Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Japan (Page 1146)
Disney’s beautiful animated creation Tangled is a film that is still much-loved by fans, despite almost five years having passed since its release. Well, if you’re one such fan, you’ll be delighted to know that you can express the bond you share with your special loved one with a line of jewelry that’s just as golden and radiant as Rapunzel’s luxuriant hair. Yes, we think you’ll love the gorgeous line of wedding and engagement rings inspired by the film!
I think we can all agree that hamsters are pretty darn cute. From their tiny little schnozzles to their fluffy bums, you just gotta love these roly-poly little critters. But did you know that this very rotundness puts hamsters ask risk?
Consider the case of Haru, whose relaxing afternoon snooze ended in disaster!
Kids will be kids. And being kids, one of the things they are inevitably going to do is play in rain puddles. No matter how they might be scolded later, the sheer joy of splish-splashing through some nice big puddles exerts an irresistible magnetic force on little feet.
Rather than trying to reign in that youthful inclination, one preschool in Japan is embracing it through a central courtyard designed to collect water when it rains.
Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama is actually pretty new to the manga and anime scene, with the runaway hit franchise being his only notable work out of just three total published properties.
The giant-people-eating-regular-sized-people anime and manga series has been met with wide praise and probably, like, 400 billion trillion copies sold globally. But being a fresh new kid bursting onto the scene with no significant prior work and basically hoovering up every single yen that ever was and ever will be has earned Isayama a little undue ire among other anime creators.
To wit, some other creators – including, famously, Gundam mastermind Yoshiyuki Tomino – have passive-aggressively attacked Isayama’s drawing ability, with Tomino dismissing it as “crude.” But don’t worry, guys: Isayama says he’s practicing regularly to become a better artist, specifically by having people cosplay as Attack on Titan characters and drawing them!
While visiting friends who were a part of the recent Naruto stage production, Japanese film and music star Gackt was left with a bad feeling. Having watched one of the overseas Naruto performances, the singer couldn’t help but notice the lack of people in the audience.
Gackt doesn’t rule out possible flaws with the play such as too much material crammed into a short time. However, as he wrote in a recent impassioned blog post, he thinks the real culprit may be the Japanese government and their Cool Japan promotional program, which he feels is anything but.
Japan is just as crazy about Star Wars as the rest of the world and everyone is eagerly awaiting the new movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, on December 18, 2015 (Good news! It’s being released in Japan at the same time as most of the world!). So it’s the perfect opportunity for a number of Star Wars affiliated projects to get under way. One project is striking a chord with our love of Japan and our love of Star Wars as it combines a traditional art form with a very non-traditional universe.
Zoos like to put up panels in front of enclosures to help visitors learn more about the animals that they see. However, traditional panels with their dry scientific explanations often go overlooked.
That’s why Tokyo Zoo has, in an effort to teach the masses more effectively, come up with new message panels that pack a little more punch. Get ready to meet Senpai Mole as he teaches kids about his species…by yelling at them.
It’s been a bit of a rough year for the kingpins of Japanese cuteness over at Sanrio Co. The mega-hit Frozen has been taking up a sizable share of the merchandising market regularly occupied by their geometric kitties and bunnies causing overseas income to slide by as much as 14.5 percent compared to the previous year.
Hello Kitty fans needn’t worry, however. That’s hardly enough to put the company in jeopardy, but it is causing Miss Kitty to unsheathe her claws and go on the attack. If movies like Frozen are going to cut in on Sanrio’s turf, well then, Sanrio will just have to return the favor.
So get ready, because the Hello Kitty movie is already in the works!
It’s a well-established fact that Disney theme parks are places of dream and magic. Well, visitors to Tokyo Disney Resort can now feel the magic even while washing their hands — courtesy of the special “Hand Washing Areas” that officially opened today July 1 at both parks in the Resort.
Yes, guests at Tokyo Disney Resort can now wash their hands with adorable Mickey-shaped soap foam, and parents just may have to deal with their children wanting to wash their hands too many times instead of not enough!
Walk into any Japanese convenience store or supermarket, and you’ll find a row of rice balls waiting. You can always count on the old standards, such as salmon, pickled plum, and spicy cod roe being represented, but each store also sets aside a bit of shelf space for unique, limited-time versions as well.
In the past, this form of carbohydrate-packed one-upmanship has given us such wonders as the bacon cheeseburger musubi and headscratchers as the fish butt onigiri (musubi being one of the Japanese words for “rice ball,” and onigiri the other). It’s always a flip of the culinary coin whether these outside-the-box rice balls are going to be a hit or a miss, but when we heard about ramen-style onigiri, we were immediately onboard.
July in Japan means Mt Fuji is open for business. For the next two months, shops at the 5th station become bustling hives of activity, hikers line the various trails up to the summit and tour buses start jamming the roads.
But what about the dreams of our feline friends who yearn for the thrill of scaling Mt Fuji? Well now they don’t even have to leave their air-conditioned homes because compliant owners can finally bring the mountain to their cats. Kitty’s goal of dominating Japan’s highest mountain can be achieved at last!
