Midnight Jun Club

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Junkudo Bookstore’s founding, the all-night event “Midnight Jun Club” will be held simultaneously at three stores: Junkudo Bookstore Ikebukuro Main Store, Osaka Main Store, and Naha Store. As a special edition of the “Trying Living in Maruzen Junkudo Tour,” the event opens bookstores after closing—a setting where visitors normally cannot stay—for a slow, unhurried night of selecting books or reading until morning. In addition to the browsing time, the schedule includes book-related programs such as talks by authors and editors, bookstore clerk experiences, workshops, and reading groups.

Osaka Venue Programs (Examples)

21:00–21:40 / 50 Questions for Yukito Ayatsuji and Arisugawa Arisu

Authors Yukito Ayatsuji and Arisugawa Arisu will answer 50 questions covering books, mysteries, and the 50th anniversary of Junkudo Bookstore’s founding.

22:30–23:20 / Masahiko Kishi × Tomoka Shibasaki: “Osaka” Talk Show After 5 Years

Sociologist Masahiko Kishi and author Tomoka Shibasaki co-authored the book “Osaka” in 2021. A commemorative talk for the publication was planned at the time but could not be realized due to social conditions. Five years later, the two will finally hold that conversation: an “Osaka” talk that spans episodes from the writing process and their current thoughts on the city.

0:50–2:20 / Film Directors’ Late-Night Talk: Books and Movies Edition

At the invitation of Takashi Miura—who works as a bookstore clerk at Junkudo Bookstore Osaka Main Store while also active as a film director—film directors associated with Osaka will gather in one place. The lineup includes directors Teppei Isobe, Koji Nishio, Takuya Ohrikata, and Takashi Miura.

Three-Store Cross-Cutting Project: Silent Reading Group

A “Midnight Secret Reading Group” connecting the three cities of Ikebukuro, Osaka, and Naha will also be held. The format is a silent reading group, so conversation between participants is unnecessary. The common reading is Paul Auster’s masterpiece “City of Glass,” and the night setting gives participants a chance to share a special reading experience by empathizing with the protagonist, who wanders through a labyrinthine city after receiving a midnight phone call.

Event Information

• Participating Stores: Junkudo Bookstore Ikebukuro Main Store, Osaka Main Store, and Naha Store
• Holding Period: Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, 2026
• Holding Time: From 21:00 on the 22nd (Sat) to 6:00 on the 23rd (Sun)
• Holding Location (Osaka): Junkudo Bookstore Osaka Main Store (Dojima Avanza 2nd–3rd Floor, 1-6-20 Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka City)

Tickets

Standard Tickets

• Admission Ticket: 3,500 yen
• Admission Ticket + Digital Gift Voucher (worth 2,000 yen): 5,000 yen

Junkudo Bookstore Support Supporter Tickets

• Admission Ticket: 3,150 yen
• Admission Ticket + Digital Gift Voucher (worth 2,000 yen): 4,700 yen

Admission Ticket + Chapters Matching

• Admission Ticket + Lottery-based Paid Ticket (Chapters Matching Event 3,000 yen): 6,500 yen

Lottery Schedule

Admission Tickets / Paid Project Tickets

• Lottery Application Start: Monday, June 15, 2026, 12:00
• Lottery Application End: Sunday, June 28, 2026, 23:59
• Lottery Results Announcement: Around Thursday, July 2, 2026, 18:00

Free Project Tickets

• Lottery Application Start: Monday, July 6, 2026, 12:00
• Lottery Application End: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 23:59

This event will be held during the night/early morning (planned from 21:00 to 6:00 the next morning). At the time of purchase, it is mandatory to check “being 18 years of age or older” and “agreeing to participate in the night event.” Please note that minors cannot participate.

Website: junkudo.co.jp/midnight
The Osaka venue lineup is here
X Account / Instagram Account

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Junkudo is a Japanese bookstore chain with large, multi-floor locations that stock a broad range of titles, including bestsellers, academic works, manga, magazines, and imported books. The stores are organized for extended browsing, with reading areas and clear categorization. The chain has operated for decades and has expanded across Japan.

