Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
September, 2013 (Page 3)
Currently, the new arrivals section of the Evangelion Store, an online shop filled all our favorite robot-driving, angel-fighting merchandise, lists a very special lingerie set based directly off of a camisole worn by Asuka in the second new Evangelion movie. Unfortunately for fans of the second child, the item is already sold out and in need of restocking. We’ll try to pretend that’s not creepy, considering the character is only 14… Read More
Smartphones and tablet devices have proven themselves to be viable gaming platforms… as long as the game suits it. While games like Angry Birds work perfectly, old school gamers (which is probably all of us in this instance) can’t help but struggle with the virtual D-pad and buttons we’ve grown accustomed to in other genres like action games.
So along comes Buttons Anywhere to bring us back that loving feeling of 3D plastic buttons to games like Street Fighter and GTA on the touch screens of newer devices.
We’ve all no doubt heard of the polite deer in the city of Nara that have learned to bow their heads to tourists in order to get food, but did you know that they also obey the law and know how to cross the road properly?
Check out these photos for one incredibly cute example of how to use a pedestrian crossing!
As well as showing off its new PlayStation 4 console, PlayStation Vita 2000 handheld and Xperia Z1 smartphone at last week’s Tokyo Game Show, electronics giant Sony was also quietly pushing its newly designed HMZ-T3 personal viewer headset into tech fans’ consciousness, with demo units popping up in a number of booths. Since bringing its first headset to the market back in 2011, Sony has been gradually tweaking and refining its tech in response to consumer feedback, with its newest iteration due to go on sale later this year.
With the HMZ-T3, Sony has produced its lightest, most compact headset yet, retaining the ability to watch movies and play video games in both 2-D and stereoscopic 3-D, as well as boasting smartphone connectivity and, for the first time, wireless operation thanks to a portable battery pack.
Our experience of the previous model having been something of a bittersweet affair, we were keen to see whether Sony had managed to perfect its headset the third time around, so with the help of a friendly booth attendant we slipped on the new HMZ-T3 and put it through its paces.
Osaka prefectural police announced on 20 September the arrest of 48-year-old Masumi Nishino for the attempted murder of her husband and arson of their home and office. This arrest was made possible only after Nishino’s allegedly intended victim/husband saved her life by pulling her from the very same building she set on fire.
Japan is a country with a lot of cute characters. Starting with the obvious ones from anime and manga like Totoro and Doraemon, there’s also ones featured in video games like Pikachu or Sonic, and corporate symbols like Hello Kitty. Going further we can delve into the deep ecosystem of costumed mascots that can be found everywhere throughout Japan. Finally we can pile on all of the imported characters from North America and Europe.
All these cuddly animals and monsters running around beg the question: Which one is the most popular amongst children? To answer that, we have the semiannual Characters and Children Marketing Survey results which were recently published in Japan. Let’s take a look.
If you’ve never actually been to Japan and had a Yukimi Daifuku recommended to or forced upon you, you probably have no idea what that headline means.
Yukimi Daifuku is an ice cream treat that wraps the Japanese candy staple, mochi – rice pounded to a gooey consistency – with ice cream. It may be one of the few ice cream desserts in Japan that is popular outside of the summer months, most likely because it combines so many different flavors and eating experiences: The gooey, sticky mochi – which is slightly savory – contrasts with the sweet, creamy ice cream to create a totally unique treat you’d be hard pressed to find outside of Japan.
Working in a bank seems like a fairly boring job most days. You talk to customers, fill out some paper work, deal with large sums of cash that you can’t use in awesome rap videos, and hope there aren’t any crazy people looking for a quick payday. But what happens when one of those crazy people walks into your branch and demands a bunch of money? Well, if you’re lucky, it goes about as well as it did for this bumbling bank robber in Chiba Prefecture.
October is right around the corner and that means Halloween merchandise! Mister Donut is celebrating the holiday by churning out Hello Kitty jack-o’-lantern doughnuts and other adorable pumpkin-flavored treats.
Are you terrified of large crowds? Does the thought of a night out clubbing fill you with dread? Have you withdrawn into a dark room, filled only with the blue light of your computer screen, desperate to avoid the horror of having to talk to a store clerk. Well, you’re not the only one, even though it might feel like it. In fact, if the number of hikikomori (socially withdrawn people who’ve isolated themselves from the outside world) is any indication, Japan is packed with shy, introverted people!
Thankfully, the Internet has allowed the shy and introverted to come together and share their experiences. Check out these comments from the Japanese website Aru Aru Matsuri and see how many you can sympathize with.
We’re all human, which means we all, eventually, make a mistake or two. Some of us might make more mistakes than others, but in general it should be easy to understand that accidents happen and sometimes the best course of action is to forgive and carry on with your life. However, not everyone is happy with a simple apology–some people require a bit more…humiliation.
Probably the most intriguing feature of the new generation iPhone is its fingerprint authentication. Once recognized by the system, only the true user’s fingerprint will unlock the phone, rendering it impossible for anyone else operate.
However, registering a fingerprint has its drawbacks. Someone can easily press the phone against your finger while you sleep and have access to all your secrets. If you want maximum security, we recommend using your toe or nipple. They really work!
Hayao Miyazaki, often referred to as “the Walt Disney of Japan,” is undoubtedly famous in his home country. With record-breaking films such as Academy Award-winning, Spirited Away, and the iconic, My Neighbor Totoro, it’s easily assumed that everyone in Japan has watched at least one Miyazaki movie. A recent poll conducted by a Japanese movie rental chain reveals that, actually, almost everyone in Japan has.
