USD/JPY Extends Toward ¥157

Now that we're in a new month, it is time to take a little peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen. This should be of particular interest to those planning on taking a vacation trip to Japan this month.

According to Trading News:

USD/JPY Extends Toward ¥157 as Japan’s Finance Minister Warns of “Non-Fundamental” FX Swings and Markets Eye Intervention

The USD/JPY pair traded close to ¥156.70 after Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated that recent yen volatility “is not moving based on fundamentals.” Speaking on Fuji TV, Katayama emphasized that stability reflecting economic reality is essential, signaling Tokyo’s rising discomfort with the yen’s slide. The remark followed a sharp monthly depreciation that erased earlier gains and positioned the yen near its weakest level since the summer, as traders priced in persistent policy divergence between the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan (BoJ).

To read more, go here. 

Ishiro Honda Documentary To Screen In New York

Above, Jonathan Bellés, Yoshikazu Ishii and yours truly in Tokyo in 2014.

Jonathan Bellés's documentary on Godzilla director Ishiro Honda will be screening in New York on December 16.

According to Rue Morgue:

It’s a heartfelt celebration of the kaiju king.

ISHIRO HONDA: MEMOIRS OF A FILM DIRECTOR will have its first commercial U.S. showing, following screenings at Sitges, G-Fest XXX and other festivals, on Tuesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, New York. Tickets can be ordered here. Written and directed by Jonathan Bellés and distributed by SRS Cinema, the documentary focuses on the director whose genre career began with the seminal 1954 GOJIRA/GODZILLA and encompassed seven more movies starring the Big G, as well as further classics like RODAN, MOTHRA, FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS and others. Later in his career, he worked alongside Akira Kurosawa on films such as KAGEMUSHA and the Oscar-winning RAN.

To read more, go here. 

"Godzilla -0.0" Is Toho's Next

Above, the official logo. Image by Toho Co., Ltd.

The next Godzilla movie's title has been announced. It is a sequel to Godzilla Minus One.

Variety reported:

Toho has officially revealed the title of its next “Godzilla” feature: “Godzilla -0.0” (Godzilla Minus Zero). The announcement was made at the annual Godzilla Fest in Tokyo and confirmed via Toho’s official X account.

And, from The Wrap:

Earlier this year it was announced that “Godzilla Minus One” director, screenwriter and visual effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki would return for a new installment in the franchise.

Now, at Godzilla Fest 2025, held Monday on Godzilla Day at Tokyo’s Kanadevia Hall, the title for the new film was revealed – “Godzilla Minus Zero.” The official logo was also revealed, drawn by Yamazaki himself (see above).

As to what “Godzilla Minus Zero” means, considering “Godzilla Minus One” referred to the fact that it took place before 1954’s “Godzilla,” well, the official release said, simply, “Stay tuned for further updates.”

Could it be a remake of the original film? Only time will tell.

To read more, go here.

Tokyo's Yamanote Line Marks 100 Years of Operation

Above, a Yamanote Line train in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While in Tokyo during my eight trips to Japan, I have used the Yamanote train line many times. The Yamanote Line encircles central Tokyo and is quite handy in exploring the city.

According to Kyodo News, the train line has reached 100 years of operation.

They begin with:

TOKYO - JR East on Saturday marked exactly 100 years of operation of the iconic Yamanote loop line train that encircles central Tokyo.

Connecting with private railways entering from the outer suburbs, bustling commercial districts formed around hubs such as Shinjuku and Shibuya stations, and laid the foundations for the capital's development.

Redevelopment continues along the line today and its status as the main artery of Tokyo, carrying huge numbers of people daily, remains unchanged.

JR East held a commemorative event using a train enveloped in a past train design that departed from Ikebukuro Station and made a complete circuit in about an hour. 

To read more, go here. 

Godzilla's Legendary Comeback

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios in Setagaya. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is remarkable that Godzilla is as popular, if not more so, than ever these days.

This can be attributed to the Legendary Pictures series of movies and of Toho's recent movies, one of which won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

MSN has posted an article on Godzilla's legendary (a pun?) comeback.

It begins with:

At one time, the Godzilla franchise seemed like outdated science fiction with limited future cinematic prospects. Not only did Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse change those perceptions, but Toho’s Godzilla Minus One proved the 50-meter-tall radioactive dinosaur could deliver an Oscar-worthy performance. Toho recently announced a sequel to Minus One, demonstrating that an “old, outdated” subgenre can still score big - a $116 million global gross on a $15 million budget - in international theaters. 