Its flagship stores—for example, in Ikebukuro, Osaka’s Umeda district, and Naha in Okinawa—differ in layout and atmosphere but share the same basic approach: wide inventory and practical shelving. The Ikebukuro location is one of the largest bookstores in the country, with several floors of new and used books. The Umeda store focuses on a dense urban shopping environment, while the Naha store serves a regional audience with a mix of local and national titles.

Junkudo also handles special orders for out-of-print or niche publications, and its staff are trained to help locate specific editions. The chain’s business model relies on volume and turnover rather than curated boutique selection. This makes it a reliable place for readers who want to browse a wide range of genres without a specific purchase in mind. The stores are also used for events, including readings and community gatherings, as they have space and infrastructure for such activities. One example is Midnight Jun Club, an overnight event that combines reading sessions, discussions, and practical workshops. The event is open to all ages and is designed to encourage sustained reading in a group setting. While Junkudo is not unique in hosting such events, its scale and floor space make it a practical venue for them.

Hanshin Spice Curry Expo 2026

Spice curry has grown out of Osaka’s free-thinking food culture into a style that now reaches across Japan. From August 19 to 24, 2026, 15 famous spice curry shops from Kansai, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Tokyo will gather at the Shokusai Terrace on the 1st floor of the Hanshin Umeda Main Store. The event offers a rare chance to sample regional curry approaches in one place, without traveling beyond Umeda.

Takashi Matsumura, editor-in-chief of IN/SECTS, serves as the event’s super presenter. Known for local-culture publications such as How to Make Kansai Spice Curry, he is well suited to an expo that emphasizes regional character and the wide range of spice curry interpretations now thriving across the country.

What makes this expo special

The main draw is the rotation. Shops from four different areas will be completely swapped out every two days, which means visitors on different days will encounter entirely different lineups. That creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste a broad spectrum of spice curry styles within a single event, from Kansai staples to shops based as far away as Hokkaido and Okinawa.

For anyone caught up in the recent spice curry making boom, the expo will also feature beginner-friendly spice kits and recipe books. These make it easy to recreate the experience at home and keep experimenting long after the event ends. Whether you are there to eat on the spot or to stock up for your own kitchen, the expo is designed for a deep spice life.

Curries and spice kits from each shop will be available until they are sold out.

Event details

• Event Period: 2026/8/19 (Wed) – 24 (Mon)
• Event Time: 10:00 – 20:00
• Event Location: Hanshin Umeda Main Store 1st Floor, Shokusai Terrace (1-13-13 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City)
• Fee: Free Admission
• Website: https://web.hh-online.jp/hanshin/contents/str/20260819.html

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What are Japan’s regional curries?

Japan’s regional curries are local versions of Japanese curry, adapted to the ingredients, climate, and eating habits of their home areas. Standard Japanese curry is a thick stew made from a roux of flour, fat, and curry powder, usually served with rice. Regional varieties keep that base but change the broth, toppings, or side dishes.

In Hokkaido, soup curry replaces the thick roux with a lighter broth. It is served in a bowl with large vegetables and often a whole chicken leg, and is eaten with a spoon rather than poured over rice. In Yokohama, navy curry comes from a recipe served on Imperial Navy vessels. It uses a rich roux and a spice-heavy mix, and is traditionally accompanied by pickles.

Nagoya has a sweet-savory style known as koko curry, sometimes made with local miso and served with a breaded pork cutlet. Kanazawa curry is a dark, thick variety with a pronounced spice heat. It is normally served with tonkatsu, shredded cabbage, and a roux dark enough to coat each piece of meat.

Other regional versions use local seafood and produce. Hiroshima curry includes oysters from nearby waters. Kōchi adds shijimi clams. Fukuoka serves curry as a broth over udon noodles. Okinawa’s taco rice, developed under American military influence, replaces the usual curry-and-rice bowl with seasoned ground beef over rice, topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

These versions differ in preparation and ingredients, but they are all sold as regional specialities. The Hanshin Spice Curry Expo 2026 in Osaka will bring a selection of them together in one venue, allowing visitors to compare the styles without traveling between prefectures.

SUMMER LOUNGE MEIJI PARK Powered by Corona

A summer moment to enjoy one of Japan’s largest movie events and beer in the middle of the city!

