Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Japan (Page 1210)
If you are a sighted person with an internet connection, chances are you have seen Katsushika Hokusai’s famous painting Mount Fuji Seen Below a Wave at Kanagawa at some point. Despite the clunky title, it is one of the most recognized pieces of Japanese art ever.
Now, thanks to 3-D printing, a company called K’s Design Lab, and Tsutaya’s bookstore-cum-lounge property T-Site, visually impaired art lovers too will soon be able to see this work by literally getting their hands on it.
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but in Japan every year people try to distill an entire year’s worth of words into a single picture…or logograph if you want to get technical about it.
Last year, after tens of thousands of votes were counted, 輪 pronounced rin or wa and meaning “ring” was selected to represent the nations various achievements of 2013 such as winning the bid for the Olympic games and having Mt. Fuji designated as a World Heritage Site.
And today, after the Buddhist monk approached the canvas of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, this kanji above is what he painted under a fittingly gloomy and cloud-filled sky.
Do you constantly have to “adjust” your package? Do you find your dangly bits constantly dangling in the wrong place? Or just plain uncomfortable? Do you ever wish your underwear would just give your little man a hug and never let go?
If so, then TOOT may be the underwear for you! And even if you don’t, this will still be the funniest thing you will see today.
Earlier this year Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their development of an efficient blue light-emitting diode (blue LED).
It was a well-deserved victory for the Japanese scientists whose invention continues to impact our lives in ways we often don’t even notice. It could be in the display you’re looking at right now or it could be helping some of the millions of people in parts of the world without electrical infrastructure get affordable lights for their homes.
And now in a report published in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from Tohoku University have found a new use for blue LED. When used in the right frequency it can be an effective, safe, clean, and cheap way to kill insects. For the first time, they showed that visible light around the blue part of the spectrum is lethal to insects such as mosquitoes and fruit flies.
With the Naruto manga all wrapped up, we imagine a lot of fans are feeling sort of lonely. Sure, there’s an animated movie coming up, and you can still catch episodes of the weekly anime series, but with no more issues of the comic to look forward to, it must seem like the series’ cast of charismatic ninja have drifted just a little farther away.
Soon enough, though, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will be just a few rows of seats away from their adoring public, as the Naruto stage play is set to open this spring, and producers have just announced the cast and released the first shot in-costume photo of the star of the show.
For the past six years, I’ve made a point of buying myself a little Rilakkuma daily planner each January and using it to keep track of my appointments, deadlines, to-do lists, etc. These kinds of daily planners are widely used in Japan, perhaps as a result of the Japanese love of punctuality and efficiency (or maybe they’re so punctual and efficient because everyone uses daily planners?) Sure, you could use the functions built into your smartphone or tablet, but there’s something about writing things down that just makes you feel like you’ve got it all together. Also, and this is kind of geeky, but it’s sorta fun to flip through your old schedule books and see what you were up to on x date 3 years ago. In fact, Japan loves schedule books so much that you can now choose from a huge range of styles which are tailor-made to cater to specific lifestyles. Whether you’re a hostess, train otaku or exam-cramming student, there’s a schedule book out there for you!
Fans of the increasingly wacky and complex pirate world of One Piece will surely be either thrilled or horrified to know that there will be an all-new, super extra special New Year’s Eve broadcast of a One Piece animated film in Japan. As a fan, whether you fall into the thrilled or horrified category will probably depend on whether or not you currently reside in Japan, as the special is apparently set for just one single broadcast in the anime’s native country only.
Apparently they really know how to treat their rodents and entertain their patrons down in Kyushu. The other day we mentioned Nagasaki Bio Park, spotlighting their hot spring for capybara. Now, a Vine video has surfaced, taking us to the guinea pig area at the same zoo. The little critters get to “commute” from one play area to the other in an adorable single file line.
