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Does the new Space Tea from Japan’s Village Vanguard actually taste like space?【Taste Test】

Preston Phro
Sep 16, 2015
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Village Vanguard is one of Japan’s more unique stores, selling everything from inappropriate T-shirts to Attack on Titan curry to more inappropriate T-shirts to whatever this is. Some of the food products they stock sit squarely on the border between delicious and “gag gift,” but perhaps the most intriguing of those items is the new Space Tea.

But does it really taste like space? Naturally, we were skeptical…but also curious enough to run out and buy a can. So, come along with us on a journey into the depths of spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!

Japanese student protesters announce “WE WILL STOP!!!!” in English on Twitter, get clowned for it

Casey Baseel
Sep 16, 2015

Over the past few weeks, the Japanese organization SEALDs, which stands for Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy, has been staging large-scale protests in opposition of those politicians who’ve proposed expanding the role of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The gatherings have become regular features on news programs, with footage showing large groups of impassioned youths chanting for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to step down.

So after such a show of conviction, it must have been surprising for followers of SEALDs’ English Twitter account to see a tweet that suddenly announced the group is calling it quits.

“So wrong!” Elders react to hairy schoolgirl-fronted Ladybaby with shock and amusement 【Video】

Evie Nyan
Sep 16, 2015

Here at RocketNews24 we love Ladybeard, everyone’s favourite heavily-bearded, muscular, precious flower. And as a natural side-effect of our Lady-lovin’, we’re also nuts about his newest venture, performing as part of pop trio Ladybaby. Something about the combination of cute Japanese idol teen vocals combined with Ladybeard’s growls just gets our toes tapping, and not to mention those funky dance moves!

So we couldn’t stop laughing at this new video titled “Elders react to Ladybaby”. Just what do America’s seniors think of this new mashup of cultures, genders, and musical stylings?!

Fisherman catches unreal-looking fish off the coast of Japan, turns out to be quite harmless

Krista Rogers
Sep 16, 2015

Yikes! What must have been going through the minds of a group of Japanese fishermen when they caught the shocking fish pictured above off the coast of Hokkaido? It’s a face that could keep anyone up at night with that gargantuan, gaping mouth.

Actually, on second thought, the big guy’s kind of growing on us…

Death Note 2016: live-action movie sequel to feature new Six-Note Rule【Video】

Oona McGee
Sep 16, 2015

It’s hard to believe we’re one year shy of a decade since the live-action Death Note movies were released. Fans in Japan were treated to a live-action TV series recently, which broadcast its final episode on Sunday night, but it’s what appeared at the end of the show that’s really got everyone talking.

It’s the announcement of a new Death Note movie to be released in 2016; an exciting sequel featuring L’s successor and introducing the Six-Note Rule, which, until now, has only appeared in the original manga. What’s more, a teaser trailer has been released, giving us a taste of what to expect from the film, which will be distributed by Warner Brothers and directed by Shinsuke Sato, who was also at the helm for popular movies Library Wars and Gantz.

Evangelion theme song lyricist talks about her annual royalties, buying caves in Turkey

Krista Rogers
Sep 16, 2015

Neko Oikawa, who wrote the lyrics for Neon Genesis Evangelion’s theme song “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” recently revealed some details regarding the staggering amount of money that she makes in annual royalties off of the enduringly popular song–along with where 300 million yen (US$2.4 million)-worth of her savings has recently gone to.

How honest is Japanese society? So honest this train station is fine with a non-closable “gate”

Casey Baseel
Sep 16, 2015

A while back, we talked about how it’s common in Japan for people to place dropped property in a place where it’ll be easy to spot when the owner retraces his steps looking for it. There’s hardly any fear that anyone else will take it, whether the item in question is as cheap as a mitten or something much more valuable.

But such admirable conduct isn’t limited to private citizens’ interactions with one another. A recently tweeted snapshot of a train station ticket gate has been getting laughs in Japan for its unusual design, and while it is kind of funny-looking, it also shows the extremely honest character of Japanese society.

