Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Japan (Page 1426)
Gum can be a great way to freshen your breath or relieve stress, but by the time you’re old enough to have huge amounts of stress and coffee-breath, chewing gum can look kind of immature.
But food and candy maker Lotte is looking to shatter that stereotype by producing a gum target directly at women over the age of 50. Oddly enough their strategy seemed to be making it taste like a woman in her fifties.
Ever sunbathed topless? How about totally nude? Expedia conducted an opinion poll across 21 countries to gather information on people’s holiday habits, and managed to slip in some cheeky questions on how much clothing people were willing to do without at the beach.
From colourful anime designs to awesome 3-D creations, exciting things are going on in the drinkable art world of Japan. Now, there’s a new trend that’s melting our hearts: latte art in adorable take-home designs. Created by a marshmallow company in Nagano Prefecture, the range includes cute cats and fluffy cat paws that gradually dissolve into 2-D latte artworks. The only skill you’ll need for these is an ability to stand the cuteness!
Often overlooked in favor of Kyoto, Nara Prefecture is one of the most beautiful and significant places—culturally and historically—in Japan. If you happen to be traveling in the Kansai region, we cannot urge you enough to make the time to swing by!
In fact, there’s so much to see that we can’t possibly tell you about every amazing place in Nara, but here are a few of our favorites!
On May 27, Sagamihara District Court in Yokohama, Japan, ruled that regardless of whether or not someone has entered into a contract with NHK (Japan’s public broadcasting station), being in possession of a TV-equipped device, like a smartphone or car navigation equipment, is enough by law to be obligated to pay NHK’s licensing fees.
According to NHK News, the same district court ordered a household in Kanagawa Prefecture to pay a TV license fee that was calculated back to when they first bought their TV set many years ago. The total fee came in at a whopping 109,000 yen (US$1,100). Such a ruling is a first of its kind; up until now if you could somehow avoid signing the TV license contract, you could rid yourself of any obligations to pay.
Known the world over for impecable manners and social etiquette, yet at the same time home to a thriving sex industry, Japan is a country of stark contrasts. What goes on behind closed doors is seldom discussed in public and yet with risqué manga and adults-only bars and stores in plain view in most city areas, there are likely few urbanites who aren’t plainly aware that behind its deep bows, well-regimented table manners and ceremony surrounding even the seemingly trivial act of exchanging business cards, Japan has a naughty side.
In a recent survey carried out by Japanese condom manufacturer Sagami Condoms, however, 4,100 people from all over the country disclosed the intricate details of their sex lives, discussing everything from when they first started doing it to how often they have sex today and whether they’re completely satisfied in bed.
Google Street View seems to have its priorities all out of whack. While only just getting around to snapping the more remote areas of mainland Japan and having yet to cover the majority of Canada, Google sent out one intrepid employee to explore the completely abandoned Japanese island of Gunkanjima.
With the newest (and as always, highly anticipated) feature-length film from Studio Ghibli — The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) — scheduled for release in Japan in less than a month, we’ve been seeing the anime production company’s name a lot in the news recently. Well, it appears that fans of Ghibli animes based near Vancouver, Canada, now have reason to be extra happy over the next month or so. Why? Because it’s going to be Ghibli Fest at The Cinematheque, the film society and cinema establishment located in Vancouver!
Firefighters in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, responded to an emergency call yesterday claiming, “A woman gave birth into a cesspool-type toilet and the baby fell in.” We’ve seen a similar incident play out in China about a month ago, but this case sheds light on a lesser known mental condition.
When a single man invites a lady to his home, it’s generally not without a bit of forethought. At the very least, one needs to make sure that the toilet’s clean and the seat is down before she arrives. It wouldn’t do to make a bad impression in one’s own home. But what about those personal items that may leave a bad impression all their own? There are surely a lot of things normally on display that wouldn’t suit an average woman’s sensitivities.
To get a better idea of the male approach to having female visitors, Trend News here in Japan asked a group of men in their 20s and 30s what things they try to hide before accepting a visit from a lady friend. Here are their top five answers!
Despite “dragon” being right there in the title, the Dragon Quest video game series doesn’t really have an iconic dragon. Japan’s most widely-loved role-playing franchise doesn’t feature a particularly popular protagonist either, as each installment features a new, mostly mute hero.
Instead, mascot duties fall to the weakest enemy in each of the games, the lowly slime. Because of its cuteness and the almost complete lack of threat it poses to the player, the slime has become a fan favorite, with a shape as instantly recognizable as a Coca Cola bottle.
The franchise’s numerous titles for home and handheld consoles allow gamers to get their fix from the sofa or on the train, but now there’s even a way to enjoy Dagon Quest at your kitchen table.
According to Chinese media, a 68-year-old woman in the city of Bengbu made a somewhat gruesome discovery on Saturday last week when she opened a suitcase floating on a park lake to discover six human heads. Could there be any explanation for such a stomach-churning find besides murder and horrific gangland killings? As it turns out, quite possibly!
On 26 June at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Australia made its first arguments against Japan’s scientific whaling program which they assert is a cover for commercial whaling in violation of international treaties. Ever the political hot potato, the move is sure to ruffle some feathers both at home and abroad.
Children’s books and television shows these days are nothing compared to the ones that many of us had growing up. At least that’s what we tell ourselves. I think back fondly on those days of watching Rugrats and Scooby Doo marathons and scoff at the thought of modern-age children rotting their brains with Spongebob and Annoying Orange. But the fact of the matter is that letting kids subject themselves to those books and animations is important to the development of reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, though the shows now seem like garbage to our fully-developed minds.
