FEATURE: Russian food shop in Ginza to close as war drags on

A store in Tokyo's high-end Ginza district selling culinary treasures from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics will cease operations at the end of June, succumbing to the prolonged turmoil of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.Aka-no-Hiroba, which opened just a year before Russia's February 2022 invasion of its neighbor, has struggled amid escalating sanctions and logistical hurdles that have pushed up costs and has also faced acts of vandalism and harassment.Owner Victoria Miyabe described the decision to close as "agonizing." The shop, adorned with treats like Russian chocolates…READ FULL ARTICLE