Tourists in Kyoto cause chaos at railway crossing near Fushimi Inari Taisha

Overtourism leads to frightening scenes at a busy train crossing.

Kyoto has long been feeling the strain of overtourism, which not only places a burden on tourist sites but local residents, who find it difficult to go about their daily lives. This struggle was clearly evident near Fushimi Inari Taisha last week, when a dangerous situation arose at a railway crossing.

On 26 January, a large group of tourists were making their way over the crossing when the alarm began to sound, indicating the imminent arrival of an oncoming train. When the alarm rings out at a Japanese railway crossing such as this one, the poles lower automatically to prevent people from entering the crossing, but on this particular day, tourists ignored all the warning signs, continuing over the tracks as the poles jostled around their heads.

▼ This report shows the chaotic scene as it unfolded.

With no sign of the crowd abating, the emergency button was pressed, alerting the driver of the oncoming train, who stopped the vehicle. As a result, the train was delayed for roughly 20 minutes, inconveniencing commuters.

Thankfully, the quick-thinking actions of whoever pressed the emergency button helped to prevent a major incident, but according to local residents and shopkeepers, overcrowding at this site isn’t an anomaly, with tourists impeding the proper functioning of the crossing numerous times every week.

Kyoto City employs security guards to help control the crowds here at busy times such as New Year’s and sakura cherry blossom season, but there are no guards overseeing the site at this time of year. This is proving to be problematic, though, as the end of January and early February coincides with the Chinese New Year holiday period, when Japan sees a large uptick in Chinese tourists, and reports say the voices in the crowd at the railway crossing were heard to be Chinese.

▼ This site becomes incredibly congested as it’s located at the start of the approach to the shrine, which has a history stretching back more than 1,300 years.

According to reports, the congestion that occurred here on 26 January was particularly bad as it wasn’t just one group but two groups trying to cross, each from either side, at the same time. Rather than stick to one side of the street, tourists on both sides walked freely across, bumping into each other as they did so, causing confusion that made it nearly impossible to safely cross over to the other side.

▼ This cued-up section of the report shows how the two groups collided, causing the congestion.

It’s not just people making their way over the tracks here, as regular vehicles also share the narrow road. When crowds like this gather, it becomes difficult for cars to cross, as evidenced in the above report, where a taxi could be seen barely making it to the other side of the crossing before the pole came down on the boot of the vehicle.

With problems occurring at the railway crossing several times a week, this is an issue that clearly needs to be addressed. While some might argue that Kyoto City should employ security guards at the site full-time, with so many popular tourist sites scattered around the area, there’s only so much the city can do. Perhaps a more feasible solution to the problem would be to post signs at the crossing to indicate which side of the road pedestrians should stand stand, to prevent foot traffic from colliding with each other. However, walking two-or-three-abreast might result in large groups being split in two, and with wait times at the crossing being roughly seven minutes, this could only exacerbate the problem.

Perhaps an open discussion between the city, the railway operator and tour guides would be the most effective solution. Clear communication between all parties could result in tour groups being better equipped to time their crossings to avoid the passing trains, leading to a happy compromise for everyone involved.

Source: FNN via Yahoo! News Japan
Top image: Pakutaso
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Studio Ghibli’s cutest couple is now a sweet treat to eat for Valentine’s Day

Jiji and Lili join special Totoro Valentine’s Day cream puffs at the Ghibli-themed bakery in Tokyo.

Studio Ghibli may not make too many outright romance movies, but the production house’s anime films feature a number of memorable pairs whose love and devotion to one another is either explicitly stated or implicitly implied, from Whisper of the Heart’s Shizuku and Seiji to Spirited Away’s Chihiro and Haku and Howl’s Moving Castle’s Sophie and Howl. With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, it’s the perfect time for Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory, the Ghibli-themed bakery in Tokyo, to be whipping up a sweet salute to a Ghibli couple, but instead of any of the characters mentioned above, Shirohige is instead shining the spotlight on the cutest Ghibli anime couple of them all: Jiji and Lily.

Much of the kitty courtship between Jiji and Lily takes place off-camera during Kiki’s Delivery Service, but there’s no mistaking the feelings they have for each other. We get a few glimpses of the couple pairing off and spending time together as protagonist Kiki deals with the movie’s central plot points, but by the time the credits are rolling, Jiji and Lily are in an established relationship, as evidenced by their litter of four kittens, three who have inherited their mother’s white fur and one papa Jiji’s black coat.

