Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Michelle always seems to find her way back to Japan, having been there for vacation, study abroad, and work. During her time on the JET Programme, she lived on the island of Chiburi in Shimane, Japan’s “least popular prefecture.” In her heart, she will always be a member of that sleepy little fishing village she once called home. When she’s not swearing like a sailor while playing video games, Michelle enjoys playing soccer and “studying” Japanese.
Posted by Michelle Lynn Dinh
In Japanese culture, it’s believed that folding one thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true, leading this particular origami creation to represent hope and healing during challenging times. We’re not quite sure if the following video featuring five dancing paper cranes has the ability to heal anything, but it definitely has enough whimsy to make you smile.
Almost everyone loves soaking in an outdoor hot spring bath, called rotenburo in Japanese. The combination of soothing natural mineral water and being buck naked outside is enough to wash all your stress away. Just look at those little capybara in the photo above. Don’t they look so relaxed?
If you ever have the chance to visit Japan, we highly recommend you take a dip in a rotenburo. But if you aren’t able to make the long journey over to this wonderful country right away, might we suggest taking a virtual tour of six outdoor hot springs in Japan?
Outdoor barbecues are the epitome of summer fun. But if you live in Japan, you’re sure to be drenched in sweat after ten minutes in the hot, humid weather. Luckily, Nissan created a solution to the hassle and heat of the typical cookout: the Ultimate Smart BBQ vehicle. The all-electric compact car includes everything you’ll need for a summer barbecue, including the grill and high-tech mosquito repellant, and comes with some things you might not necessarily need, like a “flying selfie camera.”
“With this electric vehicle, you can always enjoy a BBQ that goes far beyond your expectations,” commented Osamu Suzuki, editor-in-chief of the Nissan Social Project. Intrigued? Check out this crazy car after the jump!
Now you can eat the world and a deep-fried frog, too. If you love to sample strangely colored foods or fried critters, look no further than nature museum/activity center Orbi Yokohama where you can take a bite of their bizarre burgers.
There are all sorts of masters lurking in arcades around the world. We’ve seen quite a few in Japan, where taiko drum experts and claw game champions reign supreme. But if this video of a basketball free-thrower is anything to go by, Chinese game centers seem to have their own breed of skilled gamers. However, what makes the skills of the guy on the left, we’ll call him “Khaki Shorts,” all the more amazing is the fact that he’s making one-handed free throws with both his left and right hand four times faster than the other players.
KISS, the never-ending merchandising machine, is still relatively popular in Japan and periodically releases Japan-exclusive products. In the past we’ve seen black KISS spicy steamed buns and just recently we were treated to a KISS collaboration music video with popular Japanese idol group Momoiro Clover Z. But if you aren’t satisfied merely eating or watching the band, you now have a chance to transform into one of its members in mere seconds using the newly released KISS Face Pack.
Kiri-e (切り絵) is the Japanese art of hand-cutting paper into intricate designs. Kirigami (切り紙), on the other hand, involves cutting and folding paper to create a 3-D image that pops right off the page. But one talented Japanese artist has combined these two traditional art forms, creating folded paper cranes that contain a seemingly impossible-to-achieve cut-out design. Let’s take a closer look at her stunning artwork!
As you may have noticed, Japan has pretty much mastered the art of sprucing up food. We’ve already seen a plethora of tools to create bear-shaped rice or smiley face sausages, but we’re particularly excited about a certain product we just discovered up north in Hokkaido. They’re called “message kombu” and the heartfelt messages made out of seaweed are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Mom always told us not to play with our food, but we’ll have to make an exception for this crafty use of candy. Using only a pair of chopsticks and 18.9 meters (62 feet) of gummy string, one intrepid Twitter user from Japan managed to knit herself an edible scarf. The evidence and entire creation process coming at you after the jump!
You might remember the Moon Animate Make-Up! project that brought over 250 artists together to recreate the opening scene of anime classic, Sailor Moon. It featured a mishmash of artistic styles that gave viewers a visual feast of creative talent. Now Pokémon fans are in luck because a similar project was just released online, featuring Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of the gang as seen by 32 different animators!
When we’re kids, we usually don’t realize how much love and support our parents give to us; they’re just being mom or dad. It’s only until we grow up that we appreciate and are able to recognize the many things they sacrifice for our well-being.
