Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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They may not have the swoon-inducing power of 14 baby pandas in a row, but hedgehogs are nevertheless incredibly cute, and they make great little pets. They’re passive, clean, ideal for those who are out during the daytime, and, as this video proves, hugely entertaining to watch wrestle with the inside of a toilet roll.
Since the 20 September launch of the iPhone5S and iPhone5C some people have already purchased theirs while others remain on waiting lists. All around the world the iPhone5S is in short supply, the gold model in particular proving especially difficult to lay hands on.
So when a gold iPhone5S became available on eBay this week the bidding quickly got out of control, with the price of the phone shooting up to around US$10,000.
Fashion can be…confusing at times. Especially for those of us whose wardrobe consists of a black T-shirt and a white T-shirt, in case a fancy event comes up.
But there’s no denying that fashion, as an art form, takes its inspiration from the world around us. While not every design will become a permanent fixture or even necessarily work really well, we have to respect the creativity and thought that goes into making fashionable clothes. Though maybe this particular concept should have stayed on the drawing board…or in the dog park!
Are you terrified of large crowds? Does the thought of a night out clubbing fill you with dread? Have you withdrawn into a dark room, filled only with the blue light of your computer screen, desperate to avoid the horror of having to talk to a store clerk. Well, you’re not the only one, even though it might feel like it. In fact, if the number of hikikomori (socially withdrawn people who’ve isolated themselves from the outside world) is any indication, Japan is packed with shy, introverted people!
Thankfully, the Internet has allowed the shy and introverted to come together and share their experiences. Check out these comments from the Japanese website Aru Aru Matsuri and see how many you can sympathize with.
We’re all human, which means we all, eventually, make a mistake or two. Some of us might make more mistakes than others, but in general it should be easy to understand that accidents happen and sometimes the best course of action is to forgive and carry on with your life. However, not everyone is happy with a simple apology–some people require a bit more…humiliation.
“I hate this job.” Not exactly uncommon words, are they? While you may not necessarily love the work you do, it’s always nice to at least not hate your job, right? Unfortunately, it seems that all too many of us are stuck in life-draining professions, wishing we could start all over. And, it turns out, over half of young “irregular” Japanese workers can sympathize.
Who here is a fan of ‘90s punk rock? How about old school gaming from the NES and Sega Genesis eras? If you have an interest in one or both, there’s a new album up on Bandcamp, music community and selling outlet for self-releasing musical artists, called Punk Goes 8-Bit: Level 1. Tracks include popular punk hits from well-known artists, such as Blink 182, Less Than Jake, and The Offspring as you’ve never heard them before. Better yet, they’re absolutely free!
An American tourist apparently learned the hard way recently to never ask Koreans – Korean smokers, actually – for directions, if the following video is to be believed.
After eating live octopus for your viewing pleasure – and it really is quite the spectacle – the host of this YouTube video inexplicably decides to keep rolling, telling viewers that Koreans are a laid back and wonderful people, before immediately asking two young men taking a smoke break for directions to a nearby landmark. They respond by physically attacking him and stealing his camera.
Tokyo may have escaped with only minor damage compared to poor old Kyoto during yesterday’s powerful typhoon, but it would appear that there is at least one Twitter user who suffered losses of a truly horrific nature.
Convenience stores have gotten a bit of a bad name recently thanks to impetuous freezer divers the world over. But this might be the final…straw.
The above picture (sans pixelization) is blowing up on Twitter, having been retweeted over 4,000 times. But what’s wrong with a little chocolate milk tea??
These days technology seems to be getting more and more closed off from the consumers that use it. Back in the day you easily could pull out a screwdriver and fix the gear on your Walkman by yourself after it chewed up your new jack swing mix-tape.
Now you wouldn’t know how to pop open an iPhone, even if you wanted to void the warranty. This is why problems like this lady’s have got me baffled. In her video titled The Case of My iPhone Gasping While Charging After a Long Time we can watch an iPhone make sounds not unlike Police Academy’s Michael Winslow when charging from 0%.
As you’re surely aware, Pokémon is serious business in Japan, with tournaments and competitions for the myriad playable variations so viciously competitive that many resort to illegally acquiring and modifying Pokémon.
In that sense, it’s odd that one of the most valuable pieces of Pokémon memorabilia, the Pokémon Illustrator card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game, serves absolutely no in-game purpose. It is, however, considered to be one of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
At first we weren’t entirely convinced that this was the same girl in both pictures. They’re just so… different. Look closely though, and beneath those layers (and layers) of makeup and the fake eyelashes, you’ll see that it really is the the selfsame young lady. Her little mole is there; her duck-face smile curls in the exact same way; the shape of her jaw and cheeks are the same. But, just, wow. Welcome to the world of “power makeup”.