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory’s Jiji and Lily Chocolate Pudding perches the two lovebirds/romancecats atop a cup of pudding made from a blend of two types of Ghanian chocolate, accented by a light sweet and tart berry mouse. As for Jiji and Lily themselves, they’re made of nerikiri, a traditional Japanese confectionery that’s a mixture of sweet bean paste and mochi flour, and each one of the cats is handcrafted by the Shirohige staff. Even the mug, ringed with illustrations of the bakery’s mascot character chef and depictions of its flagship Totoro-shaped cream puffs, is special, as it’s a formerly limited-quantity item that’s just now being offered once again, making the 2,200 yen (US$14) set both a dessert and a souvenir.

Speaking of Shirohige’s Totoro cream puffs, they’re getting Valentine’s Day versions, covered with a chocolate ganache coating infused with either strawberry and raspberry flavors (red Totoro cream puff) or range caramel (white Totoro). The Choco Chibi Totoro cream puffs come packaged with a pair of chocolate madeleine mini cakes, for 850 yen

And if you want to keep things simple, but also, of course, delicious and adorable, there’s the Totoro and Heart cookie set (500 yen)…

…and the Catbus Chocolate Sandwich Cookie (850 yen), with a chocolate ganache filling, which is showing up right as at just about the same time as that heart-meltingly cute Catbus mini figure series.

As for availability, the Totoro and Heart cookies arrive first and will be on sale from February 5 to 14. Next comes the chocolate Catbus cookies, which will be purchasable from February 8 to 14 at both Hiroshige branches (in Tokyo’s Daita and Kichijoji neighborhoods), and then at the Kichijoji branch only through March 31. Finally, the Jiji and Lilly Chocolate Pudding and Choco Chibi Totoros will be offered only from February 11 to 14, and while a limited quantity will be available for same0day purchase, Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory recommends reserving your ahead of time by contacting the bakery ahead of time.

Shop information
Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory (Daita branch) / 白髭のシュークリーム工房（代田店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Setagaya-ku, Daita 5-3-1
東京都世田谷区代田5-3-1
Open 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays (or Wednesday if Tuesday is a holiday)
Telephone: 03-5787-6221
Website

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory (Kichijoji branch) / 白髭のシュークリーム工房（吉祥寺店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji, Minamicho 2-7-5
東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺南町２丁目７−５
Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays (or Wednesday if Tuesday is a holiday)
Telephone: 0422-26-6550
Website

Source: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory, Tabelog
Top image ©SoraNews24
Insert images: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory
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Japan’s Sleep Shelter is here to help gamers play all night and sleep all day【Photos】

Designers say it also makes for a great shrine to your favorite game/anime character.

Certain pieces of furniture were clearly designed with a specific activity in mind, like writing desks or reading lamps. And while it may not be explicitly stated in its name, Japan’s new Sleep Shelter is made for gaming.

The latest offering from innovative Japanese lifestyle brand Bibilab, the Sleep Shelter is essentially an expansion pack for your bed. Inside you’ll find clear pockets into which you can slide a smartphone or “gaming device with a screen of up to 7 inches,” as Bibilab says in its press release, pretty clearly alluding to the size of the Nintendo Switch.

▼ The Sleep Shelter has three clear pockets, one above…

▼ …and one on either side, so that whether you’re lying on your back or your side, you’ve got a comfortable line of sight.

Other practical touches include nets to store eyeglasses, controllers, or other items, plus a hook to organize charging cords or hang an interior light from.

Speaking of light, the Sleep Shelter, which measures 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) across, will also block light from seeping out from your screen to bother your already snoozing bedmate, or dorm roommate or sibling if you’re in a two-beds-in-one-bedroom sort of living arrangement.

Alternatively, the Sleep Shelter can also give you some company if you cover the interior with pictures of your favorite anime/game crushes.

Hang up an interior light and you can even use the Sleep Shelter for reading old-school physical media too.

But wait, what about when it’s time to actually, you know, sleep? When that time finally comes, you can lower the Sleep Shelter’s curtain. The material is made of blackout drape fabric, because Bibilab knows that sometimes gamers stay up past their originally intended bedtime when they’re doing battle with a particularly tricky boss or scouring the map for rare collectibles, and that maybe, just maybe they’ll want to sleep in the next day, long after the sun is up and filling their room with otherwise slumber-impeding light.

▼ “Zzz…damn you…From Software bosses…zzz”

Ventilation flaps on the sides of the Sleep Shelter keep it from getting too stuffy or steamy inside, and the whole thing folds up for easy storage when not in use.

