The two lawsuits total $11.5 million, and claim the rodeo and its contractors could have and should have prevented the incident.

Japan’s Kansai region inspires some very bold baking in Shakey’s Japan’s ovens. A while back, Shakey’s celebrated its 50th anniversary of arriving in Japan with a special selection of pizzas that it called the “American Pizza Tour.” But having passed the half-century mark in Japan now, the chain has seen some very tasty stuff in […]

Even with a shop name like Mayo x Mayo, we weren’t expecting this much mayo. The word “original” has a bit of a different nuance in Japanese. It’s not so much used to describe something revolutionary or inventive so much as something that’s unique to a specific place. So, for example, a restaurant that makes […]

A public restroom stall shock that had nothing to do with cleanliness. Whether you’re looking for a Pokémon frappe, chocolate chip sandwich, or surprisingly high-quality T-shirt, Japan’s convenience stores have got you covered. As a matter of fact, it can start to become easy to become desensitized to the very wide variety of things you […]

We find out if this new limited-edition Chocolixir really tastes like corn potage soup. With summer now upon us, stores all over Japan are releasing limited-edition seasonal products to keep us feeling cool and refreshed. Over at Godiva, though, the focus is more on seasonal produce, with a new release that’s like nothing we’ve ever […]

A stunning satellite image over Houston revealed clouds seemingly tracing the city's highways.

Mr. Sato steps into the SoraKitchen with a bold idea. Food, as a broad topic, is pretty much always on our mind here at SoraNews24, but recently our ace reporter Mr. Sato found himself thinking about toast sandwiches in particular. Like many people who grew up outside the U.K., Mr. Sato initially found the concept […]

Instant ramen maker shows that even hamsters will fall in love with Cup Noodle, if given the chance. Pretty much everyone loves Cup Noodle, from hungry kids to busy college students to adults who don’t want to go through the hassle of cooking after a long day at the office. As a matter of fact, […]

Super Happy! Challenge gives us two unforgettable products that deserve a place in convenience store history. If you’re hungry and in the mood to try convenience store food, Lawson is the place to go right now as the chain is currently upsizing some of its most popular products for free. ▼ Popular items in the […]

We strap on our shoes and head into downtown Tokyo for a philosophical conversation prompt and a walk with a whole bunch of people we’ve never met before. Japan is right in a special sweet spot right now weather-wise, where the chill of winter and allergy-triggering pollen of spring are gone, but the sweltering heat […]

Animals & Monsters: Cute, Scary, and a Little Weird is the perfect exhibition for anyone who delights in art that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This summer, once you’re done shopping in the trendy streets of Tokyo’s Harajuku district, you won’t have to go far to enjoy a little taste of high culture. In fact, […]

Summer in Japan can be brutally hot, but thankfully, Thanko is here to help. We’ve still got some time until the full force of the summer heat hits, but with the weather in Japan expected to get so hot that the government had to start deciding on new words to officially describe it, it’s already […]

Kayanoya’s Satoyama Cookies give you four flavors for a snack session unlike any other. The other day, we found ourselves thinking “We want to eat some cookies.” In and of itself, that’s not at all an unusual condition for us to be in, but on this day we wanted specifically to eat some Kayanoya cookies. […]

We find out just how devilish and angelic these 100-yen surprises are. Our reporter Natsuno Futon was strolling the streets of Oyama City in Tochigi Prefecture the other day when she came across an unusual vending machine. The first thing that caught her eye was the huge “100 yen” (US$0.63) sign on the front, but […]

Too much of a good thing, or just enough? We weren’t sure if curry pizza is something that should exist. You could make the argument that the combination seems too weird to work. Alternatively, one could contend that, with curry and pizza already being two of the world’s most delicious foods as separate entities, combining […]

Whatever happened to just faking a stomach ache? In March, a restaurant in Saga City received a phone call, and when an employee answered it, the voice on the other end of the call gruffly commanded “Go check your entrance.” When the staff did, they discovered a piece of paper with a chilling message written […]

Sacred fire saved from non-sacred fire on Miyajima. Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyajima Island, famed for the torii gate that stands in the water just off its coast, is home to one of Japan’s most beautiful and historically significant concentrations of shrines and temples. Among them, though, Daishoin Temple is especially noteworthy, as it’s the oldest Buddhist […]

Not quite as glamourous as a secret bank account. For most people doing long-haul domestic travel in Japan, the Shinkansen is their default method of getting from Point A to far-away Point B. However, sometimes it’s just as quick, if not quicker, to fly, especially if you’re starting at one end of the country and […]

Practical and horrifying! Usually when we’re talking about Japanese lifestyle brand Felissimo, we’re highlighting one of their animal-themed creations, like the Shiba Inu-shaped hot water bottle cover or red panda nap cushion. But Felissimo also has a “Museum Division” that draws inspiration from the arts, and who’ve come up with something a little less cute […]

Make that “drinkable curry pizza.” In Japan, you can find some rather eyebrow-raising pizza toppings. We’re not just talking about putting traditional Japanese ingredients, like teriyaki chicken or spicy cod roe, on a pie either, but also Western elements that usually aren’t considered pizza topping candidates outside Japan, such as sliced potatoes and mayonnaise. So […]

Gyonuts look set to become the nation’s trendiest new sweet. Japan loves to throw out the rulebook when it comes to foreign-born sweets, a fact we recently saw when udon noodle chain Marugame Seimen released Udonuts, made with – you guessed it – udon flour. These unusual doughnuts became a surprise hit, with the chain […]

Prizes are still random, but you’re guaranteed to get a pair of tanuki balls. You always have to be prepared for a certain amount of randomness when buying something from Japan’s gacha/capsule toy machines, but if you want to limit the amount of uncertainty, there are ways to do so. One of the easiest techniques […]

No doorbell rung, one face slapped. Sometimes, in his idle moments at home alone, a guy living by himself might think “Ya know, it’d be nice to have a girl here.” And if that happened to be the sentiment running through the mind of a 29-year-old man in Kagoshima City on Wednesday morning, the last […]

They’re using our urge to share against us. With its consecutive national holidays, Golden Week is one of those long-awaited periods in Japan, with many people eager to leave behind their daily stresses and get away from it all. However, this year saw the emergence of a new trend in crime that looks just as […]

Man and machine versus nature. The fact that we call the items “hangers” is proof of how hard it is for us humans to imagine any use for them other than hanging clothes. And yet, despite their nudist tendencies meaning that they never have to hang laundry, the crows living in the neighborhood of our […]

Edo-period specialty gets a modern makeover in the heart of Tokyo. If someone were to mention they’d tried a green beverage in Japan, most people might assume they’re talking about matcha. However, there is another type of drink with green hues that locals are well acquainted with, and it’s called the Zunda Shake. Made from […]

Officers determined the explosive was inoperable.

Getting dirty in Gifu comes with benefits for your skin and stomach. There’s an outdoor volleyball tournament scheduled for this coming August in the town of Gujo. But while playing the sport under the summer sun might have you imagining beach volleyball, Gujo is in Gifu, one of Japan’s landlocked prefectures, so it has no […]

The invasive amphibians were carrying a deadly disease, wildlife officials said.

After more than a decade of incidents, legal action finally taken. The authorities in Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Ward tried being lenient. Since over a decade ago, residents in the area around Abikocho and Nagai Stations on the JR Hanwa Line and Osaka Metro subway network had been complaining about a certain individual’s nocturnal activities. Repeatedly, this […]