Thanks to years of espionage and international intrigue, Hattifatteners and Snufkin were first brought to Japan.
Master Blaster
Writer / Translator
Master Blaster is the two-man translating team of Canada’s Steven Le Blanc and Japan’s Masami M, a pair who in addition to writing work are in English education and created the StudyNow app for Japanese students of English.
Together they have written somewhere around 1,500 articles for RocketNews24 covering such diverse topics as Chinese men selling sanitary napkins to each other and a Japanese guy dragging an ear of corn around the Tokyo train system. A few of these were actually good, but don’t take our word for it! Here’s what our beloved readers had to say:
“One isn't always in the mood for bold tastes. But when I'm in the mood for bold flavor I turn to you.”
“Stupid article. Who cares what the Japanese think it's cool. You don't call a monkey, "gorilla".”
“You know, this is about the most cogent explanation of how a turbocharger works that I have ever seen in the non-motorsports world.”
“Thanks for the article peter!”
“It's people like you who make exploitation possible.”
“It looks yummy and the story was great. Thank you for the smile.”
StudyNow App
Posted by Master Blaster (Page 134)
A 41-year-old man was found not guilty of assault after claiming electromagnetic waves from a smartphone were stabbing his body.
“Enlightening” is not a word that should be tossed around lightly, but this essay by eighth-grader Ayumi Takada really is just that.
Fairy tales are certainly timeless classics, but I’m sure we’ve all felt that they could have been just a little better had they only featured pugs instead of people.
Had he not died at 32, this year would have been Bruce Lee’s 75th birthday. To honor the occasion we took a whirlwind pilgrimage through Hong Kong!
Japanese adult satellite network ERO24TV is currently donating money to an AIDS awareness charity based on how long you can keep your eyes closed in front of your monitor—they’re not going to make it easy though!
When a fight broke out between the students of an Aichi elementary school class, their homeroom teacher tried to defuse the situation by imparting some wisdom. You see, kids, “naked men don’t make money, but naked women do…”
At this year’s Jump Festa, which celebrates all things under the Shonen Jump manga umbrella, a truly remarkable piece will be exhibited: a Millennium Puzzle worth its weight in gold…because it is gold.
Snacks don’t get much more decadent than fried ice cream, but it can be intimidating to make for inexperienced fryers. Luckily we found that using Japanese ice cream snacks coated in gelatinous rice known as mochi instead really simplified things without sacrificing any of the taste.
On November 18 a young woman was spotted on the streets of Shenzhen City in Guangdong, China carrying a sign which read: “Overnight and overtime work has made me into an old lady. Both my love and work lives are miserable. I request approval for workers’ compensation.”
It was an unusual yet straightforward demand that triggered debate and reflection on the state of working conditions in the country.
WIN Gallup International recently announced the results of their international survey on people’s willingness to fight for their country. Despite recent changes to the constitution, it turns out Japanese Johnnies are least likely to get their guns among all nations surveyed.
If you take a seat on the Yokohama subway next month don’t be surprised if a warlord from China’s Three Kingdoms period advises you on proper public transport behavior.
Wei leader Cao Cao showing you how to give up your seat, or legendary warrior Lu Bu advising you not to run onto trains are but two of the nine posters recently previewed online. Let’s take a look at them all!
Tsurumi Ward in Osaka has been the scene of a crime wave since November 3 in which two young boys believed to be in the fifth or sixth grade have stolen cash and property from six separate homes so far. The suspects are still at large, unless class is in session.
On the morning of Saturday, November 14, many Japanese Beliebers, along with some Non-Beliebers and Agnobiebers, awoke and checked into Twitter as usual only to find the famous Canadian pop star declaring that he was praying for their souls right alongside those of the people of Paris.
Confused and a little concerned, I—a card-carrying Agnobeiber—showed the above tweet to my coworkers, all of whom were equally baffled as to why Justin Bieber should be praying for them, considering nothing out of the ordinary happened here in Japan.
In the small town of Inakadate, Shota Kawasaki was both employed at a straw-crafts workshop and a member of his local volunteer fire department. However, this village of 8,000 people was far more famous for its rice paddy art than fires breaking out, and while making straw art is charming in its own way, it can get to be a drag day in and day out.
That’s why Aomori prefectural police are suspecting Kawasaki of starting a series of fires over the past six months; so that he could allegedly feel the rush of putting them out.
Japan is famous for fast trains, but one new line crawls along at 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) per hour! Can the ultra-slow Snow Turtle save an endangered company?
Transplanting yourself into another country can help you learn the language, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll absorb every bit of the culture. This image is a perfect example of that: Your understanding will depend entirely on how familiar you are with Japanese culture and history. So, we’ve broken this package down into five degrees of cultural awareness! And don’t feel bad if you don’t “get it,” because quite a few Japanese people were lost as well.
MOST POPULAR
Today
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
Extra-cute Sea Animal crepes come to Japan’s cafe chain born from a sweet fashion brand
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo to remain closed for the summer following stabbing incident
Art exhibition coming to Tokyo this month brings the cute, scary, and weird to ukiyo-e
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
And now, a crazy-looking way to stay cool this summer, from Japan’s crazy gadget company
Weekly
- 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]- What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
- Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef
Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream
Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan
Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel
Monthly
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
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- New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before- Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
- Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Yearly
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 says
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]
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