Osaka’s Hotel Games isn’t just full of board games, it is a game!

All lodging and no play make guests dull people.

There are a lot of cafes and bars that offer a wide range of board games to keep customers entertained, and you might even be able to find a hotel that will lend out a box of Kerplunk or deck of UNO to guests on occasion. Hotel Games in Osaka’s bustling Namba area, however, takes things one step further and really immerses guests in board games.

Anyone can enter the hotel and enjoy their collection of 130 types of board games from Japan and around the world in an all-you-can play format for 3,250 yen (US$25) per person on the Playable Porch in the second-floor lobby. They even have a board-game sommelier on hand to give recommendations and instructions for unfamiliar games to help visitors find their new favorites.

But for the full experience, it’s advised to check into one of their many types of rooms. Standard board-game friendly rooms come in styles for all ages and can fit up to five people so you’ll have enough players to meet all games’ requirements.

▼ Kids rooms are very kid-friendly

▼ There are also rooms with terraces for open air games

For a more interactive overnight stay, there’s also a Werewolf Murder Mystery Room. Despite the name there are actually several murder mystery games to choose from, with only most of them featuring werewolves.

Guests can even go beyond their rooms and play the eight Hotel Games games built into the facility.

▼ A video tour of Hotel Games

In Coin Hunt, players must hunt for coins… Many of the best games are ones that don’t require a lot of explanation.

In Overnight Mischievous Werewolf our lycanthrope friends are taking a break from murder and playing harmless pranks on guests. Each guest gets a card to perform an act like “put a fork in a fridge” or “hang three hangers from each other” and must do the task so that the others don’t notice it until the next morning.

When visiting the Hotel Games, you’ll also notice a grid with numbers outside each elevator area. This is for players of the Elevator Guessing Game. When a lift is coming simply jump on a square to guess how many people will get off and crush your opponents with predictive power. It also feels really nice to get off an elevator and have someone cheer at your arrival.

All hotels are known for their pictogram signs, but only at Hotel Games do they take on a life of their own and escape from their two-dimensional confines. Find them all and be crowned the champ of Hide and Seek Pictogram.

Those are only half of the special Hotel Games available. There’s also the Dice Challenge, Drink Riddle, Additional Rules for Your Trip, and the Secret Room which is a hidden room filled with treasures that guests must find by solving a series of mysteries.

▼ I just hope the treasure isn’t a cop-out like “friendship” or something

Even the front desk is done up in a style of the Japanese card game hanafuda and the wall pattern changes every month.

It’s certainly a building so full of fun it’d be hard to get any sleep, and with its convenient location in downtown Osaka, there no shortage of entertainment outside too. You can even try to solve the nearby mystery of the hidden train station cafeteria, if you dare…

Hotel information
Hotel Games Mimaru Osaka Namba Station / ボードゲームホテルMIMARU大阪 難波STATION
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Naniwa-ku, Nipponbashi 3-6-24
大阪府大阪市浪速区日本橋3丁目6-24
Website

Source: PR Times via Netlab
Images: PR Times
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Cold curry? Mujirushi makes one of our favorite hot meals chilly, but does that make it goof?

Is this the edible summer savior we’ve been looking for?

Curry is hot, by just about any meaning of the word. It’s spicy, delicious when poured piping hot onto rice, and becoming more and more popular around the globe.

But on our most recent shopping trip, we came across curry that’s supposed to be cold.

We found this fascinating foodstuff at Mujirushi, which is offering at least two types of cold curry through the summer: Chicken and Ginger Cold Curry and Prawn and Tomato Cold Curry. Naturally, we picked up a pack of each (they’re both priced at 350 yen [US$2.80]) and tossed them in the fridge as soon as we got home.

Once they were thoroughly chilled, we opened up the pouches for a pre-taste testing visual check.

The cold curries have a smoother consistency than standard Japanese curry, closer to a soup broth than ordinary curry roux.

