Tokyo

$736K Tuna Sold at Tokyo Fish Market

Bluefin tuna© New York Times A new record was set last week at the first auction of the year at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. The prized piece of fish was a 593 pound bluefin tuna, sold for $736,000. The winning bid went to the president of a noted chain of Tokyo-based sushi restaurants. [...]

Sea Lion Wows Crowds With Keen Penmanship

Jay the sea lion, writing “dragon” in calligraphy © Getty In preparation for the Chinese New Year later this month, an aquarium in suburban Tokyo has once again used the talents of their own, to usher in 2012. Jay the sea lion was spotted at Hakkejima Sea Paradise this week with his trainer, writing in [...]

New, Classier Wendy’s Coming to Japan

Wendy’s Japan ©liddybits Would you like fries with that foie gras burger? After leaving the Japanese market two years ago, American fast food chain Wendy’s is looking to make a strong comeback in Japan. To stand out from competitor McDonalds, and local chains Lotteria and Mos Burger, Wendy’s is counting on a new premium menu [...]

Tokyo’s Museum Dedicated to Parasites

Tapeworm Specimen © istolethetv Dehli belly. Montezuma’s revenge. The travel trots. Whatever you choose to call it, every serious traveler encounters intestinal problems at some point on the road. Usually our bodies fight off the bacteria or viral infection, but a few lucky people may find that they are carrying around more than just a [...]

Tokyo Slo-Mode: Japan Caught in Slow-Motion

Lovely and weird.

Photo of the Moment: A Moment on the Street, Tokyo

Tokyo Passengers Trigger Radiation Detectors at U.S. Airports

The New York Post is reporting that luggage and filtration systems on planes at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport arriving from Tokyo tested positive for traces of radiation. Oy … it just keeps getting worse. More via CheapOair.

Photo of the Moment: Asakusa Kids Closeup, Tokyo

Photo of the Moment: Rain or Shine at Disneyland, Tokyo

Photo of the Moment: Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

Annual ‘Crying Sumo’ Baby Contest Held in Tokyo

The annual baby crying contest was held at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo last Sunday. At least 80 babies participated in the traditional contest that determines which baby cries first as a pair is held aloft by two sumo wrestlers who persuade them to cry. If both babies begin bawling at the same time, the [...]

Going Green with a Vengeance in Tokyo

Tokyo has never been known for its vast parklands. Green space accounts for just four percent of the city, compared to twelve percent in New York. The rapid reconstruction efforts post World War II ensured that Tokyo quickly evolved into a concrete jungle with skyscrapers clogging the city, and every available inch used up. Now, [...]

Tokyo Says “No Smoking” in Taxis

As a rather apt follow-up to this video review of Tokyo’s coffin hotels … Tokyo has joined the growing list of cities to enforce stricter restrictions on smoking in public. After Paris’ cafes, it’s Tokyo’s taxis that have become smoke-free zones. Two Tokyo taxi associations initiated the ban on lighting up inside, responding to the [...]

Coffin Hotels of Tokyo [Video]

I’m positively fascinated by all things Japanese, and particularly the Capsule (a.k.a. “Coffin”) hotels of Tokyo. Geobeats explains: Somewhere William Gibson is smiling.