Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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If you happen to be Indiana Jones or your oldest memory involves waking up in a giant garden paradise, there’s a good chance you find snakes quite repugnant. But even if you’d sooner take a kick to the groin than so much as look at a snake, we have a feeling you’ll find the squirmy little guy in this video quite adorable.
Battle Angel: Alita, known as GUNM in Japan, is one of anime and manga’s highlights of the ’90s. The original manga, created by Yukito Kishiro, ran for about five years from 1990 to 1995 with a newer series running from 2000 to 2014, in addition to two OVAs produced in the ’90s. The post-apocalyptic setting and cyborg main character have ensured the property’s popularity for decades, both domestically and abroad.
It’s been long known that James Cameron is a fan of the series and has been trying to produce a Hollywood film version for around 15 years — but things are finally starting to take shape. Today, news broke that a new director is in negotiations to take on the project.
Every area in Japan has its own local delicacies. As a long-time resident of Shizuoka Prefecture, I can tell you one of the best things my area has to offer is Hamamatsu-style gyoza, or pot stickers.
You can find all kinds of places offering up this delicious dish inside or outside the prefecture, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen it get a miniature makeover. How do these tiny dumplings measure up to the real thing? Let’s find out!
The Ace Attorney series, known in Japan as “Gyakuten Saiban” (turnabout trial) has established itself as a major player in the interactive visual novel market with five mainstream titles and a variety of cool side-stories and spin-offs like Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
The games, while undeniably Japanese in origin right down to the legal framework, have proved extremely popular in the west thanks to some inventive localisation work which has helped smooth down some of those cultural rough edges. Thus, instead of Ryuichi Naruhodo and Odoroki Hosuke, we’re more familiar with their westernised counterparts Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice. And now the upcoming sixth instalment in the main franchise is set to feature both of these protagonists together in a dual lead role!
Diving is one of the more beautiful Olympic sports, with its careful acrobatics that require near perfect form. While we suppose it’s not quite as exciting as speed-based competitions, the sport can be enthralling nonetheless!
And as this Chinese duo prove, the sport can also be absolutely fascinating when you and your partner try a new take on synchronized diving.
We’ve seen a lot of Japanese high school girls who have become popular online for various reasons, from being funny to being silly to be pretty. But this girl has been getting a ton of attention online all because of a little secret that is now out of the bag. Can you guess what it is?
Everyone should indulge in a bit of cross-cultural exchange every now and then to expand their worldly horizons–and as the following smartphone video illustrates, cross-species exchange can be just as, if not more, rewarding. Just take it from this black swan who’s made it his personal mission to feed some floundering fish friends!
Well, this is probably the weirdest snippet of news from Japan that you’ll read about all week.
On Friday, a new Japanese website was unveiled which has the sole purpose of allowing net users to forcefully flick their fingers into the forehead of a cute girl (an admonishing action known as a dekopin in Japanese) and watch her exasperated reaction, all done virtually through the screen, of course. After all, hasn’t that always been on your bucket list?
Umihara Kawase was released for the Super Famicom (Super NES in the west) in December, 1994, just over two decades ago. It was a popular game that has spawned a number of sequels for a variety of platforms and has won its fair share of fans, including many who loved the original cartridge game. Unfortunately, some cartridge games from the 90s featured a fatal flaw in their storage: the batteries keeping players’ saves alive eventually dies.
While most gamers finally give up and waved goodbye to their progress, lost to the ravages of time, one hardcore fan has refused to lose his save and has simply left his console plugged in and switched on for the last 20 years!
When you think Pokémon, you tend to think cutesy creatures fist-fighting and zapping each other with lightning until one of the creatures is “knocked out.” Also, you may think of widespread, real-world epileptic seizures and perhaps the moral complications of a world in which the local fauna are pitted against each other in fighting leagues, used as slave labor and also happily eaten, despite their astonishing intelligence, but maybe that’s a story for another day.
What you probably don’t associate with the series is a devastating intercultural war that has wiped out nearly the entire adult population, yet there appears to be some rather compelling evidence that that’s exactly what happened in the Pokémon world directly before the adventures of the first game…
With a public holiday coming up on Monday, it’s a three-day weekend here in Japan. As you might imagine, some of us—ahem—are having a little trouble applying our fidgety brains to the task of bringing you the latest Nippon news. There’s been a lot of interesting and important developments this week that we should cover, like the shuffling of Prime Minister Abe’s cabinet and two Nobel Prizes going to Japanese researchers and—OH LOOK, “10 CATS” HAS A NEW VIDEO!!!1!
We doubt there’s anyone who’s ever played (or even heard of) Street Fighter that hasn’t wished they could throw their own “hadoken” fireballs. Even if Ryu isn’t your favorite fighter, you have to admit, his special projectile move is nothing short of awesome. It looks awesome, sounds awesome, and is awesome to use!
While we still haven’t perfected our ki-energy-throwing technology, we do have good news for all you hadoken-lovers! You can now preorder this 12-inch plush hadoken to beat up all your enemies with, one soft projectile at a time!
When I was in high school I thought I was pretty good at drawing, only to take a look at some of my work 10 years later and realize how hideous most of it looked. In fact, it’s more than a little embarrassing how proud I was back then over a couple of notebooks of ugly doodles.
But unlike myself, there are some really creative young artists out there producing top-notch work in between classes and studying. One recent example currently circulating the Japanese web is a collection of intricate dioramas put together by a second-year high school student.