That smooth makes a whole mouthful easy to scoop up in a spoon, and both the cold curries have a nice, spicy kick to them, and Chicken and Ginger Cold Curry isn’t kidding about the ginger either, as that marque ingredient makes its presence unmistakably felt too. Both were undeniably delicious, and either one would be a savior-class meal on a midsummer day when you’re feeling both unhappily hot and horribly hungry. We think they’d be especially refreshing poured over chilled somen or udon noodles.

By the way, Mujirushi says its cold curries can be eaten hot as well, so we tried heating them up to see how that would affect the eating experience. While their texture doesn’t change at all, heating them seems to somehow soften their spiciness. They still taste good, but if you want the full force of their flavor, eating them cold really is the way to go.

Still, now that we know heating the cold curries doesn’t ruin them, we might have to include them the next time we’re making a super curry out of all the 50-plus curry varieties that Mujirushi sells.

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How much money do you need to live in your own apartment in Japan?【Survey】

Think living in Japan is crazy expensive? Think again.

“Someday, I’m gonna move to Japan!”

If you’ve spent much time on our site, odds are that’s something you, or at least someone in your circle of like-minded friends, has said at some point, and we totally understand. Each and every member of the SoraNews24 team, at some point in their life, packed up their bags and headed across the ocean to relocate to Japan.

But while moving to Japan may be your dream, it’s a dream that’s dependent on economic realities. Once you arrive, you’re going to have to pay rent and other bills, and though that’s not unique to Japan, those expenses can be hard to gauge from outside the country. It’s especially important to predict what your living expenses are going to be, though, because moving all the way to Japan means you’re going to be pretty far away from your home-country support groups. Raiding Mom and Dad’s fridge because you’re short on grocery money, or crashing on your college buddy’s couch because you wound up not being able to afford your own place, aren’t really options when said parents and friend are a 12-hour flight away.

So how much money do you need to live on your own in Japan? Japanese real estate portal At Home recently conducted a survey of its nationwide users, asking them what their expenses were when moving into and living in their first apartment where they lived alone (so no roommates), and got the following data.

1. Move-in costs

In Japan, you’ll generally go through a lot of cash before spending even your first night in your apartment. Aside from security departments, there’s reikin, or “key money,” a one-time non-refundable gratuity paid to your landlord prior to moving in. Though not always required, reikin is pretty common, and usually equal to one or two months’ rent.

In addition, most Japanese apartments are completely unfurnished. In addition to furniture, curtains, and a refrigerator, you’ll probably need to buy a washing machine (Japanese apartment buildings never have shared laundry facilities, and coin laundromats are becoming increasingly rare in Japan). Cooking stoves and light fixtures aren’t standard, so you’ll possibly need to purchase those, and some apartments also don’t have heating/air conditioning units either, so installing one can be another expense.

Add all of those up, and the 229 respondents for this section of the survey paid, on average, 359,908 yen (US$2,834) in move-in costs.

2. Monthly rent

Obviously, this is going to be the living expense with the biggest potential variations, depending on where you’re living and how large of a place you want. The 377 respondents to this question, though, paid an average of 54,642 yen (US$430) for their monthly rent.

That doesn’t mean they were all living in rundown neighborhoods or out in the boonies, either. One woman reported paying 50,000 yen a month for an apartment in Shimokitazawa, one of Tokyo’s trendiest youth neighborhoods, and even respondents living along the Yamanote train line that marks the city center of Tokyo were able to find apartment for 90,000 yen or less.

3. Utilities

No matter how much of a simple, minimalistic lifestyle you lead, you’re not just going to be sitting quietly in the dark whenever you’re at home. So you’ll need electricity, gas, water, and, in these modern times, Internet service. The survey asked about each of those separately, with the number of respondents ranging from 302 to 324, and the monthly averages were:
● Electricity: 3,836 yen
● Gas: 3,674 yen
● Water: 2,194 yen
● Internet: 4,170 yen
● Total 13,874 yen (US$109).

There’s one wrinkle here. 17 percent of the respondents said they lived in an apartment where Internet service was included for no extra charge as part of their monthly rent, so the average monthly cost for those who did pay for Internet service would be higher than 4,170 yen.