Watching the making of tiny sushi will alleviate stress, make you ache at the cuteness【Video】

Oona McGee
Sep 16, 2015

The miniature toy market is huge in Japan. From tiny Hello Kitty baked goods to pint-sized supermarket items and even scaled-down Japanese-style rooms filled with traditional furnishings, you don’t have to be a child with a doll-house to delve into the world of miniature here in Japan.

Adults have become so transfixed with all the adorable items on the market that there are a number of YouTube channels purely dedicated to the art of petite cooking, using everything from tiny utensils to working miniature ovens.

One of the latest videos to appear takes us through the sushi-making process, transporting us to a tiny world that viewers say is so calming it can cure all types of stress and anxiety. Watching this short clip will be the best few minutes of your day!

Chiba ports become literal sea of garbage following last week’s severe flooding【Pics】

Mike
Sep 16, 2015

The ports around the Chiba-area city of Choshi were last year honored for the fourth year in a row for having the largest catch of mackerel pike (a very popular fish known as sanma in Japanese) in Japan.

But that’s of little comfort to local fishermen who have this year found their boats stranded in a literal sea of garbage and debris that has been carried into the ports from the Tonegawa River. The heavy flooding of the Kanto region brought about by last week’s relentless rain is believed to be the cause of the sudden influx of waste.

Drones capture shocking footage of flooding in Ibaraki, Japan【Video】

Fran W
Sep 15, 2015

When disaster zones are inaccessible by ground—such as the areas of Japan hit by widespread and deadly flooding last week—news broadcasters typically take to the air, relaying footage from helicopters. In the city of Joso, Ibaraki, news helicopters captured dramatic footage of rescue teams winching people to safety from rooftops on Thursday after the Kinugawa River burst its banks.

But helicopters can only get so close, and so authorities in Japan are now using drones to capture footage in disaster areas. The drones can fly closer to disaster-hit areas than a manned helicopter, offering a different and dramatic perspective.

And drones are not only being used to survey these areas hit by flooding and landslides; they are also starting to be used in rescue missions.

PlayStation 4 gets a price drop in Japan this October, Project Morpheus given an official name

Preston Phro
Sep 15, 2015

Good news for all of you PlayStation fans in Japan who have yet to splash out on the latest PlayStation console: The PlayStation 4 will be getting a price reduction in its homeland in just a few weeks! If you’re looking to pick up one of Sony’s new machines, you’d do well to hold off until October 1.

Japanese women share the top 10 times they’re embarrassed to be seen doing something alone

Preston Phro
Sep 15, 2015

Sometimes doing stuff by yourself is the best way to go. Heading to the bathroom, for example, is generally something people prefer to do alone. And there are plenty of people out there who prefer to go to out alone; catching a movie or a show by yourself can be great if you hate making small talk, for example. But still, there are some times that doing something alone can be downright embarrassing.

So, to find out what the worst was, the Japanese website goo polled some of their readers to find the top 10 times they’re embarrassed to be seen doing something alone. Check out the ranking and see how many you agree with!

Pretty Princess Sato: Our hero gets his makeup done by a pro, brings all the boys to the yard

ロケットニュース24
Sep 15, 2015

We love our Mr. Sato. He’s the perfect combination of crazy, silly, and reckless — kind of like a Bugs Bunny that smokes! He’s also not exactly the youngest writer on the staff and is no stranger to being called “ugly” by cruel Japanese commenters. And Mr. Sato seems to have embraced this designation, even calling himself ugly at times.

Obviously, we completely disagree, but who listens to us? Certainly not Mr. Sato! Instead, he went out and found a professional makeup artist to do him up pretty before heading to a photo booth to see just how much of a pretty, pretty princess he could be. So how did it turn go for him? Read on to find out!

Star-struck American otaku run into Nicolas Cage while shopping for anime in L.A.

