Happy New Year from SoraNews24!

Wishing you all luck and happiness for the Year of the Snake.

It’s been an eventful year here in Japan, with samurai shows, haunted taxis, poop festivals, Christmas displays and junkissa trips keeping us busy throughout 2024. Now, as we prepare for another year of revelry, we’ll be taking some time to relax and unwind with some Japanese traditions on this first day of the year, which include taking the day off to spend time with family, and we hope you’re all able to take the day off and enjoy the start of the year too.

As we enter the Year of the Snake, we’d like to thank you, dear reader, for stopping by our site and supporting us over the past twelve months. It’s because of you that we’re able to keep unearthing Japan’s hidden gems before other media sources hear about them, and we vow to continue sharing the country’s little-known secrets with you in the year to come.

So let us take a moment to raise a Starbucks zodiac mug to all of our readers as we say “Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!” (“Happy New Year!“) We hope you achieve all that you’re striving for this year and receive nothing but love, luck and happiness in the months ahead. We’ll be back with you from tomorrow with more news — and lucky bags — from Japan, and we look forward to being by your side throughout 2025.

Featured image: Pakutaso
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We fulfill a childhood dream with giant wafers at the Hiratsuka Seika factory shop

There will be no waffling over these wafers once you catch sight of their stupendous size.

Our Japanese-language reporter and lover of carbs Mr. Sato loved wafers as a child. Back then, there weren’t as many options for sweet things in his rural hometown’s convenience stores and supermarkets, so his chances to eat them were fairly limited–sometimes when eating a parfait, for instance. Luckily for him, there’s a perfect place for him to indulge in his childhood craving as an adult: the Hiratsuka Seika Factory Shop.

This confectionery maker has been in business for over 120 years, having first opened its doors in 1901 in Kyoto before moving to Tokyo. After switching its focus to chocolate post-WWII, it’s been making wafers and all kinds of baked sweets ever since. There are two factory shop locations bordering Tokyo today–one in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, and the other in Katori, Chiba Prefecture. Mr. Sato decided to pay the Soka shop a visit in person on a recent day and so hopped on the Tobu Line to his destination.

Getting off at Shinden Station, his GPS informed him that it was about a 10-minute walk to the shop.

Once he got close, he could see the factory’s name in large letters across from this little bridge.

The factory shop’s entrance is right at the front of the building and made it hard for him to miss.

Due to its popularity, the shop limits eight people inside at one time. At the time of Mr. Sato’s visit, around 1:30 p.m., there were actually very few people around so he entered easily.

There are also four reserved parking spaces just around the corner from the shop for those coming by car. That isn’t a lot, though, so it might be easiest to come by public transportation, especially on weekends.

Stepping inside, Mr. Sato spotted a sign advertising Hiratsuka Seika’s three most popular products. The first is the brand’s homemade mixed chocolates, followed by rum raisin cream sandwich cookies and a variety of sablé cookies. He thought this guidance was very helpful for first-time visitors to the shop.

He began to walk around to take stock of everything. These packs of shortbread sablés were popular enough that each customer is limited to purchasing two packs at a time.

He began to get really excited when he spotted the chocolate-covered, cream-filled wafers.

However, it was the product immediately next to those that caught his eye. Whatever it was looked like large wooden boards–or maybe some kind of tool used to make wafers.

That’s when Mr. Sato read the sign and audibly gasped in delight. They weren’t boards of wood–they were ginormous sheets of uncut wafers for only 550 yen (US$3.48)!

▼ The sign further specified that they were cream-filled, caramel-flavored, and a perfect accompaniment for ice cream.

And yet, Mr. Sato was incredibly torn. With his penchant for comically large food and drink-related items, he wanted so badly to purchase one of these giant sheets of wafery goodness, but was worried that they would end up breaking as he made his way back to the SoraNews24 office in Shinjuku via crowded trains. The shopping bag he had brought with him wasn’t nearly strong enough to protect their delicate nature. Thankfully, after consulting with a shop worker, he received a cardboard box that was much sturdier. It was much deeper than he needed it to be, but it was the only thing that would fit them lengthwise. He didn’t mind as long as the wafers would be safe.

Operation Transport Wafer: COMMENCE!