A luxury leisure resort on the lush hillside of Okinawa. Panoramic ocean views. A waterpark, a petting zoo, a night club. Now crumbling into ruins, swallowed up by nature reclaiming the land developers tried to take. Perhaps the owners should have known better than to build on the site of ancient tombs. The local priests warned them. But they didn’t listen.
This is the tale of Okinawa’s Nakagusuku Kogen Hotel, one of the most haunted abandoned sites in Japan.
“I mean, we have sushi here in Cuba, but it’s terrible. You’re better off eating it in Japan!” That was the advice our reporter Yuichiro got when, craving a taste of home, he asked a Cuban friend where he could find some tasty sushi in his home country.
But for some reason, his friend’s protestations made our intrepid reporter even more intrigued. “Looking back on it now though,” says Yuichiro, “I wish I’d quit while I was ahead…”
Not too long after we started dating, my wife and I were walking through a seaside park, hand-in-hand. The sun was shining and the mood relaxing and romantic. Just as I took a deep breath of the sweet ocean breeze, though, an insect landed on my wife’s arm, causing her to scream, recoil in horror, and practically pull my shoulder out of its socket.
And that’s how I found out she really hates bugs.
She’s not alone in that regard, either, as a recent poll of women in Japan found that more than half are too terrified to face their creepy crawly adversaries head-on, and also revealed a suave kabe-don wall pound-like move guys can do to score points with the ladies.
Remember those beautiful edible “jewels” that we shared with you a couple of weeks ago? Made simply from sugar, agar-agar, and a beverage of your choice, the jewels are both pretty to look at and make a cool – in both senses of the word – summer treat.
They’re still all the rage right now on Japanese social media, so our Japanese reporter Shimazu decided to try making some jewel flavor combinations for herself. She even experimented with three different manners of preparation–serving them right away, freezing them, and letting them sit for a few days to harden.
Which method of making them do you think she enjoyed the most?
During my time in Japan, I’ve been thrown into a cherry blossom tree, hit by a car, and sucker punched by a wannabe tough guy in Shibuya Station, but luckily I’ve never needed to be hospitalized. That means I’ve been able to avoid the anxiety-filled situation of having a doctor explain an urgent medical procedure to me in a foreign language, but it also means I’ve been missing out on some of the mouth-watering food some Japanese hospitals serve.
You may have heard that Japan is obsessed with youth, which is ironic for a country with an ageing population , this is ironic. In fact, Japan is purported to have the highest proportion of elderly citizens compared to all other countries. With so many older folks making up a vast percentage of the population, why is Japan’s society still often casually ageist, particularly towards women?
A recent poll asked “at what age does a woman become middle-aged?” and the results are extremely telling.
When the lights change at Shibuya’s scramble intersection, 10 lanes of traffic draw to a halt and thousands of people surge into the street to cross in multiple directions. It’s one of Japan’s iconic urban sites, and often features on the big screen as a symbol of Tokyo. Of course, Shibuya’s scramble is crowded – it may be the busiest crossing in the world – but underneath the chaos there is a kind of fluid order, as people weave in and out of the oncoming crowd.
Architect and artist Naoki Terada has constructed Shibuya at 1/100th its real size, with the crossing’s cars, people, motorbikes (and even dogs!) made out of hand-cut paper. This beautiful stop-motion animation is the result.
Oh, babies. Their chubby little malleable faces bring so much joy to everyone around them… When the babies themselves are not screaming and crying of course.
One Japanese father recently recorded himself turning his baby daughter’s face into a handheld “rice ball,” which quickly went viral for being ridiculously adorable. Since then he’s been getting nonstop requests from other parents begging to know how he did his cute trick, and now, for the first time, he’s finally revealed it in video form.
Watch and be prepared to be assaulted with cuteness like never before.
First impressions are very important, not only for people but for products too. A product’s packaging and labels can make or break a deal depending on whether the design and text on it appeals to the consumer. And, as you know, some companies choose to scrimp and save on hiring a professional to handle their translation needs. In many of these cases, the joke’s on them because they end up with hilarious gibberish on their products.
A Japanese Twitter user recently shared a photo of a Chinese product that had Japanese written on its warning label, and the text was so bad we couldn’t even imagine what product that label was supposed to be on! Take a guess and join us after the break!
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Beautiful Sailor Moon manhole cover coasters being given out for free by Tokyo tourist center
Mister Donut ready to make hojicha dreams come true in latest collab with Kyoto tea merchant
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
10 awesome ice creams available from convenience stores in Japan
Arrest proves a common Japanese saying about apologies and policeMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen communityStarbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ballMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
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 1950s
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
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
Mister Donut ready to make hojicha dreams come true in latest collab with Kyoto tea merchant
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
10 awesome ice creams available from convenience stores in Japan
Arrest proves a common Japanese saying about apologies and police
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
We recreate the delicious-looking meatball stew from Laputa: Castle in the Sky【SoraKitchen】
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Manga artist raises question online about false perspective in Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro
Japanese vending machine sells just one thing at this station
Japanese convenience store chain’s new matcha sweets are heaven for green tea lovers
Giant life-size Alolan Exeggutor Pokémon appears at Pokémon World Championships in Japan【Photos】
Our reporter takes her 71-year-old mother to a visual kei concert for the first time