Casey Baseel
Sep 15, 2015

When you stroll into an anime specialty shop in the U.S., there are a couple of demographics you expect to see among the customers. Teenagers with brightly dyed hair. Thirty-somethings digging through discounted single-volume VHS and DVD releases for those elusive remaining episodes of Maison Ikkoku or Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. Maybe a handful of Japanese expats.

But if you happen to be shopping for anime goodies in Los Angeles, just a stone’s throw away from the world’s leading film studios, you also might spot a famous Hollywood actor, like these Californian otaku who ran into Nicolas Cage.

Star Wars is going back to its sand roots in Tottori Prefecture with massive sand sculpture

KK Miller
Sep 15, 2015

Everything in Japan is coming up Star Wars right now. There was the amazing snow sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival in February, the stunning rice field art in July, beautiful Nebuta festival floats in August, and of course those amazing Samurai Star Wars figures that are about to go on sale. A new hope has risen for fans as this will be the first time in 10 years that Jedi Masters and our favorite droids will grace the big screen.

Another city in Japan has decided to strike back with a Force-inspired exhibit in the only place in the country that could match up to the desert planet of Tatooine. In the sand dunes of Tottori, a massive Star Wars sand sculpture is going to be erected. A return of the giant sculptures, if you will.

Night of paper-folding with a Japanese friend leads to creation of beautiful “origami jewellery”

Oona McGee
Sep 15, 2015

With so many traditional arts, customs and practices, it’s not hard to fall in love with Japanese culture. For one French couple, it was a night of origami paper-folding with a Japanese friend that left a big impression. Intrigued by the art, they set upon a journey to recreate the folded designs in metal and not long afterwards, a gorgeous jewellery collection was born, featuring delicate animals, birds, crustaceans and dinosaurs.

Top 11 tweets to make you feel glad you don’t work in Japan

Scott Wilson
Sep 15, 2015

It’s no secret that working in Japan can be pretty miserable. Long hours, unpaid overtime, power harassment, and mandatory drinking parties with coworkers are just some of the factors that contribute to workers all over Japan leading stressful lives.

But misery loves company, so that’s why we present the top 11 tweets to make you feel glad you don’t work in Japan. Some of them are attempts at encouragement, some of them are commiserating, and some of them are so painfully sad that you can’t help but cry. So read on and see how your own work compares to Japan!

Twitter users share 16 heartwarming moments of kindness in Japan

Mike
Sep 15, 2015

It’s far from the happiest place on earth, but Japan certainly has a reputation for kindness and hospitality. Most foreigners that visit the country return home with starry-eyed tales of over-the-top customer service and even random acts of kindness from total strangers.

But, this isn’t just a case of the Japanese putting on a good front for visiting foreigners: heartwarming acts of kindness in Japan are pretty commonplace (although this isn’t a Japan-exclusive thing; let’s be honest). If you’re in need of a Japan-flavored pick-me-up today, check out these stories of people being awesome, via Japanese Twitter users:

Japanese kids becoming less skilled at starting fires, not getting covered with mud, survey shows

Casey Baseel
Sep 15, 2015

Just like they do in many other countries, adults in Japan like to periodically grumble about “kids today” and the simple things they can’t do that previous generations could. Sometimes we can sympathize with the exasperated grown-ups. After all, who doesn’t get frustrated when faced with one of these modern kids who can’t put in a full day’s work without whining, show his elders the respect they deserve, or start a fire by himself?

Wait, what was that last one again?

“Man’s best friend” indeed! Dog’s reaction to owner collapsing during walkies is hilarious【Video】

Evie Nyan
Sep 15, 2015

As a lifelong cat person, I’m often told by die-hard dog people that cats are the inferior species due to their apparent lack of devotion to their owners. Unlike cats, I’m told, dogs are loyal, devoted, and really care for their human companions. So this Twitter video showing how a so-called “loyal” member of the canine species reacts to their “collapsed” owner during a walk had me laughing my socks off!