One and a half hours later, Mr. Sato stood in the office kitchen, ready to unbox his treasure and make sure that it hadn’t gotten crushed during travel.

This was even more anxiety-provoking than that time he took a leaf blower to the crotch…

So far, so good…!

Thank GOODNESS! There didn’t seem to be any major cracks in the wafer sheet.

This achievement called for a proudly posed photo.

Now it was time to gobble up his childhood dream by gorging on wafers.

He caught the sweet scent of caramel as his teeth sunk into the soft biscuit.

Crunch, crunch! Its taste and texture was everything that a wafer should be. As a kid, he had used to save the wafers on his parfaits for the very last bite. How cool was it now, that at the young age of 51, he could munch on as many of them as he wanted?!

By the way, he had also bought mixed chocolates (600 yen), shortbread sablés (440 yen), dark chocolate (460 yen), and rum raisin cream sandwich cookies (550 yen) as further souvenirs. His immediate gastronomic future looked very sweet, indeed.

Those with a hankering now for giant wafers for themselves should take note that the Hiratsuka Seika Factory Shop is currently closed through January 5 for the New Year’s holidays in Japan. If you need a sweets fix in the meantime, perhaps Starbucks Japan’s new Bouquet Frappuccino can hit the spot instead.

Store information
Hiratsuka Seika Factory Shop Soka Factory / 平塚製菓 ファクトリーショップ 草加工場
Address: Saitama-ken, Soka-shi, Yahata-cho 628
埼玉県草加市八幡町628
Open: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Closed: Sundays
Website

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Kura Sushi has secret menu items in Japan, and here’s how to find them

Get a taste of some rare hidden gems enjoyed by those in the know.

Back in the day, ordering at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant was as simple as picking out whatever dish caught your eye from the belt as it passed by. These days, while the system still exists, most customers choose to order from the electronic touch panel display instead, but if you’re at the popular Kura Sushi chain of restaurants, doing that might mean you end up missing out on some secret menu items not listed on the display.

The reason why these dishes aren’t listed is because they’re part of a “secret menu” that aims to reduce food waste. As a result, the products offered and their timing vary depending on the day, and though sometimes they might be displayed on the touch panel, other times they’ll just be quietly flowing along on the rotating conveyor belt.

According to the official website, the best times to encounter these secret dishes are immediately after the store opens, and at the beginning and end of well-stocked limited-time menu “fairs”. This prompted our reporter Natsuki Gojo to stop by a branch as soon as it opened, which happened to be on the first day of the “Exquisite Tuna Fair”. At this time, though, there was hardly any sushi to be found on the conveyor belt, but a quick look at the touch panel revealed an unusual option, Arajiru, so she immediately ordered it.

This is a secret item that’s relatively easy to come across, so customers might mistake it for being on the regular menu. Arajiru is a general term for soups that make use of leftover fish parts, and this one contains surprisingly large pieces of fish, giving it a satisfying, delicious flavour.

Pleased with the soup discovery, Natsuki took another peek at the touch panel, where she discovered something that wasn’t previously there — Fatty Tuna Sushi Roll.

While tuna sushi rolls are on the regular menu, fatty tuna rolls are a secret item, and something you should definitely order if you get the opportunity.

▼ The filling was wonderfully soft and luxurious.

It was so delicious Natsuki went to order another serving, but that’s when she discovered something interesting…

▼ …it was no longer available!

She’d heard that secret menu items are only available in very limited numbers, so you should order them as soon as you find them to avoid missing out. She was glad she got the chance to try the fatty tuna roll, but with nothing else catching her eye on the touch panel, she turned her attention to the conveyor belt, where she spotted another secret:

▼ The Special Seafood Gunkan Sushi.

This sushi was loaded with seafood, and not available on the touch panel display, making it even more of a special find. It was another delicious dish made even more tasty by the fact that it’s not always available, and after Natsuki got a taste of it, she sincerely hopes to encounter it again.

Now that she’s discovered the hidden gems on the secret menu, she’ll definitely be seeking them out next time she visits Kura Sushi, before she places her order for the chain’s new cake party train, complete with music and flashing lights.

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Pokémon fans aren’t happy with the Mister Donut fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025

Anime fans are left digging for goods in Japan.

