Tokyo’s Shibuya puts up new posters asking visitors to use recycle boxes properly

Campaign is neighborhood’s latest attempt to keep litter and overtourism in check.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood was pretty firmly in the “only if you have spare time” section of most tourists’ Japan travel plans. Sure, Shibuya always had shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs, but the common attitude was that there were better ones to be found in Harajuku, Ginza, Shinjuku, or Roppongi, especially for those visiting from abroad.

Nowadays, though, Shibuya has become a must-see part of Tokyo for many visitors from overseas who want to experience crossing the now-world-famous Shibuya Scramble intersection, snap a photo with the statue of faithful dog Hachiko, check out the exclusive merch at the Shibuya Pokémon Center, and otherwise bask in the multitude of backdrops for eye-catching selfies for social media.

Along with increased tourist numbers, though, Shibuya has also been seeing increased levels of litter, which is leading to a new plea to help keep the neighborhood clean.

On September 1, Shibuya Ward and the Japan Soft Drink Association launched a joint public awareness campaign reminding everyone not only to use the recycling containers placed next to vending machines, but to use them properly. Posters, with both English and Japanese-text versions, make it clear that the recycling containers are for empty drink containers only, specifically PET (plastic) bottles, glass bottles, and cans.

Anything else needs to be disposed of elsewhere, and the posters emphasize four items in particular. While the recycling boxes are for empty drink containers, they’re not for empty plastic cups of the kind you’d get with a Starbucks Frappuccino or convenience store smoothie. Because of their size and shape, cups of this type can block the receptacle’s opening, preventing others from being able to use it as intended. Plastic bags also aren’t supposed to go in the recycling box, nor are mobile batteries or cigarette butts. The poster also makes a special point of explaining, to anyone thinking they’ve found a clever loophole, that putting cigarette butts or other trash inside a plastic bottle and then putting that bottle inside the box is also not allowed.

▼ The Japanese-text version of the poster. It’s strange that the illustration shows a crushed can, and it’s best not to distort their shape, so that they’ll slide more easily into the recycling box’s opening.

The physical printed poster is being displayed at a half-dozen public smoking areas in Shibuya, and notices are also being displayed on the signage system inside and outside Shibuya’s Miyashita Park entertainment complex.

In addition, bilingual English/Japanese reminder videos will play in the area around Shibuya Station, and the campaign’s organizers say they plan to add Chinese and Korean-language materials to spread the word as well.

▼ A still from the video message

The move follows a recent amendment to Shibuya’s local ordinances, which now require more public trash cans, plus new fines for littering that went into effect this summer.

Though it’s unfortunate that part of the price of less litter appears to be putting up a bunch of extra cautionary notices, hopefully the campaign will help instill a sense of how important it is to dispose of waste in its proper place, and maybe some day doing so really will become something visitors do as a common-sense matter of course.

Source, images: PR Times
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Real-world Zelda Master Sword on the way from American toymaker, plays game music and sounds

Nintendo’s iconic Legend of Zelda weapon could be yours to wield.

We recently found out that fans will be able to use an actual ocarina while playing Nintendo’s upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. But while ocarinas are recurring items in the franchise, there’s another item that’s even more strongly associated with protagonist Link’s adventures: the Master Sword.

So it’s good to know there’s a real-world version of that on the way too.

As part of a new partnership with Nintendo, American toymaker Hasbro has unveiled the Legend of Zelda Electronic Master Sword. Described by Hasbro as a “roleplay item,” “collectible,” and “cosplay accessory,” this replica of the iconic weapon not only looks the part, it sounds it too, being loaded with more than 15 musical and sound-effect salutes to the Zelda games.

Flip the switch located in the hilt to power the Master Sword on, for example, and you’ll hear the triumphantly ascending four-note sequence that’s accompanied the discovery of important treasures and key items since the original Legend of Zelda 40 years ago. Motion sensors inside the sword can detect when you pick it up or set it down, and then produce the sound effect heard when Link equips unequips gear within the games.

The Master Sword also makes slashing sounds when swung and a clashing noise “on gentle impact,” according to Hasbro, so there’s no need to strike with all the strength you would if the fate of Hyrule were actually depending on the power of your blows. Give the sword five swings in a row, and you’ll unlock even more dramatic multi-attack sound effects.

