A carlator is shaking things up on our way to one of Japan’s last revolving restaurants

A full-body dining experience like no other, complete with stunning, panoramic views.

Once upon a time, it wasn’t so hard to find revolving restaurants that perched atop the department store rooftops and towers of Japan’s skylines. They were an ultimate combination of quirky dining and spectacular views. Fast forward to today, and most have spun out of existence with less than ten left still turning. So, when fate brought our Japanese-language reporter K. Masami near one of these last spinning bastions of Showa-era charm, she couldn’t resist rolling in for a bite. However, she wasn’t prepared for the extra twist that was thrown her way on the journey to Cosmos in Kobe.

What started as a typical outing took an interesting turn when Masami alighted the train at Sumaurakoen Station. Right away, she was greeted by a ropeway ticket machine. In a mountainous country like Japan, ropeways are quite a common sight, but it was the mention of something far less ordinary that really threw her for a spin: a mysterious contraption known only as a “carlator”.

Intrigued, she picked up a round trip ticket for 1,200 yen (US$8) and ventured forth, gliding skyward on the ropeway towards the unknown.

Stepping out of the upper station, Masami’s eyes locked onto a peculiar system: a cross between a ski lift and an escalator, but with a solid floor. The name “carlator” suddenly made a lot of sense: a portmanteau of “car” and “escalator”.

Reassured by the floor’s stability—a comforting upgrade from dangling ski lifts—she climbed aboard, ready for a smooth ride. The operator instructed her to “hold on tightly” and, before she could process the advice, the carlator jolted into motion with a force better suited for launching rockets into orbit. As it rattled up the slope, her confidence in its stability was shaken, along with her seat and belongings. Clinging on tightly, she could only hope that nothing was jostled out of the car.

After a bumpy but strangely memorable ride, Masami arrived at the three-story building that housed Cosmos, where every floor radiated retro charm.

The first floor boasted a vintage jukebox (which she now deeply regrets not trying), the second floor featured a small arcade with nostalgic games, and the third floor was the main attraction: the revolving restaurant itself.

Unfamiliar with how revolving restaurants operate, Masami initially expected the rotation to pause so diners could hop on and off. However, as she watched it steadily spin, she quickly realized there was no need. At a leisurely pace of one full rotation every 55 minutes, Cosmos gives you plenty of time to sip, snack, and soak in the 360-degree views without feeling rushed.

▼ The outer ring with the tables and chairs rotates (回る); the counter does not (回らない)

Masami opted for a melon soda float (650 yen) and a hot sandwich (600 yen) from the central cashier before settling into her seat to watch the world roll by.

As the restaurant slowly rotated, offering ever-changing panoramic views, retro music played softly in the background, wrapping the experience in a cozy, luxurious tranquility.

With a delicious meal in her stomach and an almost full rotation, Masami returned her dishes and prepared for descent. Walking to the ropeway was, of course, an option, but the oddly therapeutic, full-body vibration of the carlator had got her addicted. With ticket in hand, she hopped aboard once more, shaking and rattling her way down the mountain like an enthusiastic human maraca.

Whether you’re a fan of quirky dining experiences or just curious to step back into a slice of Showa-era nostalgia, Cosmos is a must-visit. While it’s not the only rotating restaurant still standing, many others have stopped spinning, making this spot a rare gem. Although a few have recently resumed their rotations, the trend toward converting city rooftops into green spaces means revolving restaurants, as well as rooftop amusement parks, are unlikely to see a comeback anytime soon. So, if you’re in the area, don’t miss your chance to experience this one-of-a-kind dining adventure.

Cafe information
Kissa Cosmos / 喫茶コスモス
Address: Hyogo-ken, Kobe-shi, Suma-ku, Ichinomiya-cho, 5-chome, 3-ban, 2-go
兵庫県神戸市須磨区一ノ谷町5丁目3番2号
Open 10:10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (last order 3:30 p.m.)
Closed Tuesdays
Website

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Ranma 1/2 Cafe opening in three Japanese cities, features food with transformable flavors

Ranma is back on TV with a new anime series, and back in Japan’s character cafe circuit too!

In October, fans of Ranma 1/2 got a special treat as the martial arts/comedy/romance returned to television with an anime remake of the series whose original iteration premiered in 1989. Now there’s another encore of sorts for the franchise, with a brand-new Ranma 1/2 themed cafe set to open soon in Japan!

