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Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata ramen in Rosemead, served half price for the 21st anniversary

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Half-Price Hakata Ramen: Shin-Sen-Gumi Rosemead’s 21st Anniversary

japanup_akane 09/23/2026

Hakata ramen in Rosemead is going half price for two days only. Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen Rosemead is celebrating its 21st anniversary with a thank-you sale on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, from 10am to 11pm. The signature Hakata ramen drops to $6.88, half of its regular $13.75, for dine-in only. Just 1,000 half-price bowls are served each day, and the restaurant runs on a limited menu during the event. How to Get the Half-Price Hakata Ramen in Rosemead The deal is dine-in only, and with 1,000 bowls a day up for grabs, lines are expected. If you would…

Premium Dassai sake served at the LA Dassai Experience at Uchi West Hollywood

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LA Dassai Experience: Japan and USA’s Finest Sake in West Hollywood

japanup_akane 09/17/2026

The LA Dassai Experience, the first event of its kind in Los Angeles, is coming to Uchi West Hollywood on Sunday, October 11, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. It is a rare chance to taste both the original Dassai from Yamaguchi, Japan, and Dassai Blue, brewed in New York’s Hudson Valley, side by side. Guests can enjoy them paired with Uchi’s inventive Japanese cuisine, including a limited menu made with Dassai Blue’s sake kasu (lees). Tickets are $100, and reservations are recommended early through the link below. What to Expect at the LA Dassai Experience The evening brings together classic Junmai…

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Japan Now! Cup Noodle Turns 55 Today. The 61-Year-Old Inventor, the Hostage Crisis, and the Fork That Changed Food Forever (9/17)

japanup_akane 09/17/2026

Most billion-dollar products are born in labs and boardrooms. However, the one turning 55 today was born in a backyard shed, perfected by a 61-year-old who refused to retire, and rescued from commercial failure by, of all things, a televised hostage standoff. On September 18, 1971, Nissin launched Cup Noodle at the Isetan department store in Shinjuku, the world’s first cup ramen, and Japan has spent this entire anniversary year celebrating in the most Nissin way possible: more mystery meat, mahjong tiles, and a birthday message involving an astronaut. Quick Answer: Cup Noodle, the world’s first instant ramen in a…

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Honda-ya Charity Event Celebrates Kappo Honda’s 30th in Tustin

japanup_akane 09/16/2026

The Honda-ya charity event returns to Tustin on Sunday, October 4, from 11am to 8pm, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Kappo Honda. Admission is free, and the day is packed with food booths, drinks, games, and live performances. A portion of the proceeds goes to a local community fund. It is shaping up to be a lively day out, so bring the family or a group of friends and join in. What’s Happening at the Honda-ya Charity Eventrite Expect a full day of street eats, drinks, taiko drumming, live music, dance, and games, with local vendors and community organizations joining…

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Japan Now! Typhoon Dujuan Is Aiming at Japan’s Biggest Fall Holiday in a Decade. What Travelers Need to Know (9/16)

japanup_akane 09/16/2026

If your Japan trip overlaps with the next week, this is the forecast to watch. Typhoon No. 25, internationally named Dujuan, formed near the Mariana Islands on Tuesday night and is strengthening as it tracks toward Japan, with the Ogasawara Islands in its path Friday into Saturday and, depending on its course, eastern Japan including the Tokyo area exposed early next week. The timing could hardly be worse: it collides with Silver Week, Japan’s five-day autumn holiday, the first of its kind in over a decade, when tens of millions of people travel at once. Quick Answer: Typhoon Dujuan (No.…

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Godzilla Is Coming to Dodger Stadium: Bobbleheads for 40,000, a Kaiju Drone Show, and Everything to Know About Minus Zero Night (9/24)

japanup_akane 09/15/2026

Los Angeles baseball and Japanese monsters have flirted for decades, but on Thursday, September 24, they make it official. The Dodgers and TOHO are throwing Godzilla Minus Zero Night at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium for the regular-season home finale against the San Diego Padres, and the headliners are worth planning an evening around: an exclusive Godzilla bobblehead for the first 40,000 fans, and a Godzilla-themed drone show lighting up the sky over Chavez Ravine after the final out. Quick Answer: Godzilla Minus Zero Night takes place Thursday, September 24, 2026 at Dodger Stadium (Dodgers vs. Padres, 7:10 PM). The…

