Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Internet (Page 60)
We’re constantly amazed by the creative ways people come up with to reuse defunct technology, and here’s another one to blow your mind. One YouTuber has used his programming and music skills to reproduce popular tunes and game music using… floppy disk drives!
If you’re feeling a little blue at the start of another work week and need an adorable pick-me up, perhaps we can interest you in a fuzzy doggy waggling her way through an intense gym session while dressed as a teddy bear? Munchkin the Shih-Tzu has been earning “Aww!”s all over the interwebs with this video uploaded to her personal YouTube page. In it, Munchkin struts her stuff whilst wearing an improvised costume created from a gutted teddy bear. Thanks to some magical camera-angle trickery, Munchkin appears to walk upright with the jaunty swagger of a carefree teddy just workin’ out in the gym. Join us for the video and more on Munchkin after the jump!
As one of the most popular manga and anime series ever created, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has undoubtedly inspired fan art of every style and form conceivable from across the world. Indeed, the Internet is full of countless images of such works by both professional and amateur artists alike. But every so often we come across pieces of work that are so impressive that they grab our attention with their quality and originality, as in the case of these drawings of famous villains from the series. Join us for a look at the familiar evil characters of Dragon Ball reinvented into exquisite yet chilling illustrations — we think you’ll be impressed too with the vivid, colorful details that seem to bring the images to life!
Walt Disney cartoons were one of my favorite things to watch on TV when I was a kid. But giving the ever-popular Disney animated series a good run for its money was the Looney Tunes series by Warner Bros. In fact, if I really had to choose one out of the two, I would have leaned towards Looney Tunes, largely because of my childhood crush, the witty and crafty Bugs Bunny.
As I grew up, I became more interested in Japanese anime, and gradually drifted away from Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang, but my oh my, I think I’m falling head over heels for Bugs again after seeing Canada-based artist Sakimichan’s series of Looney Tunes illustrations. See Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Lola Bunny in their humanized forms after the jump!
What makes or breaks your decision to purchase something new and unfamiliar? For some shoppers it may be the peculiarity of a product that loosens their purse strings. Others may be won over by the low price or high quality of an item. And then there are those who have a weak spot for clever packaging.
Of course, price and quality matter, but the packaging of a product plays a significant role too despite the sad fact that it usually ends up in the trash soon after the product has been taken home. If you’re fond of interesting, creative, unique packaging designs, take a peek at this little collection!
While Yo-kai Watch is basically the new Pokémon for the younger generation, it doesn’t mean that Pokémon is done and gone! While all the cool kids may be focused on Jibanyan, it looks like nature might be a bigger fan of Pokémon–just look at this photo of “Bulbasaur!”
Japan, like many other countries, has no shortage of “unique” inventions and products. Sometimes they may seem useless or downright impractical, but other times they’re just clever enough to be useful.
So where does this USB-powered onigiri (rice ball) warmer fall on the spectrum of clever and bewildering? We’ll let you decide for yourself!
On 30 June, 2008 Yasushi Takahashi, or Yassan for short, quit his job and set out on a trek across Japan. He took with him a GPS logger to document the journey as he experienced the “Japan that [he knows] only in books.”
That might seem like a reckless choice for a man in his thirties, but as we can see, along with Japan he was also mapping out his future during this half-year travel. Yassan also recorded parts of the trip on video and uploaded it to YouTube in a video titled Tegami-Letter.
If you’ve turned to E-cigarettes to reduce the damage of your smoking habit or help you quit, you may want to avoid Chinese brands unless you’re prepared to turn your computer into a smoking, sputtering paperweight as a sacrifice to your improved health.
That’s because there seems to be mounting evidence that some Chinese E-cigarettes can literally infect your computer with viruses and malware.
If you ever played Pokémon as a kid (or even as an adult!), you’re probably familiar with the Substitute move and the adorable plush “decoy” your pocket monster could use to sop up some damage. But as cute as that little substitute was, didn’t you always kind of wish that it looked a little bit more like a plush version of the pokémon you were using?
Maybe not, but that didn’t stop one Japanese Twitter artist from drawing 64 Pokémon as Substitutes!
It seems only a short while ago that we were complaining about how unbearably hot the summer is here in Japan. Well, time sure does pass by quickly, and we’re now headed into winter, with parts of northern Japan already seeing a bit of snow. And while you can always expect small kids to be thrilled with the idea of a winter wonderland, it seems they’re not the only ones that thoroughly enjoy playing with the snow.
We’ve found a collection of photos and videos on Japanese information compilation site Naver Matome which clearly show that animals too get a kick out of jumping and rolling in the fluffy white stuff, and we wanted to share the images with you because, well … they simply looked so “cool” (and not just because of all the snow involved). So, get ready to enjoy some adorable animal snow action!
LINE is Japan’s most popular instant messaging platform and it came to its place on top via cute emoji “stickers.” But maybe you’ve had enough of the cutesy bears and sparkling hearts. Maybe you need to let out some emoji anger when your girlfriend is being a bit clingy with her texts. Fear not! The LINE stickers of your dreams have been released and they are just as tough, and occasionally gruesome, as you want them to be! Welcome into the ring, Street Fighter II!