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Around ¥153

We're now in a new month (October sure wizzed by), it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchage.

According to The Mainichi:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The yen briefly weakened by around 1 yen to the lower 153 level against the U.S. dollar on Thursday after the Bank of Japan left its policy rate unchanged.

At 1 p.m., the dollar fetched 152.96-97 yen compared with 152.68-78 yen in New York and 152.05-07 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

To read more, go here. 

10 Greatest Horror Movies of the Past 40 Years

Above, Godzilla Minus One (2023) made the list.

Ever since I was a kid, I have enjoyed horror movies. You can thank my mom in particular for this. She was also fond of horror movies.

That aside, what are the 10 greatest horror movies to come out of Hollywood and elsewhere (like Japan, for instance) during the past 40 years?

Collider answers that question in a new article.

They start it off with:

If you limit things to the past 40 years, when talking about great horror movies, there are inevitably a whole host of titles that just get automatically disqualified, so RIP to those. Psycho, Alien, The Shining, two versions of Nosferatu, Godzilla (1954), and all the original Universal Monster movies… sorry, y’all. This isn't your time to shine. Go collect some more cobwebs (not necessarily a bad thing, since cobwebs are spooky).

But then focusing on the past 40 years, so everything released post-1985? There are a bunch of iconic titles, and some of them are just old enough to be considered classics (namely, the ones that are more than 25 or 30 years old). And the others will likely be classics, once enough time has passed for them to be defined as such, but either way, all of these are great, and well worth watching if you’re feeling a craving for something scary, be it because it’s Halloween or otherwise.

To see what they consider the greatest horror movies of the past 40 years, go here.

Trump Meets Emperor Naruhito (Video)

 President Trump is welcomed at Japan's Imperial Palace in Tokyo and meets with Emperor Naruhito.

Japan's Entry and Exit Fees To Rise

Above, the Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall from Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Those taking a trip to Japan will find that doing so will be a little more expensive starting next year.

Various fees will be hiked on foreign visitors to help pay for infrastructure needs and airport security.

Time Out reported:

Japan is an amazing place to visit. It’s bursting with culture, great food, and fascinating history – and its capital Tokyo is home to the world's coolest neighbourhood for 2025. However, if you’re currently planning a trip to Japan for 2026, there are a few things you should know, and a few extra costs you should account for.

As of next year, the government has announced a few changes to visas and fees for tourists. This includes increasing the exit tax, and the cost of single and multi-entry visas. According to Japanese financial newspaper the Nikkei, the money raised will go towards improving infrastructure and security in airports, as well as fund national projects like making high school free.

This will be the first time the exit tax will increase since its introduction six years ago, and the first upping of visa fees since 1978. No official announcements have been made yet about exactly when these new fares will be introduced. 

To read more, go here. 

Godzilla Is Coming To Tokyo's Haneda Airport

 

Above, an artist rendering of the Godzilla display at Haneda Airport.

Godzilla will be greeting travelers at Tokyo's largest airport.

The Big G will be on display at Haneda Airport from December 2025 to December 2026 according to Gizmodo.

They reported: 

The Haneda Airport in Japan is getting a kaiju-sized new feature in the form of a big-ass Godzilla installation. The King of the Monsters is packing his bags to move into position at Haneda Airport Terminal 3 as part of a partnership between Toho Co., Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., and the Tokyo International Air Terminal Corporation.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Considering Hiking Visa Fees For International Visitors

Above, Tokyo's Nakamise Street in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Foreign visitors to Japan may end up paying more in visa fees.

This is one way the Japanese government is considering to fight overtourism, which, by the way, was of their own making.

Japan Today reported:

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya says that the government is considering raising visa fees for foreign visitors, as current fees remain low compared with those in the United States and European countries.

The government is reviewing visa fees, Iwaya told a press conference when asked about a report that Japan plans to raise them to levels seen in the United States and Europe as early as fiscal 2026.

"The details of the review are undecided, but we are considering various factors, including a possible impact on inbound tourism," the top diplomat said Friday. "We'll examine the fees set in other countries. I believe Japan's fees are quite low at present."