‘Tis the season for lucky bags or “fukubukuro” as they’re known in Japanese, and one of the most popular every year is Mister Donut’s, as the chain teams up with Pokémon to release exclusive goods that represent great value for money.

This year, however, customers haven’t been particularly happy about the chain’s lucky bags, as the options have been narrowed down from three to two, with the cheaper 2,400-yen (US$15.21) lucky bag no longer available. That means customers have to shell out more for either the 3,500 yen or 6,000 yen fukubukuro, and to add insult to injury, the number of free doughnuts on the voucher in each bag has been drastically reduced, with the most expensive bag now giving you 35 free doughnuts instead of the usual 50.

Still, this reduced value-for-money fukubukuro held great appeal for our reporter Tasuku Egawa, a self-confessed doughnut-loving Pokémon fan, so he purchased the 6,000-yen lucky bag to find out if it really deserved all the criticism it was getting.

▼ Let’s find out what’s inside…

One welcome change to the format this year was the fact that the bags could be reserved online, so there was no need to spend hours waiting in line at a store before opening. The contents were neatly packed into a bag inside the fukubukuro too, but there was one thing to be careful of….

▼ …the doughnut voucher wasn’t packed with everything inside the bag-in-bag, but taped to the inside of the paper bag instead.

The voucher is an integral component of the bag, as it gives you your money back in the form of 35 doughnuts priced at 198 yen or less, so you won’t want to mistakenly throw it away.

▼ This tiny card is worth 6,930 yen — 930-yen more than the cost of the bag.

▼ Along with the voucher, you’ll receive a code that can be used in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

So what was Tasuku’s initial reaction to the bag? Well, for starters, the voucher was shocking when compared to last year’s most expensive 5,900-yen bag, which contained a voucher for 50 donuts priced at 187 yen or less. That amounted to 9,350-yen worth of doughnuts, which is much better value compared to this year’s measly return of 6,930 yen.

Customers this year were looking at 2,420 yen less value than last year, or 2,520 yen less if you factor in the rise in the cost of the bag, which is a huge hit that customers are right to be upset over, although with rising production costs, it doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

After reeling from the blow of the voucher, did the other items in the bag help to soften the blow for Tasuku? Let’s take a look at what he received.

▼ A clear file

▼A Schedule Book

▼ An Eco bag

▼ And a Bath Towel.

Hmmm…if he’s being honest, Tasuku has to say these items didn’t soften the blow, as he’s used to receiving a ridiculously large bag of goods from Mister Donut. However, it could just be that Mister Donut had been so good at delivering value for money in the past that when it came time to tighten the purse strings this year, the difference was blindingly obvious.

▼ Back in 2022, for instance, he received this 40-centimetre (15.7-inch) tall “life-sized” Pikachu cushion, along with a heap of other goods and a voucher for 50 donuts, all for 5,500 yen.

It’s hard to come back from the giddy highs of Mister Donut lucky bag hauls from previous years, so this year’s bag definitely feels like it comes up short by comparison. Still, it’s not like you’re losing money by purchasing one of these bags, as you do get 6,930 yen worth of doughnut vouchers, plus free Pokémon goods, for 6,000 yen, so our love isn’t entirely lost for the chain. However, we now have our fingers crossed that the value for money will return next year, with more doughnuts and better goods for doughnut-loving Pokémon fans.

Related: Mister Donut
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Why are there so many Hokkaido food fairs in Japanese department stores these days?

Holy cow, Hokkaido!

People in the Tokyo area especially may have noticed a recent influx in Hokkaido food fairs over the past year. These events, held within department stores, give Hokkaido’s local food producers a chance to sell their wares in other markets around the country with a particular focus on the metropolis of Tokyo.

Sure, they’re a great chance to get some of the best food Japan has to offer, but why have there been so many?

▼ This guy was probably just looking for the train station and ended up in a Hokkaido food fair.

One’s first guess might be that they rake in the dough with sales, but that’s actually not true. Hokkaido is famous for its great food and great food is a common denominator that appeals to all types of customers, but it’s been said that these events often don’t even break even for the department stores that host them. While sales are good in general, they’re also offset by high operating costs, such as freezers and tanks of water to hold seafood as well as other specialized equipment.

▼ Some even have dining sections that can take up a lot of floor space.

