Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Japan (Page 1550)
The central police station in Nagano Prefecture is revamping its image by introducing a new pair of mascot characters. But unlike the jiggling yellow blobs and big-headed animal abstractions that we’re used to seeing, these two image characters are beautiful men, drawn in a popular manga style that often appeals to young women. They’ve only been around for a couple of days, but these pretty-boy policemen are already attracting a lot of attention!
Hey, do you like animal butts? What am I saying, of course you do! Unfortunately, animals are wily and occasionally dangerous making it hard to get your hands on their rear ends.
That’s why (we guess) Tenyu has released Oppoppo, a collection of six animal butt simulation devices that are portable and can easily attach to your gym bag, key chain, or belt buckle!
Say what you will about Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, he’s nothing if not outspoken. Previously, we covered Tomino’s somewhat incendiary remarks about kids addicted to video games, and he’s well known in Japan for being less than enthusiastic about rival mecha manga and anime.
Now he’s crossed genres to take aim at Japan’s most recent pop culture export, Attack on Titan – which we suppose defies genres as an alternate universe story about weird giant people attacking towns.
Japan has a number of sleeping arrangements that can be jarring if you didn’t grow up here. Sleeping in a futon on the floor, often in a space that doubles as your living room and/or kitchen, can take some getting used to. A surprisingly large number of pillows sometimes come filled with, by Western standards, unusual things such as buckwheat husks.
But you know what? Maybe we’re being too picky. As Shiro the Cat shows us, all you really need for a good night’s sleep is a cooking pot, and, if you’re looking to get really luxurious, a sweet potato.
There may not have been any Thanksgiving festivities in Japan this past week, but the Japanese language’s ample opportunities for puns gave us two special days to celebrate. Coming on the heels of Knee-High Socks Day was the equally pun-tastic Good Meat Day on November 29.
Good Meat Day gets its name by breaking the date into its individual digits of 1-1-2-9, which can be read as ii niku, literally “good meat.” We decided the best way to commemorate our carnivorous cravings was by hitting Burger King to catch the tail-end of their all-you-can-eat burger promotion.
Travel website Expedia recently conducted a poll to find out what women were most surprised by when they came to Japan. The top ten results revealed that ladies were fascinated with aspects of everyday culture, but none more so than when it came to bathroom habits. With three of the top ten responses relating directly to bathroom life, it seems there’s a lot going on in the ladies’ rooms of Japan.
Tsutsuki, near Yokohama, is making waves in the Japanese media for its unassuming highway that, when viewed from the right angle at night, forms the vague silhouette of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved character, Totoro.
The lighting on the street in question was apparently deliberately planned by the city so that it would look like “an animal with ears”, but even planners hadn’t intended it to look like studio Ghibli’s famous cat-like mascot.
It’s Monday again and you know what that means! Your Monday Kickstart video is here to get you going through another week.
Couldn’t quite relax over the weekend? Maybe you should train your dog to give you a back rub just like this little Shiba Inu.
If you’ve ever yearned for an authentic potato chip in Tokyo, then it’s time to get excited because specialist french fry shop, “And the Friet”, is set to open in the Hiroo district today!
The Belgian-style stand will offer six types of cut, half a dozen potato varieties including a Belgian variety flown in especially, and a choice of seasonal dips and sauces. It’s time to get your friet on!
On 28 November, Osaka Prefectural Police announced the arrest of 65-year-old Kiyomasa Shimabukuro for crimes including theft. According to police, the suspect confessed adding, “I never worked. I lived off stolen money.”
Clubs are a big part of student life in Japan. From junior high school all the way through to university, students spend hours away from home with their classmates, immersed in an extra-curricular endeavour of choice. While sporting clubs, music clubs, and culture clubs are common, it’s not everyday you come across a JK club. So when a group of university students posted their pamphlet for new recruits online, even Japanese netizens were left scratching their heads. Could this be a group of JK Rowling enthusiasts? A Japan/Korea appreciation society? The real answer turned out to be just as perturbing, with Japanese commenters still wondering why.
Although visitors to Japan routinely compliment the country for its world-class hospitality and excellent customer service, dining in Japanese restaurants can be a confusing experience for tourists and residents alike. Even the most seasoned long-time expats can still be put off by some of these strange behaviors. Of course, everything is relative as Japanese tourists overseas complain about the opposite, but click below to find out seven ways that a visit to a Japanese restaurant may surprise you!
If you happened to have been around the West Exit of Shinjuku Station this week you might have seen this poster hanging around. In it we can clearly see a photo of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe done up to look like Charlie Chaplin in the film The Great Dictator. Around him are the words “Take back Japan” and “Prewar.”