The number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to September rose 17.7 percent from a year earlier to around 31.65 million, marking the fastest pace on record for surpassing 30 million within a year, a government report showed Wednesday.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Visitors Top Over 30 Million

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is funny how Japan had pushed for more tourism in recent years and the result in many areas is overtourism. It seems Japan is the "victim" of their own success.

Kyoto, for example, is hiking its hotel room taxes to supposedly fight overtourism. 

This year, foreign tourism has topped over 30 million visitors, the fastest pace ever. 

According to the Japan Times:

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January to September exceeded 30 million, passing the line at the fastest pace ever, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The figure jumped 17.7% from the same period last year to a little over 31.6 million.

It crossed the 30-million mark one month earlier than in the previous year, when the annual total hit a record high of 36.87 million, according to the JNTO

This year, the figure may exceed 40 million for the first time, with the autumn foliage season and winter holidays coming up.

To read more, go here. 

Kyoto Hikes Hotel Tax To Deal With Overtourism

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji "Golden Pavilion". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the past 25 years, I have been to Kyoto, Japan twice. But each time I stayed at hotels in neighboring Osaka. It was not that I was avoiding Kyoto, it just happened to work out that way (one was with a tour).

Over the past several years, Kyoto has been hit with hordes of tourists. The Japanese refer to it as overtourism. 

Kyoto is taking a stand against overtourism by reforming their hotel tax. 

According to Travel and Tour World:

In a decisive move to address the growing challenges posed by overtourism, Japan has introduced a groundbreaking hotel tax reform in Kyoto, one of its most iconic and historically significant cities. This bold initiative aims to manage the surging influx of international visitors, which has put immense pressure on the city’s infrastructure and local communities. With tourism in Kyoto reaching unprecedented levels, the new tax is designed not only to generate vital revenue for preserving the city’s cultural heritage but also to ensure sustainable tourism practices. By introducing a tiered tax structure based on accommodation costs, Japan seeks to balance the needs of tourists and residents, safeguard Kyoto’s historic charm, and improve the quality of life for locals, setting a powerful precedent for other destinations grappling with similar issues worldwide.

In a significant move to address the growing challenges of overtourism, Japan has approved an overhaul of its hotel tax. This measure follows a sharp rise in international visitors to the country, particularly in Kyoto, one of its most popular tourist destinations. The government’s decision to introduce the highest-ever hotel tax in the city comes in response to a rapid increase in tourism that has placed significant pressure on local infrastructure and residents.

Currently, the accommodation tax in Kyoto is capped at ¥1,000 (approximately £4.90) per night. Under the new rules, however, the city’s accommodation tax will increase dramatically, with projections suggesting a rise from ¥5.2 billion (around £25.5 million) to ¥12.6 billion (approximately £61.7 million) in annual revenue—a staggering 142% increase. The new tax system will vary depending on the price of accommodation, ensuring that higher-end hotels contribute more toward managing the impacts of tourism.

To read the full article, go here. 

Godzilla and "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms"

Above, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms rampages in New York City. Warner Bros. photo.

Godzilla fans, a more sophisticated bunch than average movie fans, are aware that the inspiration for Tomoyuki Tanaka's and Ishirō Honda's Godzilla (1954) had its inspiration by The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms in 1953.

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was the first giant monster movie that mixed a monster with the then-new nuclear bomb.

Collider posted an article on the "forgotten" (definitely not by giant monster fans) sci-fi monster movie that came before Godzilla and inspired it.

The article begins with:

When audiences think of kaiju cinema, the image that towers above all else is Godzilla rising from the sea in 1954, a monstrous embodiment of the terrors of nuclear power. Yet one year earlier, American audiences had already seen a giant reptilian beast awaken and wreak havoc on a coastal city. Eugène Lourié’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) was more than a creature feature — it was a prototype, laying down the DNA that Godzilla would refine into legend.

Adapted loosely from Ray Bradbury’s short story The Fog Horn, 20,000 Fathoms gave cinema its first modern giant monster born from atomic power. The titular Rhedosaurus, a stop-motion marvel animated by Ray Harryhausen, stomped through New York City with a destructive force unlike anything audiences had seen on the big screen. By merging Cold War anxieties with prehistoric terror, the film provided the kaiju formula: mankind’s hubris awakens a monster, cities tremble and fall, and survival depends on desperate human ingenuity.

To read the full article, go here. 

The Day Japan Faced the Winchester M12

During my university days at Cal State Long Beach, I took a World War II history class. 