Though the Master Sword’s design has some subtle differences between games, Hasbro says this item is based specifically on how it appeared in Tears of the Kingdom, the most recently released mainline entry in the series.

At 69 centimeters (27 inches) in length, Hasbro’s Master Sword isn’t trying to be a 1:1-scale replica, unlike the Master Sword produced by Japanese toymaker Tamashi Nations back in 2024, nor does it have the vibrating function that Tamashi Nations’ did. However, Hasbro’s Master Sword is a much more budget-friendly option. It’s priced at US$39.99, far less than the 22,000 yen (US$141 at 2024 conversion rates) that Tamashi Nations wanted for its version.

The legendary #MasterSword is coming to Hasbro.

Inspired by #TheLegendOfZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the 27-inch Electronic Master Sword features 15+ sounds.

Pre-order 9/9 at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on #HasbroPulse. pic.twitter.com/NkXi30yUdk

— Hasbro Pulse (@HasbroPulse) September 8, 2026

US$39.99 is actually remarkably close to the US$40 that the original NES Legend of Zelda game sold for at the time of its release in the U.S., though that’s probably just a coincidence, seeing as how the Master Sword didn’t make its first appearance until the third game in the series, A Link to the Past.

Within the Zelda games. Link usually has to pass a test of fortitude before he can claim the Master Sword for himself, and there’s a parallel to that with Hasbro’s version, which is being offered as a preorder item and isn’t slated to ship until the beginning of May. That does mean, though, that fans should be able to have them in their hands soon after the scheduled April 30 opening of the live-action Legend of Zelda movie, and if you’re willing to wait, orders can be placed through the Hasbro Pulse online shop here.

Source: Hasbro Pulse via Anime News Network/Ken Iikura-Gross
Top image: Twitter/@HasbroPulse
Insert images: Hasbro Pulse
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Two American women attempt to smuggle US$1 million worth of cannabis into Tokyo for a free trip to Japan

Suspect says she wanted to see Japan, but this was not the way to go about it. 

One of the first things any visitor to Japan should know is that the country takes a hard stance against drugs – so much so that even common prescription drugs from overseas face stricter restrictions on these shores.

So if someone offers you a free trip to Japan on the proviso that you bring cannabis into the country, you’d be best off saying no, because chances are you won’t get in to see the country and you may never be allowed in ever again.

That’s the hard reality now being faced by two U.S. citizens who didn’t say no, and the irony is that the reason given for taking the job was a desire to see Japan. Neither of them made it past Haneda Airport, though, because they were stopped by customs officials after arriving on a flight from New York on 5 September, and after their luggage was inspected, 35 bags of dried cannabis were found hidden inside two suitcases.

The haul weighed in at around 30 kilograms (66 pounds), with an estimated street value of around 150 million yen (about US$1 million).

▼ This news report shows the drugs that were seized.

After their arrest, one of the suspects, a 25-year-old, admitted to the allegations of smuggling and said she had heard that working as a drug courier meant her airfare and accommodation would be covered. She also said she was attracted by the opportunity to visit Japan. The second suspect has denied the allegations.

Despite the desire to see Japan, the only thing the two suspects will now be seeing is the justice system firsthand. Under Japanese law, suspects can be held without charge for up to 23 days, and with a prevailing guilty-until-proven innocent mindset within the justice system, the conviction rate among those charged is incredibly high, at around 99 percent.

▼ Once these are on, there’s a high chance of a conviction.

Importing cannabis carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, while importing it for profit carries a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and potentially a fine of up to 3 million yen (about $19,500).

Foreign nationals convicted of drug offences can be denied entry to Japan with no specified period of exclusion. That means there isn’t a statutory period after which the prohibition automatically expires, so you could be denied entry for decades afterwards.

You don’t have to be carrying a large haul of drugs either, as Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explicitly states that importing cannabis and cannabis resin is prohibited.

So if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of bringing cannabis into Japan, don’t. Not only will you face severe penalties, you run the chance of being caught up in Japan’s legal system, which doesn’t play by the same rules as those abroad. Plus, you may not be allowed into the country in future, which is something that even celebrities like Paris Hilton, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney have experienced, due to previous drug convictions outside the country.