At this event, a beer garden where you can enjoy drinks and food will be set up in an open-air lounge full of a sense of liberation. Additionally, special screenings by the popular outdoor movie event “Nebukuro Cinema” are scheduled to take place over a period of more than 40 days, making it one of the largest in Japan (*). You can forget the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy an extraordinary summer experience.

The venue is Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park, a green space in central Tokyo that is accessible on foot from four different stations, so the event is easy to fit into an evening after work or as part of a weekend plan.

*One of the largest number of days held as an outdoor movie screening event in Japan (Survey by Tokyo Legacy Parks Co., Ltd.)

◆ The limited-time outdoor beer lounge returns this year!

A lounge featuring tables, chairs, and lighting effects will appear again this year in a space surrounded by the greenery of Meiji Park. In addition to drinks from sponsoring companies, new food menus have been added to make the experience even more substantial. It is an “everyone’s beer garden” that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether visiting with friends, family, or colleagues.

The lounge is open from 17:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:40, giving visitors time to relax as the evening progresses. The lighting effects become part of the atmosphere once the sun sets, and the open-air setting keeps things comfortable through the summer months.

In addition to the beer lounge, the “Corona Sunsets Truck” will appear this year, offering drinks such as Corona beer and food that pairs perfectly with them. A space that refreshes the spirit will be created, primarily during sunset times from Friday through the weekend. Food that goes well with Corona beer and the non-alcoholic beer Corona Cero will also be provided, allowing you to enjoy a pleasant outdoor meal.

◆ This year’s “Nebukuro Cinema” will be a long-run event of over 40 days, making it one of the largest outdoor night cinema events in Japan! A lineup of masterpieces and hot topics that everyone can enjoy!

The popular outdoor movie event “Nebukuro Cinema” will be held simultaneously again this year! Masterpieces and hot topics from Western films, Japanese films, and anime that everyone from adults to children can enjoy are scheduled to be presented over a period of more than 40 days, which is one of the largest in Japan.

The format combines a large outdoor screen with the relaxed setting of the park, so visitors can watch a film while enjoying a drink and the evening air. The long run also means the program has room for a broad mix of titles, covering a range of genres and audiences.

◆ Special content during the period: Every Tuesday, run together and toast with beer! “Run & Beer”

As a collaboration event with the Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park running community “Runner’s Park Tokyo,” “Run & Beer” will be held again this year. After running, non-alcoholic beer Corona Cero will be provided for free! A plan to refresh both mind and body is prepared.

The event pairs a group run through the park with a toast afterward, making it a good option for runners who also want to enjoy the lounge atmosphere. Since the drink provided is Corona Cero, participants can take part without drinking alcohol. The event takes place on eight Tuesdays from July through September.

Dates: July 21 (Tue), 28 (Tue), August 4 (Tue), 18 (Tue), 25 (Tue), September 1 (Tue), 8 (Tue), 15 (Tue)
*Implementation details are subject to change.

Basic Info

• Location / Nearest Stations
  Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park
  Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station (9 min walk) / Gaienmae Station (9 min walk) / Sendagaya Station (10 min walk) / Shinanomachi Station (13 min walk)
• Address
  〒160-0013
  Kasumigaokacho-nai and others, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
  MAP
• Period
  2026/07/17 (Fri) ～ 2026/09/27 (Sun)
• Time
  Start 17:00 / End 22:00
  Last order 21:40
• Official Website
  https://meijipark-summer-lounge.com/

*The posted content may have changed. Please check the official website of the venue or organizer for the latest information.
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What is Nebukuro Cinema?

Nebukuro Cinema is an outdoor film screening with sleeping bags instead of seats. The name comes from the Japanese word nebukuro (寝袋), meaning “sleeping bag.” The setup is straightforward: an open-air space with low lighting, bedding on the ground, and a screen set up at one end. Viewers choose where to lie down—inside a sleeping bag, on a mat, or directly on the grass—and watch the film from there.

The event is part of SUMMER LOUNGE MEIJI PARK 2026 Powered by Corona. It takes place in Meiji Park on summer evenings. The program consists of classic films, shown on a large screen. Corona is available to drink. Because the venue is outdoors, the experience is closer to camping than to a standard cinema: there is no assigned seating, the temperature drops as the night goes on, and the surrounding park remains visible around the edges of the screening area. The absence of chairs is not a novelty; it changes the basic relationship between viewer and film. Watching from a sleeping bag is comfortable, but it also makes the event a practical outdoor activity rather than a purely cinematic one.

