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The Kyoto way: Sidewalk sign with a window is actually a manners warning
City government is tired of an inconsiderate problem happening in downtown Kyoto. Kyoto is a beautiful city, filled with temples, gardens, and quaint backstreets that fill visitors with an...
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Someone crashed a car into Japan’s oldest restroom
Bathroom accident in Kyoto involves no poo, but there’s still a mess that needs cleaning up. There’s not really any such thing as a good city to crash your car in. Still, you’ve got to think that...
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Japanese prefecture replaces Ibaraki as Least Attractive Prefecture in annual...
“Give us back last place!” cry some Ibaraki residents. The time has come again for the annual ranking of how each of Japan’s 47 prefectures fares in terms of appeal points and overall attraction. Last...
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Kyoto police issue arrest warrant in nine-year-old murder of Japan’s gyoza king
Cigarette butt DNA helps investigators crack case. Violent crime is incredibly rare in Japan, and gun control laws are extremely strict, so the country was shocked when Takayuki Ohigashi was shot to...
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Tourists warned about fake volunteer guide near Kinkakuji in Kyoto
“Guide” continues to pester travellers despite the city’s requests for him to stop. Whenever you visit a world-famous tourist site, you should always have your wits about you, and the same is true at...
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Kyoto City planning to sell cremated people’s precious metal fillings for...
Waste not, want not. In Japan, people tend to be cremated when they die, which helps our chances somewhat in the event of a zombie apocalypse. However, it is not without its setbacks. Cremation is an...
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Apprentice geisha fire drill in Kyoto leaves Internet charmed and...
”Kaji dosu!” As purveyors of classy, classical entertainment, geisha’s professional lives are steeped in a traditional atmosphere. However, that doesn’t mean they turn a blind eye to modern knowledge...
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Gucci teaming up with long-standing Japanese silk company to make beautiful...
Gorgeous traditional Japanese art combined with Gucci’s history makes for some really stunning bags. Kyoto is famous for a lot of traditional Japanese art and food, and one of those is Nishijin silk...
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We visit the full-scale Evangelion statue in Kyoto and particularly delight...
Sure, testing your Eva synchronization rate in the entry plug is pretty cool, but so is the food faithfully recreated from the anime. Given the longstanding success of various iterations of Neon...
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Kyoto’s uniquely beautiful New Year’s tradition is being carried on by...
Before all of Japan had gacha machines, Kyoto had fukudama, and the coffeehouse chain is helping make sure the city still does. Capsule toys seem like a thoroughly modern part of Japanese life, and...
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Toei Kyoto Studio Park takes you back in time to Edo period Japan, but all is...
Join us on a guided tour of the film set where hundreds of Japanese period movies and dramas are filmed every year. There are many museums around Japan where you can learn about the history of the...
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Kyoto town changes names for burnable, landfill trash so people will think...
As always, words have a second meaning behind them in Kyoto. Kyoto has a reputation as a place where there’s a second meaning behind people’s choice of words. Often that meaning is meant to subtly...
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Kyoto Station is a bad place to be in a snowstorm, videos show
The building’s cool design isn’t the best fit for freezing weather. There’s a lot of cool stuff to see in Kyoto, and it starts the second you get off the train. Kyoto Station is a stylish and modern...
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What exactly is the treat known as a “kougnané” that’s sold outside Tokyo’s...
We learn the origin of this unique pastry sold in one of Tokyo’s bustling commercial districts. It’s been a while since our zany Japanese-language reporter Mr. Sato has visited the Yurakucho area...
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Kyoto to introduce “empty home tax” for vacation houses and unused homes
First-of-its-kind tax would bring in nearly one billion yen, but government says it’s not about the money. Temples and shrines are the first things that spring to mind when most people think of Kyoto,...
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Mister Donut, Kyoto tea merchant create new line of treats, with one that’s...
Every time Misdo and Tsujiri meet, it’s matcha magic. Along with “tasty,” “inexpensive” and “ubiquitous” would be two of the best words to describe Mister Donut. Japan’s biggest donut chain has shops...
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Kyoto will abolish one-day bus passes to combat tourism overcrowding
Sale of popular travel pass to end as residents find themselves competing with out-of-towners for space on public transportation. It’s hard to overstate just how many amazingly beautiful, culturally...
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World’s most elegant kickball game held at Kyoto’s Imperial Palace【Video】
Kickball the Heian way. Japanese Twitter user @yoshimura0303 was recently out and about in Kyoto when he stumbled across a kemari game taking place. “Kemari” comes from the Japanese words keru,...
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Family Mart goes matcha crazy with new lineup of green tea sweets in Japan
Convenience store chain teams up with a company that traces its history back to a high-ranking tea master. It’s often said that you can get pretty much anything you want at a Japanese convenience...
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Rainy day in Kyoto creates amazing photo of sakura above, below, and all around
Usually rain isn’t what you want when the cherry blossoms are blooming, but this is a very beautiful exception. After the cherry blossoms bloom, there are only a few days before they start to fall from...
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