Naotake Odake, former managing director of the Japan Tourist Bureau (JTB) and once director of the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau, spent years of his professional life traveling to cities across the globe in order to promote Tokyo as a worthwhile tourist destination. In his travels, he noticed a trait shared by all the major cities: they each had a unique and well-recognized landmark embodying the history and culture of the land. According to Odake, a structure of this sort is vital to bolstering a spirit of pride in any given population. Unfortunately for Tokyo, he believes that this sort of historical landmark is something that Japan’s capital city severely lacks. What he has against Asakusa Temple, Tokyo Tower, or Tokyo Skytree, I’m really not sure. But, it is for this reason that Odake has taken the lead as the chairman of a non-profit organization which hopes to rebuild the Edo Castle’s innermost tower. “In order to present Tokyo as a proud tourist city, we need something like Edo Castle,” he says. But will the payoff really outweigh the costs?
Telephone fraud is a serious problem in Japan and many elderly people fall victim to it each year. Known as “ore ore sagi“, fraudsters often pretend to be the call recipient’s son, using such lines as, “Mom, it’s me, it’s me! I’m in trouble!” to trick large sums of money from the unsuspecting party, and banks now post warnings next to their ATMs asking people only to send money if they’re 100-percent sure of who they’re sending it to.
Thanks to increased awareness of the problem, however, more and more people are beginning to see through this type of scam. One particularly clued-up 69-year-old who realized something was wrong, in fact, has recently been co-operating with local police by pretending that she had been duped by a call she received from fraudsters, ultimately leading to their arrests.
A Nagaski area public toilet is proving that the future that Blade Runner envisioned is now, and it’s in Japan.
The public toilet in question is apparently about a 10-minute walk from the station proper, at an unassuming location near a pedestrian underpass. To even gain access to the toilet requires you to figure out a complex series of buttons and probably pass a retinal scan to ensure you aren’t a Replicant.
Disney Research recently announced the development of Ishin-Den-Shin. As the name – which means “unspoken communication” in Japanese – implies, it’s a microphone that can capture your spoken words and let you pass it on to other people by simply touching them on the ear.
If this is the first time you’ve ever heard of Ishin-Den-Shin, that may sound a bit weird, but once we break down how it works you’ll see why the device’s creators received an honorable mention at the Prix Ars Electronica 2013.
We’ve all been there: you’ve got your shiny new laptop, smartphone or tablet computer and you’re lounging around on the floor at home, watching videos on YouTube, tapping away at Plants Vs. Zombies… when suddenly your pampered, first-world body throws a hissy hit. “I’m tired! Why do I always have to hold all the expensive electronic devices!?” it moans as you start to lose the feeling in your arm or your left leg goes to sleep. You wriggle around and find a new position, but before long your body’s complaining again and you just can’t get comfy.
Oh, wouldn’t it be great if there were something – a piece of furniture perhaps – that would hold your tablet or computer for you while you did massively unimportant web browsing and lay on the floor!?
Enter the Goron tablet cushion, which not only supports your head and neck while you laze around, but comes complete with an adjustable holder for tablets, laptops and even small monitors! Yep, gamers just got that little bit lazier!
In the early days of the iPhone in Japan it was under an exclusive contract with telecoms giant Softbank, which gradually gave way to AU availability as well. This left NTT’s Docomo, as the only big mobile carrier without any Apple product of its own.
However, coinciding with the Japanese launch of the new iPhone5S and iPhone5C today, Docomo has finally jumped on the iPhone bandwagon and is carrying the unit that so many people have been clamouring for. No one was more thrilled at the news then our own Mr. Sato, a long time Docomo subscriber. So he headed down to the Docomo store in Marunouchi to get one as soon as it came out. Turns out he was their very first customer.
Japanese seem to love giving their drinks an unexpected twist. They’ve tried hot ginger ale, orange juice that looks like soy sauce, and a milk drink with tomato and lemon flavoring. Compared to those wacky creations, Yakult’s popular probiotic dairy drinks seem positively pedestrian, but now they’ve upped their game.
Care for a hot, potable yogurt, anyone?
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Japanese Pokémon card shop grabs scissors as part of its plan to keep scalpers away
Japanese hair salons going bankrupt in record numbers
Japan’s rice warehouse stockpile rate hits record high as consumers, restaurants reject high prices
We sent two Japanese elementary school kids on a Mother’s Day shopping mission at a 100 yen store
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Foreign tourist needs ambulance to pick him up at Mt. Fuji after hiking closed trail
Holy Fungus Mud Volleyball is Japan’s most filthily beautifying bacteria event of the summer!
Is Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat Donut Buffet still worth it?
Retro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey showsJapan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
Studio Ghibli releases crystal glass paperweights featuring Totoro and the CatbusJapanese hair salons going bankrupt in record numbers
Samurai Coffee: Try Edo period coffee once enjoyed by Japanese warriorsRetro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]
Sega opening 65th anniversary store in downtotn Tokyo with deep-cut game merch
Viral tweet suggests Japanese convenience store ripping off customers with donuts, so we investigate
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]
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to TokyoThe average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey showsJapan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now openJapan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
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
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 saysJapan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Foreign tourist needs ambulance to pick him up at Mt. Fuji after hiking closed trail
Holy Fungus Mud Volleyball is Japan’s most filthily beautifying bacteria event of the summer!
Is Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat Donut Buffet still worth it?
Retro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
Seaweed bread is one of the most unusual baked goods in all of Japan
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Uniqlo’s high-end sunglasses are a fashion minefield for anyone who isn’t Mr. Sato
Looney Tunes is now an adorable anime series with Looney Tunes Gokko[Videos]
Beard Papa goes beyond just matcha with its new premium green tea cream puffs
Final Fantasy Chocobo cookies have galloped into Tokyo’s Square Enix pop-up shop
Samurai Coffee: Try Edo period coffee once enjoyed by Japanese warriors
Studio Ghibli releases crystal glass paperweights featuring Totoro and the Catbus