Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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If you’re a budding ninja warrior looking for a place to practice using lethal weapons but can’t quite afford a ticket to Japan, perhaps Kentucky, USA would be a slightly more viable option? And if you also happen to enjoy a drop of Eastern booze in between flinging ninja stars then all the better, as a website advertising a ninja throwing star practice range and sake bar recently popped up online, with the venue itself apparently due to open in spring 2014.
A story about a knight who braves all dangers to save his princess and eventually asks for her hand in marriage might be a bit of a cliché, but we’ve all had that fantasy at some point in our lives, hoping that we’ll meet our special someone in a fairytale-like situation. Unfortunately, chances are that real-life proposals are not as magical and grand, especially if both you and your beloved are game-enthusiasts who spend half your time “living” in a fantasy game world.
One chivalrous knight upped the game by proposing to his gamer princess with a video game he specially made for the proposal! Was his level-up a success? Click “Start”… I mean, click “Read More” to find out!
While we were already busy filling our faces with fried chicken, our friends over at JapanCulture•NYC – still with a few hours to go until December 25 arrived – sent us a few snaps of their own office Christmas tree before packing up for the holidays. For a site based in New York City and that’s all about Japanese culture in the area, we probably shouldn’t have been surprised that they put a cute, Japanese twist on the traditional ornaments, but this tree brought huge smiles to our faces.
With tiny octopuses, smiling onigiri riceballs and even Kumamon dressed as Santa, this is probably the best cross-culture Christmas tree we’ve seen this season, and we’re thoroughly jealous.
DARPA, the American agency commonly known for its hilarious supervillain-esque laser projects and weaponized dolphins, took time out of its wacky military inventions schedule to hold its Robotics Competition in Miami, Florida, where a humanoid robot from Japanese company Schaft, Inc. took top prize.
In May 2011, Nissan was selected to create and supply the vehicle that would be the exclusive New York City taxi.
That plan hasn’t worked out so well. A series of court decisions have blocked the City from approving the NV200 as the only taxi model, in part because it’s not a hybrid, according to the New York Times.
But Nissan still has the right to bring its taxi to the streets of New York, and it sold the first one at the end of October.
This week, the automaker invited me to get a closer look at the NV200 and take a spin around Manhattan.
We’re all familiar with M&M’s, the colorful candy-coated chocolates, but did you know that you could create your very own M&M’s? Okay, perhaps some of you lucky people have visited M&M’s World and already know about this, but for the rest of us who don’t, YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE M&M’s! You can even print your Twitter ID on it! If you don’t have a Twitter account, that’s perhaps the best reason to get one.
Our reporter Kuzo takes us through the customization process!
Has internationalization taught us nothing? How strange it is that so many people can laugh unabashedly about the Orient’s attempts at “Engrish” and yet remain stubbornly ignorant of the meanings behind many Asian symbols, whether they’re printed on t-shirts or inked into their skin?!
Yes, the existence of tattoos with inappropriate meanings remains an epidemic. What’s perhaps the most surprising is that even in this day and age many people sporting these strange Asian symbols didn’t necessarily skimp on the research and just got suckered into something by their tattoo artists. Rather, many Western people don’t care enough to ask about the meanings at all!
One day while I was playing Pokémon in my parent’s basement, my uncle Sam came down and asked me to help him. He handed me a Womédex (a smartphone loaded with online dating apps) and a set of Woméballs (tennis balls painted red and white) and told me it was time to catch one of these magical creatures for my very own.
Luckily, Trisha was kind enough not to press charges after I threw a tennis ball at her head inside a Starbucks during our first date, but my quest has so far still been left unfulfilled. Thankfully, I found something more suitable for catching high-level Womémon like Trish being sold online by a talented jeweler named Paul Michael.
