Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
USA (Page 36)
While Fox’s Animation Domination High-Def has a long history of skewering anime properties and tropes, like this battle between Naruto and Sasuke, the ultimate anime hero, and super-powered schoolgirls, it’s all out of love. And now, in response to Studio Ghibli‘s announcement that it may dismantle its production department, ADHD has posted a tribute video called “Goodbye, Ghibli.”
One of the great joys of RocketNews24 editors and writers is getting to see how fast food chains operate in different countries. The sometimes slight and sometime huge changes to the menu can really give us more insight into the local cultures than you might expect. However, for the most part these multinational restaurants originate from the USA, so it’s really a special treat to see how the huge gyudon (beef bowl) chain Yoshinoya looks when localized for American customers’ tastes.
Recently a commercial for the salaryman’s favorite restaurant was posted on YouTube and drew some curious opinions from those back in its home country. The response was largely positive, especially regarding the American take on Yoshinoya food, but some wished the US would stop with the whole Japan = ninjas thing already.
In Japan, there’s the phrase “neko no te mo karitai” (literally “want to borrow even a cat’s hand”), meaning that you’re so busy, you even want the cat to help. Well, Pizza Hut took this idiom to heart in its new campaign, hiring four rough-and-tumble cats to manage a franchise called Pizza Cat! As you’ll see in the dramatic “movie trailer,” these cats are fired up and can’t wait to rescue people who’re too busy to prepare dinner.
Read on to learn more about the comical and kawaii campaign, and to watch a few of the 15-second promotional videos that reveal what would happen if cats really lent a paw. Plus, if you live in Japan you may even have a chance to win a Pizza Hut hat for cats. So are felines one opposable thumb away from world domination, or are we slowly approaching a utopia in which pets will fetch us pizza? And hey, didn’t Samurai Pizza Cats already get started on both?
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will host the North American premiere Isao Takahata‘s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and director Mami Sunada’s The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness documentary about Studio Ghibli next month. Princess Kaguya will premiere with English subtitles on September 5 with Takahata present for the screening. The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness will premiere on Monday, September 8.
When it comes to Japanese music, one of the most iconic sounds is that of the tsugaru-jamisen. We’ve written about musicians playing the folk instrument before, but today we have a group with a traditional, but decidedly unique, approach: the three-man group Monsters of Shamisen.
From heavy metal to traditional Japanese music and throat singing, there’s sure to be something here for everyone!
Target is America’s second-largest retailer, and its humongous stores have everything you could possibly need, from food to clothing to household goods. For a Japanese person visiting America for the first time these stores can be a tourist attraction in themselves as they gaze at the enormity of it all, and then leave without buying anything because it’s too overwhelming and they’re scared of doing something wrong.
However, our writer Japanese found something in a Target store that may even surprise Americans too.
If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see that inside this sushi roll there’s no rice. Instead, it’s filled with the goodness of instant noodles!
The lifeblood of students, singles and people who just don’t have time to cook, the humble noodle has been used in many ways over the years and now it’s seeing a new dawn, wrapped in a roll and plated up as sushi. And did I mention this baby is wrapped in bacon?
We’ll give you the easy, step-by-step recipe after the jump, but purists be warned: the following images may disturb. Everybody else: come on in and take a seat!
With Hayao Miyazaki being the most recognized face of Studio Ghibli, and producer Toshio Suzuki the most currently active, there’s usually not a lot of room left in the spotlight for director Isao Takahata. One of Ghibli’s founding members, Takahata served as producer for the company’s first official release, Castle in the Sky, and his written and directed five films for Japan’s most respected animation house including the critically acclaimed Grave of the Fireflies.
Fans of Takahata’s work have learned to be patient, though, as his most recent film, 2013’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya, came 14 years after his previous feature, 1999’s largely forgotten My Neighbors the Yamadas. Foreign fans have had to wait even longer, but Princess Kaguya is almost ready to head overseas, as distributor GKids has announced a release date and put out a teaser trailer to whet North America’s appetite.