Sources: Nikkei, NTV News, Yahoo! Japan News 
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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Roaming rubbish bin robot at Shinjuku Station solves the problem of where to put your trash

Japanese railway company comes up with a cute solution to one of the biggest problems for overseas tourists.

As much as Japan is all about convenience and the spirit of hospitality, one thing that continues to confound visitors to Japan is the lack of trash cans. This can be particularly frustrating when you’re travelling and enjoying the sights, because one piece of trash can quickly accumulate when you have no way to properly get rid of it.

It’s a problem that has long affected tourists as they eat and drink their way around all the different neighbourhoods, but now East Japan Railway (JR East) is coming to the rescue with a uniquely Japanese solution that not just solves the problem but is also fun to use.

The answer comes in the form of a rubbish bin that comes to you. Though that might sound crazy, it really is what the company is proposing, as it will be literally rolling out several mobile rubbish bin robots inside Shinjuku Station.

Each robot is designed to look like a train, with wide eyes on the front to attract the attention of passersby, and small nods to Shinjukuma, JR Shinjuku Station’s bear character, on the wrap.

The robot will automatically travel around the underground concourse on the first basement level – inside the East, West, Central East and Central West ticket gates – with openings on its sides for people to discard rubbish into as it passes by.

▼ The circular route.

The robot itself is an autonomous delivery robot capable of travelling both indoors and outdoors, developed by U.S. company Cartken and operated by Melco Mobility Solutions and Mitsubishi Electric.

JR East says the trial aims to improve service quality at stations while also making cleaning work more efficient, but the bigger question being addressed is whether a robot can actually navigate the crowds inside Shinjuku Station, which is often likened to a video game dungeon due to its expansive, labyrinthine layout.

The trial will examine how safely the robot can travel using its sensors and other onboard technology, as well as what problems arise when the station gets crowded. JR East will also look at whether the robot affects the movement of passengers through the concourse and how readily people accept the idea of having a mobile rubbish bin robot operating inside the station.

Shinjuku Station is known for being the busiest railway station in the world, so JR East is jumping into the deep end with the robot by trialling it under the most congested conditions. If the robot gets the green light after navigating this type of environment, we may see these little characters roaming around more stations in Japan in future.

For now, the trial is scheduled to take place on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., from 8 September to 20 November inside Shinjuku Station’s first-floor basement concourse. So if you have plans that will take you through the station during your travels, it might be worth holding onto your rubbish in the hopes of a robot encounter.

Source, images: Press release
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Eel sauce is our new favorite cooking hack for making any dish sweet and savory with zero hassle

Here are five app-eel-ing side dishes, rice bowls, and sweets for using up your leftover eel sauce.

Unagi no tare (うなぎのたれ), literally “eel sauce,” has become our favorite all-around sauce. While the product may or may not contain small amounts of eel extract itself, it’s intended to be a perfectly thick, glossy accompaniment for grilled eel made from a simmered blend of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Many commercially prepared versions exist, such as the one from Japanese brand Nihon Shokken, pictured below.

▼ Nihon Shokken’s eel sauce

This particular one does contain a tiny amount of eel extract but it’s not one of the top three ingredients. From the top those are soy sauce, mizuame (a Japanese sweetener), high-fructose corn syrup, and mirin, all ahead of the extract.

It was one of these bottles that we had purchased for use in one recipe but ended up having a decent amount of leftover sauce. Not wanting to waste it, we began experimenting with what we could use it on besides eel. It turns out that the sky is the limit when it comes to eel sauce’s potential–here are five ways to add it to easy Japanese homestyle dishes and snacks.

1. Grilled onigiri (rice balls)

First up is an easy and satisfying snack. Simply mix the eel sauce into the rice before shapjng the onigiri. We also threw in some leftover green onions and roasted sesame seeds for extra flavor.

Grill the onigiri in a pan or air fryer until you start to see faint scorch marks on the rice. The resulting snack has a deeper and richer taste than if using soy sauce alone.

2. Oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl)

Oyakodon is a hearty and delicious homestyle meal packed with protein and flavor. Begin by boiling the eel sauce with some water before adding chunks of chicken and onions. Let simmer until mostly cooked, then add in the beaten egg. Lay the mixture over a bed of rice to complete the dish.

The resulting eel sauce version was amazing, and involved less hassle than measuring out the individual ingredients for the simmering stock alone. We may always just use eel sauce from here on out.

3. Japanese amberjack

We actually picked this recipe up from food company Yamada Suisan’s YouTube channel. Grill the fish in a pan for a bit before adding equal amounts of eel sauce and water. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced.

It was an extremely simple dish involving hardly any prep. The cooked appearance was shiny and enticing, and while we enjoyed it very much, we also wished there was just a tiny bit more added sweetness. We’ll just make a mental note for next time.

4. Hard-boiled eggs

If you’re looking for a way to liven up your eggs, this is an easy hack for doing so. Let hard-boiled eggs with the shells removed soak in a closed bag with some eel sauce for about half a day. The resulting salty-sweet edge it provides is a perfect accompaniment for the eggs.

5. Mitarashi dango (glazed rice dumplings, usually skewered)

Add a small amount of water to some eel sauce in a pan and turn on the heat. We also added a tiny bit of potato starch to thicken it. When the sauce becomes viscous, add in some boiled-then-chilled shiratama dango (rice flour dumplings).

A quick taste test of the resulting mitarashi dango led us to add some kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) to enhance the sweetness. That seemed to do the trick, so we recommend adding nearly equal amounts of eel sauce and either kuromitsu or sugar to make for a sweetly tantalizing dessert.

There you have it–five simple dishes to make using your leftover eel sauce. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even know they contained eel sauce if no one told you, since the overall ingredients are commonly represented in a variety of Japanese simmered and teriyaki dishes. Nihon Shokken’s eel sauce did leave us personally wanting to add a bit more sugar to the dishes at times, but this may not be the case with other brands or based on personal preferences.

We love finding novel ways to turn leftover ingredients into yummy new creations. Here are some of our top picks, from the weird to the wonderful.

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New Shinkansen platform vending machine sells local-flavor treats from 127-year-old snack maker

A new way to get your hands on a popular souvenir at Shin Osaka.

There’s a good chance you’re in a hurry if you’re about to hop on the Shinkansen. After all, the bullet train network is generally the fastest option for long-distance travel in Japan, often even quicker than flying since it doesn’t require a time-consuming side trip to an out-of-the-way airport or lengthy check-in process.

And if you’ve got a full schedule of places to go and things to see, speedy snack procurement is also important, so now there’s a special Shinkansen platform vending machine in Osaka offering a popular local-flavor snack.

This bright yellow box at Shin Osaka Station is stocked with Osaka Ikaten, and for the uninitiated bears the in-English explanation that they’re “sea squid cradcker[s].” That might seem redundant, considering the lack of land squid in our world, but the “sea” part is probably included because these snacks are made by Bunkaku Sohonpo, a maker of seafood senbei (rice crackers) that’s been in business since 1899.

▼ Osaka Ikaten

Bunkaku Sohonpo is best known for their flagship Yukari brand of shrimp crackers, and shrimp are among the ingredients for Osaka Ikaten. The main draw here, though, is squid (ika in Japanese), which is accompanied by shiso (Japanese basil). Fans say the combination makes Osaka Ikaten deliciously flavorful, but without any harsh acridity that would give your taste buds mixed feelings about the eating experience.

Bunkaku Sohonpo is actually based in Nagoya, but when fans of their snacks in Osaka began asking for a special version, the company looked to Osaka’s food culture for inspiration. As a city of unabashed hearty eaters, Osaka has a number of foods it’s associated with, but ikayaki was the one that Bunkaku Sohonpo felt it could best honor with its particular kind of expertise. While in most parts of the country ikayaki simply refers to grilled squid, often served sliced and skewered, Osaka ikayaki is a little different, looking more like a folded squid dumpling or pancake.