We first came across David Ury and his alleged twin brother, Ken Tanaka, after seeing their video titled “Ken Tanaka and David Ury Japanese accent training.” The video features two men of similar physical characteristics having a conversation in Japanese with very different accents. Intrigued, I found myself combing the internet for any information regarding the pair and learned that David Ury is an American actor and Ken Tanaka is his long-lost twin brother who was adopted by a family in Japan. Various videos on Ken’s helpmefindparents YouTube channel seemed to verify this information, showing Ken and David speaking to each other in the same room.
But whispers of controversy surround the brothers despite the online existence of two completely distinct people. Is Ken Tanaka actually just David Ury showing off his acting skills? We set up an interview with David hoping to find out more about the talented actor behind the perfect Japanese accent.
What we landed up with was some of the best Japanese study advice we’ve ever heard, some anecdotes about crazy adventures in Japan and an introduction to a comedic book about death.
As much as we at RocketNews24 love talking about Japanese food and introducing our readers to new places to eat or our own crazy culinary creations, we appreciate that for many, popping over to Tokyo or Osaka for a week of washoku dining bliss simply isn’t on the cards. But thankfully, great Japanese food can be found all over the world – if you know where to look!
For those of you to whom New York is a heck of a lot closer than Tokyo, Susan Miyagi Hamaker, one of our friends from JapanCulture•NYC, has prepared a fantastic list of 12 authentic Japanese foods that are available within the city, even sharing some tips on which restaurants to check out if you’re in town. Yup, the real just got that little bit closer!
Hollywood films are popular around the world and Japan gets its fair share of dubbed and subtitled blockbusters. But sometimes things get a little mixed up when changing words from English to Japanese. This gives rise to translated titles that come in a wide range of strange from unintended sexual innuendos to spoilertastic summaries.
Let’s take a look at 13 weird Japanese movie titles that make you wonder what the translators were thinking.
This is totally random, but if anyone ever told you that their pee is purple, they’re outright liars. According to the medical experts at the Cleveland Clinic, it’s possible to have reddish, brownish or even green pee (though neither of these are healthy pee colors), but nope, definitely not purple.
Also, did we mention that the hue of your piddle actually gives you a hint on your current health condition? Here’s a super easy health check that will cost you no money, and barely any time. So go ahead and empty your bladder, then check against the color guide after the jump!
Lady Gaga has earned quite a reputation for her forward-thinking song lyrics and strangely obscene fashion sense. Japan, in particular, is enthralled with the pop star and quick to embrace her Asian-inspired appearance and catchy tunes.
Now, in conjunction with Lady Gaga’s latest album release, residents of Japan will be able to literally accept the idol’s music and image into their arms, thanks to the creation of the GAGADOLL, an audio preview device in the shape of Lady Gaga, herself. This life-size doll has a softly playing speaker built into its bust, so when someone lays their head upon her chest they can hear her music in place of her heartbeat.
It’s an age-old expression of a guy who wants something really badly, but who would have thought that a dude’s dangly bits could actually be indirectly used to acquire the goods or services he desired?
We can thank Mark Parisi for this revelation when he appeared on the American TV show The Doctors to share his lucrative ventures into being a medical guinea pig. The Las Vegas resident is hoping to parlay a donation of his testicle towards the purchase of a Nissan Fairlady Z (named 370Z outside of Japan).
Japan and the nations the English-speaking RocketNews24 team hail from are on good terms these days, but just a few generations ago things weren’t so friendly. While the greatest scientific minds of Japan today focus on putting solar panels on the moon or turning algae into fuel, during the 1930s and 40s weapons development was a much bigger growth area than green energy.
Recently, the wreckage of one of the Japanese Imperial Navy’s most advanced pieces of equipment from World War II was discovered off the coast of Hawaii. What exactly was it? A submarine, or maybe an aircraft carrier?
It was both.
Hotel and restaurant bathrooms have really done a number on us by introducing a new level of hospitality through toilet paper etiquette. When the next sheet of paper on the roll is folded into a neat triangular point, we’re made to feel that extra bit special, safe in the knowledge that the area has recently been attended to, as if the place was just done up in anticipation of our arrival.
