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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.”

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Posted by Master Blaster (Page 148)

Expert mode “Rainbow Road” bridge found in Japan

Boredom on the road can lead to serious accidents as drivers become less alert or more reckless driving down straight and well lit roads. So perhaps there is some merit in the idea that more dangerous road conditions can lead to safer and more attentive driving.

Take this bridge which connects Japan’s Highway 194 with Highway 299 over the Niyodo River in Kochi Prefecture. Lacking any barriers or guard rails drivers must keep a steady wheel when crossing the Nagoya Low Water Bridge (no relation to the prefecture).

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PM Shinzo Abe faces allegations of being a “poser” after mentioning Metallica in speech

On 25 September, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a speech and rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. His aim was to promote US investment as a part of his economic reform plans known as “Abenomics.”

However, the highlight of the speech came towards the end when he mentioned the heavy metal band Metallica and their hit song Enter Sandman while discussing Japan’s future and the Tokyo Olympics. While this may have seemed perfectly innocent at first, this name-drop may have hurt the PM’s standing in the metal community with previous supporters now wondering if Abe is, in fact, a “poser” – someone who only acts like they know about metal.

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iPhone5S sells for US$10,000 on eBay

Since the 20 September launch of the iPhone5S and iPhone5C some people have already purchased theirs while others remain on waiting lists. All around the world the iPhone5S is in short supply, the gold model in particular proving especially difficult to lay hands on.

So when a gold iPhone5S became available on eBay this week the bidding quickly got out of control, with the price of the phone shooting up to around US$10,000.

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JFC? Kentucky Fried Chicken to open stores offering Japanese-style fried chicken

Kentucky Fried Chicken announced that they are opening up a new line of stores selling Japanese-style fried chicken called karaage. Karaage involves marinating the meat beforehand, usually in soy sauce, and then frying in small chunks.

The first store is set to open on 1 October in Meguro, Tokyo called KFC Niwatorikaratei. Although still decorated with the familiar logos of KFC including the Colonel, the store front has the feel of an elegant Japanese restaurant.

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Man caught driving the wrong way on expressway: “I went too far and was going back the way I came.”

On 22 September at around 10:40 a.m. a 77-year-old man was caught driving at high speed in the wrong direction along the Takamatsu Expressway in Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. According to police, the unidentified man was trying to retrace his steps after traveling one kilometer the wrong way.

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Play games on your touch screen the way they’re meant to be played with Buttons Anywhere

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.

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Osaka woman arrested for attempting to kill husband after he saved her life

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.

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Japanese children surveyed to find the most popular characters

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.

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The iPhone’s fingerprint lock also works with toes and nipples

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!

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Disney develops technology to speak to someone by touching their ear

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.

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Our reporter Mr. Sato becomes first Japanese buyer of a Docomo iPhone5S!

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.

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We try Cheesecake Kimchi Natto Ramen with a conspicuous moe character on the box

While traveling in Iwate Prefecture recently, one of our reporters stumbled across a brightly decorated pack of instant ramen. Although first drawn by the buxom moe character on the front, it was the name – Rare Cheese Kimchi Natto Ramen – that made this a must-buy.

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Anpanman attacks unsuspecting crowd with Gundam lasers during live show

The costumed superhero world was shocked recently when once beloved hero with a head of bread, Anpanman, appeared to have suffered a mental breakdown and began firing lasers at the unsuspecting crowd. The carnage was captured on video and is currently being studied by psychiatric experts and federal investigators.

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Limited edition Lipton’s iced tea-scented pens to go on sale

Japanese stationery company Zebra is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Sarasa Clip pens, which is why they have teamed up with world-famous tea maker Lipton to launch a unique line of ball-point pens. Coming 19 September are 10 pens each with the aroma of a different flavor of Lipton iced tea sold in the Japanese market.

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Kobe University study reveals honesty is the best policy, to the tune of $5,000

Quick, think of the one thing your parents always told you when you were growing up. Was it “be nice to people” or “always say thank you”? If the one thing you can remember getting drilled into your brain as a child was “don’t tell a lie” then chances are your making around $5,000 more annually than your peers who don’t remember such lecturing.

At least that’s what Kobe University Professor Kazuo Nishimura suggests after conducting a survey of nearly 16,000 adults in Japan.

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Start your day off right with a swarm of gigantic hornets in your window

The social problem of hikikomori continues to be widespread throughout Japan. For most it’s a developmental disorder either caused by mental or environmental factors that cause them to not want to leave the house. For just a few, however, I have to think this situation happened. Because I know for sure if I woke up to what this twitter user posted outside my window, I would never set foot outside again.

***WARNING: this picture may be unsettling to some***

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Lady’s iPhone cries when charging after not being used for a long time

These days technology seems to be getting more and more closed off from the consumers that use it. Back in the day you easily could pull out a screwdriver and fix the gear on your Walkman by yourself after it chewed up your new jack swing mix-tape.

Now you wouldn’t know how to pop open an iPhone, even if you wanted to void the warranty. This is why problems like this lady’s have got me baffled. In her video titled The Case of My iPhone Gasping While Charging After a Long Time we can watch an iPhone make sounds not unlike Police Academy’s Michael Winslow when charging from 0%.

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Dunkin’ Donuts Thailand causing stir with new line of black donuts

The Thailand office of American doughnut chain, Dunkin’ Donuts, has been unrolling a unique line of doughnuts since August of this year. All of these 27 doughnuts have one thing in common: They’re black as midnight. 

But that’s just the tip of this ebony iceberg. We’ve seen black food hit the scene before but these doughnuts took a year in the making as Dunkin’ Donuts carefully selected what they thought were the best combination of ingredients. What they came up with is interesting to say the least. Some flavors will make you drool, some will make you cringe, but they’ll all make you interested.

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Snake being pickled to create healing liquor awakens after 3 months and bites woman

Shejiu is a traditional type of liquor that is made by pickling a venomous snake in a bottle of alcohol such as baijiu. The venom of the snake is neutralized by the liquor and, thanks to the essences of the serpent, is said to have energizing and healing properties.

It is widely drunk in various parts of Asia to treat problems or maintain health, but for one unlucky woman in one of China’s most northeastern cities, brewing the drink ended in a trip to the hospital when the snake awoke after three months and attacked.

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Japan loves the new iPhone5C case! Now they can grate radishes anytime, anywhere

With the unveiling of the next iteration of iPhones, the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C a lot has been said about the iPhone 5C’s official protective case. I won’t bore you with all the details, but the words “aesthetic train wreck” tend to get bandied about.

People in Japan, however, get it very much. They see the brilliant functionality that helps them with a daily chore which an app could never fulfill. It helps them garnish their dishes with grated daikon, for instance…

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