4. Food

The data gets a little complicated for food expenses, since a major factor is how often you eat out. While Japan has some great deals on takeout and pre-packaged foods, doing your own cooking is often still the most reliable way to fill yourself up without emptying your wallet, especially if you don’t live in easy walking distance of multiple supermarkets where you can throw together a no-cooking meal out of whatever side dishes have half-off discount stickers on them.

Broken down into groups by how often they cooked for themselves, the 366 respondents’ monthly foo expenses were:
● I cook for myself every day (45 percent of respondents): 20,880 yen
● I cook half of my meals for myself (27 percent): 26,505 yen
● I sometimes cook for myself (15 percent): 32,241 yen
● I never cook for myself (12 percent): 37,846 yen

The average across all those responses? 29,363 yen (US$231) a month.

5. Total expenses

OK, so let’s summarize all of that in a single list.
● Move-in costs: 359,908 yen
● Monthly rent: 54,642 yen
● Electricity: 3,836 yen
● Gas: 3,674 yen
● Water: 2,194 yen
● Internet: 4,170 yen
● Food: 29,363 yen

So after that 359,908 yen to get settled in…

…the total monthly expenses are 97,879 yen (US$771) a month.

What with Japan’s reputation as being one of the most expensive places on the planet, I’m guessing that seems shockingly low to some people (and the current weakness of the yen versus the U.S. dollar makes it look even cheaper). Before you get the idea that finding a job where you can earn even 97,879 yen a month means you’re ready to live a life of bliss in the land of the rising sun, there are a few other things to consider.

First off, this list doesn’t include transportation costs. Granted, some of the respondents mentioned living in downtown Tokyo, so odds are they don’t have especially long commutes, but as long as you’re living outside walking/biking distance to work, odds are you’re going to be needing for a rail pass, or at least train tickets, regularly.

Also not on the list: taxes. Rates vary by where you’re living and how much you’re earning, but in general you can expect to pay at least 10 percent of your income as national income taxes, and another 10 percent or so for local income/resident taxes.

Perhaps most importantly, that 97,879 yen a month doesn’t account for any entertainment expenses. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that that dream of moving to Japan you have is predicated on something you want to do in Japan other than staring at the walls of your apartment. Whether you want to visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura or the Final Fantasy cafes, to sip sake or Japan-exclusive Frappuccinos, all of those need to be added on top of that 97,879 yen-a-month budget.

▼ Regardless of how undeniably worth it those expenditures will be.

And last, and most importantly, the averages from the survey are just that, averages. So if you’ve got your heart set on living in a specific part of Japan, or there are certain apartment features or amenities you just can’t live without, some deeper digging with local realtors will arm you with information tailored to the exact lifestyle you want to lead.

Still, if rumors about the high cost of living in Japan are making you think you have to give up on the idea of making the move, the survey shows that you don’t have to be rich to make a life here.

Source: At Home
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Don’t let the rain get you down! Here are Japan’s top 10 most beautiful rainy day travel spots

Beautiful landscapes, charming towns, peaceful gardens…you’ll find it all on this list!

For a lot of places in the northern hemisphere, June means the start of summer–swimming, camping, barbecues, and all that fun stuff. But in Japan, June can be less fun, because it’s when the rainy season begins. A chance of rain on almost any day for several weeks in a row makes it hard to do outdoor activities, and it can also kill your motivation to travel. But if travel is what you’re after this June, don’t worry! There are plenty of beautiful places to visit even in the rain.

In fact, Japanese travel provider Jalan just released a ranking for “Charming Places with Superb Views even on Rainy Days”, which was determined by a survey done among Jalan’s users. The ranking includes a variety of places that provide a great experience regardless of the weather, including both natural landscapes and urban tourist attractions, and they all look great on Instagram! 

9 (tie). Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces (Ishikawa Prefecture)

What could be more picturesque in the rain than layers upon layers of rice terraces set against the ocean? Plus, if you manage to catch the rain stopping at sunset, the reflection of the sun sinking behind the Japan Sea off the freshly filled paddies is sure to be to die for.

