Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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 152)
A decade after the OpenSky project began, Kazuhiko Hachiya and his team of engineers and artists can finally give themselves a well deserved pat on the back. Their dream of creating a working version of the glider seen in Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (named Möwe) has come to fruition.
On 31 July, Hachiya uploaded the video titled “OpenSky3.0 trailer,” which shows the jet engine equipped M-02J taxi and take to the sky by its own power.
Bicycle theft is no laughing matter, especially in Japan where bikes are widely relied upon for daily transportation. Luckily, a cheap and effective means of protecting your ride has surfaced on the internet, and it’s sure to send any would-be thieves packing.
Since the latter half of July, multiple cities in southern China have been struggling with temperatures exceeding 42℃ and little relief in sight. With lakes and pools at maximum capacity thousands of people are trying anything they can to cool down.
However, in a testament to the human spirit, some folks have found ways to have a little fun in spite of heat wave.
A photo surfaced on the internet recently which shows us a typical day at the office for a couple of ladies a long time ago in Japan. They look almost bored as they unload 300 kg (661 lbs) of rice each on their backs.
For foreigners living in Japan, looking through DVDs can be a chore. You generally have a 50 percent chance of the title being the same, leaving you scanning through the cover designs to find what you’re looking for the other half of the time.
Sometimes the new titles that are bestowed in Japan give more insight to the film. For example, Jerry Maguire is given the less romantic but more concise title of The Agent. However, translation and localization often leaves people making judgment calls that could easily backfire. Take the DVD version of Napoleon Dynamite which Japanese cinema lovers have deemed “Japan’s worst changed movie title.”
Kawakami Village in Nagano Prefecture is considered Japan’s premier lettuce producing village. Located near Tokyo and with just the right conditions for farming, residents have been able to pull in a good chunk of cash from their own brand of lettuce, earning it the nickname “Miracle Village”.
Bumper crops such as their Chinese cabbage are booming so well that the village’s 4,759 people boast and average annual income of over 25,000,000 yen (US$252k). However, all work and no play makes Jyoji a dull boy, so the mayor of Kawakami is sending the call to all Japan that some eligible bachelors may soon be hitting a ski-slope near you!
Hey, you got a minute to spare? Actually make that a couple dozen minutes. We’d like to share a few hundred of the wildest and funniest gifs getting circulated around the net in Japan.
Of course cats are well represented here but we also got dogs, spiders, manatees, lions, (no tigers), bears, monkeys, turtles, and people all injuring themselves and each other. Watch and marvel at feats of strength of these animals and people, and enjoy even more the cringe-worthy carnage that ensues when they don’t quite make it. Get an eyeful of a guy getting bitten in the nuts by a rottweiler. Enjoy military misfires, cats in zero gravity and the magic of Coach Raphael Benitez. Both faked and real hypnotically looped images are here for your amusement.
Without further ado, sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy these 252 animated gifs. Happy Friday, everyone!
Crossdressing in mainstream media of Japan is still somewhat in its infancy. While on a nightly basis you can easily catch a crossdresser or transsexual person on TV, they often are presented as 2D characters offering little insight to who they really are or why they lead such a life.
“Transgender” and “gay” are still synonymous to many people, but this is a situation that is steadily changing with greater awareness provided by works such as Yuri Danshi which was released on 31 July, and covers nine cross-dressing men in a wide range of styles and fashions from girl-next-door to gyaru.
July and August tend to be the seasons where summer festivals get kicked into full swing. Much like festivals in any country, the festivities are often accompanied by various stalls selling drinks and snacks. Other stalls can be found offering games that you know are probably rigged, but just can’t help trying.
For one such stall runner, 45-year-old Tsutomu Morikawa, poor price planning led to a date with the police.
It’s that milestone of life that every young man waits for. When the moment comes he takes a breath, bows his head and asks for something that will change his life for ever.
We’re talking, of course, about getting 10,000 retweets on Twitter. This amazing dream came true for another lucky man in Japan recently. He also happened to get engaged too – which we think is super.
During these sweltering summer days it’s not unusual to down more than a few plastic bottles of water, pop, or juice. And surely with all that drinking you’re bound to accumulate a pile of empty plastic bottles.
Burden by all of these bottles, collapsing them to a convenient size for recycling can be an energy and time draining chore. That’s why the folks at Yahoo! R25 wanted to share an effortless way to break your plastic bottles down to size.
We saw how monster parents can ruin the lives of rural potato farmers, but how do their demands impact the teachers closest to them?
Horribly of course, as some Tokyo area teachers have revealed, particularly when it comes to swimming class. According to an interview with Excite News Japan, school staff are growing increasingly worried with parents’ request to put their sons in one-piece swimsuits.
We don’t mean something cool like wetsuits either. These moms insist that to the best way to combat the indecent exposure of a topless boy is to put him in a girl’s swimsuit. How’s that for logic?
