Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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The beautiful and imposing samurai armour from the Warring States period (sengoku jidai) still fascinates people today, and there are historians who have dedicated their lives to finding out as much about ancient warfare as possible. We know that warriors often rode horseback, but did samurai also use armoured cats and mice in their epic battles?!
Munenori Kawasaki currently plays for the Toronto Blue Jays as a shortstop. Originally from Japan, Kawasaki is a pretty good player who bats left, throws right, and has a .294 batting average. However, it’s not his baseball skills that have gotten him a lot of attention around the world and online recently. No, Kawasaki’s willingness to bust a move on and off the field are what everyone’s talking about right now.
Whenever I’m asked if I’m a dog or a cat person, I can always respond quite easily: “Neither.” I’m absolutely convinced fish make the best pets, since they’re quiet, relaxing, and never pee or cough things up on the carpet.
And just in case that wasn’t enough to sell you, consider one more thing fish can now do: play a game of Street Fighter II.
With Hayao Miyazaki being the most recognized face of Studio Ghibli, and producer Toshio Suzuki the most currently active, there’s usually not a lot of room left in the spotlight for director Isao Takahata. One of Ghibli’s founding members, Takahata served as producer for the company’s first official release, Castle in the Sky, and his written and directed five films for Japan’s most respected animation house including the critically acclaimed Grave of the Fireflies.
Fans of Takahata’s work have learned to be patient, though, as his most recent film, 2013’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya, came 14 years after his previous feature, 1999’s largely forgotten My Neighbors the Yamadas. Foreign fans have had to wait even longer, but Princess Kaguya is almost ready to head overseas, as distributor GKids has announced a release date and put out a teaser trailer to whet North America’s appetite.
On 11 March, 2011 Hiroki Takai was studying at a university in Vancouver. Instead of feeling helpless at the steadily flowing images of destruction in the media following the Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami, he quickly took action and gathered other Japanese students to raise money for their homeland. Thanks to the students’ efforts and the generosity of the people of Vancouver the “Japan Love Project” managed to raise CAN$320,000 (US$288,000) in aid.
Now, with the 3-year anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake approaching, Takai wanted to pay the kindness of the Canadians back. As a part of the International Volunteer University Student Association (IVUSA) he asked for a team to travel to the West coast of Canada to help clean up the still-increasing driftage that is washing up on its shores. Headed by fourth-year Ritsumeikan University student Yusuke Oike, a crew of 70 students answered the call.
With an estimated 50 percent of unsolicited mail being thrown away without even being opened, one advertising agency has come up with an original idea: send the mail to cats, instead of their owners!
As you might expect, the product being advertised is cat-related! When Canadian company Bulk Cat Litter Warehouse approached ad agency Rethink Communications for a direct flyer, they came up with this clever mailout that your kitty will adore!
Ah, the joys of international travel. You shell out the majority of your paycheck for a ticket and spend sleepless nights counting down the days to your adventure of a lifetime. Then the day of departure finally comes and you board the plane, arriving hours later at your destination and trembling with anticipation. Camera in hand, you journey to the first famous place on your list that you’ve been dreaming about for weeks on end. Finally there, you take a quick look around, eyes widening in surprise, and blurt out, “…that’s it?!”
It’s not just gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyū who has won the hearts of anime fans. 23-year-old Canadian figure skater and Olympic silver medalist Patrick Chan seems to be a K-ON! fan himself. He personally posted a YouTube video of himself preparing for his 2011 trip to Japan — by drumming along to the anime’s opening:
With all of the weird and horrifying animals that seem to be coming out of the ocean recently, we thought we had seen it all. But a Facebook user recently posted a picture of a fish that looks straight out of Silent Hill.
The mysterious sea creature was caught in the Arctic water of the northern territory of Nunavut in Canada. Are you ready to see a fish that could give you nightmares?
The new Nintendo 2DS is out and we got our greedy little paws on the first one we could! Mmm…we love the smell of new game systems in the morning!
It’s not foldable and it doesn’t have a 3-D screen. On the other hand, it’ll play 3DS games with no problem and it’s significantly cheaper.
But is it worth your cold, hard cash? Find out below!
Ever felt like you just really needed to be a dragon for a day or two? Maybe wish you could look the part when on a rampage at the office or in your school quad? Calgary Cosplay is here to help with their newly-released dragon suit specially designed to make your dreams a reality!