The first Ranma-themed eatery since 2018, the new Ranma 1/2 Cafe will be a popup restaurant with three locations, in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. As is often the case with themed cafes, there’s a reservation system with a seating charge of 770 yen (US$5), but also some cool extras that come as part of the deal, as ordering food gets you two character art postcards, selected randomly from a set of five, and ordering drinks gets you one of five coasters, also chosen at random.

▼ Coasters

▼ Postcards

The new Ranma anime keeps the original’s setting of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, but the cafe’s character artwork turns the retro dial back a few notches more by dressing the cast in attire evocative of the Taisho period (1912-1926), for an extra-old school kissa (coffee shop) aesthetic.

The cafe’s artwork is using the character designs of the new Ranma 1/2 anime as its base, and with it still in the early stages of the story, the themed menu items and merch highlight five of the most central characters in the cast: protagonist Ranma (in male and female forms), his fiance Akane, his rival Ryoga, and his second (though not his last) fiance Shampoo.

Ranma’s core plot point is that, due to a curse, he changes from a boy to a girl with a splash of cold water, and back into a boy with hot water. In keeping with that, there are two different Ranma-themed dishes, each with a bit of temperature-based transformation involved. First up is the Ranma Omelet Pilaf (1,790 yen [US$11.70]), a variation of Japan’s traditional rice omelets with scrambled egg and cheese over rice, served with a kettle of hot beef stock soup to pour over it.

There’s also the Ranma Chilled Omelet Pasta (1,790 yen), cream sauce pasta with egg and cheese served cold with a bucket of chilled tomato soup to add.

Ranma’s not the only one with a water-based curse, as his rival Ryoga transforms into an adorable little black pig, known to those unaware of his curse as P-chan. The Ryoga /P-chan Curry (1,790 yen) has black rice sculpted to look like P-chan, with a slice of kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) standing in for his bandana, along with meatballs, potatoes, and other veggies for a flavor you can lose yourself in.

Moving on to desserts, we come to Akane’s Dora-pancake (1,690 yen), a bold mishmash of eastern and western sweets. Sandwiched between the pair of compact pancakes is a whole lot of azuki (sweet red bean jam) and a plopping of vanilla ice cream, while on top there are white peach slices and matcha shiratama (mochi dumplings). As a nod to Akane’s status as one of the most terrifyingly unskilled chefs in the history of anime, the Dora-pancake purposely isn’t much to look at, but all of the ingredients sound delicious, so it’s likely a dessert whose inner beauty is what’s most important.

Alternatively, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with Shampoo’s Anmitsu Parfait (1,690 yen), a tall glass of azuki, shiratama, fruit, and blakcurrant sherbert.

As for drinks, Ranma is represented with a butterfly pea tea accompanied by a slice of grapefruit, which changes color if you add a squirt of the juice.

Also part of the lineup of drinks (all 990 yen) are Akane’s hot matcha milk with strawberry flakes…

…Ryoga’s hot Vienna coffee with pumpkin powder and cocoa biscuit topping…

…and Shampoo’s almond tofu-style float with white peach sherbert.

Attached to the cafes will be a merch shop with pins, key holders, acrylic mini character stands, stickers, drawstring pouches, and memo paper canisters.

The Ranma 1/2 Cafe opens in Osaka on December 5 at the Box Cafe & Space venue within the Umeda Kitte shopping center, where it runs until January 13. The Nagoya location will also open on December 5, at the Lachic 1 Box Cafe & Space, and be in operation until January 26. The Tokyo cafe doesn’t yet have an opening date more specific than sometime in 2025 and no location has been announced, though the Box Cafe & Space in the Sola Machi shopping center at the foot of the Tokyo Skytree seems like the most likely candidate.

Reservations can be made through the official Ranma 1/2 Cafe website here, which also has a storefront for online purchase of the related merch.

Related: Ranma 1/2 Cafe official website
Source, images: PR Times
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Shinkansen to permanently reduce number of inexpensive non-reserved seats on Nozomi trains

Tokaido and Sanyo routes, connecting Tokyo with Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, to be affected.

The Shinkansen is still the crown jewel of Japan’s rail network, but it’s shining a little less brilliantly these days. In recent years, operator Japan Railways has added a reservation requirement for large luggage and eliminated in-car food/drink sales, and now the bullet train is going to lose an additional swatch of convenience with the removal of a car’s worth of budget-friendly non-reserved seats.

