Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
September, 2013 (Page 10)
We here at RocketNews24 have got some exciting news for any fans of Doraemon who wish to take their love of the blue character that one step further. It comes in the form of two rather unique masks that are guaranteed to transform the wearer into the spitting image of Doraemon.
Wednesday, September 4 will always be remembered as a big day for Pokémon fans. Not only did Nintendo just lift the lid on two swanky Pokémon X & Y-themed 3DSXL portables, but it has become clear that for the first time since the series launched way back in 1996, players will be able to trade their pocket monsters without having to link their consoles together. That’s right, Nintendo will soon be rolling out Pokémon Bank, a cloud-based storage service that allows players to drop and pick up their pokémon whenever they like, wherever they like.
For many of us the smell of a new car is as sweet as a rose named victory, but for an increasing number of people it smells like a toxic dump. Those people may be on to something too, as there is also an increasing interest in the possible risks of that once beloved aroma.
Sure you could smoke cigars while your soaking wet dog rolls around in the back seat to get rid of that smell, but that’s time-consuming and only masks the potentially hazardous chemicals causing the scent. That’s why Japanese chemical company, Tosoh, are well on their way to producing an environmentally-friendly way to rid your car of its new smell.
After months of speculation as to when the Xbox One will become available to gamers, Microsoft has just announced the release date of the much-anticipated console. Finally.
September has finally arrived, bringing with it…well, not cooler temperatures, but promises of cooler temperatures. Maybe. Sometime soon, we’re sure it’ll cool down and we’ll all stop going from dry to drenched in sweat two seconds after stepping outside.
September also, obviously, means the approach of autumn–that glorious time of year when all the leaves explode into yellow and red hues. Though many think of sakura blossoms when they think of Japan’s beautiful trees, the country is no less proud of its fall colors. And Kyoto boasts more than a few excellent destinations for autumnal sightseeing. Here are 12 of Kyoto’s best places to enjoy the fall leaves!
There are a number of things you would never want to find hidden in amongst your parents belongings, but this one might just take the top spot.
When people think of Japan, they usually think of sushi, girls in kimono, otaku types camping outside electronics stores, and maybe this guy. But did you know that Japan is home to some seriously intense roller coasters? Yup, there are more corkscrews, loops and positive Gs in Japan than you can shake a paper fan at, so we decided it was about time we introduced you to 10 of the best roller coasters the country has to offer. We hope you had a light lunch!
Earlier this month, the Katamachi branch of the Chinese food restaurant Gyoza no Osho (King of Gyoza) in Kanazawa City, Japan, shut down after a group of men decided to drop in on the royal dumpling restaurant dressed in nothing but their birthday suits.
Given that the apparently rather promiscuous Hello Kitty will lend her likeness to just about everything, from doughnuts to assault rifles, it’s only a matter of time until the world is plastered in Hello Kitty spawn and our little human children are asking where all these frighteningly cute mouthless kitties come from.
Well, thanks to the curious mind of Moistproductions.com‘s Jason Freeny, you can now get your hands on a helpful tool to explain!
The movie Pacific Rim has been getting a lot of love around the actual Asian Pacific Rim recently, with China especially talking about it, though perhaps not for the best reasons. Japan too, being a lover of giant monster movies, has taken to Guillermo del Toro’s work, with praise from game makers Fumito Ueda (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus) and Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear, Zone of Enders) and manga artists Go Nagai (Marzinger Z) and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion).
Also, in honor of the film a video was posted to YouTube titled “Pacific Rim Main Theme 8bit Arrange” which along with NES-tech rendition of the movie’s main theme gives us a nostalgic intro scene to what could have been a great video game adaptation of Pacific Rim. There are even some cute sprite versions of the Jaegers!
Well, it looks as if the people of Kansai may have been jerked around yet again. One month after the Japan Meteorological Agency sent out a blanket alarm of an imminent earthquake in Nara, astronomer Yoshio Kushida made the grim prediction of a large-scale quake as early as 6 September.
Now, in the wake of intense media attention, Kushida’s PHP Institute has made a follow-up report stating that until the end of September “there is no possibility of an earthquake.”
Where won’t Hello Kitty go? She’s already been in a hotel suite, on the side of an overpriced melon, and even in someone’s eye. Now it appears she’ll be heading to the inside of your camera soon.
Toshiba just announced that they will begin selling a new version of their Hello Kitty SD card later this month and it appears that the packaging may be even cuter than the black and pink card itself.
Long-running gaming site CVG revealed earlier today that Japan’s Sony Computer Entertainment is poised to unveil a new “virtual reality headset” at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, stating that the unit will be the final piece in the company’s PlayStation 4 hardware strategy.
