Japanese company @YOKOHAMA is helping to promote the regional development of Yokohama by collaborating with GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA using the multimodal mobility service app “my route” with the launch of a campaign.

The campaign is taking place for residents of Yokohama, running from February 8 to 28. All people need to do is download and open the app and fill out the form. Fifty lucky people will have the chance to win a free ticket to GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA, an amusement park themed on the popular Gundam franchise.

my route is an app that lets users search for the most affordable way to travel as well as letting them book and buy tickets. @YOKOHAMA’s portal site is also now linked to the app, offering information about local stores, events, and other information regarding Yokohama.

The Hoppe Town area of Daimaru Tokyo is currently celebrating Valentine’s Day up to February 14 with the release of a selection of gift chocolates by six brands in collaboration with popular characters.

Pokémon Chocolate Set (Large Box) | ¥1,404 (Tax Included)

My Melody x Goncharoff Chocolates (Contains 21) | ¥2,160 (Tax Included)

Moomin x Merry Chocolate’s Hattifatteners Chocolates (Contains 11) | ¥1,188 (Tax Included)

Dick Bruna by Morozoff: Picture Book Chocolates (Contains 15) – ¥864 (Tax Included) / Miffy Pouch Chocolates (Contains 8) – ¥1,320 (Tax Included)

Chatrois Kitten Tiny Plain Chocolates | ¥783 (Tax Included)

Katanukiya Angel Panda | ¥684 (Tax Included)

Which of these cute and tasty-looking treats has caught your eye the most?

©Nintendo･Creatures･GAME FREAK･TV Tokyo･ShoPro･JR Kikaku ©Pokémon
©１９７６，２０２１ ＳＡＮＲＩＯ ＣＯ，ＬＴＤ．ＡＰＰＲＯＶＡＬ　ＮＯ．Ｌ６１３３７４
©Ｍｏｏｍｉｎ　Ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｓ™

Ome—a city located in western Tokyo that’s about an hour’s train ride from the populous Shinjuku. It’s a place enjoyed by many for its hiking and river swimming locales, as well as its architecture, in which one can still feel the influences of Japan’s Edo period, and kindness of the locals.

MATINOEKI OUME, an Ome-based company, recently launched its “Made in OME” project which aims to revitalise the city. The project will create a new kind of Ome through the eyes of the millennial generation. Its goal is to polish and refine the appealing aspects of Ome to offer up new tourism opportunities while bringing in new fans to the city.

Made in OME’s first step towards that is teaming up with DJ and YouTuber Yuna Yabe and illustrator and streamer MIOCHIN, two models signed to ASOBISYSTEM who will represent the millennial generation as the navigators of this journey as they participate in workshops with local producers and manufacturers, developing a variety of products such as sweets made with ingredients from Ome, like baumkuchen and chocolate rolls, and more.

You can catch their activity live over on MIOCHIN’s official Instagram page. Visit Made in OME’s official website below for more details.

Yuna Yabe

MIOCHIN

The two of them will host a free ‘monitor tour’ on February 21, 2021. These monitor tours aim to have people developing a strong relationship with new products from Ome. Participants will learn about the history and culture of Ome via local producers and manufacturers with products such as sake and indigo dyeing. Made in OME plants to expand their range of tourist monitor tours in the future.

Local Ome residents will also be invited to the tour in the evening of the same day. Learn all there is to know about Ome at Made in OME’s website which is available in English, Japanese, and Chinese.

Five new Pokémon manhole covers were laid in Japan’s Nara Prefecture on Wednesday (January 20) as part of the Poké Lid  project to place Pokémon-design manhole covers across the country. There are now a total of 148 lids in 13 locations in Japan.

Nara’s 5 new Poké Lids

All of the Poké Lids placed across Japan feature completely original Pokémon designs making each individual one the only one in the world. The Pokémon Company is also working to make each one of them PokéStops for Pokémon GO.

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, be sure to check if there are any Poké Lids at your destination.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

K Confect released a batch of its new ‘SNOW SAND’ chocolate sandwich cookies for the winter season on Wednesday (January 20) made with ingredients from Hokkaido and within just 30-minutes the online stock sold out. The company has now been launching a new limited batch every day since January 21st. All orders come with an original polar bear postcard.

