CAFE USEUM ARITA has turned Japan’s hometown-tax system into a restaurant payment path. From September 15, 2026, eligible visitors can choose “eat through hometown tax,” scan a counter QR code, make a…
NOMU Kichijoji opened in Tokyo’s Musashino district on June 25, 2026, as NOMU ENTERPRISE’s second café. At the official NOMU site, drinks begin in a proprietary dispensing system rather than at a…
After years of rising rice costs, 7-Eleven and Lawson are cutting onigiri prices. The humble rice ball has become a test of whether convenience stores can make affordability feel like product innovation.
At Atelier Ukai Cafe & Factory Hachioji, opened by restaurant operator Ukai in western Tokyo on September 7, a working cookie and chocolate plant is also the guest experience. Visitors can follow…
At barrier in Kanazawa, dashi is no longer a fixed kitchen decision. Since September 7, 2026, guests compare three dried-fish flakes by aroma and taste, choose one, then receive a bowl made…
Every first order at Hatenacoffee’s new Kobe branch combines a drink with a physical puzzle rather than treating games as optional entertainment. Experiful Inc. opened Hatenacoffee Kobe Sannomiya on September 2, 2026.…
KAKU Shinagawa opened in Tokyo on August 26, 2026, with a working charcoal hearth built into every table. Rather than treating open-fire cooking as a distant kitchen spectacle, the 100-seat restaurant brings…
2050 coffee’s Gion Shirakawa shop opened in Kyoto on August 7, 2026, with a service system designed for tourist-volume speed: staff dispense specialty coffee from labelled taps in about ten seconds. Kurasu…
At OrySNACK in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district, the bartender can be hundreds of kilometres away. OryLab opened the four-seat, reservation-only sake bar inside Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN ver.β on August 1, 2026. Guests…
Gluten Free T’s Kitchen opened its Harajuku branch in Tokyo on April 3, 2026, as an izakaya where the entire food-and-drink offer avoids wheat, barley and rye. Operated by Tainoi Kako, the…