huge number of people that pass through it every day. Another factor is that, as one of Tokyo’s most vibrant and social media snapshot-able neighborhoods, Shibuya attracts not just locals who know their way around the place, but also out-of-town and out-of-country visitors who might not flow into, out of, and around the station with the same smoothness as those with more extensive personal experience navigating it.

There’s also the fact that Shibuya Station seems to be in a constant state of flux, with the current, ongoing renovations to the station having started all the way back in 2015. The latest development to this decade-plus change-is-the-only-constant status is coming next month, with a change to Shibuya Station’s most prominent gate and access to its most important train line.

First, let’s take a look at the current layout of the to-be-affected section of Shibuya Station, with a map from rail operator JR East.

Making things extra confusing is that on JR East’s map, up is actually west, with north being to the right. Because of that, the white space in the top right of the map is where you’ll find the plaza with the statue of faithful dog Haciko and the world-famous Shibuya scramble intersection. That makes the nearest exit/entrance, the Hachiko Gate (marked on the map as ハチ公口), the one that most travelers are going to want to get to, but it’s going to be in a slightly different space from next month. It’ll be along the same wall, but slid farther to the south.

This isn’t going to be the Hachiko Gate’s permanent location, either. It’s just going to be there for the currently undetermined amount of time it takes for JR East to perform renovations on the current gate. In order to keep pedestrian traffic flowing smoothly, the Hachiko Gate will continue to have an enforced walk-on-the-left policy, and there will be no ticket machines outside it, so if you don’t already have a prepaid and charged-up rail pass, you’ll need to use one of the other gates.

A change is also coming in how passengers using the Hachiko Gate can get to/from the Yamanote Line, the loop line that encircles downtown Tokyo and is highly useful for sightseers and commuters alike. Currently, there’s a stairway inside the station that’s not far from the Hachiko Gate and connects to the Yamanote Line platform, but it’ll become inaccessible next month, with a new stairway opening up across from where the current one’s steps come down to the first floor.

▼ Current Hachiko Gate and Yamanote Line platform stairs (red rectangle and circle) and new gate and stairs (blue rectangle and circle)

▼ And for those who prefer more customary cartographic concepts, here’s the map rotated so that north is at the top.

While neither of these are radical changes to the layout, every bit of advance knowledge helps when planning how to route yourself through a station and neighborhood as congested as Shibuya.

▼ That’s the Hachiko Gate in the background, under the “Shibuya Station” and “力の指輪” signs, and this isn’t even a particularly crowded day.

The changes go into effect on March 1.

Source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun (1, 2)
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: JR East (edited by SoraNews24)
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Cunte Jelly Trick and other lenses’ names might be too clever for their own good.

In many ways, Japan has a very playful attitude about language. The Japanese language is richly expressive, with all sorts of nuanced vocabulary and colorful onomatopoeia. There’s a great enthusiasm for foreign loanwords, especially when trying to lend an air of stylish modernism or trendy fun, and when it comes to thinking up names for brands or products, ones that might not seem obvious at first, but have some sort of half-concealed logic behind them, become kind of like a secret handshake that create a sense of community between the company and fans.

So with Japanese contact lens maker Ace getting set to launch a new sub-brand this month, they knew they had to give it a name that both had pizazz and conveyed their concept for the line. As one of Japan’s largest players in the field, no doubt Ace’s marketing and product design teams spent many long, hard hours workshopping countless candidates, but in the end, what did they decide on?

Cunte.

Judging from the bold, attention-grabbing logo and recruitment of model Amu Nigemizu to be the face, and eyes, of Cunte, it would appear that Ace is very confident in their decision. And yet, much like when a different Japanese company chose to name their mascot character “Fukuppy,” it would seem that no one on the Cunte team is particularly familiar with the cruder corners of English slang.

▼ Cunte Jelly Trick might look like the misspelled, or perhaps silent-E-classy, title of an adult video, but it’s actually just the name of the line’s shimmery, watery-looking contact lens.