What do you think of the artwork featured in the new omnibus edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass? When Japanese twitter user kasunoko tweeted a pic of the cover image, netizens in Japan were quick to claim that the artwork “doesn’t look very American”. In fact, several of them were of the opinion that the artwork seemed a bit on the, erm, Japanese side. Hmm, we’re not sure what they’re talking about, but check out the images after the jump and let us know your thoughts!
Before his passing in 1994, 10 dan Aikido master Gozo Shioda was living proof that size truly doesn’t matter. At a height of about 156cm (5’1) and weighing in at around 45kg (106lbs) he could still be seen overpowering several larger men at the same time through his training and skill of manipulating his attackers’ own power.
One particular high point of his career was during a visit by then United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy in 1962. During the demonstration he invited one of Kennedy’s bodyguards to take part as well.
His directorial skills have brought Hayao Miyazaki a level of commercial and critical success, not to mention artistic freedom, unlike that of anyone else in the anime industry. Still, in spite of his enviable string of hits, or perhaps as a prerequisite to creating them, Miyazaki doesn’t exactly have an easygoing personality.
In the past, the Studio Ghibli co-founder has set his sights on authors, graphic designers, and even other animators. All of which begs the question, on the lengthy list of people Miyazaki has no patience for, who does he like the least?
With Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki now retired from feature-length animation, there’s a marked lack of current anime directors with a proven track record of successful theatrical releases. While he hasn’t officially ruled out making any more anime, Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii has his hands full with the live-action Patlabor adaptation, and both Satoshi Kon and Osamu Dezaki, directors of Perfect Blue and Space Adventure Cobra, have sadly passed away.
As such, the lion’s share of expectations for theatrical anime fall to Mamoru Hosoda, the director responsible for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. Hosoda’s last film was 2012’s Wolf Children, but now he’s back in the director’s chair again with a new movie scheduled for release next year.
The town of Fukusaki in Hyogo Prefecture has taken a rather unusual direction when it comes to public art. Namely, the town spent roughly 3 million yen (US$25,000) to install a red, mechanical kappa in the small pond at Tsujikawayama Park (辻川山公園). The strange fixture has become a local attraction, and is scary-looking enough to make children cry!
Just what could have driven the town to install such a creepy mechanical model?
Long ago, being an otaku, one of Japan’s hyper-obsessive subculture fans, made you sort of an outcast. People, especially respectable adults, didn’t really want to look at you, either out of embarrassment for your childish hobbies, or perhaps fear that having spent the last three days indoors had given you a case of shut-in cooties that would jump onto them.
That’s starting to change, though. More and more people are becoming comfortable identifying themselves as otaku, and while some still worry their fixations on fantasy are a drain on society, they’re definitely a boost to the economy, as shown by a survey that indicates spending is up in several sectors of the otaku world.
Shit Girls Say is a comedy web series that pokes fun at the cliches and stereotypes associated with young female speech.
Of course, there’s a good chance you probably knew this; the videos have racked up more than 32 million combined views to date and spawned countless parodies exploring the quirky verbal mannerisms of black girls, single girls, Asian moms and more.
Well now Japan is finally in on the joke with “Sh*t Japanese Girls Say.”
As we speak, scientists in Japan are hard at work on inventing a myriad of robots whose sole raison d’être is to improve quality of life for humans. Whether it’s shoveling snow, helping people to walk, or generally spreading cheer through unbelievable cuteness and dexterity (we’re talking about you, Asimo!) it’s clear to see that robots are going to feature big in our lives during the years to come. But when a drawing contest was held in Japan for elementary school students to submit their impressions of a robot-filled future, one particular entry started to gain a lot of attention on twitter for being extremely creepy in an oddly knowing way…
Ah, December 24, Christmas Eve. The time to spend with parents, siblings, drunken aunts and that one crazy uncle that’s always telling you about chemtrails after four or five eggnogs. Or, the time for romantic dinner dates, proposals and convenience store chicken, if you’re in Japan.