Call us jaded, but usually when we think of the Internet, we think of a cesspit of erotic fan fiction, toxic message boards and comments sections filled with ignorance, anger and bad grammar, punctuated by the very occasional glimmer of the web’s potential for greatness, usually in the form of reddit AMAs.
One of those glimmers came a few days ago when a Japanese Twitter user posted a plea for help from fellow net users in decoding a message left behind in his late uncle’s diary.
Netizens on Twitter recently reported that a rather strange phenomenon was affecting their pet cats during the broadcast of NHK’s “Mitsuaki Iwago’s World Catwalk”, a documentary by prominent wildlife photographer and documentary filmmaker Mitsuaki Iwago.
Apparently, the scenes of furry felines in their natural habitat completely captured the attention of household moggies watching at home, to the extent that their owners felt compelled to tweet photographic evidence of the event. Join us after the jump for images of cute kitties viewing images of other cute kitties!
Daikon is one of the cornerstones of Japanese cuisine. It has a firm yet yielding texture and ability to meld with any flavors it comes in contact with such as oden broth. However, most ways of eating daikon involve cooking which largely squanders the precious vitamin C that it contains.
You could eat it raw, but on its own daikon has a bitter and bland flavor suitable for no one. At least, it did until now thanks to a recipe posted on Cookpad, Japan’s premier recipe site, by a user with the handle of ayureo. This recipe is certifiably delicious, cheap, and so simple that anyone can do it — even us!
We love a good rescue story, especially when it involves cute kitties! Find out who this rescuer is and why the kitten found himself stuck in a ditch after the jump!
With the recent release of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, people around the world are settling in for long gaming sessions of collecting and trading their favorite Pokémon. Playing the game on the Nintendo 3DS sometimes isn’t enough though, you want to live and breathe it wherever you are. But with Halloween and most of the convention circuit closing down for the year, how else do we cosplay our favorite characters and Pokémon?
Introducing casual cosplay!
Artist JR Coffron III has finally answered the question of what happens if you leave a Pokémon in its pokeball too long: they come out as undead ravening monsters.
Mt. Fuji is Japan’s iconic mountain. Known and admired the world over, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site not as a natural site as one would expect, but as a cultural site due to its historical importance as a muse to artists of all kinds.
The snow-capped mountain has been depicted in every artistic medium you could imagine: wood-block prints, photos, video, stories and more. And now it’s been recreated in what may be my favorite form to date: 3D, laser-cut, 360-degree, miniature picture books!
It’s no secret that there are a lot of unusual food choices available in Japan–some of which have upset quite a few people. There’s a good chance that this offering by a Yokohama restaurant will be no different and will likely divide people between the “gotta have some” and the “WTF?!” crowd. In addition to offering crocodile, ostrich, and camel meat, Chinjuya in Yokohama also provides customers with the opportunity to munch on fried axolotl grown in captivity.
You can even order giant isopods!
This is Japan’s, and the world’s, first capsule hotel, and you can still stay there
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screens
Cheap Japanese ryokan at Kusatsu Onsen is hidden at the back of a traditional store
Ancient temple with National Treasures is a hidden gem on the Nara Yamato Four-Temple Pilgrimage
Japanese cosplayer creates amazing outfit: Sailor Moon’s transformation sequence!【Photos】
How to make a secret rice bowl at Ichiran ramen
FUK COFFEE?!? Japanese cafe has a perfectly innocent reason for its startling-looking name
Ultra-realistic cat latte art blows us away, puts us off our coffee
One of Japan’s oldest castles now lets travelers spend night on the grounds, drink in its keep
Who wins in a battle of McDonald’s and Komeda Coffee’s chicken tatsuta burgers?【Taste test】Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screens
McDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Two things to do, and two things not to do, when leaving a traditional Japanese innOne of Japan’s oldest castles now lets travelers spend night on the grounds, drink in its keepFUK COFFEE?!? Japanese cafe has a perfectly innocent reason for its startling-looking name
Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
Studio Ghibli unveils massive T-shirt collection featuring top anime movie characters
Starbucks at Shibuya Scramble Crossing reopens, but is it really bigger and better than before?
Japan has nearly 4 million abandoned homes, but where and why?
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goodsForeigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky loungeBad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensMcDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in TokyoMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950sForeigner’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
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
How to make a secret rice bowl at Ichiran ramen
FUK COFFEE?!? Japanese cafe has a perfectly innocent reason for its startling-looking name
Ultra-realistic cat latte art blows us away, puts us off our coffee
One of Japan’s oldest castles now lets travelers spend night on the grounds, drink in its keep
Who wins in a battle of McDonald’s and Komeda Coffee’s chicken tatsuta burgers?【Taste test】
Awesome new Gundam manhole covers coming to Japanese prefecture for first time
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
The Big Bomb Onigiri Japanese rice ball helps us conquer mountain race but conquers us in the end
Daiso can help you beat the heat this summer with DIY fruity Suika and Melon Bars【Taste test】
Hana Komon: Japan’s beautiful, samurai-style floral birthday crests
Our visit to the coolest Book Off used Japanese book store that we’ve ever seen
10 Japanese phrases for travelers that will help, amuse, or just plain confuse
We visit a Muji in South Korea to search for some uniquely Korean products