For most people in the country, the trains in Japan are relatively pleasant outside of rush hour, though they’re generally not exactly entertaining. Which is probably a good thing, because an entertaining train would probably be an annoying train! But if you ride them long enough, there’s a good chance you’ll accumulate a few funny stories.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be in Japan to hear the good ones—Twitter users are happy to share them online! Below, we’ve gathered a few of our favorites to give you a good laugh. So hop aboard as we take a look at some of the funniest train-related stories found on Twitter.
If you love art and illustration, you’re probably aware of plenty of non-professional, up-and-coming artists who showcase their work on sites like Tumblr and Twitter. In fact, fan art can be of such a high quality as to surpass the original work, and now there’s a new art book on sale in Japan which aims to “capture” the entire illustration scene at the present moment, showcasing work both amateur and professional by some of today’s most influential artists.
Illustration 2016 features work by 150 artists of different backgrounds and is the perfect guide for those who are into fan art and illustration of all kinds.
There are plenty of sports manga and anime whose fictional teams’ paraphernalia can be purchased in the real world. The teams might be fictional, but our love for them is as real as that which we may have for any flesh-and-blood sports team, and if you’re a Prince of Tennis fan the good news is that you’re about the get the chance to subtly express your meta fandom by wearing one of these brand new jackets inspired by the clothing seen in the show!
Despite media coverage, Japanese TV tends to lean towards the tame. You’ve got your History Channel-type stuff, your basic daytime dramas, your variety shows that are invariably focused on people eating food and the reactions of people watching said people eat food (spoiler: it’s delicious). You’ve got your movie re-runs and your weather forecasts.
But then, sometimes, you’ve got stuff like this: a man willingly, inexplicably letting a machine paddle him in the family jewels over and over again for what appears to be no reason at all.
They say that dogs are a man’s best friend; they’re companions that will protect you, comfort you and even do you the big favor of eating everything off your plate that you don’t want, no matter what it is. Some dogs will even go to the extreme…by being extremely lazy for you!
You might remember Japan’s Cocon, the adorable Shiba Inu that has a major problem getting up in the morning. She’s been working even less since we last saw her half-in and half-out of her bed. Luckily, she’s just as cute if not cuter in this new set of photos.
Get ready for some seriously lazy dog posing!
Since 2001, the Google Street View truck has been rolling through neighborhoods all over the world, taking photos of our towns and city streets in order add to its parent company’s enormous library of 3D street-level images. In the search for the perfect panoramic image, however, Google doesn’t always have time to wait around for the streets they’re mapping to clear, leading to the occasional unintentional photobomber.
Luckily, Google also has a pretty advanced facial technology recognition system, used to blur out the faces of those caught on camera as a way of protecting their privacy. The only caveat is that sometimes it works a little too well, and to hilarious results.
Google’s self-driving cars have gone from being a quizzical project that only the geekiest of geeks cared about to a very real possible future. Of course, Google isn’t the only company making forays into automated transportation, so it’s hardly a surprise that Japanese companies are also working on such technology.
But where Google’s self-driving cars basically look like tiny adorable bugs, Japan’s Robot Taxi is looking to solve the various transportation issues facing Japan—both urban and rural—with one magic bullet. Will they be successful? We have no idea, but this touching commercial will definitely have you rooting for them!
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Harry Potter and Detective Conan announce “collaboration of glasses-wearing boys”
Kiki’s Deliver Service heroine gets new design from Spy x Family artist for 40th anniversary
Starbucks unveils new Valentine’s Day Frappuccino in Japan
The mystery destination of the SoraNews24 end-of-year party left us speechless
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
Can Japan’s yami kawaii fashion still work without the yamu? We find out with this lucky bag【Pics】
“25 Potential Culture Shocks from around the World” infographic offers tidbits of travel wisdom
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the SnakeThe top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
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?
Let’s go open a Lego Japan lucky bag…o
There’s an official PlayStation lucky bag, but what’s inside?【Photos】
Square Enix releases a Final Fantasy fukubukuro lucky bag for New Year’s in Japan
Animate Akihabara releases a lucky bag for the first time in years, and it’s amazing
The perfect budget-friendly hot spring hotel near Narita Airport
Starbucks Japan’s Lucky Bag #3: A fukubukuro surprise we weren’t expectingThe top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Bear breaks into house in Japan, quickly begins spending winter exactly like Japanese people doHayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Snake
Starbucks Japan is calling it quits with paper straws
Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the pastMcDonald’s Japan has a fukubukuro lucky bag that everyone wants to get their hands onWhat’s in Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025?
Station of despair: What to do if you get stuck at the end of Tokyo’s Chuo Rapid Line
Starbucks Japan reveals new winter holiday goods to wrap up 2024
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 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
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
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
The mystery destination of the SoraNews24 end-of-year party left us speechless
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
Can Japan’s yami kawaii fashion still work without the yamu? We find out with this lucky bag【Pics】
“25 Potential Culture Shocks from around the World” infographic offers tidbits of travel wisdom
Let’s go open a Lego Japan lucky bag…o
How to get all-you-can eat doughnuts at Mister Donut for just 12 bucks!
The best booths and cosplayers from Summer Comiket 2024【Photos】
Japan has a smartphone blanket so good it’s called the “blanket that ruins people”
Test your boy’s love knowledge! Can you pick the “uke” and “seme” in each relationship?
Japanese company trips – Workers “absolutely hate” them, so why do they still happen?
How to put together a senbero drinking/snack session at Japan’s 100-yen convenience store【Photos】
Enjoy fall to the fullest by soaking up a splash of color with autumn leaves and onsen