9 (tie). Bijin Bayashi Forest (Niigata Prefecture)

This hilly forest, made up of a dense growth of 100-year-old beech trees, is considered Japan’s most beautiful forest. It’s especially beautiful in the rain, as the water makes the many trunks and leaves of its trees sparkle. There’s a pond in the forest that also beautifully reflects the trees around it. The sound of the rain in the leaves and on the pond and the cries of the birds making this forest their habitat is sure to offer a chance for a spiritual reset.

8. Cape Togenkyo (Miyazaki Prefecture)

With 2,000,000 hydrangea bushes of several different colors spread out over an area four times the size of Tokyo Dome, Cape Togenkyo offers a beautiful garden view set against the backdrop of sparkling blue water. The colors pop even on a drizzly day, so it’s well worth visiting even in the rainy season.

7. Harunire Terrace, Karuizawa Hoshino (Nagano Prefecture)

The line of shops along the street of Haruine Terrace in the resort town of Karuizawa is covered with over 100 colorful umbrellas that will brighten up any rainy day, and at night, they’re lit up to give the space a magical ambiance. This year, rainbow bubbles also appear periodically throughout the day, making the space even more mystical, especially in the rain.

6. Oirase Gorge (Aomori Prefecture)

There’s no better time to visit the northern prefecture of Aomori than in the summer, when its milder temperatures offer a delightful reprieve from the sweltering heat of the more southern parts of Japan. Oirase Gorge, where the clear waters of the Oirase River wind through untouched forests and moss-covered rocks, offers some of the coolest temperatures and the most stunning natural views and was rightfully voted as one of the top places to visit in Japan before you die. Naturally, in the rain, the moss becomes even more vibrant. This is the kind of place that makes you just want to take in the fresh, natural air.

5. Sanzen-in Temple (Kyoto)

On the more urban side of things is Sanzen-in Temple and its two quiet gardens, Yuseien and Shuhekien. Yuseien might be the main attraction on a rainy day, as it’s filled with moss plants that look gorgeous in the rain and lined with cypress and cedar trees that glitter with raindrops. Its path also winds around a pond which offers a peaceful receptacle for the rain. On the other hand, Shuhekien is meant to be admired from the temple’s reception hall, where you can enjoy the view while still staying dry. Either way, both gardens offer a rainy day retreat.

4. Hakone Tozan Railway Hydrangea Train (Kanagawa Prefecture)

You may already know Hakone as a popular tourist spot in Japan for its high concentration of hot springs and up-close view of Mt. Fuji, but from the end of June to the beginning of July, square in the middle of the rainy season, it’s also known for the beautiful hydrangeas that grow on the mountainside around the Hakone Tozan Railway, which connects major train lines to the sights in Hakone. During this time, the small railway is dubbed the Hydrangea Train since it winds through beautiful blooming flowers of many different colors. During the period the flowers are in bloom, they’re also lit up, making them a spectacular view as you enjoy a leisurely train ride out of the rain to one of Japan’s most popular destinations.

3. Higashi Chaya District, Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture)

Kanazawa is a popular destination for Japanese history tourists, but it has a few other things to offer, too. The Higashi Chaya district, for example, is full of shops selling things such as gold-leaf ice cream and traditional artisanal goods. The row of shops in the district is made up of traditional wooden styles and the pedestrian path is paved with stone, and in the rain, the streets glitter with the reflections of the streetlights, giving the place a very whimsical, old-world atmosphere.

2. Takachiho Gorge (Miyazaki Prefecture)

The second natural landscape of Miyazaki to make the list, Takachiho Gorge is a seven-kilometer-long (4.3 mile-long) river ravine filled with geometric rock formations and sparkling emerald waters that has been voted as one of the best places to see autumn leaves. You can rent a boat and row down the river to see the beauty of this natural wonder, which will sparkle in the rain. There are even tour boats with resident kappa on them on rainy days!

