Mary Jane in Japan is properly back in business — which means my desk is once again accumulating vape cartridges at a rate that suggests I have learned absolutely nothing. 💚
But things are a little different this time around. I’m trying to spend less time chasing every new release and more time talking about the products, developments and general weirdness in Japan’s cannabinoid scene that are actually worth talking about. And lately? There’s been quite a bit.
So consider this a little late-summer edition of The Scene & Me: what I’ve been smoking, what’s happening around Japan, and a reminder that sometimes even the most hyped cannabinoid products simply… do absolutely nothing to me.
What I’ve Been Smoking Lately
It has been a pretty varied rotation.
KUSH JP’s BOLT was one of my standouts from earlier this summer, delivering exactly the kind of satisfyingly strong experience I want when I’m specifically looking to get lifted rather than merely relaxed.
Then came Knockout’s ONARIKI Melt Night, which recently got its own full review — and made me eat some of my initial skepticism about whether we really needed another ONARIKI in the process. Spoiler: apparently we did.
I’ve also had Regal Dojo’s CBX and Gohoya’s THAH making appearances in the rotation, giving me a nice little cannabinoid buffet rather than spending weeks glued to one particular blend.
And then there are the things I’ve been testing that you haven’t seen on Mary Jane in Japan. Which brings me to…
Sometimes It Just Doesn’t Hit
One of the strangest things about reviewing cannabinoids is that eventually you encounter a product everybody else seems to love… and your receptors leave you on read. Recently, I tried something that has received rave reviews from several people whose opinions I genuinely trust. As usual with a new product, I took a tolerance break first. I tested it carefully. Mr. Jane tested it too.
Nothing.
So we took an even longer break and tried again. Still basically nothing. And you know what? It is what it is. That doesn’t mean everybody else is exaggerating. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the product. And I’m certainly not going to manufacture an experience just because other reviewers had one.
Human bodies are weird. Cannabinoids are weird. Put the two together and things get even weirder. Sometimes something that absolutely floors one person leaves another staring suspiciously at their vape, wondering whether the bloody thing is actually turned on.
That’s one reason I think it’s important to remember: Reviews are experiences, not promises.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Cannabinoid Scene Keeps Moving
While I’ve been reacquainting myself with my vape collection, there have also been some genuinely interesting developments happening around Japan.
First up: JIHE 2026. The Japan International Hemp Expo returns to Tokyo this November, bringing together people from Japan and overseas working across hemp, cannabinoids, medicine, wellness, agriculture and the wider cannabis industry. Admission is free with advance registration, and I recently wrote a full article about what’s happening, who it’s for and why I think it’s worth watching.
But JIHE isn’t the only interesting development.
Cannabis Is Being Legally Grown for Research in Japan
Here’s a sentence I couldn’t have casually written a few years ago: A private Japanese company has reportedly received a licence to cultivate cannabis for research.
Plant Life Systems has reportedly become the first private-sector company in Japan to obtain a cannabis research cultivation licence under the country’s newer cannabis cultivation framework. But before anybody starts digging up the backyard: No, Japan did not just legalize growing weed. Settle down. 😂
This is a specific, tightly regulated licence for cannabis cultivation and research. But it’s still significant. Japan’s revised regulatory system now provides separate pathways for cannabis cultivation for research and cultivation intended to produce certain legally permitted raw materials. And there’s another important distinction: a research cultivation licence doesn’t automatically give a company permission to start extracting CBD or other cannabinoids. Research involving cannabinoid extraction is regulated separately.
So no, we aren’t about to see fields of Japanese CBD flower supplying every vape shop in Tokyo next Tuesday. What we are seeing is infrastructure beginning to exist for legitimate private-sector research into cannabis cultivation, varieties, breeding and growing techniques here in Japan.
For an industry that has historically depended heavily on knowledge and materials coming from overseas, that’s a pretty damn interesting little seed to plant. Pun absolutely intended. 🌱
A Little More Mr. Jane
You’ll also be hearing a little more from Mr. Jane around here. As a longtime Zen practitioner who studies psychology and knows far more about meditation than I do, he brings a different perspective to cannabinoid testing — particularly when it comes to focus and quieting the mind.
So expect the occasional dose of Mr. Jane’s Zen wisdom alongside my considerably less Zen observations.
So, What Happens Next?
This is the part of the current Japan cannabinoid scene that interests me most. Not just “What’s the newest cannabinoid?” Not “What has the biggest percentage printed on the box?” And definitely not “What is everybody hyping on X this week?”
I’m much more interested in what these products actually do, how differently people can respond to them, and how Japan’s changing regulatory environment shapes what comes next.
Which brings us neatly to my next review. Mr. Jane and I recently tested the exact same 60% CBX vape. That’s right: one vape, two people. Two wildly different brains and experiences. One of us thought it was fantastic. The other went on considerably more of an adventure than she had bargained for.
…And because apparently I never learn, I went back and tested it again. That story is coming later this week. 😏💚
Until then, stay legally lifted — and remember: your mileage may vary. Sometimes dramatically. 🍃
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