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Japan exits Rugby World Cup, captain Michael Leitch wins with his +64 Cafe in Tokyo

Japanese fans visit the rugby player’s cafe in team jerseys for “the best breakfast in Tokyo“.

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Our reporter goes on a one-night, three-day “Extreme New Zealand Trip” over the weekend

Join our Japanese-language correspondent P.K. Sanjun on his whirlwind time-warping tour of Auckland, which still got him back in time for work on Monday.

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New Zealander finds photos in antique Japanese sewing box, requests Internet’s help tracing them

Twitter wants you to help find the people taken in these beautiful black-and-white photos from Japan’s past.

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“Eyes are closed”: Asian man’s passport photo denied

A Taiwanese-born New Zealander has had his passport photo rejected by his own government due to “closed eyes”.

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The pitifully weak Pokémon has been showing up in some embarrassing places, including one that shows a preference for a rival company’s video games.

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Washington Post writer catches heat for “dirty Korean beer” joke

There’s a reason I don’t write for the Washington Post. Actually, there are about a thousand reasons, almost all of which pertain to my own ineptness. Another one these reasons is that I occasionally write some embarrassing joke that gets completely misunderstood and blows up in my face.

So, I can relate on some level to the Washington Post’s writer and Tokyo bureau chief Anna Fifield. Her tweet, which jokingly translated a customer request sign as “Don’t bring your dirty Korean beer in here,” has led to some considerably harsh feedback from Japanese Twitter users.

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Anime idols going abroad as Love Live! movie announced for release in U.S., 12 other territories

Not so long ago, being a Japanese idol singer was purely a domestic gig, with even the biggest stars of the genre remaining more or less unknown outside their home country. But thanks to the spread of Japanese pop culture around the world over the last decade and a half, that’s not really the case anymore. These days, it’s not uncommon for J-pop idols, especially those with an anime connection to boost their foreign exposure, to make appearances overseas.

Now, in a case of animated art imitating life, the high school idols of Love Love!, Japan’s biggest current idol anime hit, will be heading abroad as the upcoming Love Live! theatrical feature has been announced for international release.

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Japan questions imagery in risque portraits by New Zealand Prime Minister’s daughter

The current prime minister of New Zealand, John Philip Key, has been big in the news lately owing to his 20-year-old daughter, Stephie Key. Stephie is currently studying in France at the highly acclaimed art school, Paris College of Art, and is causing quite a stir with her newest string of risqué self portraits. Controversial as the work might be, it’s also quite cutting-edge, as one of her pieces was chosen to promote Paris Design Week on the second week of September.

But, it’s neither the nudity nor the artistry that caught the attention of Japanese news outlets. You see, many of the pictures contain words and themes that are obviously intended to be Japanese, but leave actual Japanese people scratching their heads.

Caution: some pictures contained in this article are not safe for work.

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Close your eyes and find yourself in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by the cries of tropical birds and laughter of monkeys in the treetops. But wait! Suddenly you’ve jumped to the barnyard, the clucking of chickens and neighing of horses filling the air. Now open your eyes because you’ll miss the great facial expressions it takes for these two master mimicers, one from India and one from New Zealand (kinda), to produce these animal sounds. Read More

Doorless Fridge of the Future Looks Good Enough For Doc Brown

Great Scott!  This fridge looks like something straight out of Back to the Future.

“Impress” has turned a few heads thanks to it’s unique honeycomb design and doorless front which makes it more of a refrigeration wall than anything else.  When inserting an item into the fridge, the white hexagonal panels recede into the machine and conform to the shape of the inserted item.  Food and drinks are easily seen as they protrude out of the doorless refrigeration wall and only areas which contain an item are cooled, saving energy.

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