The decision, reached by operators JR Central and JR West, will affect riders of the Nozomi-class Shinkansen, the fastest class travelling on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines that connect Tokyo Station and Fukuoka’s Hakata Station, with stops at cities including Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima along the way. Currently, Cars 1 through 3 of the 16-car Nozomi trains are for non-reserved seats, with the remaining cars’ seats all requiring reservations, which in turn require additional fees. However, JR Central and West are planning to reclassify Car 3 to a reserved-seat car. This would eliminate 85 non-reserved seats on the train, which, under the new configuration, will have more first-class “Green Cars” (Cars 8, 9, and 10) than lowest-priced non-reserved cars (Cars 1 and 2).

The price of a reserved seat from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka Station is 14,720 yen (US$96). A non-reserved seat for the same route is 850 yen less, which works out to a 1,700-yen savings for a round-trip journey. Travelers on a tight budget, particularly domestic Japanese travelers, won’t be happy about the lessened availability of the cheapest tickets, though the extra cost isn’t likely to be a deal-breaker for foreign tourists who’re on a long-awaited visit to Japan, especially with the continued weakness of the yen versus other currencies.

However, the advantage of non-reserved Shinkansen tickets isn’t just their lower cost, but their flexibility. Non-reserved Shinkansen tickets work similarly to non-reserved tickets for regular trains in Japan, in that they’re valid for a point-to-point ride at any time during that day. Shinkansen trains come by every few minutes, so, if you find something cool in the town you’re leaving that day and want to stick around a little longer, delaying your departure is easy to do with a non-reserved ticket – just go the station later than you were originally thinking of. Same goes for if you wrap up your sightseeing earlier than expected and want to head to the next town on your itinerary sooner to have more time there.

Reserved tickets, on the other hand, don’t just guarantee you a specific seat, they also lock you into taking a specific train. So if you discover a cool temple in Kyoto on the morning you’re supposed to leave that you want to fully explore, or if your growling stomach is ordering you to hop on the train and move up your Kobe beef dinner plans, you’re out of luck.

▼ The temple being hundreds of years old won’t change the fact that your reserved seat is on a train leaving in 20 minutes.

That said, the shift will, of course, make it easier for those who do want reserved seats to get one, as well as those who, because of their luggage, have to have reserved seats.

Since the end of 2023, certain Nozomi trains have run with reserved seats only during the peak New Year’s, spring, and summer holiday travel seasons. This will be the first time however, for JR to permanently reduce the number of non-reserved seats on the Nozomi. The changeover is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2025, most likely at the start of the business year in late March/early April.

Source: Asahi Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan News via Jin, Jiji
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Studio Ghibli adds a Spirited Away jewellery box to its merchandise range in Japan

No Face pulls at the heartstrings in this sad-but-sweet product.

Studio Ghibli’s 2001 movie Spirited Away is one of the world’s most lauded anime films of all time, and a big part of its success lies in the characters at the centre of the story. One fan favourite is No Face, the dark, shadowy figure who experiences just as much growth and character development as central protagonist Chihiro, only with less dialogue to heighten its sense of mystery and fully draw us in.

With a mask concealing its expressions throughout much of the movie, it’s hard to know what No Face is thinking or feeling at any given moment, but one thing we learn about the character is its ability to make gold, as it showers nuggets of it throughout the bathhouse during its rampage around the building.

▼ The one person who refuses No Face’s gold is Chihiro.

Image: Studio Ghibli

No Face’s connection to gold makes it the perfect fit for a special Studio Ghibli product: the Spirited Away Paper Music Box.

This beautiful product showcases a number of characters from the movie, including No Face and Haku as the white dragon on the lid…

Boh, in mouse form, and Yu-Bird, in fly form, grace the back of the box, with a trio of Soot Sprites joining them.

▼ And on the side we have Yubaba with Yu-Bird.

The metal fittings give the music box a rustic, antique look, while the pattern is reminiscent of the wallpaper in Yubaba’s office.

Opening the lid reveals the true star of the show, as No Face pops up, looking over your jewellery collection.

The character details are faithfully replicated, bringing No Face’s aura of mystery and intrigue to the scene.

No Face seems both proud and awe-inspired by the jewels beneath, as if he’d fashioned them from his very own magical gold-making palms.

There’s a touch of melancholy here, too, as the character appears to be in self-repose, reflecting upon the deeper significance of jewels and riches and their power over the human spirit.

