Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Japan (Page 1659)
If you’ve visited Singapore, you may be familiar with the tasty local noodle dish, hokkien mee. Well, now that the Singapore Restaurant and hokkien mee specialty shop “Yac Man” has opened in Omote-Sando, those of you based near Tokyo won’t have to travel all the way to Singapore to get your fix! And since we’re always on the lookout for new and interesting foods, we sent one of our reporters to “Yac Man” to see what hokkien mee is all about.
Collecting is one of the predominate themes of the Pokémon franchise and Nintendo never seems to run out of new things for fans to spend their Pokédollars on.
For example, on August 3, The Pokémon Company reveled, “Pokemomo,” their newest lineup of adorable Pokémon merchandise featuring the artwork of Japanese illustrator Momo Okada.
A lone salaryman walks in to a room with bento in hand and sits down at a table to enjoy his lunch in privacy. He unties the knot holding together the bandana bundle to reveal a small brown bento box and chopsticks case. Finally, the man removes the lid from the bento to unveil a mouth-watering assortment of…colored yarn?
What follows is some hardcore lunchtime needlework.
For the past few years, Japan has been in a fuss about soushoku danshi, literally translated as “herbivore boys.” These are young men who represent the antithesis of the rowdy, skirt-chasing, big-spending corporate man associated with the 1980s bubble economy: they’re passive, conservative with money, prefer to stay in instead of going out drinking with coworkers and are generally uninterested in sex.
Such personal lifestyle choices wouldn’t be considered problematic if Japanese society wasn’t struggling with a declining birthrate and low consumer spending. But when an ever-increasing portion of your male population is enjoying their evening with a cup of tea at the local manga cafe when you need them to be out buying cars and procreating, you’ve got a situation on your hands.
To make matters worse, a survey conducted by The Japanese Association for Sex Education (JASE) reveals that the number of young Japanese women who have had sex has decreased dramatically over the past 6 years.
Perhaps the ladies of Japan have finally given up on trying to get their male counterparts into bed and joined convent themselves.
We’ve covered the phenomenon of charabens in the past ranging from the extremely cute to the downright bizarre. However, as with any art form, the horror genre cannot be left out. Inspired by some photos of horror bentos found online a reporter from the website Pouch, Hotaru Yamakawa, has decided to make her own series of 3 horror bentos and help you make your own.
To all our under-age readers, I feel for you. Understandably, alcoholic drinks are off-limits as they can be harmful to your growth at a young age. But now, it seems the adults want to take away your non-alcoholic drinks as well according to a recent survey.
While in Hokkaido I decided to go to the Sakhalin Island just North of Japan. This island has had a long history of passing between Russian and Japanese control for centuries. In the closing days of WWII Russian forces took the entire island although no treaty was made to officially declare their ownership.
As a Japanese person it stung a little to need a visa to visit this Sakhalin but the dispute over this island has been quieted recently. A Japanese Consulate was established there and businesses in Japanese frequently make the trip thanks to warming ties between the two countries.
And so I decide to make the most of this journey by taking a ship rather than a plane. Ultimately it was full of surprises – good and bad.
A common addition to many Japanese dishes is a substance called Konjac (Konnyaku in Japanese which may sound confusingly like Cognac). It’s a peculiar, virtually tasteless gelatinous mass that admittedly has an excellent texture to it.
What may come as a shock to millions of Japanese people is that America is beginning to embrace this garnish not as the Japanese have, but as a replacement for conventional pasta.
Thanks to the West’s keen marketing sense, Japan’s often underappreciated purplish-grey slab gelatin has been reborn there as Miracle Noodles!
August 1 was a big day for Japan as it marked the release of Dragon Quest X, the latest installment in the iconic series and the first to force players to play online. While the release of a new Dragon Quest game is usually something akin to a national holiday here, many people were wondering if mandatory online play wasn’t too tall of an order for a series traditionally known for sticking to its tried and true formula.
