
What a week, eh? Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement was announced, the creator of Attack on Titan has annoyed fans with his “poor” drawings, a massive boulder nearly smashed a car, and, worst of all, a freaking tornado ripped up a chunk of Japan! We sure could use some good, light-hearted news.
Well, how about this story of a man who donated 100,000 yen (US$1,000) to one of the elementary schools ravaged by the tornado…in one of the most unusual ways ever!
The weather in Japan has been pretty intense this week with high temperatures, heavy rains, typhoons, and even freaking tornadoes. While all of them are problematic, the tornadoes were the worst, causing extensive damage to many buildings. One of the worst hit was an elementary school in Chiba Prefecture, as you can see in the screenshot below.
That’s an incredible amount of damage, isn’t it? Really makes you go, “Whoa.” It also leaves you wondering what will happen to the poor children whose school has been trounced by a vicious twister.
While most of us might feel sad for a bit, click “Like,” and then move on to the next story, one man had other plans.
Dressed as Tiger Mask, the legendary professional wrestling character, an anonymous gentleman rode up to the school on a bicycle and handed over a book for saving 500 yen coins – 200 of the coins to be exact! Which, by our mental math is 100,000 yen (roughly US$1,000), or a heck of a lot of money to be carrying around in a book. The masked man said, “This is 100,000 yen. Use it for the school,” before riding off without even pausing to give his name.
It’s okay if you need to get that dust out of your eyes now. We understand.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with mid-20th century anime, Tiger Mask was originally a professional wrestling character in a manga from the late ’60s and early ’70s who has managed to stay popular through the years. The opening for the anime can be seen below. To describe it as “insane and fantastic” would probably be accurate.
A new, live-action Tiger Mask movie is even set to be released this November, so if your curiosity is piqued, be sure to keep an eye out for it!
Japenese Internet commenters had a lot to say about the news!
I bet this is just stealth marketing for the new movie.
Oh, it was me! It was so me!
This is too cool!
100,000 yen…hey, Nintendo! You’re supposed to care about kids! Where’s your donation?
Maybe he’s just too handsome, so he wears the mask?
You know what, that sounds reasonable to us!
So, there you have it, a man donned a Tiger Mask costume, pedaled over to a school damaged by a tornado, and selflessly gave away $1,000. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, I just don’t know what to tell you!
Sources: Hachima Kikou, NHK
Images: YouTube, Wikipedia (bicycle, gladiator, yen, tiger), some assembly by RocketNews24



The Masked Philanthropist is Back! Japanese Orphanage Receives Mystery Donation from Tiger Mask
Okayama’s Tiger Mask makes final donation of school bags after five years of generosity
Modern legend Tiger Mask returns, donates 55 handmade face masks to rural government workers
Japanese man donates bags of cash to local schools, disappears without a trace
Meet the true spirit of Christmas in Japan: Tiger Mask
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style
Japan’s cheap beef bowl chain goes upscale with Matsuya Premium, but is it worth the higher price?
7-Eleven Japan joins the craze for Korean Gamja Cheese Balls
Two of Kyoto’s famous temples tackle streetside trash with solar-powered trash cans
Starbucks Japan releases special limited-edition summer drinks… at only 30 stores
Anne Hathaway creates PR frenzy in Japan after mentioning Tottori in Devil Wears Prada interview
East Japan Railway announces plans to abolish magnetic-strip tickets
Lawson transforms convenience store food with massive katsu burger and an insane curry bread
Luxury houseplant fraud leads to arrest of Takamatsu man
Super Mario Galaxy Happy Meal toys now available at McDonald’s Japan
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
New Square Enix Cafe reveals Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Nier, and Fullmetal Alchemist menu items
Ghibli’s No Face continues to demonstrate his generous character growth by dispensing soy sauce
Japanese rice cooker recipe gives us a tasty new way to enjoy vegetables and wieners
Family Mart commits “reverse fraud” in new Giant All-Star Festival, and we couldn’t be happier
New Tokyo sweets shop offers 648 different mochi ice cream dumpling combinations
Colour Hunting: The hot new street photography trend changing how we see Japan
Body of missing American college student found in Kyoto mountains
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events