Odaiba Bamboo Lantern Festival

A story of gentle lights coloring the summer nights. This summer, fantastical bamboo lights will spread across Odaiba.

Soft light spilling from bamboo. Stars shining in the night sky. The sparkling night view of Odaiba. Countless bamboo lanterns enveloping the venue will color the usual Odaiba into a special space.

And the Odaiba Bamboo Lantern Festival is not just about gazing at bamboo lanterns. Play, eat, experience, and take photos. It is a special summer event that can be enjoyed from day to night together with your family, friends, and loved ones.

This summer, why not enjoy a fantastical moment that can only be experienced in Odaiba?

More than just lanterns

The festival takes over Symbol Promenade Park Central Square with a scene built around bamboo, a material with a long history in Japanese craft and culture. The lanterns are the centerpiece, but the event is designed as a full day out: children get their own play areas, families can work on crafts together, and everyone can eat, explore, and take photos without leaving the venue.

Inflatable Play Equipment

Inflatable play equipment will appear at the venue, giving children a place to play to their heart’s content. It adds an energetic option for younger visitors and balances the festival’s quieter, more contemplative evening activities.

Festival Stall Corner

The festival stall corner is full of exciting games unique to festivals. It brings the classic energy of a Japanese summer festival to Odaiba, where visitors can try games between lantern displays and food stops.

Workshops

Workshops are planned as memorable experiences that parents and children can enjoy together. They add a hands-on element to the visit, giving families a shared activity to take part in rather than just something to watch.

Bamboo Lantern Making Experience (Paid)

For a deeper connection to the event’s theme, the paid bamboo lantern making experience lets you make your own original bamboo lantern. You finish with a lantern you created yourself, a summer memory to take home.

Kitchen Cars and Food & Beverage Booths

Kitchen cars and food and beverage booths will be set up around the venue, offering delicious gourmet food. You can eat without leaving the festival, whether you want a quick bite between activities or a longer meal once the lanterns are lit.

Fantastical Photo Spots

There are also spaces surrounded by the gentle light of bamboo that will make you want to capture them in photos. These photo spots use the lanterns’ warm glow to create backdrops you won’t find at a typical illumination event.

From day to night

During the day, the focus is on the inflatable play equipment, festival stalls, workshops, and gourmet food. At night, the bamboo lanterns take center stage, their gentle light giving the venue a calmer atmosphere under the summer night sky.

*Please check the official website for details on the content.

Basic Information

*The published content may have changed. For the latest information, please check the official website of the venue or organizer.

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Odaiba is an artificial district in Tokyo Bay, originally designed as a defensive position and later redeveloped as a commercial and leisure area. The first fortifications were built in the 1850s by the Tokugawa shogunate, and additional land was created over the following decades. Today, the district is connected to central Tokyo by the Rainbow Bridge and the Yurikamome automated transit line. Its layout is unusual for the city: broad walkways, open plazas, and buildings arranged around the waterfront rather than packed into narrow blocks.

Most of the current development dates from the 1990s and 2000s. The main commercial centers are Aqua City and DiverCity, which combine shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. DiverCity is also home to a full-scale Unicorn Gundam statue. The area has several indoor theme parks and two large digital-art exhibitions, teamLab Planets and teamLab Borderless. The waterfront parks and artificial beach are used for walking, picnics, and occasional events. In this sense, Odaiba functions less as a conventional neighborhood than as a managed environment for tourism and recreation.

The district’s open spaces also make it a practical site for large gatherings. The Odaiba Bamboo Lantern Festival is one example. Held in the summer, it places thousands of bamboo lanterns along paths and plazas near the bay. The high-rises and the illuminated Rainbow Bridge provide a backdrop, but the festival does not rely on drama or spectacle. It works because the island’s generous open areas give the lanterns room to be seen and the event remains legible even for a first-time visitor. Odaiba is not a subtle recreation of an older Tokyo; it is a deliberately planned district whose appeal depends on scale, accessibility, and the simple contrast between the city and the Bay.