Over the past few years, China’s animation industry has greatly expanded and produced many all-new domestic works. However, these “original” animations have been placed under a lot of suspicion from sources both domestic and foreign for their blatant mimicry of Japanese and American animation sources. Many accuse China’s fledgling animation industry of relying on rip-offs to sell.
In response to these claims, an opinion piece titled “How Chinese Animation has Progressed Through ‘Imitation,’” was posted on one of China’s major cartoon and comics information sites. The column insists that China’s domestic animations should not be thought of as rip-offs but as inspired copies made for the sake of further developing their infant cartoon industry.
It really warms your heart to see more Japanese celebrities show their support for cosplay. It’s one of the flashier hobbies that anime fans can boast and is getting more popular by the day. Cosplay websites abound with fashion tips and suggestions for various costumes styles, poses, and makeup options for just about every conceivable costume on the market.
But AKB48 star, Haruka Shimazaki, might want to do a bit of rethinking before offering up her own anime makeup (AniMake for short) suggestions, as her most recent attempts caused a despairing cry to ring out from among her adoring fans…
We don’t know about you, but while driving around mountainside roads, we always ignore those “danger falling rocks” signs with their comical little circles sliding down a triangle. Sure, those signs are there for a reason, but we’ve never actually seen a “falling rock”…that is until now.
A recent video taken in Taiwan shows a massive boulder rolling down a mountainside and nearly flattening a car and his presumably screaming driver. Thank goodness for onboard cameras because if the vehicle in front hadn’t been equipped with one, the world would never witness this extremely close call.
China is increasingly becoming a real-life Maximum Overdrive with machines and items such as mobile phones, toilets, bus windows, buses, cans of cola, and cigarettes have all lashed out at their fleshy masters.
And now, at around 2:00 a.m. in Fujian Province, the automated teller machine of a credit union exploded blowing out nearby windows but injuring none. It would appear the joke was on this machine as it didn’t know most people sleep at that time of day.
Fall is right around the corner, and winter is around the corner after that, and after that… wait, back up, you’re just going to end up in the same place you started. Let’s focus on fall.
Fall in Japan, like every season in Japan, is a chance for companies to come up with new seasonal convenience store items with fancy color-coded packages. And in summer’s case, tons and tons of salt. In the fall, especially, manufacturers gear up with all kinds of crazy concoctions because it’s (probably) a verifiable fact that everybody eats like a damn starved pig in the fall and they know you’ll eat or drink just about anything if they put some pretty fall leaves on the package.
After last month’s false alarm of a large earthquake over our mobile phones, Nara and surrounding area residents’ blood pressures are finally getting back to normal. Well, don’t put away those paper bags yet. Now there’s another reason to worry. Research out of Yatsugadake Nanroku Observatory is suggests that we can expect a major earthquake of at least magnitude 7 to hit somewhere in the Kansai area from next week.
Earthquake-prone Japan is no stranger to proclamations of doom so it’s hard to get too worked up. However, the head of the observatory, Yoshio Kushida has made this prediction with a truly unique method that if correct could revolutionize earthquake prediction. Rather than looking down at the ground, Kushida suspects we can detect earthquakes better by watching the skies.
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Can a downtown Tokyo super sento bathhouse beat a hotel for a one-night stay?
This gachapon capsule machine dispenses real Akoya pearls, with certificates of authenticity
Pokémon Centers across Japan cancel April events after stabbing in Tokyo
Umamusume food and drinks dash into real world at Family Mart convenience stores[Taste test]
Japan’s prime minister exchanges Dragon Ball kamehamehas with president of France[Video]
How to power up the coolest cheap souvenir from Nintendo’s official shop with a trip to Daiso
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Our Japanese reporter rewatches first episode of Dragon Ball, concludes Bulma’s a psychopath
Daiso has giant new branch in middle of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood (and another beneath it)Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap paymentsFading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro 2026 Corn Gift to its anime store for Mother’s Day
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration eventsFamous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan’s prime minister exchanges Dragon Ball kamehamehas with president of France[Video]
How to power up the coolest cheap souvenir from Nintendo’s official shop with a trip to Daiso
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Our Japanese reporter rewatches first episode of Dragon Ball, concludes Bulma’s a psychopath
Daiso has giant new branch in middle of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood (and another beneath it)
How to make curry in a rice cooker with zero prep work and no water[Recipe]
Train otaku say this is the narrowest train station platform in Japan
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Sake brand Dassai increases workers’ starting pay by over 40 percent, pledges to double salaries
Japanese politicians working to promote plastic model culture as a cultural asset
Starbucks Japan has a secret coffee press service that not many people know about
Beautiful shamisen featuring original illustration by Final Fantasy designer now on sale
Illustrated Japanese Twitter debate asks if loving someone means letting their pain hurt you too