A commercial from MetLife Hong Kong featuring the heartfelt letter of a loving daughter highlights one particularly large sacrifice her father makes every day…and it’s sure to bring you to tears.
Although coffee and gelatin aren’t typically associated with Japanese cuisine, the popular dessert called “coffee jelly” was actually created in Japan during the Taisho period (That’s over 100 years ago!). As you might expect, the dessert consists of gelatin that has been flavored with black coffee and sugar.
Curious culinarians abroad are in luck! The dog/human chef duo over at YouTube channel Cooking with Dog show us just how easy it is to make this delicious Japanese treat at home.
As part of their World Mac Hawaii campaign, McDonald’s Japan will be serving up island-inspired burgers and desserts starting February 10. With flavors taking a cue from popular Hawaiian main dishes such as kalua pork and the famous loco moco, and desserts featuring a tropical flare, these new menu items are sure to put a little sunshine in your cold, snowy Japanese winter.
Every year at the end of December, something magical happens to Japan’s tallest mountain. As the sun descends in the sky bringing a close to another day, it meets with the summit of Mount Fuji for a few brief moments, making it appear as if the peak is topped with a glistening diamond. Thousands of people flock to vantage points around the area for a chance to see this special phenomenon, dubbed “Diamond Fuji.”
Japan has many wonderful New Year’s traditions, including visiting the local shrine, eating auspicious food, and sending postcards to all your friends. But one of the most exciting and potentially disappointing activities that occur on the first day of January is the purchasing of fukubukuro. Commonly referred to as “Lucky Bags” in English, fukubukoro are specially priced parcels of surplus items from popular stores across Japan that are usually valued well over the purchase price.
This year, we sent 10 of our Japanese reporters out on the streets early New Year’s morning to gather up the best Lucky Bags they could find. Some came back with somewhat useless products even Mr. Sato wouldn’t want. Other’s were pleasantly surprised to find rare and valuable items nestled in their bags. But despite deep discounts, Lucky Bags aren’t always worth the wait and price, so in order to save you time on next year’s Japanese New Year’s shopping adventures, each of our writers has chosen the best Lucky Bags this side of the Pacific.
Christmas in Japan has always been different than what folks from other countries are used to. There’s always the Christmas bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken handed out by a santa-suit-clad Colonel Sanders, the Christmas cake topped with whipped cream swirls and strawberries, and those romantic walks with your loved one around the many illuminated streets. LINKS. That’s why we weren’t surprised, and frankly delighted, to find the following 10 unconventional Christmas trees from around Japan.
The annual Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan’s northernmost prefecture has been delighting tourists and locals for over six decades. Each year, artists from around the world are invited to show off their talents constructing enormous structures out of ice and snow.
To commemorate the release of the seventh installment of the Star Wars series, The Walt Disney Company has collaborated with festival officials to design what looks to be the most epic large-scale snow sculpture yet, featuring enormous snow versions of Darth Vader, three Storm Troopers, a TIE fighter, and the Death Star.
New Year’s in Japan is usually celebrated with family huddled under the kotatsu while munching on mikans, and sharing a dinner of traditional food, called osechi. Each component of the meal retains an auspicious meaning, granting the eater with good fortune, health, or fertility, among other things, during the coming year.
However, in recent years, an increasingly large population of Japan’s youth have chosen to forgo eating osechi. There are many reasons osechi has been disappearing from Japanese homes during New Year’s, but these changing tastes have given rise to a smorgasbord of strange, unique, and, frankly, comparatively tastier pre-made osechi meals. From cooked isopods to a box full of meat, let’s take a closer look at six modern day osechi.
Mouth agape, eyes rolled back, head bobbing – when home is an hour or more away and work continues late into the night, the only place for many Japanese office workers to lay their weary head is against a train car window. This phenomenon is not unique to Japan, but the combination of overwork and limited affordable housing in big cities like Tokyo give rise to crowds of sleepy commuters just trying to get to their futon. If you have never witness the varied sleeping positions of Japan’s overworked commuters, take a look at the following video created by real estate website HOME’S.