1. Yakushima Island (Kagoshima Prefecture)

Rounding out this list of beautiful rainy day travel spots is one of Japan’s most beautiful natural landscapes: Yakushima Island. Often considered to be the inspiration for the setting of the famous Ghibli anime Princess Mononoke, this World Natural Heritage Site is full of wild nature, including the moss-covered Shiratani Unsui Gorge. Huge old cedar and hemlock trees mark this forest as an ancient place that will undoubtedly be beautiful in the rain–which it gets a lot of. Just be careful, however, as heavy rainfall may cause the waters in the gorge to rise and pose a danger to hikers and tourists.

Each of these destinations is amazingly beautiful and supremely Instagrammable, even in the rain, so if you’re feeling a bit stir-crazy this rainy season, consider taking a small vacation to one of these spots. As a bonus for traveling in the rain, you might find them less crowded than usual!

And do you know what else is great for rainy days? Hot springs! Check out 2020’s list of the most popular hot springs for more rainy season travel ideas.

Source, images: PR Times
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Doughnuts and fried chicken come together in new Mister Donut Burger

Is this fried monstrosity worth the calories? 

Mister Donut has come a long way, literally and metaphorically, since its founding in the U.S. in 1956. These days, the chain boasts outlets in Central America, Africa, and Asia, where you can sometimes find collaborations with local fast food chains that take doughnuts to a whole other level.

▼ That’s been the case over in Taiwan, where Mister Donut recently teamed up with local fried chicken chain 21 Plus.

▼ The collaboration they’ve come up with is the “Kinako Fried Chicken Pon de Ring”.

The Pon de Ring is one of Mr Donut’s signature items, but this time it’s being used in place of burger buns, with a slab of crispy fried chicken sandwiched between two of them. For our Taiwan-based reporter Yui Imai, this was a guilty pleasure she just had to try, so she headed out to 21 Plus to buy the burger as part of a set, which comes with French fries and a drink for 189 yuan (US$6.53).

Unwrapping the burger revealed it to be as beautiful as she’d hoped — Mister Donut’s Pon de Rings were covered in a kinako (roasted soybean powder) topping, making a powerful visual statement as they hugged the chunky fried chicken on both sides.

A mound of lettuce poked its way through the doughnut hole on top, promising some fresh respite from the carb-heavy feast. Yui couldn’t imagine what this combination would taste like, so she decided to bite the bullet by bringing the burger to her mouth and crunching down through its weird and wonderful layers.

It was immediately chewy, sweet, salty, spicy, juicy and crispy all at once, confounding her senses and confusing her mind. She took another bite, and was able to get a clearer picture of the different components and how they worked together — the doughnut provided a chewy texture to the mix, while the kinako topping added a sweet accent.

The fried chicken was moist and juicy, and the thickness of the serving helped to ensure it wasn’t lost beneath the sweet flavour of the doughnut. It also had a pleasant salty spiciness to it, which worked well against the gentle sweetness of the kinako and the freshness of the lettuce.

Despite being confused at first bite, by last bite Yui was hooked on all the flavours. Unfortunately, though, Yui tells us the burger is no longer available, as it was only sold for a limited time, from 11-29 May, so Yui’s addiction finished as soon as it began. It’s probably for the best, really, considering her last guilty obsession involved Pizza Hut pizzas with fried chicken and Oreos.

Related: 21 Plus
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Foreign traveler on Japan test tour tests positive for coronavirus infection

Tour cancelled for group that entered Japan on Friday.

Japan has had some of the strictest border controls in the world for leisure travelers since the pandemic began, but they’re finally starting to be eased. This month, Japan began accepting guided tour groups with travelers from the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and Thailand as part of a test program ahead of wider eligibility beginning next month.

Unfortunately, one of those travelers has tested positive for infection with the coronavirus. The infected traveler is part of a four-person group from Thailand which arrived in Japan on Friday and entered Oita Prefecture on Sunday. The next morning, while touring the hot spring town of Beppu, the traveler reported having throat pains, and a subsequent test at a medical center confirmed that the traveler was infected.