Adding to the magic is the fact that when the dial on the back of the box is fully turned, No Face spins around as the ending theme song for the movie, “Itsumo Nandomo“, which goes by the English title “Always With Me“, plays its soulful melody.

Though it’s designed to store jewellery, this box can be used for other small items such as accessories and hanko stamps. Priced at 7,150 yen (US$47.21), the box is sure to bring a touch of magic to whatever you choose to store in it, and it can be purchased now at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online, while stocks last.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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Japanese idol group asks fans to be respectful towards pre-teen singer for heartwarming reason

With the Christmas season here, management asks for sensitivity regarding one specific topic.

To many fans, a big part of the appeal of idol music is the genre’s sense of community and feeling of emotional connection with performers. At the same time, though, many idol singers are still very young, especially at the time of their debut, and so it’s important for fans to be respectful when interacting with the members of the group, whether in-person or online.

It’s against that backdrop that the official Twitter account of four-member idol unit Idol Kyoshitsu New has made a clear request for fans regarding their treatment of member Seira Umegawa. Umegawa is the youngest member of the group, and is currently in the sixth year of elementary school, corresponding to the age of 11 or 12 in the Japanese school system. With her tender age in mind, Idol Kyoshitsu New’s management has called for consideration in discussing a very sensitive topic.

The statement reads:

An important announcement regarding Seira Umegwa

Thank you all for your continued kind support of Idol Kyoshitsu New.

Seira Umegawa is currently in the sixth grade, and we are informing everyone that as of the time of this writing, November 25, 2024, she believes in Santa Claus.

We apologize for the suddenness of this, but following discussions between the other members of the group and Umegawa’s parents, we are requesting that fans conduct themselves, in words and actions, with the presumption that Santa Claus exists.

The statement goes on to explain that while Umegawa’s social medica accounts are managed by her parents, the group is still asking for fans to maintain a Santa Claus-is-real atmosphere in their online reactions, The management is also asking fans to refrain from discussing this request with Umegawa directly, as well as to avoid the topic, and debates as to the existence of Santa Claus, when interacting with other members of the group at in-person fan events when Umegawa is within earshot.

Idol Kyoshitsu New’s management acknowledges that this may be an imposition upon fans, but asks for their support in allowing Umegawa retain her current beliefs. Taking a look at replies to the request, the response has been overwhelmingly kindhearted, with reactions including:

“I mean, yeah, of course, because Santa is real.”
“Aa long as you believe in Santa, he’s real.”
“He’ll be coming to the houses of purehearted people again this year.”
“He comes to my house every year (this’ll be his 29th visit).”
“There’s even a Santa Village in Finland.”
“You can track his Christmas Eve flight on the NORAD website.”
“When you wake up on Christmas morning, there’s a present waiting for you, right? So there’s no reason to think Santa isn’t real.”

Non-believers may think that the sooner kids’ abandon their belief in Santa, the better. With idol music being built on themes of hope and dreams, though, Idol Kyoshitsu New’s way of handling the situation doesn’t feel out of line.

Source: Twitter/@idolclass_new via Jin
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Bad tourist manners lead to new Mt. Fuji view-blocking scree at Japan’s “Fuji convenience store”

Rural town put its faith in tourists to be polite, and that faith was not rewarded.

Once upon a time, the Kawaguchiko Ekimae branch of Japanese convenience store Lawson wasn’t so different from other rural convenience stores in Japan. Located in the Yamanashi Prefecture town of Fujikawaguchiko, which has a population of less than 30,000 people, the store’s clientele was primarily locals stopping in for snacks and staples.

That changed, though, when tourists started flocking to the Kawaguchiko Ekimae Lawson to snap photos from the parking lot, from which Mt. Fuji can be seen. Unfortunately, the growing crowds weren’t particularly well-mannered, littering, dangerously jaywalking back and forth across the street in front of the Lawson blocking the entrance to the dentist’s office across the street, and otherwise making things unpleasant for locals in the small town of less than 30,000 people. Things got so bad that last spring the town installed a fence to block the view of Mt. Fuji.

▼ The view-blocking fence from last spring

That calmed things down for a while, and the fence was taken down in August, with the city issuing a statement “[As long as tourists continue to display good manners], we will not be putting the screen back up.”

Sadly, tourists have not continued to display good manners, and so a new fence is going up.

