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Forget packing hacks, Pocket Tips is the fastest and easiest way to create more room in your suitcase.

When you’re travelling to Japan, every inch of space in your suitcase is precious, because after buying up all the unique Japan-only products you come across here, you might find yourself wondering if you should start discarding your clothes just to make room for your souvenirs.

Even with all the packing hacks out there, it can still be near-impossible to try and fit everything into your luggage, but now Japan has come up with a solution to free up more space, and it’s called “Pocket Tips”. This new service uses an automatic compression machine to shrink clothing and create more space inside your suitcase.

▼ The machine is about the same size as an ATM.

Developed with support from Haneda, Narita, Kumamoto, and Naha airports, the machine has already been trialled at these locations, and the companies are now working towards full-scale implementation at the four airports.

The Pocket Tips machine has been praised for its ease of use – simply fold your clothes into the mould, then place it in the machine and press the button. In just around a minute, your clothes will be reduced to as little as one-seventh of their original bulk, becoming a compact little cube that packs easily into your suitcase.

The process doesn’t require plastic compression bags, and it can even be used on bulky items like towels.

The compressed clothes can be returned to their original shape by washing them or leaving them spread out for around 15 minutes.

▼ A 3L-size (roughly XXXL) T-shirt after compression

The compression service gives travellers a significant amount of extra room for souvenirs, which is exactly what they’ve been wanting. During the trial period, out of 400 people surveyed, about 70 percent said they had previously given up buying additional souvenirs because they didn’t have enough space in their luggage. After using the service, around 89 percent of participants said they would like to use it again.

▼ One happy customer

Though previous trials have mainly focused on travellers preparing to fly out of Japan, giving them room for last-minute purchases at the airport, the service is now being eyed for use in both directions, allowing travellers to compress their clothes upon arrival as well as before departure.

▼ Travellers lining up to use the machine during one of the trials

The machine has been developed by SJOY, a Tokyo-based apparel company that also develops clothing-compression technology, and terminal.0 HANEDA, a research and development facility operated by Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., which manages Haneda Airport’s passenger terminals.

While an official launch date is yet to be announced, 2027 has been reported as the target for full-scale implementation. The companies are currently working to determine where the machines should be installed, how they should be operated and how safety considerations should be handled before full-scale implementation takes place. SJOY also says it’s considering future applications at places like hotels and in the apparel industry.

With so many travellers crying out for more room in their luggage, a service like this would be particularly helpful in hotels, and it couldn’t come at a better time, as Japan is welcoming more tourists than ever to its shores.

Source, images: Press release
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As a new generation of travelers discovers Atami, it’s the New Akao’s time to shine again.

Atami is a great town to go to if you don’t want to do anything. That’s not a sarcastic, backhanded compliment, either. The coastal town in Shizuoka Prefecture is famous for its seaside hot spring inns and hotels, and the quintessential Atami getaway involves lots of looking out at the ocean, soaking in hot spring baths, and looking out at the ocean while soaking in hot spring baths.

Atami had its heyday in the late Showa Era years of the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, but once the bubble economy popped, the stream of travelers largely dried up. By the time the economy had picked up again, the town had acquired a bad rap as an unfashionably outdated place to visit, Recently, though, there’s been a boom in interest in the Showa retro aesthetic, and Atami is once again a top travel destination, as our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon saw first-hand on her recent visit.

The rotary area just outside Atami Station, as well as the covered shopping street that extends from it, were filled with travelers looking for tasty things to eat and souvenirs to buy (such as plushies of Atami’s balding middle-aged man fairy mascot). But like we said, one of the best things to do in Atami is “nothing,” and Natsuno was headed to one of the best places in town to do just that.

Several hotel shuttle buses make stops at the Atami Station rotary, and the one that Natsuno and her family were waiting for was the one for guests of the Hotel New Akao.

The New Akao is the Atami hotel, a major landmark that’s been known to travel fans in Japan for decades. The ride to the hotel from the station takes about 10 minutes, so it’s not far, but it feels like a trip to another world as the bus enters this tunnel along the way.

Once you come out the other end, the road continues rising and winding…

…and then the iconic, old-school New Akao (ニューアカオ) sign comes into view.

As you can see, the hotel stands very close to the water, which gives it some fantastic views…

…but the interior is no slouch either, and as soon as you step into the lobby, you’re whisked back to the old-school luxury of the Showa era.

There’s no modern minimalism here. The lobby is nicely maintained, but also unabashedly proud and committed to the now-retro aesthetic, with plush patterned carpet as far as the floorspace allows.

As Natsuno was traveling with her husband and two daughter, they’d booked a room with three beds.

As you can see, their guestroom has been renovated compared to the lobby, and the style is a nice mix of contemporary comfort and nods to Showa sensibilities in its color schemes.

And since there room was in the hotel’s Ocean Wing, the window gave them a great vantage point to see the light of the late-afternoon sun dancing on the surface of the water.

If you’re craving a bit of a sea breeze, the window does open, but just a bit, because if you were to slip or drop your phone…

…it’s a long way down.