One lady in the United States has taken the triangular toilet paper fold to a whole new level, incorporating traditional Japanese origami concepts to produce a book of cute, funny and surprisingly beautiful designs to dress up the toilet roll in your bathroom. From swans to candles, who knew toilet paper could be so adorable?
The robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba has already made life easier by cleaning floors on its own (when it is not running away), but a U.S. art exhibition recently showed how the device can turn household chores into a replay of childhood video games. At the art show, an artist crafted Nintendo-inspired covers and turned the cleaning robots into four of the most feared, but beloved video game enemies from the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda series.
In May 2011, Japan’s Nissan Motor Company was awarded the rights to manufacture a line of new generation yellow taxis for New York City, with the aim of replacing the myriad varieties of cabs on the city’s streets with one uniform design by 2020. Dubbed the “Taxi of Tomorrow” by the contest organisers, Nissan’s car was to become a major part of New York City life, and naturally came as a boon to the Japanese company.
Sadly, the project has stalled following a number of legal disputes and issues over accessibility, but Nissan is nevertheless exceptionally proud of its modern take on the classic yellow cab, and recently exhibited it for all to see in a temporary showroom in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza shopping district.
Convenience stores play an integral part of life in Japan. The various chains themselves appear to have a life and ecosystem of their own sprouting up and dying off all over the urban landscape in fierce competition. Regardless of which one you choose, be it Lawson, Family Mart, 7-Eleven, Mini-Stop or one of the other countless chains, you can always expect to find some high quality stuff.
No one knows this better than our food reporter Kuzo who has sampled every form of junk food the nation’s convenience stores have to offer. This time, however, he leaves the shores of Japan to test the wares of a remote branch of the famous Lawson Station chain in Hawaii.
It may sound like the start of a bad joke, but when your boss says, “Bring me three PS4s!” you say, “How many games would you like with that?”
And so I found myself in uncharted territory, standing in line at 7am the day before the release of Sony’s next-gen console. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and admittedly grumbled at the thought of living on the street for 17 hours, but after Hooters girls, free swag, and a PS4 presented by the CEO of Best Buy, I’m pleased to report that I came away richer from the experience (although my bank account would beg to differ).
Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
The dream of riding Final Fantasy Chocobos is coming to Tokyo VR centers
Visiting Tokyo’s newest unmanned Self Cafe in Shibuya
Japanese bonsai trees made from paper stay beautiful without water or pruning
Pringles Chocolate, but with a Japanese twist, is the snack hack you should be trying right now
Studio Ghibli announces first new short anime film in 8 years, exclusive to Ghibli Park
Draw like a Studio Ghibli anime artist with exclusive watercolour set approved by Hayao MiyazakiJapan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Pikachu to cuddle with kimono-clad beauty on Tokyo street as part of flower art event
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
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
Studio Ghibli croquettes not to eat, but to keep your stuff in, going on sale in Japan[Photos]
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
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 eventsWisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
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 TokyoJapan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]Brand-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]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthdayJapan’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
Visiting Tokyo’s newest unmanned Self Cafe in Shibuya
Japanese bonsai trees made from paper stay beautiful without water or pruning
Pringles Chocolate, but with a Japanese twist, is the snack hack you should be trying right now
Studio Ghibli announces first new short anime film in 8 years, exclusive to Ghibli Park
Draw like a Studio Ghibli anime artist with exclusive watercolour set approved by Hayao Miyazaki
Temple with 600-year-old tree near busy Tokyo station is like a tranquil pocket dimension
New line of cozy kimono-style roomwear smashes crowdfunding goal, could still be yours
Muji enters the tiny house game, showcases its line of wonderfully minimalist ‘Muji Huts’
Shinkansen operator apologizes for three-minute delay because conductor was napping
Comfy kimono hakama roomwear steps into the modern era with stylish new Reiwa Edition【Photos】
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Fatal stabbing at Pokémon Center in Tokyo reignites concern over rising stalking cases in Japan