So how did this happen? Well, Ace is aiming the Cunte line at young, fashionable women, with the lenses’ colors and sparkly effects being their major selling points. According to their press release, Cunte’s contact lenses will get your heart excitedly racing, and the Japanese onomatopoeia for that sensation, especially if it’s of a girlish nature, is kyun. Kyun is pronounced with a long-U vowel sound, with aurally aligns it with “cute,” which also fits with the atmosphere the brand is going for.

▼ Cunte Heroin Core’s highlight effects promise to give you the sweet look of a shojo manga protagonist.

Because it’s meant as a combination of “kyun” and “cute,” Cunte is, therefore supposed to be pronounced with a long-U too, basically like if you slipped an N into the middle of “cute.”

▼ Cunte Teddy Mate is meant to subtly enhance the perceived size of your pupils, for a sophisticated appearance.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that many English speakers, or those familiar with the language’s vulgarities, will see “Cunte” and land upon Ace’s desired pronunciation. There aren’t that many words in English that begin with “cun-“, and among those that do exist, “cunning,” with a short U, is really the only one that’s commonly used.

▼ Come at me, “cuneiform” champions!

As such, the odds are, overwhelmingly, that English speakers’ first instinct will be to pronounce “Cunte” with a short U, and then mentally flip a coin to decide between treating the E as silent (resulting in a perfect pronunciation overlap) or to voice it like the letter Y, making it sound like a made-up adjective form of the term for female genitalia. What’s more, Webster’s dictionary actually describes the etymology of the modern vulgarity as coming from the Middle English word “cunte,” which has the same meaning.

Since we’ve come this far, we may as well take a look at the rest of the Cunte offerings, which are Mellow Berry, a medium-width brown contact lens, and Bab Gram, an extra-glossy brown contact.

▼ Oddly enough, the “Mellow” Berry photo features a knife with a somewhat unsettling streak of, hopefully, strawberry syrup on it.

▼ The linguistic rationale behind “Bab Gram” remains a mystery.

Of course, because Ace is in the contact lens business, and, at the moment, the Cunte line is only planned for sale in Japan, the name isn’t really a problem, as it’s unlikely to cause confusion, offense, or bouts of snickering among Japanese consumers when the line goes on sale February 27. Calpis’ name, for example, hasn’t kept it from becoming one of Japan’s most popular soft drinks. However, much like how Calpis is called “Calpico” in many international territories, Ace will probably want to consider a rebrand should they ever decide to expand Cunte sales to more English-prevalent regions.

Source: PR Times, Merriam-Webster (1, 2)
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Pakutaso
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Limited-edition spring drinks make their way to Starbucks, but are they worth buying? 

With February now coming to an end, spring is about to start, and with it comes sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan. Here to get us in the mood for the blooms is Starbucks, with the release of not one, not two, but three cherry blossom drinks, all based around the theme of “saku yo” (“bloom!”), which captures the beauty and excitement of the pre-blossom season.

Our resident Starbucks expert K. Masami was in line to try all three drinks at her local branch when they were released on 18 February, and she began the taste adventure with the Sakura Sakuyo White Peach Frappuccino.

Sold in a Tall size for 700 yen (US$4.56), this drink contains a blend of milk and white peach powder, and there are options to change the milk, with soy being highly recommended. The Frappuccino is a visual treat, with a pale pink body resembling the hue of sakura buds and young blossoms, accented by stronger shades of pink in the milk pudding and white peach jelly base, and in the cherry blossom-flavoured sauce drizzled around the sides of the cup.

A scattering of cherry blossom chocolate shavings, in two shades of pink to reflect the early blooms, completes the cheerful look of the drink. Stirring them into the whipped cream topping unlocks the gentle aroma of sakura, and the first spoonful delivers subtle floral notes to the tongue, with hints of juicy white peach adding sweetness to the mix.

The taste is elegant and sophisticated, with generous amounts of milk pudding providing an irresistible jelly-like texture and refreshing finish to the fruity floral blend. It felt like spring had blossomed on Masami’s taste buds, and she was now keen to continue the floral adventure with the Sakura Sakuyo Latte (630 yen).