Sure, that’s not a huge challenge, but they went well above and beyond your standard tractor design. Fresh off celebrating Osaka-based heavy manufacturer Yanmar’s centennial anniversary, designer Ken Okuyama felt it was time to inject some well-overdue fresh style into the generally conservative world of agriculture.
However, these tractors are more than just a pretty face, as we’ll soon learn.
The dust has settled and a week has already passed since we saw the last of the Quarter Pounder Jewelry Series, McDonald’s Japan’s trio of luxury burgers. We had a lot of fun trying out truffle sauce, spicy chorizo, and rings of golden pineapple and enjoyed the experience, like most had, in spite of the high prices.
But many commenters from around the world who gazed upon these special Quarter Pounders couldn’t help but shake the fact that it appeared as if the packing was what took up most of the money. Japanese website Byokan Sunday was one such observer and decided to break down the cost of luxurious Jewelry Series’ bags and boxes to see how much of the ten dollar price tag went into making them.
We mentioned a while back in our list of ways to keep cool that walking through the streets of Japan during summer will likely land you a paper fan emblazoned with some company’s message. These fans come in a variety of styles and quality, the cheapest perhaps being a circle of stiff paper with a hole for your thumb to go through as seen above. They’re not hugely effective but hey, any port in a storm, right?
Recently in a Japan, however, the image of a series of fans designed by Pfizer, the makers of Viagra, resurfaced on the net drawing mixed reviews from netizens.
About a week ago we announced the opening of an otter touching experience at Keikyu Aburatsubo Marine Park, and the response was huge. From Japan and all around the country people’s hearts melted at the sight of those gentle round eyes and long whiskers.
Managing to get a spot in the quickly filling reservations, one of our reported headed down to the Miura Peninsula to get all touchy-feely with a quartet of Asian small-clawed otters. She came back with this report and a slew of adorable pictures.
Laozi is often credited with saying, “Rather than give a man a fish, teach him to fish.” These wise words would appear to have spurred on KFC Japan’s newest promotion in conjunction with the One Piece series. Rather than give you an ice cream, KFC and the Straw Hat Pirates are going to teach you how to make ice cream and give you a maker to do it.
Being a teacher is tough. In a sincere effort to mold young minds, many educators have to endure strict regulations, tight budgets, and the unreasonable demands of monster parents. It’s too much for some to handle, as we can see in the case of Yusei Yoshikawa, the 26-year-old teacher who has recently been racking up an arrest per month for vandalizing and robbing his own school.
These days it seems all you can find are mechanical car washes scattered across our urban landscape. Sure they might be cheap and fast, but would you trust your beloved vehicle and decal of Calvin and Hobbs peeing on a Ford logo to the cold uncaring hands of a machine?
No, sir! What you need is the warm and gentle touch that only a woman can offer – a woman wearing a swimsuit since washing a car involves lots of water of course. Also, because school swimsuits offer the most durability they would have to wear those at Swimsuit Carwash in Akihabara.
You see, there’s an excuse reason for everything, including the 10,000 yen (US$100) price tag that comes with the experience.
With the announcement by Japan’s premier manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump regarding their highly anticipated smartphone app Jump Live, information has been coming out in drips and drabs about its features.
However, their most recent announcement has fans jumping for mild confusion: it’s a multimedia pasta cooking challenge between the creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hirohiko Araki and creator of Assassination Classroom Yusei Matsui.
Red light district sushi restaurant in Tokyo shows us just how wrong we were about it
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
Anime girl English teacher Ellen-sensei becomes VTuber/VVTUber and NFT
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Pokémon Sleep camping suite and guestrooms coming to Tokyo Hyatt along with giant Snorlax burgers
Sandwiches fit for a sumo served up in Osaka【Taste Test】
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market site to be redeveloped with 50,000-seat stadium, hotel, shopping center
Secret Kitchen bento serves Japanese flowers, birds, wind and moon in a box, but is it worth it?
Akihabara pop-up shop sells goods made by Japanese prison inmates
Wendy’s releases a Pretzel Roast Beef Burger aimed at foreign tourists in JapanMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last monthJapanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles
Beautiful Ghibli sealing wax kits let you create accessories and elegant letter decorations【Pics】McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello KittyAll-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky loungeMore foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitelyMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Sandwiches fit for a sumo served up in Osaka【Taste Test】
Tokyo Tsukiji fish market site to be redeveloped with 50,000-seat stadium, hotel, shopping center
Secret Kitchen bento serves Japanese flowers, birds, wind and moon in a box, but is it worth it?
Akihabara pop-up shop sells goods made by Japanese prison inmates
Wendy’s releases a Pretzel Roast Beef Burger aimed at foreign tourists in Japan
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
A trip to hell on Japan’s ‘vomit ship’: Is it as bad as everyone says it is?
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
Turn a persimmon into a pudding with one simple ingredient
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Super Budget Dining in Japan – What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen (US$6.70) at Saizeriya?
The real story of Nintendo’s Mario