Front and back of polar bear postcard

The SNOW SAND sandwich cookie brings some warm and cosy love this cold winter season with its delicious combination of butter made in Hokkaido, wheat flour, and sugar. The cookie packaging comes in two designs based on two works of art by Japanese painter Otani Kazuyoshi.

Japan declared a state of emergency on January 5, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so those unable to make it to the company’s pop-up shops at Daimaru Sapporo and Daimaru Tokyo, which will open on January 27, can order the cookies online too.

Japanese electronics giant Casio has announced its second collaboration with The Pokémon Company to release a Pikachu design watch as part of its BABY-G shock-resistant line of wristwatches. The Pikachu BA-110PKC watch will drop worldwide via G-SHOCK’s official website on February 5, 2021.

The watch comes as part of BABY-G’s 25th anniversary celebrations as Pikachu is number 025 in the Pokédex. It features classic Generation I inspired artwork of Pokémon’s leading mascot.

BA-110PKC | ¥19,800 (Tax Included)

Casio describes the watch: “This second collaboration is an analog-digital watch with an outdoor theme, representing the active image of the BABY-G brand. The entire BA-110PKC band showcases a camouflage pattern and female Pikachu with a heart-shaped tail. The Pikachu design is infused with subtle details like the silhouette of the pink tail on the strap keeper and the Pikachu image etched on the case back. The hour and minute hands also evoke the face of Pikachu, a playful touch that will delight the wearer whenever they check the time.”

The watch is boxed with a Poké Ball inside which Trainers will find their trusty new Pikachu watch companion.

© 2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc.

FANCL has brought the hot spring experience to its flagship site FANCL Ginza Square for a limited time with a variety of content that makes visitors feel like they’ve come to a Japanese onsen. The experience, named Tabi Suru Square Yu, is running until February 11, 2021.

Café au Lait / Fruit au Lait / Soy Milk Aojiru – ¥300 Each

Reiwa Honzen (FANCL Ginza Square Floor 9F)

Lunch Sana Winter Seafood Bento | ¥3,500

Winter Dinner Seafood Course | From ¥9,000

FANCL BROWN RICE MEALS (FANCL Ginza Square Floor B1F)

Hiroshima Oyster & Spinach Risotto Parmesan Cheese Galette Lunch Set | ¥1,850

Tomato Cream Pasta Lunch Set ¥1,850

Original Hand Towel

FANCL Ginza Square Onsen Essentials Set | ¥3,668

Breathing exercises at SUU-HAKU

At Tabi Suru Square Yu, visitors can enter a room that fully recreates the experience of being in a hot spring. The room is set at the same temperature, is filled with the same aromas, and is decorated in the same way. Visitors sit on one of the relaxation sheets to soak up the experience – effectively getting into a hot spring without having to change their clothes.

A variety of classic drinks and dishes sold at hot springs in Japan will also be sold, and visitors can get involved in the breathing exercises on offer.

Japan is set to get its first ever permanent city cable car in Yokohama on April 22 called the YOKOHAMA AIR CABIN.

The YOKOHAMA AIR CABIN is a cable car system that will offer locals and tourists a chance to enjoy Yokohama from a new perspective whether during the hot summers or during the cool evenings when the city lights wake up.

The system will be connected directly to Sakuragichō Station and Shinko Pier for easy, quick access to enjoy Yokohama Minato Mirai from up high.

If you’re planning a trip to Yokohama at some point, be sure to take a ride on YOKOHAMA AIR CABIN, officially opening on April 22, 2021.

Tokyo Banana World recently added its special Dengeki Box (Electric Box) of Pikachu Tokyo Banana confections to its official website which is available to order in Japan until January 30, 2021 at 17:00 (JST).

Tokyo Banana is Tokyo’s official souvenir sweets brand and it launched its new Pokémon Tokyo Banana series of confections in November last year with the first catch being Pikachu. It subsequently added Eevee to the collection in December. The Pikachu confections are also available to buy at Tokyo Station.