As mentioned above, Atami was a major travel hotspot during the bubble economy, when lavish employee trips were a common part of Japanese business culture. That trend has largely died down nowadays, and the New Akao recently converted one of its private banquet rooms into a kids play park, with Natsuno’s daughter made good use of.

In addition to equipment to climb in and around, there’s a nod to the hotel’s past with a retro section with classic toys and electronics…

…and right next to it is a digital play space where kids can turn their hand-drawn illustrations into projected images.

But something that hasn’t changed is the New Akao’s main dining room, called Nishiki.

It may be a restaurant, but the vibe here is more like a grand theater, giving each meal a touch of dramatic flair.

▼ The buffet’s Mt. Fuji-shaped cakes were especially clever.

▼ If you’re lucky, your meal might even coincide with a live piano performance.

Of course, Atami is first and foremost a hot spring town, and the New Akao has several different indoor and open-air bath areas. Guest photography isn’t allowed in them, but they’re all beautiful, as these photos from the hotel’s official website show.

Actually, there’s beauty to be found all over the hotel. Because of its cliffside location, the facilities are arranged in a sort of terraced array, with hallways and staircases connecting one part of the property with another.

Some of these passages have unique and charming art displays, while others have windows that give you perspectives of the surrounding scenery you can’t get anywhere else in town, making them enticing spaces to explore.

By the way, if you like to have a few more structured activities on your travel itinerary, the New Akao does have a wealth of options, ranging from yoga classes and cycling tours to crafting classes, sea kayaking, and an “ocean pool” for adventurous swimmers.

But it’s a hotel that’s especially hard to beat if you’re in the mood to just relax, and as long as that something that travelers like to do, the New Akao will be a place for them.

Hotel information
Hotel New Akao / ホテルニューアカオ
Address: Shizuoka-ken, Atami-shi, Atami 1993-250
静岡県熱海市熱海1993-250
Website

Hot spring photos: Hotel New Akao
All other photos ©SoraNews24
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Tuna dismantling? You bet!

Every year, a weekend celebration of almost all things Japanese takes place in Orange County, California, and this year it’s coming back bigger than ever. From 16 to 18 October, the OC Japan Fair will be putting food, traditional culture, pop culture, music, shopping, and more in the spotlight, giving Californians a rare glimpse into many corners of life in Japan.

The main event is set to be the Japan Pop Culture Zone. This section will make up about half the entire indoor space of the venue and will showcase major anime titles, with Dan Da Dan and Blue Lock announced so far.

Also seeing some growth this year is Cosplay & Ai♡Fes Idol Festival, loaded with cosplayers and idols active in both Japan and California performing, including Sakura Graduation from Nagoya, who will be performing on all three days of the festival.

In addition to the anime and idols at OC Japan Fair, an entire Akihabara Electric Town exhibit will once again be set up to recreate the sights and sounds of the famous district in Tokyo.

On the other hand, classical Japanese culture will also be represented. In contrast to the modern Akihabara, the Asakusa district of Tokyo will also have its atmosphere recreated in the Asakusa & Nakamise Street Traditional Culture Area. Kabuki dance, rakugo comedy, taiko drums, koto music, Nihon buyo dance, shodo calligraphy, kado flower arrangement, sado tea ceremonies, kimono… The list just keeps going, and it can all be seen in one weekend.

There will also be a Bon Odori dance experience, a cornerstone of the Japanese festival experience. An Oiran Dochu procession of courtesans held centuries ago will be reenacted on Saturday and Sunday, with full Edo period costumes.

Food and shopping will both be in full effect as well. Over 60 kinds of Japanese foods, from okonomiyaki to fried pork cutlet sandwiches, will be sold alongside a vast array of Japanese goods from anime merch to traditional Japanese crafts.

Also, a very unique part of Japanese culture will be on display in the form of a Tuna Dismantling Show (Maguro Kaitai Show). Although it’s called a “Tuna Cutting Show” by OC Japan Fair, I don’t think “cutting” really does justice to the technical precision and speed that goes into these things. Often performed on auspicious occasions like the opening of fish markets or even weddings, this involves a highly skilled chef carving up an entire tuna fish with the efficiency of an F1 pit crew.

▼ And the result of a Tuna Dismantling Show

With all the additions to this year’s festival, you might expect admission to go up, but instead the organizers decided to lower the cost of entry from last year to make it more accessible. Tickets are available for as low as US$13.58 if purchased in advance before 30 September, and admission is free for everyone under 6 years old or 65 years old and over.

The time will never be more right to get a really comprehensive taste of Japan without actually coming here, so be sure to check it out this October.

Event information
OC Japan Fair
Venue: OC Fair & Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California
Dates & Times:
Friday, 16 October: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, 17 October: Noon – 10 p.m.
Sunday, 18 October: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Admission:
1 – 30 September (Presale): $13.58
1 – 15 October (Presale): $15.71
16 – 18 October: $17.58

Images: Press release
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