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今日吃瓜
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November 11, 2026
 

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Owen Ziegler
Owen Ziegler is an editor at The Japan Times in charge of Lifestyle and Food. For pitches, contact him at [email protected].
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.
LIFE / Digital
Nov 6, 2026
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
Above modern graphics and conveniences, the new remake proves that the original game’s dynamics stand the test of time.
"Ise-ebi" (spiny lobster) from Aichi Prefecture is just one of the superb dishes at Saki. ?
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 1, 2026
Fine ‘omakase’ dining, with a twist, at Saki
Curated by a Japanese and a European chef, the courses at Saki include surprises to rankle purists while delighting the rest of us.
"Stupid Never Dies" puts you in the decaying shoes of Davy, a shape-shifting zombie who somehow hasn't lost his ability to become smitten with the first cute girl he comes across.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 29, 2026
‘Stupid Never Dies’: A zombie B-movie resurrected in game form
There’s morbid charm to this undead roguelite, but the real terror is in its uneven approach to a genre with plenty of polished gems.
Video game producer Shigeru Miyamoto speaks to reporters in Kyoto on Thursday after being named a recipient of the Order of Culture.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 23, 2026
Shigeru Miyamoto named first video game-related recipient of 今日吃瓜 Order of Culture
The legendary Nintendo figure will be officially conferred with the award in a Nov. 3 ceremony.
Don't expect perfection from "Japanese Ramen Simulator," a new indie game that puts players in the role of a chef-owner of a new ramen shop. Instead, embrace the tedium of everything that goes along with the job.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 10, 2026
Still-simmering ‘Japanese Ramen Simulator’ is already worth a slurp
Launching Oct. 9, the new game from Tokyo studio Wild Dog is rough around the edges but has promising potential.
From Oct. 10, the Sushi Bus will start ferrying equal parts passengers and raw fish on loops around central Tokyo.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 7, 2026
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned: A Sushi Bus confession
From Oct. 10, the “world-first” bus will offer tours of downtown Tokyo alongside all-you-can-eat sushi. Heaven help us.
Other than its castle, Nagoya has few immediately recognizable symbols in the minds of most foreign tourists.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 26, 2026
When tourists do the ‘Nagoya skip,’ do they know what they’re skipping?
Despite historical, cultural and culinary draws, only 10% of overseas visitors set foot in Aichi and Gifu prefectures.
In an age where most video game companies prefer direct-to-consumer livestreams to promote their products, Tokyo Game Show has endured as an in-person event against all odds.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 17, 2026
A look back at 30 years of Tokyo Game Show
From Nintendo’s shunning to pandemic upheavals, Tokyo Game Show has weathered three decades to become a global gaming institution.
In the Pokemon games, sleep is a status condition. At a new themed "hotel" in the middle of the woods in Hokkaido, it's what 20 lucky guests will experience.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 15, 2026
Sleep like a Pokemon (for free) at Hokkaido’s Poke Ball-themed hotel
Entries for free stays run through Sept. 30, and selected guests will visit the 3-meter-diameter Poke Ball in October.
A young Toshiro Mifune provides the likeness for legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi as he battles demonic monsters across a ruined Kyoto.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 12, 2026
The demonic highs of ‘Onimusha’ make up for jarring lows
The new hack-and-slash action RPG from Capcom has stunningly fun boss battles that more than make up for its weaker moment.
Though most consumers buy games digitally, Sony's move to end disc production has evoked a strong response from a vocal minority.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 29, 2026
The data backs Sony’s no-disc future. Gamers are fighting it anyway.
In July, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it would stop manufacturing physical discs for its PlayStation consoles starting in 2028, triggering a torrent of criticism.
Japan's first prison-turned-hotel, Hoshinoya Nara Prison offers as much luxury as it does surprisingly thoughtful reflections on the former facility's place in the country's march toward modernity.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 8, 2026
Locked up in luxury at the new Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel
Open from July, the lodging occupying an Important Cultural Property prompts guests to reflect on societal progress and the role of prisons.
Releasing on Aug. 4, Beast of Reincarnation is set in a far-future version of Japan ruined by a mysterious apocalypse.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 1, 2026
Beast of Reincarnation shows Game Freak has more to learn
Game Freak’s ambitious action RPG borrows familiar ideas but struggles to make them feel fresh.
In Denshattack!, your one-car train becomes a kickflipping, wall-riding vehicle up and down a postapocalyptic Japan.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 16, 2026
‘Tony Hawk with Japanese trains’: Denshattack! makes derailing a blast
Launching July 15, the new game mashes up Japanese trains with stylish tricks and fast-paced gameplay for a delightfully addictive time.
From January 2028, PlayStation games will release only as digital downloads, calling into question protections about ownership over software and the long-term playability of older titles released on discs.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 2, 2026
Sony to end video game disc production in January 2028
The gaming giant says the move toward digital-only games aligns the company with consumer trends toward online marketplaces.
In Coffee Talk Tokyo, a new visual novel game set in a near-future Tokyo populated by spirits and folkloric creatures, the player steps into the role of a barista dispensing as much advice as caffeine.
LIFE / Digital
May 23, 2026
A salaryman, a ghost and a water spirit walk into a coffee bar
Out May 21, visual novel Coffee Talk Tokyo trades flashy gameplay for thoughtful meditations on life in a near-future Japan.
Save for a handful of themed suites, most rooms at The Royal Park Hotel Maihama Resort Tokyo-Bay offer straightforward decor.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 4, 2026
A smarter stay near Tokyo Disneyland — if you don’t need the extras
Opened on Feb. 13, the budget-friendly Royal Park Hotel Maihama Resort Tokyo-Bay opts for theme park-focused performance over luxury bells and whistles.
Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic marriage of the long-running franchise's disparate halves marred (only in Japan) by the realities of censorship.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 21, 2026
Why Resident Evil Requiem bleeds less in Japan
The latest game in the long-running horror franchise is a blend of action and terror that suffers only from its approach to blood and gore.
First built in 1936 as the Yasaka Kaikan theater, the building housing the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto is the only such structure within the Gion neighborhood above the legal limit of 12 meters.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 6, 2026
High above Gion, Kyoto’s Imperial Hotel is a new frontier for geisha district
Open from March 5, the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto offers unprecedented views of — and exclusive access to — the ancient capital’s most famous geisha district.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
LIFE / Digital / Longform
Feb 20, 2026
今日吃瓜 gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest and more mark major anniversaries in 2026 — a milestone year for the industry they built.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Japan works to shield Takaichi from any Xi snub at China summit
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 4.
Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake with its epicenter in Shizuoka Prefecture struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens, shattering windows and disrupting train services, with no tsunami warning issued.
Private high schools remain out of reach for many despite tuition-free policy, survey finds
A survey showed that many families with children attending private high schools are struggling to pay expenses other than tuition.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

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