Tokyo Anime Center organizes in-depth, comprehensive special exhibitions devoted to anime, manga and game franchises. Typical exhibitions showcase everything from original artwork and life-size cutouts to videos and full-scale 3D models of famous scenes. rev.bento.com/anime #tokyo #japantravel

(1/3) The 10th Annual Capybara Watermelon Speed-Eating Contest is coming up at the end of this month! Five capybaras representing zoos around the country will compete to see who can eat a half-kilogram of watermelon the fastest. #capybara #outdoorsports #watermelon

Brown, Sally, Choco and all your other favorite LINE characters are back in Tokyo! Their new home is a sprawling, three-story character-goods complex called LINE Friends Square, located in the heart of Shibuya. (1/2) tinyurl.com/w-line #linefriends #shibuya #tokyo #brownthebear #bts

Yebisu Brewery Museum, Tokyo: "Two large museum rooms are devoted to the history of the Yebisu brand, with historical photos, advertising posters, wooden sign boards, newspaper ads and Yebisu-branded jackets." (1/2) #tokyo #ebisu #beer #japantravel #yebisu tinyurl.com/w-yebisu

The latest cherry blossom forecast is out! According to the Japan Meteorological Corporation's 7th (3/6) update, here in Tokyo we should see blossoms from March 23, hitting peak bloom March 31. Here are predictions for other cities: n-kishou.com/corp/news-co... #tokyo #cherryblossoms #japantravel

Newly open in January, Shiseido Art & Science Lab is like a science museum for cosmetics. Blend your own fragrance from various scents, explore the nuances of makeup-package colors and shapes, and enjoy medicinal-herb cuisine and parfaits in the museum cafe. #yokohama #makeup tinyurl.com/w-spark

From Animal Cafes - the best places to hang out with capybaras in Japan #capybara #japantravel tinyurl.com/ac-capy

Every year 3,000,000 people visit Tokyo's Meiji Shrine in Harajuku during the first three days of January! #japanesenewyear #japantravel #japan tinyurl.com/w-meiji

Mark your calendar! Just two more weeks until the 13th Annual Capybara Ofuro Soaking Contest, where capybaras from five zoos around the country compete to see who can stay in the ofuro the longest. Last year's winner, Donut from Nagasaki Bio Park, lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes. #capybara

Space Un in Gaienmae is Japan's first art gallery devoted solely to contemporary African artists. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-spaceun

One of Tokyo's charmingly quirky mini-museums, the Museum of Package Culture focuses on the history of canning and bottling, giving a glimpse at the evolution of Japanese industrial design and graphic design at the same time. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-package

The Museum of Logistics covers the history of freight transport from the 17th century to today. Their highly detailed diorama of a city's warehouse district is a must-see for all diorama fans. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-logistics

Explore a collection of thousands of dolls from around the world and across the centuries at the Yokohama Doll Museum. #yokohama tinyurl.com/w-doll

This tiny museum explores Ikebukuro-area history with old photos, posters, matchbook covers, and ancient pottery. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-toshima

Paper Shoot super-thin digital cameras with swappable lenses and cool cases are sold alongside other unique and stylish merchandise at design shop Koncent in Kuramae. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-koncent

One of the minor venues for Yokohama Triennale this year, BankART Kaiko gallery has a community-arts center feel to it, with a huge bookstore/shop area showcasing the work of local artists and artisans. (Yokohama Triennale runs through June 9.) tinyurl.com/w-kaiko

Pizza Report - Nim's sells legit New York thin-crust pizza by the slice, with toppings like pepperoni-jalapeno and Italian sausage. Beverages include milkshakes, chocolate egg creams and eleven kinds of tequila. #tokyo tinyurl.com/b-NimsPizza

No the building isn't being torn down - look closely and you'll find three cutting-edge contemporary art galleries in this unlikely setting on the back streets of Bakurocho. tinyurl.com/w-maruka

There's always drama brewing at Coorikuya, but it's still a pretty relaxing experience for visitors, far less crowded than cafes in more central parts of Tokyo. tinyurl.com/w-coorikuya

New from the quirky museum archives - the Kuroneko Yamato Museum on the Shinagawa waterfront traces the history of the takkyubin package-delivery service and lets you dress up in delivery uniforms and caps, available in adult and children's sizes. #tokyo tinyurl.com/w-kuroneko

Clearly someone with excellent taste has curated the cool merchandise for sale at Basic & Accent, a stylish little design shop in Toranomon Hills. The shop is particularly strong in tableware, showcasing the work of artisans producing beautiful pottery, glassware and metalware. tinyurl.com/w-basic

At Tori no Iru Cafe (cafe with birds), several dozen parrots and other birds fly freely around the main bird room, ready to meet visitors and entertain with their charming antics. #parrots tinyurl.com/w-torinoiru

Toei Shinjuku

If you're on the Shinjuku side of town, now there's no need to travel to Tokyo station or Kanda for your craft-beer shopping! Shinjuku Isetan's basement craft-beer shop stocks more than 200 different craft beers, and they also run a tiny stand-up bar with four rotating taps. bit.ly/bb-isetancbb

The excellent Nikon Museum in Shinagawa is closing on February 29, so it's worth checking out before they move. The museum covers Nikon's role in space exploration and medical research, and the huge wall of cameras from the past half century is an impressive sight. bit.ly/w-nikon_museum

Fans of the charming Suica's Penguin mascot are flocking to the new Pensta character goods shop and cafe in Ueno Station, where you can enjoy penguin-themed latte art and shop for penguin-decorated stationery and socks. bit.ly/w-pensta

Bunkamura Gallery 8 in Shibuya hosts group shows and solo exhibitions of Japanese contemporary artists. It's located on the art/creative floor of Hikarie, next to the D47 Museum (showcasing local Japanese crafts) and a handful of tiny independent galleries. bit.ly/w-bunkagalle...

RIP Niklaus Wirth, longtime evangelist for lean software and inventor of the Pascal programming language. www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/n...

This Saturday marks the 12th annual "Capybara Long Bath Showdown", a contest among five Japanese zoos to see which capybara can spend the longest time soaking in an outdoor hot spring. The competition starts at 11am and will be streamed live on YouTube. www.timeout.jp/tokyo/ja/new...

Relocated to Marunouchi in 2022, Seikado Bunko Art Museum boasts a 6500-item collection focused on Chinese pottery and porcelain. The collection also includes swords, tea ceremony utensils, calligraphy, lacquerware and Chinese and Japanese paintings. bit.ly/w-seikado

The beloved Metabolist masterpiece Nakagin Capsule Tower may have been demolished, but two of its former capsules have been repurposed at the nearby Shutl art gallery. One capsule was restored with its original 1972 equipment, while the other is used as an exhibition space. bit.ly/w-shutl

Explore the exciting world of mayonnaise and enjoy a potato-salad tasting at Kewpie's one-of-a-kind mayonnaise museum, Mayo Terrace, in Tokyo. bit.ly/w-mayo