Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
China (Page 31)
Don’t even bother getting up on stage; this kid has just stolen the show.
Three-year-old Zhang Junhao blew audiences away recently with a genuinely impressive performance at a Chinese talent show. After handing the judges the remote control to flick between audio tracks at will, the pint-sized performer showed his skill on the stage, wowing the judges with an array of cute dances before revealing that his dream is to “make people happy.”
Don’t you hate it when you’re out birding in Tibet and you spot a Sillem’s Mountain Finch? The find itself is great of course, but immediately upon sighting it you want to light up a cuban cigar in order to celebrate, in accordance with birdwatching tradition. The problem, is you have to put down your binoculars to do so, thus potentially losing sight of the rare bird.
To address this problem that we all must deal with at one point in our lives, a Shanghai wholesaler is offering “Meganegata Sogankyo” or “Glasses-type Binoculars” which allow you to see long distances while retaining the use of both your hands, in the most steampunk way possible.
No sooner was it announced the third most at-risk area for natural disasters in the world than the Pearl River Delta in China was hit by extremely severe rain storms with giant hail and damaging winds. The region, which is composed of several major urban centers has experienced flooded subways stations, canceled flights, and destroyed shopping centers due to heavy downpours.
Some of these scenes have been recorded and shared online in video form.
If any Hatsune Miku fans find themselves in China’s Guangxi Province, they might want to stop by the city of Yulin for an unexpected surprise, because it’s in this city that the Vocaloid singing sensation has gotten a fast food restaurant dedicated to her, though likely not in any official capacity.
This year has already seen the Chinese media go gaga over a beautiful marathon girl, a beautiful gym babe, a beautiful university student, and a beautiful journalist. At this point, some of you have probably been making bets about who the logical next “beautiful woman” to pop up would be. Did you guess correctly?
Whether you won or lost your bet, check out this gorgeous and stylish yoga instructor who seems to blend in with any setting naturally!
This is one of the most surreal cable news segments you’ll see.
There have been many different conspiracy theories thrown out about the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, but on Wednesday night CNN speculated whether a “black hole” could be involved.
Could China finally be ready to make its long-delayed entry into the console wars? It was only a matter of time since the 14-year ban on video game consoles was lifted in January of this year, and a collaboration between two companies has now announced that we could see a new China-exclusive device out sometime this month.
It’s well-known that China’s struggling with some serious air pollution, but perhaps less talked about is the toll being taken on their rivers. According to a recent survey conducted by Chinese media, 96% of respondents felt that not a single river around them was clean enough to swim in. And judging from these photos, anyone who did decide to risk a dive would probably come out looking worse than the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
In one of the few instances we can think of in which crime actually does pay, a Chinese bus passenger who spent years “ride-and-dashing” to dodge paying the fare repaid her karmic debt by depositing a total of 800RMB (approx. US$130) into the till boxes of two local buses.
Drivers of both buses apparently tried to reject her offering and have her pay the standard 2RMB fare (US$0.30), but the woman reportedly insisted, telling at least one of the drivers, “You’ve always been kind to your passengers. This is to repay the fare I’ve been skipping out on until now.”
Chinese authorities have released satellite images which show what they believe could be debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished without trace last Saturday.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been missing for four days with more than 200 people on board, and the country’s military now thinks the Boeing 777 turned around over the Gulf of Thailand and flew at least 350 miles away from its destination, Beijing.
When we were kids, we were often told to “listen to your mother” or “do as dad says”, and many of us probably went through a time when we secretly swore that we’d never listen to our parents again once we grew up. But as age catches up, some of us begin to realize that our moms and dads do make more sense than we do sometimes.
A Chinese couple recently ignored their parents’ objections to their union and secretly tied the knot, only to later discover that they were actually cousins!
People all over Asia wait with bated breath today for news about the Malaysia Airlines jet which disappeared without trace on Saturday last week. Earlier today, debris described as possibly from a plane was spotted in the sea off the coast of Vietnam, but it has yet to be confirmed as belonging to the missing aircraft.