The holiday has long been the bane of Tokyo singles, who are forced to watch thousands of happy couples marching all over town Christmas Eve, hand-in-hand, checking out the Christmas “illumination” shows that have become so popular over the years. That it’s one of the few times public displays of affection are relatively accepted in polite Japanese society just makes it all the more difficult for lonely guys and gals to bear.
But, this year, one Tokyo restaurant has a plan to give all those Forever Alones out there a safe haven to dine in peace on Christmas Eve and, who knows, maybe even find a potential partner.
Although it’s been some years since the Tower Burger made its first appearance at Japanese hamburger chain Lotteria, it seems the sheer visual impact of the massive hamburger still manages to captivate the Japanese public every time it goes on sale. We have to admit, the five-patty hamburger does make for quite an impressive sight, after all.
Now, Lotteria has once again come up with a full-scale recreation of the impressive burger … this time as a computer mouse! And they’ll be giving it away to one lucky winner in their “Life-size Tower Cheeseburger Mouse Giveaway Campaign” that’s currently on way. That’s right, there’s going to be only one winner, so we know the competition is going to be fierce!
Japanese cosmetics company Shiseideo has released their predictions for 2020’s makeup trends, as well as a look back at Japanese beauty throughout the last century. Will geisha makeup be making a comeback? Read on to find out.
We’ve already seen a lot of “boyfriend for hire” stuff around Asia, which seems to be really into the idea of paying for romantic encounters, but until now we’ve never seen someone offering their boyish good looks and charming company for free.
Meet Dev and San, two kindhearted Indian models working as freelance “idols” – a popular term in Asia for models you can hire for a variety of situations – for the low, low price of absolutely nothing.
Practical Zelda Tears of the Kingdom merch is here to be Hyrule-helpful in your daily life【Pics】
Starbucks releases an official green tea chai latte with special Japanese ingredients
Kyoto study finds nearly 500 translation errors for foreign tourists, new guidelines released
Ultra-cheap, convenient Tokyo hotel is a great place to stay…if you pay extra for earplugs
2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
McDonald’s Happy Meals in Japan now come with Shinkansen robots
Japanese public toilet tours become popular with foreign tourists in Tokyo
We check out Otaru’s real-life locales that inspired scenes in hit anime Golden Kamuy
Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says
Amazing exhibition of Japan’s legendary “cursed katana” is going on right now【Photos】
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
Starbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the year
Japanese man tells friend to wear suit to wedding party, so he comes as Mobile Suit Gundam
Mt. Fuji-blocking screen installed as response to bad tourist manners to be in place by next weekPractical Zelda Tears of the Kingdom merch is here to be Hyrule-helpful in your daily life【Pics】
Studio Ghibli releases new mug and tumbler collection featuring Jiji and Totoro
Cool capsule toys recreate how Japan navigated trains in pre-smartphone days【Photos】
Fried Pokémon: Tokyo restaurant serves up an unusual dish【Taste Test】
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of societyLife-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says
New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals
“Mt. Fuji convenience store” issues apology for bad tourist manners, adds multilingual signs2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
Tokyo’s famous Lost in Translation hotel is closed
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensMcDonald’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
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
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
McDonald’s Happy Meals in Japan now come with Shinkansen robots
Japanese public toilet tours become popular with foreign tourists in Tokyo
We check out Otaru’s real-life locales that inspired scenes in hit anime Golden Kamuy
Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says
Amazing exhibition of Japan’s legendary “cursed katana” is going on right now【Photos】
6 surprising things about having a baby in Japan
Tour alleged yakuza hideouts on Google Maps
Baskin-Robbins Japan creates four-cheese pizza ice cream – Buono or non buono?【Taste test】
Genuine Muramasa blade and Muromachi katana on display at Tokyo’s Touken Ranbu store【Photos】
Tailors to Queen of England design ultra-luxurious Gundam cosplay outfit with jaw-dropping price
Full-color anime art wall appears in Tokyo station as Jujutsu Kaisen returns to Shibuya【Photos】
Does adding matcha to mayonnaise change the taste as much as the look?
Five things you can do to make hotel staff happy in Japan