The Railway Board has adopted a plan suggested by Mrs. Takahashi, Tokyo Station master, to connect special cars to the Shimonoseki express train that leaves Tokyo at 4 p.m. daily, exclusively for the use of female students who are going home for the summer ...
New brands to delight design fans
From cat beds to toy DJ decks and sleek furniture, plenty of stylish goods are emerging from Japan's new brand lines.
Tokyo Skytree celebrates 60th anniversary of iconic fashion doll Barbie's debut
An event marking the 60th year since the debut of iconic fashion doll Barbie kicked off at Tokyo Skytree on Wednesday, showcasing the doll's history and diversity. The event, named Barbie Loves Tokyo Skytree Runway, will run through May 6. At the tower's Tembo Galleria, a ...
Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys
It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys). In a cramped workspace surrounded by machinery and long sinks, the 33-year-old begins by ...
Toymaker Bandai Co. says it will enter China's growing baby toy market next March by offering a range of products featuring characters from a popular Japanese picture book series. While the Chinese baby toy market has been expanding following the abolition of its one-child policy, ...
Toymakers in Japan are strengthening measures against counterfeit products being sold overseas, especially in China. The proportion of domestic toymakers' sales made overseas has been growing, due to the shrinking domestic market amid the declining birthrate. Firms are concerned that overlooking the sale of counterfeit ...
An inspirational new version of Barbie will encourage young girls to embark on careers in engineering and the sciences, the iconic doll's manufacturer Mattel said on Tuesday. Barbie, who first hit the shelves in 1959, prides herself on trying out jobs where women aren't strongly ...
Twenty-five years in the company of Maywa Denki
Maywa Denki, Japan's "parallel-world electric company" celebrates quarter of a century of wacky art performances, peculiar gadgets and lots of humor.
Toy exhibition featuring plastic Gundam models opens in Shizuoka with an eye on drawing younger fans
A major toy exhibition featuring new plastic models of anime robot Gundam and other characters opened Thursday in the city of Shizuoka, with vendors in attendance looking to attract new generations of fans. Some 80 companies are taking part in the annual Shizuoka Hobby Show. ...
120 children needed treatment after accidentally swallowing magnetic balls: consumer center
Japan's consumer center said Thursday about 120 children were treated at medical institutions over the past seven years after swallowing tiny magnetic balls, and urged parents to keep such products away from children. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said it knows of 124 ...
Toys R Us in talks to sell majority stake in Asia unit, including Japan business
Beleaguered retail chain Toys R Us Inc. is negotiating to sell its 85 percent stake in its Asian business, including the Japan operations. A spokeswoman at Toys R Us Japan headquarters in Kawasaki confirmed Thursday that Toys R Us Asia Ltd., its parent, is in ...
