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.”
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Posted by Master Blaster (Page 164)
Behold: a guitar shaped like an 8-bit Nintendo Famicom (NES) console with a pair of controllers! Aside from a few alterations, the body is nearly to scale with the game machine.
Let’s take a look to see how the designer going by the name Mitsumatsu made this monster musical machine.
Here at RocketNews24 we are no strangers to excessive consumption of ordinary foodstuffs. We even once constructed a bowl of gyudon with 10 raw eggs on top.
Still, we have to doff our caps to this gent who dreamed a dream and successfully cooked 50 egg yolks in a rice cooker. We say “successfully” because the end result actually looks pretty good – if not lethal.
Dr. Shunichi Igarashi has surprised even himself with his line of Super Reinforcement with Flexibility (SRF) technology. SRF basically involves wrapping the columns and walls of building in adhesive strips.
The idea of gluing fabric on a building to protect it from the sheer force of an earthquake doesn’t sound very comforting. However, when Dr. Igarashi’s SRF was put to the test in the Great Tohoku Earthquake on 11 March, 2011, it passed with flying colors.
The long standing collaboration between Japan’s premier virtual pop star and ubiquitous convenience store continues this spring with the Hatsune Miku de Sakura no Uta campaign.
Unfortunately, the campaign has been having a bit of a rocky start with the sexually suggestive Sakura Style Strawberry Cream Bread. So now it’s time to bring out the heavy artillery: Family Mart’s second version of a Hatsune Miku-themed nikuman (steamed meat bun), Sakura Mikuman.
Fujitsu Labs recently announced it is finalizing technology which lets you check and monitor your pulse just by pointing a camera at your face. The company claims results can be achieved in as little as five seconds and doesn’t require complicated procedures or extra equipment.
The technology is compatible with ordinary smartphones as well as tablets, laptops, or desktops as long as they’re equipped with a camera.
On 18 March an announcement was made that shook the world of manufacturing. For centuries man has had to endure white paper for writing down notes, works of art, or fake telephone numbers from girls met in the bar.
Sure, there was the development of colored paper, but that’s just putting lipstick on a pig. The real innovation will come in the not too distant future when we will be able to enjoy paper the way it was truly meant to be – nearly invisible!
Think of the applications! Seriously, think about it, because we had to for a really long time.
It looks like winter is behind us in Japan now and we can soon look forward to taking a dip outdoors. However, it looks as if these people jumped the gun by a month or so and took the plunge early… with all their clothes on… carrying bags and sinking to the bottom like a stone…
What on earth is going on here?
Legend has it that in the urban center of Osaka there sits a vending machine so cheap that it boggles the mind. Here a tasty beverage can be purchased for a measly 10 yen (US$0.11).
RocketNews24 had sent a reporter, Usagi Yumeno, to Fukushima Ward in the port town in search of this machine.
Word has been circulating that the famous British sci-fi puppetry program Thunderbirds and Japan’s pseudo-military, The Self Defense Force (SDF) are teaming up for a promotional campaign.
A series of posters will be released explaining the similarities between the missions of the fictional IRO (International Rescue Organization) and functional SDF: “international peace cooperation activities and disaster relief.”
JR Central may want to consider banning the use of 10 yen coins from their mighty Shinkansen bullet trains due to the potential hazards they pose.
On 12 March a 400-meter, 715-tonne shinkansen train capable of 300 km/h speeds was pulled off duty because of a single 2.4-centimeter 10 yen coin.
Plumbing dealer Sunrefre Plaza opened a Facebook page this year called Love X Toilet which shares various tidbits of information regarding the world of toilets. On top of that, they held a survey asking around 2,500 Japanese people about their toilet habits. The results were enlightening to say the least.
Rintya Miki Aprianti and Dwi Nailul Izzah are the proud recipients of gold medals in the Indonesian Science Project Olympiad (ISPO) held last February in Jakarta. It’s no surprise, though, as these two high school students have achieved a marvel of fragrance engineering: they turned a pile of cow crap into a “pleasant smelling” air freshener.
Japan has had a complicated relationship with tattoos over its history. Unlike in most western countries where it’s simply considered a form of expression or drunkenly poor decisions, currently body art is generally looked down upon in Japanese society despite having some of the best artists and techniques in the world.
And yet most people in Japan are unaware that not too long ago, for a time during the Edo Period (1603-1868) the go-to form of punishment for non-violent crimes was a tattoo right in the center of your forehead.
Kei Akatsu is a man with a dream – a dream to travel the world, meet women, and take their pictures. Having spent half a year in Vancouver introducing himself girls and holding impromptu photo shoots, he honed the necessary skills to fulfill his ambition.