On August 6 baseball magazine Baseball America chose Ichiro Suzuki as their number one on a list of the ‘Top 10 Most Prodigious Best Tools Winners Of The Millennium’, beating out greats such as Pujols and Verlander.
Of course he’s a legend in his home country of Japan, but during his many years in the major league he’s also gained plenty of American fans. To celebrate his win, we want to share this video of a ‘super happy Ichiro fan’, with ‘super happy’ being somewhat of an understatement.
It was back in the summer of 2012 when “Gangnam Style” was released. Thanks in part to YouTube, the single transformed South Korean rapper PSY into a worldwide pop phenomenon. But nothing lasts forever, and although it had a remarkably good run on the charts, general interest in the mega-hit gradually waned.
Since then, PSY has been hard at work coming up with other singles such as “Gentleman” and “Hangover”, but neither have captivated the public’s interest to the same degree. It’s a hard degree to surpass, however, as in just the past week, “Gangnam Style” reached number one again on the Billboard charts. This surely comes as bittersweet news to PSY who by now has got to be completely burnt out on performing that song over and over… and over again.
Funimation announced the English dub cast for Ghost in the Shell Arise episodes one and two at its Otakon panel on Saturday.
After a long week of Comic-Con and coming down off the high of crossdress cosplaying as Sailor Venus, our intrepid Japanese reporter, Yoshio, settled back into life in his home country and has taken some time to reflect on his trip. Yoshio has been to the US nearly a dozen times, but there are always several things that impress him. The following is a translation of his impressions and the nine things he thinks the US does better than Japan.
With the Sailor Moon series currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, we’ve heard plenty of news about special events and products commemorating the occasion here in Japan. But what about fans who are outside of Japan? Well, if you’re a fan of the lovely sailor uniform clad ladies and you’re going to be in California during this month, you may want to check out the exhibit Moon Crisis: A Sailor Moon Tribute Art Show now going on at the Rothick Art Haus in Anaheim, California — because what can be more fun than an art show bringing together fans and artwork of your favorite manga/anime, right? And what’s even better, this Saturday on August 9, they’ll even be having a masquerade at the exhibit where participants will be treated to some delicious Pocky chocolate snacks! Dressing up in honor of your favorite warrior princess and getting a taste of some chocolate treats at the same time — now that sounds like our idea of fun!
Continuing their meteoric rise to international stardom, BABYMETAL has checked off another box on their world conquest to-do list: Playing a headline show in the US!
The show this weekend has even made waves in Japan thanks to a fan video uploaded to YouTube shortly after the group’s LA tour. Check it out below!
Osamu Tezuka‘s Astro Boy, in addition to being a historically important piece of entertainment, is also widely beloved around the world. And now, some sixty-plus years after its first inception as a manga, it’s been granted additional life on the stage, thanks to the efforts of playwright and director Natsu Onoda Power, and the folks at the Company One theater company.
Now, we know that not all technology may be good, and there are plenty of stories out there, be they movies or novels, of technology run amok. But you have to admit there are times when you just have to love technology, like when it comes in a cute, pop form that allows you to carry around large amounts of data in style. Yes, readers,we present to you these adorable Mimobot and Sanrio collaborative flash drives from Mimoco — they’re currently generating a bit of a buzz on online here in Japan, and we dare anyone out there to say that the results of the collaboration aren’t über cute!
Our Japanese correspondent Yoshio recently made the trip for Tokyo to San Diego to attend Comic-Con for the first time. After seeing all the fans in costume showing their enthusiasm for their favorite series, Yoshio got bitten by the cosplay bug and decided to dress up too.
But which character to cosplay as? He knew he wanted someone Japanese, to represent his home country. Someone strong and just, with a kind heart. And while he was at it, why not add long, flowing hair and miniskirt to the checklist?