Available both hot and iced, this latte contains cherry blossom-flavored sauce dissolved in milk…and a beautiful image of a sakura tree in bloom, made from chocolate sauce and pink-coloured chocolate shavings.

Despite being first released in 2022, Masami never tires of this limited-time sakura latte. It’s a subtly sweet drink that doesn’t contain any coffee, so you can enjoy the unadulterated flavour of milk and cherry blossoms, and it was as warming and delicious as Masami remembered it to be.

▼ After going from cold to hot, it was back to cold again with the Sakura Sakuyo White Peach Soda (590 yen)

This fizzy beverage combines soda with white peach jelly and peach-flavoured syrup imbued with cherry blossoms, white peach, lavender, cassis, and vanilla. The contrast between the jelly’s softness and the soda’s fizz was outstanding, delivering the taste of sakura in unexpected ways to excite the palate. Perfectly crisp and refreshing, this is a drink Masami will be returning for whenever she wants to lift her mood.

▼ The colour alone elicits pure joy.

▼ Hungry for even more sweetness, Masami paired the drinks with a Sakura Matcha Doughnut (320 yen) on the side.

Sakura and matcha are wonderful partners, both in terms of taste and looks, and they do not disappoint in this chewy doughnut. Bitter notes of green tea step in just when you need it, creating a harmonious balance between sweet and astringent flavours.

After trying the doughnut, and all three limited-edition sakura drinks, Masami says they’re all definitely worth buying. If you want to choose just one from the lineup, Masami recommends the Frappuccino as the standout beverage, but if you’re after warmth then the latte will soothe your soul, while the soda will pick you up with a boost of refreshment in the afternoon.

Just looking at the drinks will make you feel like spring has sprung, and drinking them will get you in the mood for Japan’s hanami flower-viewing season. They’re only available while stocks last until 8 March so be sure to get in quick to try them, and don’t forget to check out the limited-edition Starbucks cherry blossom goods and drinkware too!

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What’s creamy on the outside, jiggly on the inside, and pink and delicious all over? This new sakura dessert drink.

There are three signs that we’re getting closer to sakura season. The weather is gradually getting warmer. The buds on the cherry blossom trees are growing larger. Most exiting of all, though, is the increase in the number of sakura sweets to tempt us.

One of the newest to make its debut comes to us from Japanese cafe chain Pronto, which on February 17 began serving the Ice Sakura Warabi Mochi Latte. There’s a lot going on in that name, but also a lot going on in the cup, and all of it is stuff worth getting excited about.

Even before taking the first sip, this dessert drink radiates an aura of springtime fun with its fluffy pink appearance. Not only is it topped with a swirl of whipped cream drizzled with sakura sauce and sprinkled with pieces of sakura gelatin, there’s a whole salt-preserved cherry blossom (yes, they are edible) on top too!

So we’re already off to a very cherry blossom-y start, and that theme doesn’t change once you get underneath the toppings. Inside the cup is sakura-flavored milk, sakura an (sweet bean paste), and more sakura sauce. Sakura flavor is sweet with salty notes and just a touch of an herbal sensation, and while some cherry blossom desserts are too light or too heavy with it, here it feels just right, especially when you get to the pieces of soft, jiggly mochi (warabimochi) that are mixed in. The cookie that comes on top is great too. While it’s a simple butter cookie in and of itself, letting it soak in the drink for a bit so that it absorbs the sakura flavor turns it into a delicious morsel that adds some variety to the texture too.

We ordered the 748-yen (US$4.85) regular size, which was immensely satisfying and felt like a drinkable parfait, but there’s also an 891-yen large if you want even more.

The Ice Sakura Warabi Mochi Latte has arrived at Pronto several weeks before we’ll be seeing the cherry blossoms themselves, but thankfully it’ll be sticking around for quite a while, until April 13. Note, though, that it’s only served during Pronto’s mid-day and early-evening “Cafe Time” block, not during the chain’s “Morning Time” or after-dark “Bar Time.” The exact times of the clock for those vary by branch, so finding this drink might take a little legwork, but trust us, it’s worth the extra steps.

Related: Pronto location list
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