The name you give to your child will stay with them for the rest of their life, so parents are always careful to choose one that will stand the test of time and carry them through to adulthood. In the United States, Sophia and Jacob took the top spots for baby names in 2013, while Ava and Noah took first place in the UK (depending on which site you consult). Let’s take a look at this year’s top 10 baby names in Japan as reported by Japanese pregnancy and parenting site, Tamahiyo.
Once upon a time in the magical kingdom of Japan there lived a young girl named Mami. Always she would ask her parents to read a children’s book by the name of Guri & Gura in which two field mice share good times together. Her most favorite story of all was the one in which Guri and Gura find a large egg and make a big fluffy cake out of it. However, as the years passed by and Mami grew into a woman, she gradually stopped reading the adventures of Guri and Gura and eventually went to work as a reporter for RocketNews24.
One day, her wicked step-editor called out, “Maaaaamiiii! Write me something about food! I’m hungry!” Checking the internet for something to write about, Mami learned of a famous café in Osaka. Other women wrote marvelous things about it saying, “It’s a real picture book world!” and “Everything about it is cute!” Thinking this was a nice place, Mami boarded a train for the land of Umeda not knowing what was waiting in store for her.
Have you ever seen a subway train driving on the street? One of our Tokyo-based reporters did and it was the first time he’d ever seen anything like it. It all started on the night of November 26…
Every once in a while we report on the bustling mascot business in Japan, especially regarding the regional cute mascots known as yuru-kyara. Often these characters are chosen to represent a city, prefecture or even neighborhood by way of election.
This was also the case in Hokkaido’s Hokuto City as they took votes for their new representative character. Thousands of citizens cast their votes for whom they felt best represented Hokuto life and culture, ultimately choosing… that thing above.
“I’m taking a bath with my boyfriend,” tweeted one Japanese netizen going by the name of Machiko, uploading a photo with her message. Despite the suggestion of sauciness, however, rather than being something that moderators would quickly remove or fellow users would tag as inappropriate, the image was retweeted and favourited thousands of times in just a few short minutes.
After all, it’s not every day you see a life-sized boyfriend made entirely out of soap bubbles…
When it comes to finding a new place to live, most people spend weeks, even months trying to find somewhere that’s just right for them. In urban Japan, where rented accommodation is usually both more compact and in higher demand than in the West, finding an apartment can be even trickier, and prospective renters often have to make snap decisions or risk missing a good deal; opting for a ground-floor apartment and paying a little less; choosing a place with an all-in-one bath, sink and toilet unit rather than separate facilities; getting a place a little further from the station if it means living in a nicer area–you see “close enough” and you grab it.
But would you really feel comfortable living in an apartment knowing that it was once used exclusively for sexy shenanigans every single night of the week? Welcome to the world of love hotel renovation!
Like many people who grew up in the US, I used to think of food cooked at a convenience store as the absolute last resort for sustenance. Things are different in Japan though, where the hygienic, attentively-staffed convenience stores are more akin to compact local grocers. Aside from a variety of boxed lunches, you can even get tasty hot food, such as fried chicken.
Fried chicken, it just so happens, is the traditional choice in Japan for Christmas Eve dinner, so with the holiday fast approaching we decided to stage a little taste test to see which convenience store’s fried chicken is the best.
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
What’s up with the “mosquito buzz” noise at Shibuya Station?
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Sailor Moon celebrates 30 years with beautiful purse, accessory lines from Samantha Group【Pics】
Buddhist priest arrested for using health insurance card he found on the street
Why reading their own language gives Mongolians a headache
What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Daiso Japan?
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku StationJapan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feetStudio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now openTifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Studio Ghibli croquettes not to eat, but to keep your stuff in, going on sale in Japan[Photos]
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
Secret staff cafeteria in Tokyo is a hidden gem you won’t find in travel guides
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful gardenJapan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to TokyoBrand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feetJapan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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
Sailor Moon celebrates 30 years with beautiful purse, accessory lines from Samantha Group【Pics】
Buddhist priest arrested for using health insurance card he found on the street
Why reading their own language gives Mongolians a headache
What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Daiso Japan?
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku Station
Welcome to the cosplay scene at Comiket…wait, what’s going on there??
Hidden oasis on a Japanese department store rooftop is home to Monet’s Pond in Tokyo
Japanese high court reaches verdict on if late-pizza-delivery trauma is worth 100,000 yen
Savor some Sanrio chocolate costume cuteness with organic Halloween Cinnamoroll donuts
Licca-chan dolls released in North America for first time in nearly 60 years
Turns out you can draw all four original starter Pokémon with just three colored pencils【Video】