To get an idea of just how excited the country really is over Dragon Quest X, we sent resident reporter Mr. Sato to a video game shop in Shibuya the day before release to stand in line until the store opened the game went on sale the next day at 7:00 am.
Of course, anyone can wait in line for a day, but it takes a true Dragon Quest fan like Mr. Sato to wait in line for a day dressed as the series’ most beloved monster, slime.
Installed on the recently released OS X Mountain Lion is a breathtaking image of an aquamarine pond with trees growing out of it. We previously gave you the impressions of the photographer Kent Shiraishi, but now we went straight to the real Blue Pond in Biei, Hokkaido to see if it lives up to the photo.
Nothing brings a nation together like a common enemy and the Olympics give us an excuse to degrade every other country on the planet world without it seeming xenophobic.
It was in the midst of this festive atmosphere that Gallup Korea published their annual poll showing the country’s opinion of the rest of the world. The results? South Korea hates Japan even more than North Korea and loves America the most.
A while back we reported on Hatsune Miku’s hijacking of four Family Mart convenience stores. This time, however, Family Mart has turned the tables by hijacking Hatsune Miku herself and hiring her as a store clerk.
The news comes during a display at Wonder Festival (Wonfes) Summer 2012 by figurine makers Good Smile Company. In the display figures of Miku sporting a Family Mart Uniform (with a few cute alterations) could be seen. These will be part of an upcoming promotional event between the popular Vocaloid and convenience store chain.
You’d think that when someone at Nestle proposed making a Kit Kat ice cream cone, they would have taken the conventional route and used ice cream with crushed up bits of Kit Kat in it.
But that was not the case with the frozen treat we came across at a supermarket during a recent trip to Sakhalin. Instead, this “Kit Kat Cone” was nothing more than a regular store-bought ice cream cone with a single Kit Kat wedged in the top.
The ayu, or sweetfish, is a summer delicacy in Japan. Usually coated in salt and grilled over a charcoal fire, the fish is known for its refreshingly sweet taste and is consumed widely by Japanese people every year.
While a typical specimen is similar to a small trout in appearance, an ayu with translucent scales was discovered at a fishery in Gifu prefecture late last month.
We think the issue here isn’t why this happened, but how on earth were they able to spot the little guy…
For expecting couples, visiting the gynecologist for an ultrasound scan can be a memorable experience as it is often their first look at the precious life waiting to be born in the world. Many soon-to-be parents even ask for a black-and-white printout of the scan to commemorate the occasion and then later to embarrass their child in front of his or her friends.
Now, Japanese engineering firm Fasotec has taken prenatal memorabilia to literally the next dimension with “Shape of an Angel,” a miniature 3D replica of the fetus as it lay in the womb.
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make
Japan has new rules for bicycle riders, and these 14 things could get you a fine or a court date
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Tried-and-tested ways to learn Japanese while having fun!
Thermos releases new line of insulated Japanese rice and miso soup bowls【Photos】
New Travelling Bento pouches turn your luggage into a Japanese lunch box
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekibenWisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutesJapan 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
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful gardenJapan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
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
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Tried-and-tested ways to learn Japanese while having fun!
Thermos releases new line of insulated Japanese rice and miso soup bowls【Photos】
New Travelling Bento pouches turn your luggage into a Japanese lunch box
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
Do you use these “Philippine English” words and phrases?
Japan’s permanent Pokémon theme park zone announces grand opening date, ticket sale start
Japanese politician arrested on charges of accepting bribes to reduce number of monkeys in park
Internet survey sheds light on how Japanese women deal with the hair ‘down there’
Giant Pokémon appear in Yokohama sky in awesome drone art show at World Championships【Pics, vids】
Shinkansen zombie outbreak occurring for first-ever haunted bullet train event
Japanese women’s breasts continue to grow, reach historic tipping point in lingerie maker’s study
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026