The Sleep Shelter has a recommended retail price of 12,000 yen (US$76), which is exactly what it can be ordered for through Amazon here. Note, though, that since it’s size for a single occupant, there may or may not be able to fit Bibilab’s Cotton Wife or Cotton Husband in there with yourself.

Source, images: PR Times
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Want the noodles without the noise? This is the perfect place for you to try wanko soba

This wanko soba restaurant in Iwate Prefecture serves up soba without a side of self-consciousness.

Our Japanese-language reporter Saya Togashi recently traveled to Iwate Prefecture in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. When in Iwate, anyone simply must try the local specialty of wanko soba–small bowls of buckwheat noodles that are typically served in rapid succession by an enthusiastic and shouting server. This style of eating soba often makes the news during eating contests in regional strongholds like the towns of Morioka or Hanamaki, where participants routinely down hundreds and hundreds of bowls to be proclaimed the winner.

However, for a self-professed “shy and socially awkward” person like Saya, having the server’s full attention as she finishes bowl after bowl of noodles sounds like it would add unnecessary pressure to what should be a fun eating experience. That’s why a restaurant like Bashokan (芭蕉館) in the city of Hiraizumi piqued her interest as the perfect place to enjoy the thrill of the challenge without the added stress because she could order a set number of bowls ahead of time and then eat them at her own pace.

▼ The entrance to Bashokan

Bashokan is located very close to the UNESCO World Heritage Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi, including the famous golden Chusonji Temple. It also has a spacious parking lot, which makes it ideal for large traveling groups to dine at as well.

The standard menu item of note is the “assorted wanko soba” (盛り出し式わんこそば) for 2,200 yen (US$14). A slightly more expensive option, the “assorted wanko soba special” (盛り出し式わんこそば特) adds on tempura and dessert for 2,700 yen. These selections are different from those at a typical all-you-can-eat wanko soba restaurant because they come with a fixed amount of 12 bowls over two trays for a total set of 24 bowls of soba. Diners who still find themselves hungry can request a third tray of 12 bowls for free, and any additional trays  after that cost only 400 yen. Regardless, everything about it still struck Saya as a great deal.

She ordered the regular option and before long her table was covered with vermillion lacquerware dishes. Some of them were showing their age, but that aspect only intensified her excitement that she was the latest in a long line of wanko soba diners. The particular style in Hiraizumi is to use traditional Hidehira lacquerware bowls with gold leaf accents.

Surveying the spread, several of the dishes contained various condiments for eating together with the soba, including sansai (edible wild plants), tsukemono (pickled vegetables), wasabi, beni-shoga (red pickled ginger)…

…tororo (grated yam), which adds a different texture to the noodles,…

…abura-age (deep-fried tofu slices), grated daikon…

…and finally, standard toppings like sliced green onions and nori. Having all of these different condiments would definitely make it easier for Saya to add a spice of variety to the soba, ensuring she wouldn’t get bored of the same thing bite after bite.

All right–now it was time to dig in. Each of the little bowls of soba was tiny–enough so that she could eat it all in one mouthful if she really wanted.

She began transferring the noodles to a larger dining bowl and adding toppings as she liked. Since there wasn’t a server keeping an eagle eye on her to replenish her servings, she could happily eat in peace at her own pace.

She quickly found that the soba noodles were delicious on their own, lacking a strong odor and with a subtly refined flavor. They were different than the soba she’d had in other parts of Tohoku, such as the chewy and more strongly flavored ones in Yamagata Prefecture.

The soba tsuyu (dipping broth) was also mellow with just the right amount of salt. She poured it in little by little along with the noodles.

Saya was having a lot of fun trying out different combinations of condiments with the noodles. In particular, she was pleasantly surprised by how much she liked the beni-shoga on top of the soba. It added a sharp burst of acidic flavor to the mix along with a crunchy texture.

Additionally, the abura-age was a match made in heaven. Saya was used to eating them with bowls of hot soba broth, but she realized just how well they also went with this version.

As expected, the standard toppings of tororo and grated daikon were perfect complements. She added the nori strips little by little as well, and they retained their flavor nicely without becoming soggy from a hot broth.

In the end, Saya was extremely satisfied with her 24 bowls of wanko soba. It was a pleasant feeling of fullness, unlike the sensation of eating large portions of other kinds of greasy, less healthy foods.

Saya encourages anyone who wants to try wanko soba without the fast-paced pressure of the standard experience to visit Bashokan at some point. While you’re at it, you might as well check out the –flying–culinary treasures that Iwate has to offer as well.