“Red” Hong Yi is a Malaysian artist-architect who creates brilliant and unconventional works of art. Known as “the artist who loves to paint, but not with a paintbrush,” she uses mascara, foundation, and other cosmetics to give rise to misty mountainsides, vibrant fire crackers, and shimmering ponds.
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Super-cheap pillow-sized croissants selling in Tokyo
Does Tokyo’s King of Tonkatsu live up to its name? We find out 【Taste Test】
California’s In-N-Out Burger opening popup restaurant in downtown Tokyo
One Piece creator to undergo surgery, manga to go on hiatus
Famous Ginza paper store offers ink-black lemonade to celebrate the release of art-themed film
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
Krispy Kreme Gin: Making use of doughnut scraps never tasted so good
Visiting Kunozan Toshogu, the shrine where the first lord of Japan’s last shogunate was buried
New Tokyo Crossdressing Bar Appeals to First-Time Drag QueensWe asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Pokémon dress shirt brand is shutting down – Last chance to order is less than a month away
Ghibli Museum releases beautiful new line of anime art T-shirts, available for online orders【Pics】
How to have yumcha like a boss at a new dim sum restaurant perfect for groups or solo diners
Studio Ghibli says no to trailers and commercials for Hayao Miyazaki’s new anime movie
Japanese city getting Spirited Away buses to celebrate Studio Ghibli anime producer museum eventSuper-cheap pillow-sized croissants selling in Tokyo
Here’s why you should visit Japan’s best winter-night hot spring town on a summer afternoon【Pics】
Fans in Japan don’t sound happy with Netflix’s One Piece live-action changes to the Going Merry
Soup curry and onigiri for breakfast at a super tasty semi-secret spot in Tokyo’s Shinjuku
Studio Ghibli now sells plush toys seen on Howl’s bed from Howl’s Moving CastlePokémon dress shirt brand is shutting down – Last chance to order is less than a month awayGhibli Museum releases beautiful new line of anime art T-shirts, available for online orders【Pics】We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Gigantic super-affordable Sailor Moon lifestyle line comes to Japan’s favorite 300 yen shop【Pics】
Huge price hike for Japan Rail Pass triggers huge drop in foreign travelers who’ll buy it【Survey】
Uniqlo teams up with shojo manga/anime masters Clamp for new World of Clamp T-shirt line【Pics】
Japanese outdoor brand Foxfire teams up with Totoro for cool clothing and accessory lineFans in Japan don’t sound happy with Netflix’s One Piece live-action changes to the Going Merry
World’s largest Kura Sushi revolving sushi restaurant opens, but not in Japan【Video】
Manga artist wants Japanese teachers to feel, for two seconds, how dumb their girls’ dress code is
Sony’s wearable air conditioners selling like cold cakes in heat-stricken Japan
Travelling to Japan soon? Beware the “Three Small Hells” awaiting tourists upon arrival
Japan ends travel ban on individual tourists, waives visa requirements for certain countries
One Piece’s Luffy spent years of manga’s publication without saying a word to one of his nakama
Pokémon Center apologizes for writing model Nicole Fujita’s name as Nicole Fujita
Image-generating AI’s picture of “Final Fantasy VII Cloud” is so wrong, yet so right
New Studio Ghibli humidifiers breathe anime magic into your home
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Message to foreigners at Japanese convenience store sparks controversy online
Famous Ginza paper store offers ink-black lemonade to celebrate the release of art-themed film
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
Krispy Kreme Gin: Making use of doughnut scraps never tasted so good
Visiting Kunozan Toshogu, the shrine where the first lord of Japan’s last shogunate was buried
New Tokyo Crossdressing Bar Appeals to First-Time Drag Queens
We try five menu recommendations from a clerk at CoCo Ichibanya and almost fall in love
Marshmallow girls unite! Meet Chubbiness, Japan’s latest “chubby” girl idol group!
12-year-old manga artist wins prize from Weekly Shonen Jump, talent might run in the family
Here’s one of the first things you should do if you just moved into a new apartment in Japan
Tokyo school teaches cross-dressing men, transgender individuals to move and speak femininely
Sailor Moon’s Moon Stick becomes the real world’s coolest subway pass
Mess-free ink paw print kit makes over 1,000-percent of goal in Japanese crowdfunding project
Final Fantasy café puts spirits within you with materia cocktails, chocolate buster swords