Pikachu Tokyo Banana – Dengeki Box | Box of 12 Packs (24 Confections) | ¥3,456 (Tax Included)

The limited-time addition of the Dengeki Box to Tokyo Banana’s official website means that anyone in Japan can get a taste of the electrifyingly delicious sweet fluffy custard-filled sponge cakes without having to travel to Tokyo.

Waiting inside the Dengeki Box are 12 packages each with two cakes in and each in one of six different Pikachu designs to greet hungry Trainers, all of which are positively kawaii. The box itself also features these adorable illustrations.

Left: Front of Box | Right: Back of Box

The box even has a handle attached to it so you can reuse it after to store all your bits and bobs.

©2021 Pokémon. ©1995-2021 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Pokémon, ポケットモンスター, and ポケモン are registered trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and GAME FREAK inc..

Pokémon Shirts released three new shirt designs on Friday (January 15) of Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble from Pokémon Sword and Shield. These new designs are currently only available in Japan but Pokémon Shirts has stated that they will be made available worldwide at a later date.

Pokémon Shirts was launched back in February 2019 by American custom shirt brand Original Stitch—which offers over one billion design customisations—and the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon Shirts ships worldwide including Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Japanese designer Minami Kitamura designed the Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble shirts, adding her iconic pop colours and style to the line-up.

Have you shopped on Pokémon Shirts yet? Which Pokémon designs are you looking to catch?

The incredible beachside Hoshino Resorts BANTA CAFE, which offers guests a breathtaking ocean view along the Okinawan coast, released a video on the official Hoshino Resorts YouTube page showcasing the cafe’s ongoing illumination event, “Illumi Banta,” which is running until February 28, 2021. Guests can enjoy some limited-time menu options and then take a romantic stroll along the beach with a warm lantern in hand.

Okinawa is known for its warm climate, rarely dipping below 15°C in the chilly season of winter. There are many celebratory days enjoyed every year around Christmas and New Years, and so BANTA CAFE decided to get in on the action with Illumi Banta, which has been running since December 1 last year—while following the necessary precautions against COVID-19 to ensure everyone stays safe. The spacious cafe is mostly outdoors so visitors can enjoy their time without worry.

A seat at the cafe in on a clear evening guarantees a front row seat to a beautiful orange sunset that sinks into the horizon. Normally, the cafe closes as sunset arrives, but for this event, opening hour have been extended into the night.

BANTA CAFE is located in the village of Yomitan where the beautiful ocean is surrounded by coral reef, enormous rocks, and a rich natural environment. It’s a must-visit if travelling to Okinawa.

The 112-year-old Hotel Nampuro in Nagasaki is set to open the new Sky Terrace and Ocean Terrace this month. These vistas offer breathtaking, unbroken views of the sea and sky that make it feel as if you’re floating on the ocean with rolling skies ahead that stretch to the horizon.

Observation Terrace (1)

Observation Terrace (2)

Infinity Pool-Style Open-Air Bath

Silky Bath

Beautifying Bubble Baths

Jacuzzi Bath (Male Only)

Children’s Bath

Hinoki Sauna & Steam Sauna

Iyashi Onsen Cafe

Rental Open-Air Bath

The observation terrace offers an incredible panoramic view of the great Ariake Sea that offers a picturesque spectacle at all times of the day. Guests can enjoy seeing the morning, noon, and night skies which merge together with the ocean for an unbeatable result. There’s also a “no talking” rule on the terrace so guests can fully soak up what’s in front of them as they take a luxirous soak in the warm baths.

The infinity pool-style open-air bath offers a refreshing view while making it seem as if you are part of the ocean. The silky bath uses delicate micro bubbles which become an air cushion and promote good blood circulation using massage. The jacuzzi bath relaxes the entire body with stimulating bubbles, while the children’s bath allows kids to get in on the fun too. Both saunas are a change to unwind fatigue and the tired body. The steam sauna is set at a lower temperature than your usual high-temperature dry sauna which ensures it doesn’t have as much strain on the body so guests can sweat it out comfortably. The freshly-brewed coffee available at the hot spring is also exclusive to the hotel’s Onsen Cafe.