The decision follows a resurgence in impolite behavior at the site, including tourists hurling verbal abuse such as “You’re an idiot” and “Die” at crowd control staff that the city has been forced to dispatch to deal with the same problems as before, jaywalking, littering, and blocking pedestrian pathways.

The original view-blocking fence that was installed last spring was placed on the opposite side of the street from the convenience store, between the dental clinic and the road, so as not to block the entrance to the Lawson parking lot. The new fence, though, will be placed on the convenience store’s side of the street, with the city approaching the Lawson branch’s management and securing it’s cooperation earlier this month. The new fence will be approximately six meters (19.7 feet) long, with construction set to begin as soon as the exact dimensions and positioning are decided on.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun
Top image: Pakutaso
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Shimonoseki’s Koreantown isn’t like Tokyo’s or Osaka’s, but it has a retro atmosphere all its own

We stumble upon a small Korean area in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the city connected to Busan, Korea by ferry.

When our travel-loving, Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa arrived at Shimonoseki Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture on November 22, she spotted a poster for the 22nd Little Busan Festival to be held the following day in an area of the city called Shimonoseki Koreantown Green Mall. She’d had no idea that this event was about to take place, and while she unfortunately wouldn’t be able to attend, she was curious to check out the area where it would be held.

Ikuna was curious to see what Shimonoseki’s Koreantown (yes, the spelling is different from the usual “Koreatown”), nicknamed “Little Busan,” was like. After all, the major port cities of Shimonoseki, Japan and Busan, Korea are only about 200 kilometers (124.3 miles) apart and are official sister cities.

▼ A one-way ferry ride between the two cities/countries was being advertised for 6,300 yen (US$41).

Luckily, when she exited Shimonoseki Station, she was greeted by a big welcome sign to the city on the left.

When she squinted just a little bit farther away, however, she saw something that piqued her curiosity even more.

It was Busan Gate–a gateway that pays homage to traditional Korean aesthetics.

In fact, it strongly resembles the entrance to the Ikuno Koreatown in Osaka which Ikuna has previously visited.

▼ The entrance to Osaka’s Ikuno Koreatown

The gateway also serves as the entrance to the Shimonoseki Koreantown Green Mall shopping area that extends from the station and would host the Little Busan Festival the next day. It was time for Ikuna to get walking.

At first, it didn’t give off much of a Korean vibe, but there were also a good number of shops that were still shuttered.

Just as she was beginning to wonder if this were truly Koreantown, she began to glimpse some eateries popping up here and there. None of them were open, however, likely because it was around 3 p.m., a time when many restaurants close between the lunch and the dinner rush.

Only the red poles supporting the awning indicated that she was still in the designated Green Mall area. The people she occasionally passed also had the look not of tourists, but of locals.

It was easy to guess from the slightly retro atmosphere that this area had been around for a while and was probably past its heyday. It probably wouldn’t draw many of the younger crowds hooked on K-pop and other Korean pop culture, but it was intriguing in a different way for someone with an interest in local histories like Ikuna.

At one point she came across a large sign with a map of the Green Mall area. Thank goodness–she was still in the right place after all.

Unfortunately, a potted plant was growing right against the map, obscuring part of it from view. She figured this kind of thing wouldn’t happen in more bustling Korea-centric areas of Japan such as Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo neighborhood or Osaka’s Tsuruhashi, but here, it somehow didn’t seem out of place.

Finally she arrived at a place that seemed to signal the end of the shopping street. From the station to this point, it had taken about 20 minutes of walking.

She decided to make the return trip on the other side of the road for some slightly different scenery. From afar, this side had seemed abandoned. However, she now noticed that there were indeed signs showing that businesses were open, but she lacked the courage to go in because there were so few people around.

One discovery that she was glad to make was the presence of several small grocery stores, each staffed by a single elderly man or woman. They all sold plenty of tasty Korean snacks and other foodstuffs. In commemoration, she went inside one and purchased a pack of Shin Ramyun for later.

All in all, Shimonoseki’s Koreantown is a far cry from the Korean cosmetics, K-pop goods, and street food mecca of other Koreatowns in Japan. This is not a place where you’ll see throngs of teenagers walking down the street while eating a spicy batch of tteokbboki or a piping-hot hotteok.

Instead, the neighborhood gave Ikuna the feeling that it’s the last vestiges of a once bustling town from the past. It has historical charm in a different kind of way from the cosmopolitan streets of other cities. In any case, the next time she’s craving some Korean street food, it would be easy enough to cook up some trending recipes at home.

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