Restaurant information
Bashokan / 芭蕉館
Address: Iwate-ken, Nishiiwai-gun, Hiraizumi-cho, Hiraizumi Suzusawa 3-1
岩手県西磐井郡平泉町平泉字鈴沢 3-1
Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (or until soba runs out)
Closed Thursdays
Website

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Totoro’s Catbus is back to once again not overstay its welcome with adorable figure line【Pics】

Cute kitties offered as blind-buys, but with an option for those who understandably want them all.

For as instantly memorable and enduringly popular as the charter is, the Catbus gets some pretty scant and sparse screen time in My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro hops on for a rainy nighttime ride, Satsuki gets a lift to look for Mei when she’s lost, and the siblings then swing by the hospital where their mom is staying to drop off a present, but that’s about it for the feline transportation mode that’s become one of the most recognizable characters in all of anime.

So since the Catbus definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome on screen, no doubt a lot of Ghibli fans would be happy to have it stay in their homes, which is where this series of adorable Catbus figures comes in.

Offered through Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, the figures show the Catbus in a variety of moods, from relaxed to adventurous, helping stir the imagination by giving us a glimpse into its life outside its movie scenes.

Exact dimensions vary by specific pose, but the longest are eight centimeters (3.1 inches) in length, and they’re all within 4,3 centimeters in height. In other words, anyone who’s got room for the Catbus in their heart should be able to find room for one of these figures on their desk, shelf, or table.

As is often the case with variations-on-a-theme anime merch, the My Neighbor Totoro Full of Poses Collection Catbus figures, as they’re officially called, are offered gacha/blind-buy style, priced at 1,100 yen (US$7) each. Now, when it comes to blind-buy items, the ideal situation is usually one where you’d like any of the possibilities, so initially it would seem like this is a can’t lose situation, despite the randomized element.

But while it might look that way at first glance, at second, third, fourth, and fifth glance, you’ll see the problem here: All of the figurines are incredibly cute, so while you might be happy with any of them, odds are what you really want is all of them. Sagely anticipating this, Donguri Kyowakoku is also offering the figures in a complete box set for 6,600 yen. Why 6,600 and not 5,500? Because there are actually six different designs in the series, with one that’s being kept a secret in preview images, and the complete box set guarantees you one of each.

▼ And yes, even the box itself is beautiful.

The My Neighbor Totoro Full of Poses Collection Catbus figures can be purchased through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop (random individuals here, complete box here) following a recent restock, and should be just the thing to keep us company as we wait for the next screening of the Mei and the Baby Catbus sequel anime at the Ghibli Museum or Ghibli Park.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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Lawson convenience stores now sell see-through pudding in Japan 【Taste test】

New “Can You See It? Purin” sends a clear message to the taste buds.

Japan loves to take Western sweets and give them a new twist, and that’s what they’ve done with “purin“, the egg-based flan dessert that also goes by the name “crème caramel” overseas.

The sweet is so beloved here you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a Japanese-born specialty, and now there’s a new product to confuse us even further: See-through Purin.

▼ Its official moniker is: “Tokushima Sangyou Mietemasuka? Sukeru Purin Sukeru Karameru Tsuki” (“Tokushima Industries: Can You See It? Transparent Pudding with Clear Caramel“)

This isn’t the first time for us to see through a purin — Family Mart released a similar dessert last summer — but it is the first of its kind from rival chain Lawson, who added it to their shelves on 28 January. 

▼ Like the Family Mart version, the Lawson pudding is totally transparent, and comes with a sachet of equally transparent caramel sauce.

Sliding the pudding out of its case and onto a plate, we were immediately impressed by its transparency. Although it spread out comfortably after its release, it managed to just hold its shape with remarkable aplomb, resembling a watery jelly.

To our surprise, the caramel sauce really was as clear as the purin, so much so that after pouring it on we couldn’t see it.

▼ It certainly looked remarkable, but…how would it taste?

Judging on looks alone, we were expecting the taste to be as bland as water, but when we scooped up a mouthful, the most remarkable thing happened.

▼ It tasted like purin!

The caramel flavour made its presence known on the taste buds, and though it was lighter and more refreshing than a traditional caramel flan, it tasted distinctly like it!

The characteristic sweetness of real pudding and caramel invigorated the taste buds, while the soft, jelly-like texture gave it a unique freshness.

It was a mind-bending dessert that fascinated our taste buds with every bite, and we greedily gobbled it up in no time. This is one treat you really have to try while you’re in Japan, but it’s only available for a limited time at Lawson stores around Japan, priced at 228 yen (US$1.47).

Related: Lawson
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