The next logical reason would be that it’s a matter of prestige, and that’s certainly part of it. As the head of a department store, you certainly wouldn’t want to be the only one without a Hokkaido food fair and if you do have one, you would certainly want it to be the best despite the additional costs. So, attaching your department store with the popular Hokkaido name has its benefits even if it isn’t profitable.

But a more peculiar reason is the real impetus behind this recent rise in northern food festivals. It’s that customers who come to Hokkaido food fairs also tend to buy other things at the department store and not only that, but these customers also tend to buy higher-end goods than visitors for other events.

▼ I guess anyone willing to drop 2,190 yen ($14) on a wagyu bento is also less likely to shy away from luxury brands.

Despite the high popularity of Hokkaido food in general, it isn’t clear why other regional food fairs aren’t as potent as catalysts for unrelated consumerism. There’s just a certain X-factor about the “Hokkaido” brand that makes people want to buy stuff, regardless of what it is.

A plausible theory floated among online comments was that a Hokkaido food fair is especially good at drawing out people who would normally shop online for convenience, and since they’re already at a department store they just end up buying things there too.

Whether that’s true or not doesn’t change the fact that these food exhibitions are indirectly lucrative events for department stores and will likely continue to reappear in the year to come. In fact, all this talk about Hokkaido food fairs is really burning a hole in my pocket… I think I’ll buy a bottle of space sake!

Source: TBS News Dig, Hachima Kiko
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SoraNews24’s two most eligible bachelors are still looking for dates, so we’ve updated their photos

Takamichi and Takuya clean up nice, it turns out.

As you might recall, a while back we launched the Find Girlfriends for Takamichi and Takuya Project, with the goal of finding dates for two of the SoraNews24 team’s eligible bachelors, Takamichi Furusawa and Takuya Inaba. In our initial article we introduced the two gentleman and shared a few photos of them.

However, the photos we showed you at that time were simply ones picked from Takamichi and Takuya’s personal photo rolls. After giving it some more thought, we decided that we should also show you just how nicely these guys can clean up. To that end, we called on the services of our ace reporter Mr. Sato…

…and he in turn called on the services of photo studio Opalus, located about 10 minutes on foot from SoraNews24 HQ in downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.

Opalus previously helped Mr. Sato when he wanted to do a rooftop pole dancing photo shoot, so he figured “Please show everybody just how handsome my two coworkers are” should be a feasible request for their team of professional photographers.

▼ Takamichi and Takuya arrive at Opalus

After a quick consultation, the Opalus hair and makeup team got to work getting our guys styled.

Then it was time to put them in the hands of photographer Naoko Tachibana.

So when the posing and shooting was all done, how did the pictures turn out? Let’s start with Takamichi’s.

Dapperly dressed, Takamichi radiates an aura of calm confidence, unflappable as he takes off a pair of shades to show you the sincerity in his eyes.

Slipping off the jacket for a more casual look, we see more of his boyish innocence…

…but also a hint at his mature sophistication.

We should note that casual dress is the norm in the SoraNews24 office, so even some of us on staff hadn’t seen either of these guys in a suit and tie, but it’s a look they both can pull off, as you can in these photos of Takuya.

In our previous article, we went into details about both of their backgrounds and the kind of romantic partner they’re looking for, but since we’re updating their profile pics, we figured we’d ask for a refresher on their preferences too. Takamichi is a serious cinephile who loves watching movies either at the theater or at home, and he’d like to find someone who shares that passion. Personality-wise, he’s hoping to meet someone who’s cheerful, friendly, and health-conscious, and also someone who’s responsible with their spending habits, as he’s the kind of guy who’ll walk an extra block or two to buy a drink from a store with lower prices.

As for Takuya, he’s looking for someone who can appreciate, or at least tolerate, his laid-back, don’t sweat the little things outlook on life, and also someone who won’t get weirded out by his love of collecting retro toys and American cartoon merch. He also loves going to concerts and music festivals, so someone who enjoys those activities too would be ideal.

Applications for both of our bachelors will be open until January 31, and can be made by sending an email to us at info@rocketnews24.com with either the subject line 「古沢記者の彼女になりたい」 for those interested in going on a date with Takamichi, or 「イナバ記者の彼女になりたい」 for Takuya.

Related: Opalus
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