Like many a baseball player in Japan, Munenori Kawasaki looks up to Japanese baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki. But Kawsasaki has been especially well known for his unflinching support of the future Hall of Famer. Even during his younger days of playing the sport in Kagoshima his style was compared to that of Ichiro.
Years later, on 21 August it would seem the stars aligned just right for Kawasaki as he found himself on the field just as Ichiro made his 4,000th professional hit in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. But Kawasaki’s pure enthusiasm that night might have even eclipsed his hero’s milestone.
With the newest (and as always, highly anticipated) feature-length film from Studio Ghibli — The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) — scheduled for release in Japan in less than a month, we’ve been seeing the anime production company’s name a lot in the news recently. Well, it appears that fans of Ghibli animes based near Vancouver, Canada, now have reason to be extra happy over the next month or so. Why? Because it’s going to be Ghibli Fest at The Cinematheque, the film society and cinema establishment located in Vancouver!
In a rare feat of feathered flight, a racing pigeon from Japan has managed to somehow traverse the entire Pacific Ocean and wind up on the west coast of Canada. Sadly, the pigeon’s original owner wasn’t willing to pay to have the brave bird brought back, but things have ended up working out well for the little guy.
We can see why this futuristic pod… chair… thing is called “The Emperor,” because there’s no way you wouldn’t feel like some powerful sci-fi movie villain hunting the rebels from your battle cruiser’s control station when sitting in it. But if you can actually keep your power fantasies from distracting you, this chair guarantees increased productivity and maximal office comfort.
To mark the second anniversary of the March 11 disaster, student volunteers in Vancouver spent two days dealing with the lingering effects. They collected more than 40 large trash bags of tsunami debris that has been littering beaches on Vancouver Island’s Pacific Rim National Park. Read More
The heartwarming, true story about a disaster-stricken man being reunited with his long lost Harley Davidson has made the rounds on the Internet and tugged at the heartstrings of Japanese Internet users in particular.
“They’ve started writing the movie already,” posted one enthusiastic reader on the Topsy.com comments section.
Man loses three family members and nearly all of his possessions in a horrific earthquake and tsunami and spends over a year in temporary housing before hearing one day that someone found his treasured motorcycle 4,000 miles across the ocean, reasonably intact considering the beating it took at the hands of the Pacific Ocean? We may have something here, Mr. DeMille. Read More
Finnish design brand Iittala partners with Pokémon for a golden first collaborative tableware set
Dorayaki from 89-year-old Japanese confectionery shop is one of the best sweets hidden in Tokyo
Second-generation sumo burger coming to Burger King Japan with return of Baby Body Burger
Japanese sweets souvenirs don’t get more beautiful than this
Starbucks Japan opens new Kyoto store in Place of Scenic Beauty
Here are the top ten foodie factory tours for the fall throughout Japan
What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Denny’s in Japan?
Inakaya Denim jeans are the latest farm-fresh Japanese-inspired fashion item
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Baby Chanco: The Japanese baby with a full head of thick, lustrous hair
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Brand-new Square Enix Cafe to open in Tokyo…and in Los Angeles too!
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku Station
Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
7-Eleven Japan releases Uji matcha smoothies… but only at select locations
7-Eleven Japan’s cooked-in-store takoyaki is here! How does it fare against the street food king?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration eventsJapan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of JapanNew Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Here are the top ten foodie factory tours for the fall throughout Japan
What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Denny’s in Japan?
Inakaya Denim jeans are the latest farm-fresh Japanese-inspired fashion item
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Baby Chanco: The Japanese baby with a full head of thick, lustrous hair
Thailand’s Daiso is so different from Japan’s that they might as well be on different planets
Here it is: The finalized map for Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan (and its food)
What are the worst things about living in the Japanese countryside?[Survey]
Japan’s cooling body wipe sheets want to help you beat the heat, but which work and which don’t?
Japan named most sleep-deprived country for fourth year in a row, according to survey
Studio Ghibli unveils My Neighbour Totoro miniature house model
Skyscraper sized Pokémon cards to appear in Tokyo all year long in Tocho projection mapping event
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Japanese cheating survey finds high infidelity rate in Kyoto and one of Tokyo’s neighbors