The class mainly had us view the television documentary show, World At War. At no time during the class was the use of shotguns in the Pacific theater of World War II mentioned, either in lectures, in the videos or in books. 

Above, your truly taking possession of the Winchester Model 12 shotgun. 

Recently, a spate of videos have been uploaded in YouTube on the topic of shotguns in the war. I have posted one several days ago. I have another posted below.

It is specifically about the use of the Winchester Model 12 shotgun during the war. I bought a Model 12 a year ago and it is fun to shoot.  

Dollar Down At ¥147.85

We are now in a new month and in a government shutdown thanks to Democrat demands that have been rejected by the Republican senate majority. 

With this in mind, how is the U.S. dollar faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange trading?

According to Reuters:

In afternoon trading, the dollar fell 0.5% against the yen to 147.85, extending its decline after a mixed Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS. On the quarter, the dollar rose 2.7%, the best quarterly gains since October 2024.

To read more, go here. 

Japanese Forces Stunned by the Power of 12-Gauge Shotguns!

 "Japanese Forces Stunned by the Power of 12-Gauge Shotguns!" by Voices of War.

Summary:

In the Pacific jungles of World War II, Japanese forces faced a weapon they never expected — the 12-gauge shotgun. What was meant for hunting turned into a devastating close-range battlefield equalizer.

Discover how U.S. Marines used raw stopping power, speed, and surprise to dominate close-quarters combat — leaving Japanese troops shocked and unprepared for the brutal effectiveness of this underrated weapon.

 

Japan Sees Surge In Tourist Complaints In 2024

Above, my hotel room in Sasebo, Kyushu. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have been to Japan eight times since 2001 and I never felt any reason to complain about anything. There are some travelers who like to complain about anything and everything. 

I had read before my first trip that hotel rooms in Japan are smaller than ones in the U.S., so I knew what to expect. I found prices roughly comparable to those in the U.S.

Travel and Tour World has posted an article on a surge in tourist complaints in 2024 over accommodations, pricing and fake goods.  

They begin with:

There has been a noticeable increase in complaints from international visitors to Japan, one of the most visited countries in the world. Consultation requests have increased as a result of problems with lodging, expensive goods, and even fake goods as the tourism sector continues to grow. A record number of enquiries were received by Japan’s National Consumer Affairs Centre (NCAC), suggesting that the visitor experience needs to be improved and awareness raised.

To read more, go here. 

 

102-Year Old Reaches Mount Fuji Summit

Above, a Shinkansen view of Mount Fuji. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While some of us baby boomers are facing the problems associated with entering senior citizen status, one Japanese man did something that set a new record. He didn't age stop him.

At 102, he climbed to the summit of Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji.

Fox News reported:

A 102-year-old Japanese man has set a new record by becoming the oldest to summit Mount Fuji.

Kokichi Akuzawa began his ascent on Aug. 5 along with his 70-year-old daughter Motoe, his granddaughter and her husband and friends, according to The Associated Press.

Akuzawa told AP he's impressed that he climbed so well, sharing that it’s better to climb while he still can.  

"I was really tempted to give up halfway through," he said. "Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me."

To read the full story, go here. 

Japanese Accommodations: Ryokan vs. Hotels

Above, Bansuitei Ikoiso Ryokan in Sendai. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my eight trips to Japan over the years, I have stayed in hotels and ryokans (Japanese inns). I have enjoyed both, but I have to give ryokans the nod as being more enjoyable. 

For one thing, ryokan rooms seemed to be larger (in my experience) and the meals served are tastier. The ones I stayed in were family-run. 

Above, Hotel Asia Center of Japan in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The subject of ryokans versus hotels is the topic of an article in Unseen Japan.

They begin it with:

Whenever you plan a trip, where you stay ends up making a big difference. Japan is no exception. Location, access to the station, comfort, cleanliness – these are the usual things travelers look for when choosing accommodation.

Hotels are, of course, the straightforward choice. But in Japan, there’s another option that’s just as common and perhaps even more memorable: the ryokan (旅館), a traditional inn that has welcomed guests for centuries. Staying in one isn’t just about having a place to sleep. It’s about stepping into a living piece of Japanese culture.

The question is, which one should you choose? Many assume hotels are the safer, more convenient option, while ryokan are more of a cultural experience on the side. And while there’s some truth to that, the reality is a little more nuanced.

To read more, go here.