Since its debut 11 years ago, Bunkaku Sohonpo’s Osaka Ikaten has become a popular souvenir among travelers in Osaka, and the Shin Osaka Station vending machine, which went into service last month, makes it even easier to pick up a pack either as soon as you arrive in the city or right before you leave. The machine is located on the platform shared by Lines 25 and 26, near where Car 9 of the Shinkansen trains stop, and offers a 12-pack of Osaka Ikaten for 950 yen (US$6) (cashless payment only). And if you’re looking for more unique vending machines in the same station, there’s another one just one platform over.

Source: PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: PR Times, Bunkaku Sohonpo, PR Times (2)
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Japanese restaurant chain offering free food for a year if you beat massive meat bowl challenge

A stamina bowl of legendary size could save you a ton of money on future meals.

Before we get to the meat of this story, let’s start with a little linguistic appetizer. Japanese restaurant chain Densetsu no Sutadonya’s name translates to “Legendary Sutadon Shop.” So what’s sutadon? An abbreviation of “stamina donburi,” or “stamina rice bowl.”

Sutadon, also known as stamina-don, are rice bowls with an extra-large portion of meat seasoned with a copious amount of garlic, as both foods are considered to be energy boosters among Japanese foodies. And if all that has your mouth watering and stomach demanding a sutadon as soon as possible, you’ll be happy to know that Densetasu no Sutadonya has recently started offering its newest creation: the Legendary-Size All-Star Sutadon. You might then be unhappy to learn that it costs 4,990 yen (US$31), several times more than a normal stamina bowl, but your spirits will probably perk up at the fact that eating this could be a massive financial gain for you, since it could win you free food for an entire year.

Let’s take a look at what comes in the Legendary-Size All-Star Sutadon.

In addition to the rice, you get:
● A quintuple-size portion of Densetsu no Sutadonya’s simmered garlic pork
● Three mincemeat cutlets
● Two chicken cutlets
● Four pieces of nanban karaage (fried chicken with tartar sauce)
● A cheese omelet
● Curry sauce with cheese
● 10 slices of takuan (pickled daikon radish)
● Shredded cabbage
● Sliced green onion

The contents of the Legendary-Size All-Star Sutadon weigh in at a collective 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds), so this is not a meal for the faint of heart or small of stomach. If you can manage to finish the whole thing within 35 minutes, though, Densetsu no Sutadonya will reward you with not only an acrylic mini standee of the Legendary-Size All-Star Sutadon, but also with “one year of free sutadon.”

There isn’t much fine print available on the announcement, but ostensibly this would mean, at the very least, one free standard stamina bowl per day for a full calendar year. With Densetsu no Sutadonya charging 930 yen for that menu item, a year of freebies would work out to a value of 339,450 yen. That would make for a profit of 334,460 yen, or roughly a 6,700-percent return on your initial investment of 4,990 yen, far beyond the performance any stock portfolio could ever hope to achieve in a year’s time.

▼ Heck, that’s a better return on investment than even the unattainable ones that crypto scams promise.

▼ The standard-size stamina bowl is no measly sized snack, either.

Obviously, Densetsu no Sutadonya can’t just whip up a Legendary-Size All-Star Sutadon on a moment’s notice, nor are all of their kitchens prepared to put together something of this size. Because of that, it’s only available by advance reservation of one week or more at participating branches, which are the Shinjuku Nishiguchi, Akihabara, Koenji, Akishima, and Ikebukuro branches in Tokyo, as well as the Nagareyama Otaka no Mori (Chiba), Sapporo Eki-mae (Hokkaido), Sendai Nakakecho (Miyagi), Dotonbori (Osaka), and Fukuoka Tenjin (Fukuoka) branches. Those willing to bet on themselves/their bellies can make reservations online here, with eating dates available through September 23.

Related: Densetsu no Sutadonya official website
Source: Densetsu no Sutadonya via Kinisoku
Top image: Free Yoyaku
Insert images: Densetsu no Sutadonya, Pakutaso, Densetsu no Sutadonya (2)
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How to watch Studio Ghibli’s new anime in Japan, with a special after-dark outdoor screening for Halloween

First-ever nighttime screening takes place in the real-world setting for A Night in the Valley of the Witches.

This autumn looks set to be a very good time to be a Studio Ghibli fan in Japan, as there are a number of special events scheduled to be held at the studio’s theme park in Aichi Prefecture.