The plane, which was carrying some 239 passengers, was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it suddenly disappeared. No distress calls were made and weather conditions were thought to have been good, leading the global media and internet masses to propose numerous theories regarding what might have happened, including an (as-yet entirely unsubstantiated) report that authorities in China ordered its military to shoot down any “suspicious passenger planes” coming close to Beijing on the same day the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished.
Victoria’s Secret is launching in China—but don’t expect any bras and panties at its stores.
At approximately 4:17 p.m. on Tuesday this week, North Korea fired seven short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast into the Sea of Japan. While this in itself is not especially unusual for the world’s most secretive and hardline dictatorship, a genuinely unsettling detail later emerged that reflects the seriousness of the situation and just how close one group of civilians came to danger: Just six minutes after its launch, a China Southern Airways passenger plane passed directly through the path one missile had taken.
Air pollution in Beijing on February 25 was worryingly high, but one couple wasn’t going to let that spoil their special day. The brave pair risked the toxic smog to pose for their wedding shots, but took sensible steps to keep themselves safe. The results, however, are a little more creepy than they are romantic.
A man and woman pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend in order to please their traditionally-minded, grandchild-expecting parents is one of the oldest clichés in romantic fiction. It’s right up there with the moody jerk with a heart of gold and the rich, dreamy architect who would love to spend more time with the heroine if only he wasn’t juggling so many projects.
In real life, though, often times once you peel back the layers of jerk a guy has wrapped himself in, all you’ll find he was hiding deep down inside was a smaller, more concentrated jerk. Architecture has one of the highest unemployment rates of any professional field. And talking someone you’re not dating into pretending to be your girlfriend? It’s not nearly as cute as movies and TV make it out to be, as proven by the ugly aftermath of a man in China’s unsuspecting parents giving a sizeable cash gift to his fake girlfriend.
This sentence is a mouthful: According to Japanese media, Chinese media is reporting that, according to German media, Chinese kids are getting a strange cosmetic surgery known as “Eiffel Tower nose” in record numbers in order to get ahead in their careers.
Despite the fact that we have no idea what “Eiffel Tower nose” is, it is apparently a surgery so extreme that some Chinese college graduates feel it helps set them apart visually from others in the job race.
I’m sure we can all agree that at the end of a long workday there’s nothing better than enjoying a nice glass of pig’s blood. I don’t mean that bottled crap you buy in the supermarket, chocked full of additives and high fructose corn syrup. I’m talking about the real-deal piping hot blood straight from a live pig.
However, before you go ahead and take a nice drink, take heed. As one young man from Guangxi, China learned, drinking too much live pig’s blood (i.e. any) can actually be bad for your health.
An unidentified Chinese man in his thirties or forties stole an alligator coat valued at approximately $128,000 from a Hong Kong Burberry store by putting it on and just walking out the front door on Wednesday, authorities told South China Morning Post.
Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Celebrating Good Couple’s Day in Japan…by getting our significant others to dress us
7-Eleven Japan releases fukubukuro lucky bags filled with convenience store surprises
Beautiful Totoro bag returns, still requires jumping through an extra hoop to get, still worth it
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
How merry is Starbucks Japan’s new Merry Cream holiday Frappuccino?
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Want some great ramen in Akihabara? Then head to this…karaoke joint?!?
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Foreigners can now apply for visas to visit fiancés living in Japan
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fansTaking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Starbucks Japan unveils second Holiday Frappuccino for 2024
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a rowGhibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve tooBerserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
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
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
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
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
How merry is Starbucks Japan’s new Merry Cream holiday Frappuccino?
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Want some great ramen in Akihabara? Then head to this…karaoke joint?!?
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Foreigners can now apply for visas to visit fiancés living in Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
Line of foreign tourists leads us to Akihabara’s meatiest fatty ramen【Taste test】
Hyper-detailed anime girl masks are here to solve, possibly create your fashion problems【Photos】
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
Ghibli releases a Howl’s Moving Castle that walks and lights up【Video】
Cast of this summer’s live-action Naruto stage play looks more awesome than ever in new photos
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
The three ways to say “love” in Japanese, and when to use them