In other words, Yoshio spent a day at Comic-Con rocking a Sailor Venus outfit.
Planes are never especially pleasant places to be. Even up in first class, you’re stuck in your seat for hours on end with no chance of stepping outside for a breath of fresh air, and with so many bodies packed into the same metal tube, it’s inevitable that the air starts to get a bit stale after a while. On the plus side, the worst you’ll have to deal with is a bit of body odor or your neighbor’s stinky snack food and not the overwhelming stench of a Greyhound port-a-potty.
Well, unless you happened to be on this flight from Beijing to Detroit last week…
Our Japanese reporter Yoshio is currently attending his first ever Comic-Con in San Diego. After completing such epic quests as flying across the Pacific and finding a parking spot near the Convention Center, he’s been enjoying Preview Night plus the first two days of the show.
But while Comic-Con is the world’s biggest celebration of comics, animation, movies, video games, and all other sorts of 2-D fiction, Yoshio’s been blown away by something very real and three-dimensional: all of the amazing cosplayers!
Like millions of people around the world, I am a member of a sports club. For a small monthly fee, I can take classes, run, cycle, lift weights, swim lengths in the pool or just relax in the sauna. And just like so many others, I hardly ever go.
I have every intention of exercising, I really do, but getting off my arse and carrying myself to the gym can be harder than the exercise itself sometimes. If only I had something to motivate me, something that wouldn’t take “I’ll go tomorrow” for an answer. Something like, oh I don’t know, a herd of ravenous zombies sprinting after me…
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Is a snow day the perfect day to beat the crowds at a popular ramen restaurant? [Experiment]
Studio Ghibli adds new anime character badges to its streetwear shop in Japan
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
We predict 7-Eleven’s new Zero Cider Triple drink is gonna be the hit drink of 2022【Taste Test】
American tourist arrested in Japan on charges of pushing sexual services worker down stairs
Sanrio changes Hello Kitty lead designer for first time in 46 years
Testing Japan’s fluffy mayonnaise pancake cooking hack【SoraKitchen】Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Three beautiful places to see Japan’s plum blossoms after starting your day in downtown Tokyo
Downloads of 39-year-old Guns N’ Roses song increase 12,166 percent thanks to Gundam
A look back on 40 years of Japanese schools banning stuff
New Family Mart cinema opens inside Japanese airport
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Man arrested in Japan after leaving car in coin parking lot for six years, racking up three-million-yen bill
Huge Evangelion Unit-01 head appearing in lights in Japan to celebrate anime’s 30th anniversary
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s DayJapan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning looks to be affecting tourist crowds on MiyajimaIs China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
Yokai are descending upon Tokyo this spring in the latest immersive art experience
Japan’s Naruto theme park now offering real-world version of Minato’s kunai ninja weapon
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 TokyoStarbucks 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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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】Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
We predict 7-Eleven’s new Zero Cider Triple drink is gonna be the hit drink of 2022【Taste Test】
American tourist arrested in Japan on charges of pushing sexual services worker down stairs
Sanrio changes Hello Kitty lead designer for first time in 46 years
Testing Japan’s fluffy mayonnaise pancake cooking hack【SoraKitchen】
Which Japanese convenience store has the best miso vegetable stick pack?【Taste test】
Japanese manhole covers become a hit with foreign tourists in off-the-beaten path Tokyo area
Tokyo’s ban on high school girls working in the controversial JK industry goes into effect this summer
Criminals of Japan’s Edo Period Were Often Punished by Getting Face Tattoos
Japan’s original oyakodon restaurant reopens after three years in a newly renovated building
Shimane has a secret hot spring town that feels like stepping into an old Japanese film
Edo-period ukiyoe woodblock prints of animals and mythical beasts now available for free online
Fill your belly at the Starbucks all-you-can-eat buffet!
Trouble making friends? Sticker collecting works surprisingly well