The first thing to make fans smile is the screening of a brand new Studio Ghibli short directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro, who also serves as park director. Called Majo no Tani no Yoru, or A Night in the Valley of the Witches, the film has been co-directed by Akihiko Yamashita, the character designer and animation director for several Ghibli films, including Howl’s Moving Castle.

▼ Howl’s Moving Castle, as seen inside Ghibli Park.

With this being the first new Ghibli short anime since 2018, the film has already been attracting global interest, but there’s only one place in the world where you can see it – at Ghibli Park. The short began screening in the park’s Orion cinema in July, and although the 170-seat theatre usually rotates through a series of 10 other Ghibli shorts on a monthly basis, the park has confirmed that the short will continue screening through September and October.

This is great news for Ghibli fans who missed out on seeing the film in summer, and the park has another extra special treat in store for its youngest fans, as it will be holding its first-ever outdoor nighttime screening of A Night in the Valley of the Witches, exclusively for elementary school-age children.

▼ This one-night only event will be held in Valley of Witches, which serves as the real-world setting for the film.

According to the official synopsis, the movie follows a “new guy” who has just been hired to work at Ghibli Park. After a series of requests to repair its buildings, he encounters some unexplained phenomena, which leaves him spooked, but his senior colleague Kikue doesn’t seem fazed by it at all. Then, one night after the park closes, the new guy heads to Valley of Witches to work the night shift for the first time, and there he sees Kikue in a cloak, who tells him: “I’m a witch.”

▼ She begins chanting a spell, and when she swings her lantern down… the magic begins.

Though this magical story usually plays out on the screen of the Orion cinema within the Grand Warehouse complex, the special nighttime screening is set to take place in the great outdoors, giving little ones the space for their imaginations to run free against the backdrop of the witch-themed park area.

▼ Valley of Witches is home to a number of buildings with connections to Ghibli’s witchy films, including this recreation of the Okino Residence from Kiki’s Delvery Service.

Though parents are required to accompany their children into the park, the outdoor screening is said to be strictly for elementary school-age children only. Once parents drop their kids off at the Valley of Witches, the children will watch the 14 minute, 21 second short and then be led around by staff on a special after-hours tour, which the park says will include dark areas, loud noises, and light effects. The event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on 31 October, and although it’s free, advance applications , with a 110-yen (US$0.72) booking fee, are required here from 20 to 28 September.

Of course, if you’re not a child, you’ll still be able to watch the new animated short inside the Orion cinema throughout September and October, as long as you have an entry ticket to the park that includes the Grand Warehouse (you can purchase tickets from overseas here or locally here). To add to the fun, there’ll also be some special events taking place as part of the annual “Autumn Dondoko Festival” which runs from 30 October to 22 November this year.

Some of the events planned for the festival include a late closure on 30 October, when Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village will stay open until 7 p.m., allowing visitors to experience both areas after dark. Valley of Witches will also start its winter illuminations on the same day, giving the area a completely different feel compared to a daytime visit.

▼ Mononoke Village

On 1 November, Ghibli Park will celebrate its anniversary with an outdoor screening of Porco Rosso at 5:30 p.m. and a concert on the park grounds featuring Tokiko Kato, the singer who performed the theme song for Porco Rosso and also voiced Gina in the film. Both the concert and screening are free, although advance applications are required here (tickets to the park are not a requirement) and a lottery will be held if numbers exceed capacity.

▼ Tokiko Kato

There will also be a series of workshops and events on weekends in November, including lessons in how to paint backgrounds in the style of a Ghibli anime on 7-8 November, a workshop where visitors can make their own cafe tray using the same tiles found on the Grand Warehouse’s central staircase on 14-15 November, and a new workshop where participants can create their own one-of-a-kind Totoro plush toy, to be held on 21-22 November. These events also require advance reservations, although no separate park tickets are required, with details set to be made available here at the end of September.

So if you’re in Japan this autumn, you’ll want to put Ghibli Park on your list of places to visit. And don’t forget to hitch a ride on the Catbus while you’re there!

Related: Autumn Dondonko Festival
Source, images: Press release
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