Whether it’s people worrying about the NSA stealing all the cookies from their cookie jars or a generous gent hiding his identity, it seems that privacy is all over the news these days. And while we could argue the merits and demerits of living in a surveillance society, we can probably all agree that there’s nothing more annoying than people looking at your phone screen over your shoulder!
Of course, privacy-protecting films for phones have been around almost as long as cell phones have, but this one takes your privacy to heart and makes sure no one sees your business…
Sometimes it’s hard for people with perfect vision to sympathize with those who are in need of corrective lenses. Although you’ll never know what it’s like to have to put glasses on every day or stick your finger in your own eye, thanks to a Tweet that has recently gone viral in Japan, anyone with good vision can easily see what it looks like to live with poor eyesight.
We have to admit we fell quite in love with Puppeteer‘s visual style from the very first moment we saw it. Although essentially a 2-D platformer, the game is presented as a live puppet show, heavily influenced by Japanese Bunraku puppet theatre, with a healthy dose of pantomime thrown in for good measure, and it looked positively spellbinding.
Due to go on sale both on disc and as a digital download via PlayStation Store in North America and Europe this week, the game was in fact released in Japan on September 5, so naturally we rushed out to grab a copy right away. Three days of platforming, applause and magical scissor snipping later, we’re delighted to say that Puppeteer is not just a superb platformer, but one of PlayStation 3’s most inspired titles to date.
Recently popping up on Twitter, a supermarket ad declaring a unique event has received a lot of attention here in Japan. However, as the person who originally tweeted it comments, this advert may also be a “premonition of disaster.”
How limber are you? If you’re like me and you sit in an office chair all day hunched over a computer, you’re probably not too flexible. But, you know, that’s what happens with age, right? You start getting older and all of a sudden your body just goes kaput. I mean, it’s not like there are old women doing sideways somersaults and throwing their legs over their heads with reckless abandon, right?
Oh, wait, of course there are!
You’ve been through a bubble wrap case, iPhone underpants, and even talked to your friend using a piece of toast, but those are just fads. You want something that will stand the test of time. Well, every little kid has used a banana as a phone, so why not transform your iPhone into a banana? It’s timeless.
In the topsy-turvy world we live in, where console manufacturers are reluctant even to let people bring their last-gen games to their newest hardware, a lot of gamers may be feeling fatigued, longing for the good old days when a pixelated blue hedgehog fighting a fat scientist with a weird fetish for forest creatures was the definition of a triple-A title.
One gamer, at least, was so fed up with the current gen console wars, he decided to ball up basically the entire history of gaming consoles into one sexy rig with 75 distinct controllers jutting out from it as if the cosmic protagonist of Katamari Damacy had rolled it through a vintage game store.
Is this Japan’s most extreme cherry blossom viewing? Leap, cycle and climb through 2,500 sakura
Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
Komachi Shokudo: Japanese mum’s-style cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tokyo
Number of foreigners living in Japan has grown 50 percent in four years, hits historic high
Man in Japan falls into hole with a bear in it
The top 10 graduation songs in Japan as chosen by current Japanese high school students
These are Tokyo train lines people most want to live along【Survey】
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Japan government to fine up to one million yen for anyone harboring illegal alien crayfish
Saitama is home to the best strawberries in Japan that you’ve probably never even heard of
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Starbucks Japan opens new cafe and art gallery in top Tokyo tourist neighbourhood
Is Japan’s Crab-shaped Cup Ramen Timer worth the hype?
Pizza Hut Japan teams up with creator of one of the country’s best kinds of ramen for ramen pizzaKomachi Shokudo: Japanese mum’s-style cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner in TokyoVirtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
Starbucks Japan releases a new Cream Puff Frappuccino for a limited timeThe top 10 graduation songs in Japan as chosen by current Japanese high school students
Pikachu and Eevee become handmade Lladró porcelain sculptures to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th birthday
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
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
The top 10 graduation songs in Japan as chosen by current Japanese high school students
These are Tokyo train lines people most want to live along【Survey】
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Japan government to fine up to one million yen for anyone harboring illegal alien crayfish
Saitama is home to the best strawberries in Japan that you’ve probably never even heard of
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Pokémon Shirts launches new face mask range in Japan【Photos】
Tokyo travel hack: How to enjoy a free sightseeing boat tour around Tokyo Bay
Eight Ways You Really, Really Shouldn’t Use a Japanese Toilet
Ghibli Park announces new ticket system, adds flexibility and low-priced options
Starbucks Japan’s Cream Puff Frappuccino is here! Did it make Friday the 13th lucky? [Taste test]
Sushi Push Pops aiming to be Japan’s newest sakura season snack sensation
Tokyo’s hidden mall serves up Japan’s best regional ice creams
Japanese Railway Lost Property Market: A treasure trove of lost items from trains