Things to Do– category –

Japan is the Pokémon motherland and 2026 is its biggest year yet: PokéPark Kanto is open and the Mega Tokyo flagship returns August 24. This hub connects every Honto Pokémon guide — Centers, merchandise, cards, the online store, themed cafés and the second-hand treasure hunt.

Tokyo has two baseball worlds: the Giants' indoor cathedral at Tokyo Dome — fully cashless, outfield seats from ¥2,300 — and the Swallows' open-air Jingu Stadium, which turns 100 this October and still takes cash. Here's how to actually buy tickets on the official systems, what they cost, and why umbrellas fly when Yakult scores.

You can taste your way through Japan's national drink without leaving Tokyo — starting at the industry association's own tasting center, where 50 bottles pour from ¥100 a cup. Here's the full circuit from official pages: the Tokyo Station standing bars, a working micro-brewery in Minato, the ¥700 mountain kura tour — and the new Yaesu tasting bar opening September 10.

A maid cafe visit costs less than most visitors fear — ¥850–¥880 entry plus one order — but runs on rules most guides skip: the one-hour clock, the no-photos-of-maids policy, and the paid cheki system. Here's Akihabara's three flagship chains compared from their official pages, including the quiet original where nothing kawaii will shout at you.

Japan's yellow sightseeing institution runs 263 Japanese tours but only 14 for foreign visitors — and just 5 of those have a live English guide; the rest use GPS audio. Here's the honest 2026 sorting: ¥6,300 half-days, the ¥2,200 open-top hour, the Mt. Fuji tour's one-way catch, and why the hotel pickup and Hamamatsucho advice you read is obsolete.

Niseko's 2026/27 prices are already published — ¥13,500 for a peak-season day across four resorts. Here's what's confirmed for this season, what still says last season on the resorts' own sites, and the backcountry rules that will cost you your lift pass.

Half the themed cafés in English guidebooks have closed — the Square Enix café, the Kawaii Monster Café, the prison restaurant, the Roppongi hedgehog café. Here's what is currently operating, verified on each operator's own site, with the booking rules and prices.

One lift ticket covers ten resorts in Hakuba, and the 2026/27 price is already published — ¥11,100 a day. Here's what's confirmed for this season, what still says last season on the resorts' own sites, and the gate-and-rescue rules that only exist in Japanese.

A contemporary art museum on the 53rd floor that stays open until 10 PM — and sits above an observation deck sold as a separate ticket. Here are the current prices, the Tuesday trap, the Obon early opening, and why we won't tell you the Sky Deck is open.

Japan's arcades run on rules almost no English guide gets right: under-18s are barred after 10 PM with no guardian exception, crane prizes are legally capped at about ¥1,000 retail, and asking staff for help is officially encouraged, not cheating.

Every Tokyo go-kart operator says the same thing in writing: wrong paperwork, no ride, no refund. And a Vienna Convention permit is worthless here even if your country also signed Geneva. Here's the permit law from the police, the prices, and what happened to the Mario costumes.

280 tiny bars in six alleys, most with a seat charge of ¥500–1,500 on top of your drink, some closed to anyone without an introduction — and a photography rule that catches out almost every visitor. Here's how Golden Gai actually works, from the associations that run it.