Doraemon movie 2027 Steam Time Locomotive Victorian London

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Japan Now! Doraemon Is Taking a Steam Train to Victorian London. Japan’s Biggest Movie Franchise You’ve Never Seen in a US Theater (9/14)

japanup_akane 09/14/2026

Every March, one movie tops the Japanese box office so reliably that families plan spring break around it. However, most Americans have never bought a ticket to a single installment. It is the Doraemon movie series, 46 films deep, and today in Japan the next one showed its cards: “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s Steam Time Locomotive” (our provisional translation) opens March 5, 2027, sending the robot cat and friends hurtling from 21st-century Japan to 19th-century London aboard a steam locomotive that travels through time. The first teaser footage dropped today, and it is exactly as charming as that sentence suggests.…

Zespri kiwifruit, SunGold and Green varieties, sliced to show the flesh

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Zespri Kiwifruit: A Sweet, Vitamin-C Boost for Fall

japanup_akane 09/09/2026

Zespri kiwifruit delivers a burst of sweetness and rich aroma in every bite, and it makes a perfect pick as the weather cools. In fact, a single Zespri SunGold kiwifruit provides all the vitamin C you need in a day. Delicious SunGold, Green, and Organic varieties are on sale now at supermarkets near you. Why Zespri Kiwifruit Is a Fall Favorite Beyond its naturally sweet flavor, kiwifruit is one of the most nutrient-dense fruits around, and the vitamin C in a Zespri SunGold makes it an easy way to support your immune system as the seasons change. The website is…

Kimukatsu mille-feuille katsu, opening at the Tokyo Central Yorba Linda food court

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Kimukatsu Yorba Linda: New Express Location Opens in September

japanup_akane 09/04/2026

Kimukatsu, already serving diners at the Tokyo Central PCH location, is opening a new spot in Yorba Linda. Starting in September, a takeout-focused express location opens inside the Tokyo Central Yorba Linda food court. Grab the katsu it is known for, from the mille-feuille katsu of 25 thin, stacked layers of pork to the cheese-filled katsu, as an easy pickup on your shopping run. Enjoy carefully prepared, Japanese-quality katsu right in Yorba Linda. What to Get at Kimukatsu Yorba Linda The signature draw is the mille-feuille katsu, made by layering 25 thin slices of pork into a single cutlet, fried…

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Gaburi Chicken Opens Its Second US Location in Huntington Beach

japanup_akane 09/04/2026

Gaburi Chicken, the Japanese karaage (fried chicken) specialist, has opened its second US location in Huntington Beach. The menu centers on the shop’s signature karaage, crispy on the outside and juicy within, alongside other carefully crafted dishes. Open from 11:30am to 10pm, it serves hearty set meals by day and izakaya-style plates by night. Bring the family or a group of friends and give it a try. What to Expect at Gaburi Chicken Born in Nagoya and now with more than 70 locations across Japan, Gaburi Chicken made its US debut in Torrance in 2024, and this Huntington Beach opening…

Takagi Coffee's new hayashi rice, beef and onions in demi-glace sauce over rice

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Takagi Coffee’s New Hayashi Rice: Rich, Slow-Simmered Comfort

japanup_akane 08/27/2026

Hayashi rice is the newest addition to the menu at Takagi Coffee, the popular Los Angeles cafe. This Japanese comfort dish features beef and onions slow-simmered in a special demi-glace sauce, delivering a deep, savory richness over rice. Add the cheddar cheese topping for an even richer, more indulgent bite. While you are there, check the cafe’s Instagram for its latest pancake menu and drinks. What’s in the Hayashi Rice Hayashi rice is a Western-influenced Japanese classic, built on tender beef and onions cooked down in a rich demi-glace until deeply flavorful, then served over rice. Takagi Coffee’s version leans…

Pokemon World Championships 2026 San Francisco Pokemon Center pop-up

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Pokemon Worlds Takes Over San Francisco, and We Got Inside the Pokemon Center Everyone’s Talking About

japanup_akane 08/27/2026

For one weekend a year, one city becomes the capital of the Pokemon world. However, this year that city is a two-hour flight from LA, and the scale is unprecedented: starting tomorrow, August 28, more than 50,000 trainers descend on San Francisco’s Moscone Center for the Pokemon World Championships 2026, running through Sunday, when, for the first time in the event’s history, the finals move into Chase Center, the NBA arena where the Golden State Warriors play. A card game born in Japan in 1996 will crown its world champions on an American basketball court. Our team is on the…