The traveler’s symptoms are light, with no fever, but the individual has been transferred to a hotel quarantine facility. The other three members of the group tested negative and returned to their previously arranged hotel accommodations, but the remainder of the tour’s activities have been cancelled. No announcement has been made regarding whether the traveler is thought to have become infected before arriving in Japan or after.

The Japanese government has not made any statement that the Thai traveler’s infection will affect the timetable by which, starting June 10, travelers from nearly 200 countries will be eligible to enter Japan on guided tours, with those from 98 not needing any vaccinations or to undergo PCR testing upon arrival. However, the incident is unlikely to make it easier to find hotels, tourism attractions, and local communities willing to host those tours.

Source: NHK News Web, Yahoo! Japan News/Kyodo, Yahoo! Japan News/TOS TV Oita
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Japan has instant ramen booster packs, and we’re not even trying to restrain ourselves【Taste test】

We throw every booster pack we can get our hands on into one Cup Noodle for decadent density.

Instant ramen is all about satisfying our strongest cravings in the quickest way possible. However, by being so accommodating instant ramen also runs the risk of completely eradicating any ability we have to self-regulate our desires. So while we always find ourselves saying “This is goooooood” while we’re chowing down on some Cup Noodle, we also often find ourselves saying “And I want MORE!”

Well, it seems that Cup Noodle maker Nissin has herd our gluttonous growling, and they’re now offering instant ramen booster packs.

As anyone who’s eaten cup ramen knows, you’ve got dried noodles and toppings inside the cup. Nissin’s Cup Noodle booster packs, or oi guzai pakku (“extra ingredient packs”), as they’re called in Japanese, are pouches containing an extra portion of one of eight Cup Noodle toppings.

▼ Top row (left to right): Mystery meat, shrimp, green onion, potato
Bottom row: Cheese, tomato, egg, spicy mystery meat

Nissin isn’t selling the packs individually, though, Instead they’re being offered as part of a promotion through the company’s online store here. Buy an eight-pack of the most popular Cup Noodle flavors for 1,500 yen (US$11.80), and Nissin will throw in an eight-pack of booster packs, while supplies last.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on a set, but we were also foolish enough to leave them just sitting around the office, where they caught the eye of our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun, who just happened to be getting ready to make himself a Cup Noodle.

Before pouring in the hot water, he looked at the standard amount of toppings and realized he could power-up his lunch with a booster pack, so he reached out and grabbed the mystery meat pouch.

▼ We’ve solved the mystery meat mystery, by the way.

But while mystery meat hits the spot for satisfying those carnivorous culinary urges, P.K. also has an appreciation for shellfish (he is, remember, the guy who ordered a 46-tempura shrimp rice bowl for lunch that one time). So, what the heck, why not use the shrimp booster pack too?

Come to think of it, extra egg sounded good too…

You don’t have to be a psychic to predict what P.K. eventually ended up doing. Yep, he completely caved in to temptation and added all eight booster packs to his Cup Noodle.

Cackling with glee, he very carefully poured in the hot water, since the cup was close to overflowing already just from all the extra toppings. Thankfully, everything stayed in the cup, and when it was time to eat, P.K.’s Cup Noodle was more like a Cup Topping.

▼ Seriously, you can’t see the noodles anymore!

Since he was using the standard Cup Noodle variety as the base, the flavor of the broth was the same reliably delicious soy flavor that fans know and love. All the extra toppings, though, made this by far the most decadent and hearty Cup Noodle that P.K. can remember eating. Nissin already has a line of large-size instant noodles that it calls Big Cup Noodle, but this felt like it should be called Dense Cup Noodle, since it wasn’t just the topping quantity, but the noodle-to-topping ration that had been changed.

Now, we should note that Nissin itself says you can limit yourself to adding just a single booster pack to your cup of ramen, or even eating a pack by itself as a snack. You don’t have to use them all at once like P.K. did. But admit it, you want to, right? And P.K. will be the last person to try to talk you out of that.

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