In Japan, the same sort of issue arises with kids becoming obsessed with manga and anime. Parents may try to insist that their children put away the comics and pick up a real book. Some may even go so far as to throw out their child’s comic magazines as they begin to pile up. However, according to one of the professors at Tama University, Yuichi Higuchi, in his short essay “Are you a Bad Parent?” keeping kids away from their anime and comics is a terrible thing to do!
Right now, the temperature and humidity in Tokyo are in a race to see which can climb faster. Yes, Japan’s hot, sticky midsummer is on the way, and for most of us, the deodorant we put on before we leave the house isn’t going to last more than a few short hours before it washes away in the rivers of sweat pouring off of our bodies.
Thankfully, men’s grooming product maker Gatsby is here to help with their deodorizing sheets. One of our reporters recently tried out several items from the company’s curiously extensive lineup of “body paper,” as the products are called in Japan, and then gave us his impressions on which is the best to keep yourself from smelling like the locker room after the annual joint training session of the varsity Greco Roman wrestling team and hot yoga club.
Convenience stores really have become an integral part of our lives, haven’t they? We think nothing of seeing them on every street corner, and I’m sure we’ve all come to rely on them in times of emergencies (like when you’re in dire need of Häagen-Dazs cookies & cream ice cream at two in the morning). Well, convenience stores may be practically ubiquitous, but we have to say this particular one took us by surprise. It’s certainly not like any convenience store we’ve ever seen!
Regional dialects can be a powerful thing. Call out “partner” or “boyo” and I might not even realize you’re talking to me, but just say the word “dude” and you’ve got my complete attention.
Despite its small land mass, Japan’s language is filled with dialects, largely the result of mountains, not to mention centuries of civil war and travel restrictions, making it hard for people different from different areas to mix for much of the country’s history. Occasionally these unique speech patterns pop up in unexpected places, like when a coworker from Osaka stubs his toe in the office, or a drinking buddy from Akita’s accent starts showing after the fifth round of beers.
And now, you can hear Japanese dialects in your refrigerator.
High school students from Kyoto, Japan, placed what was reported to be a homemade explosive in the middle of a street and then detonated it. It came to light on June 24 that the students also filmed the explosion, which they uploaded to YouTube. The incident is creating much controversy online, and has even caught the attention of Kyoto police who have called the suspects in for voluntary questioning, following a series of similar videos uploaded by the same youths.
Japan is a nation of unabashed foodies, and each major metropolitan area has its own culinary standards. Tokyo is the place for top-tier avant-garde dining. Kyoto cuisine is known for its understated yet complex interplay of flavors. And Osaka? Well, Osaka is the spot for good old-fashioned grub, and where the people aren’t afraid of something a little heavy on the palate or in the stomach. What less would you expect from a town where fans of the local baseball team jump off of bridges into the river after a big win?
Being situated in downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, our offices are too far for us to sneak out to Osaka on our lunch break. They are, however, within striking distance of a branch of prestigious department store Isetan, which just so happens to be in the middle of holding a special Osaka food fair.
Yesterday at 8 p.m. Japan Standard Time, Kyoto-based video game giant Nintendo broadcast a brand new episode of its unique Nintendo Direct online presentation series, which the company uses to showcase new games and bring fans news on upcoming releases. Last night’s broadcast was somewhat unusual, however, in that popular Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto joined industry legend and creator of Super Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, to play a little of the highly anticipated upcoming Wii U title Pikmin 3. Today, as well as with discussion of the beautiful new Pikmin outing, online bulletin boards are abuzz after the conversation between the two men both raised eyebrows and got a surprising amount of laughs from viewers at home.
Tokyo’s beckoning cat temple asks foreign tourists to stop writing on the beckoning cats they buy
Starbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the year
Tokyo DisneySea’s new Fantasy Springs area: Peter Pan’s Never Land has the best ride of all
Japanese public toilet tours become popular with foreign tourists in Tokyo
Japan’s video rental giant now rents wigs, so we tried them out【Photos】
2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
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 week
Should you drive through a red traffic light like this in Japan? Confusing road rule explained
What makes this new Japanese convenience store chain better than 7-Eleven?
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!Japanese man tells friend to wear suit to wedding party, so he comes as Mobile Suit GundamStarbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the yearMt. Fuji-blocking screen installed as response to bad tourist manners to be in place by next week
Japanese public toilet becomes a tourist attraction in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli releases new mug and tumbler collection featuring Jiji and Totoro
New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals
Studio Ghibli releases art crystal puzzles and folding umbrellas for rainy season in Japan
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 saysNew 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
2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
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 week
Should you drive through a red traffic light like this in Japan? Confusing road rule explained
What makes this new Japanese convenience store chain better than 7-Eleven?
Here’s where to find all of Japan’s new Pikachu Pokémon manhole covers in Yokohama【Photos, maps】
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screens
Beautiful Starbucks in Kyoto blends into its traditional landscape in more ways than one
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
Kyoto’s “ikezu” culture of backhanded compliments explained in hilarious souvenir sticker series
How do you split two apples for three people using one knife? Japanese Twitter’s violent ideas
We stress-test Uniqlo’s “Impressive Jacket and Pants” to see if they live up to their names
Tokyo’s super-secret-location sushi restaurant has a stand-up sister shop that’s open to all