The Tokyo University of Science student then spent the rest of the time setting up his website, Beauties World Map. The website came together very well but he needed more content and for that he needed more capital. So he turned to crowd funding.
It’s time to put on your detective pants and try to figure out what happened in this strange death of a man in his 70s in Okinawa. Details are sketchy but police are leaning towards an accidental death.
The masked wrestler rights movement was dealt a blow on 11 March as wrestler turned municipal legislator, Skull Reaper A-ji, was refused entry to a scheduled city council session as long as he was wearing his mask.
When interviewed by reporters、 Councilman Skull Reaper, who was elected last month, expressed regret over the matter saying, “Frustrating. If I take my mask off, I’m an entirely different person. I will not take it off.”
The New South China Mall, situated in Dongguan City, is considered to be the largest shopping mall in the world. According to an Emporis in 2012 it has 600,153 m2 of gross leasable area.
It boasts a hotel, an indoor/outdoor roller coaster which spans the complex, a canal with gondolas, and various replicas including the Arc de Triomphe, and Sphinx. It’s an impressive feat of design and engineering.
The only problem with the New South China Mall is that it’s almost completely empty and unused. The Emporis’ report also refers to it as a “dead mall” and, according to a CNN Japan report, the escalators are covered in tarps and the passages are dusty and lined with shutters.
So what went wrong?
Tomoko Wakasugi (Grandma Wakasugi) is a prolific writer on the shokuyo style of eating. Shokuyo is a lifestyle similar to a macrobiotic diet in which only all natural grains and plants are prepared and eaten carefully to maintain physical and mental health and combat disease.
She said that she began her writing career after prolonging her husband’s life to six years after he was only given two months to live by doctors. His dying wish was for her to help others through her knowledge of alternative nutrition.
The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (PCC) is a group composed of politicians, organizations, and other independent members who gather to help shape the political agenda for the upcoming year.
During this meeting on 4 March, international film star Jackie Chan appeared before the Governmental Advisory Institute with some stern words about the way law enforcement is handled in his country when it comes to cigarettes.
Super-detailed cherry blossom forecast maps for 2025 show warm winter doesn’t mean early sakura
What happens when you leave a pair of jeans hanging in the Japanese mountains for seven months?
Tokyo governor wants to start study abroad grant system, includes monthly activity allowance
These nine Kyoto restaurants are the newest to receive Michelin guide recommendations
The My Melody ♡ Kuromi Anniversary Party is in full kawaii swing at the Ikebukuro Parco store
Young Japanese adults show lowest dating experience level yet in annual survey
What’s in the KFC Japan fukubukuro lucky bag?
Starbucks Japan reveals new Valentine’s Day goods for 2025
There’s a new world’s largest anime robot statue, and it’s not in Japan【Photos】
Japanese man grabbed by wild monkey, chased for hundreds of meters while jogging
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
“I overdid it.” – Man in Japan fired after ditching work 633 times to go to the gymStarbucks Japan reveals new Valentine’s Day goods for 2025
Starbucks unveils new Valentine’s Day Frappuccino in Japan
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Overseas Uber driver and anime fan gets the Cowboy Bebop surprise of a lifetime【Video】
Nintendo and Godiva team up for fancy fun chocolate line【Photos】
Starbucks Japan saves the best for last in our fukubukuro lucky bag haulJapan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
Bear breaks into house in Japan, quickly begins spending winter exactly like Japanese people do
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Snake
This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the past
McDonald’s Japan has a fukubukuro lucky bag that everyone wants to get their hands on
What’s in Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025?
Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
Station of despair: What to do if you get stuck at the end of Tokyo’s Chuo Rapid Line
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Young Japanese adults show lowest dating experience level yet in annual survey
What’s in the KFC Japan fukubukuro lucky bag?
Starbucks Japan reveals new Valentine’s Day goods for 2025
There’s a new world’s largest anime robot statue, and it’s not in Japan【Photos】
Japanese man grabbed by wild monkey, chased for hundreds of meters while jogging
Japan’s most popular maid cafe, Akiba Zettai Ryoiki, opens new “Maid Cafe Winery” in Akihabara
Let’s go open a Lego Japan lucky bag…o
New Pokémon Gaming Headset for Nintendo Switch will turn you into Pikachu
Walk the streets of Japan in style with bushido-influenced men’s summer kimono range from Kyoto
Seven Airbnb rentals that are perfect for couples, families, and friends vacationing in Japan this summer
Japan’s wildest Seijinshiki Coming-of-Age ceremony celebrates new adults in Kitakyushu 【Photos】
We turn 100,000 yen into 100,000 one-yen coins, in the spirit of New Year’s generosity
Is there a big difference between Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bags?
New Attack on Titan theme park attraction coming to Fuji-Q Highland