Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Let’s say you’re producing a music video. A tried-and-true method is to simply splice together some clips of the artist’s last concert tour. Or, if the song hasn’t been performed live yet, you could do a “behind-the-scenes” sort of thing with footage of the singer in the studio.
But here’s what happens when you take a third option: Making a music video starring Japan’s most amazing nine-year-old karate expert.
Super Mario Maker, the toolkit/game for Wii U that allows Mario fans to build their very own levels using a vast array of items and characters from the games’ universe, is without a doubt a huge hit. Players had been craving the ability to DIY their own levels for the classic series pretty much since the original handful of games were released for the original NES.
One addition to the game that players never expected to see was the inclusion of the crazy “Weird Mushroom”—originally a glitch in the first Super Mario Bros.—which turns Mario into “Skinny Mario,” a creepy, distorted Mario whose lanky limbs wiggle about all over the place with each (giant) jump.
Skinny Mario was, to put it lightly, not well-received by the gaming community, and Nintendo had a golden opportunity to fix it when it released the first update to the game a few days ago. Except, instead of doing away with Skinny Mario, Nintendo actually decided to include even more, super creepy, Skinny Mario appearances.
The official website of KOEI Tecmo‘s game based on Hajime Isayama‘s Attack on Titan manga revealed new characters and story details about the game on Sunday.
Have you ever wanted to refuel like a character from your favourite video game? Well soon you’ll be able to, thanks to the new Capcom Cafe that’s set to open in Saitama Prefecture later this month.
Capcom, the Japanese video game developer and publisher who brought us hugely successful hits like Resident Evil, Street Fighter and Devil May Cry, will be offering exclusive merchandise and tie-in menus to promote various games at their new cafe, and for their opening they’ll be celebrating with meals, sweets and drinks in honour of their next big video game release, Monster Hunter X.
Hey, it’s Monday! Aren’t you happy to roll out of bed and head to work? No?! Well, maybe you need a new perspective—maybe something like this guy directing traffic in the style of Michael Jackson!
These individually carved and lacquered wooden iPhone cases aren’t cheap, but they are gorgeous! With a design as gorgeous as it is simple, your phone will look great wherever you might play Candy Crush.
Earlier this year, we saw that Chanrio Maker is the easiest way to reimagine yourself as a Sanrio character. Now that the end of the year is approaching, it turns out you can use your own Chanrio to make the cutest New Year’s cards ever!
Green tea has always been a popular drink in Japan and is widely consumed here even in plastic bottles. Visitors to Japan are sure to have seen a variety of green tea drinks at convenience stores or vending machines, including those from major tea and beverage maker Ito En.
Now, Ito En and department store Isetan have teamed up to put on a delightful promotional event which they’re calling the “Green Tea Party“, and the event is exactly that – one big tea party, where you can have so many different types of green tea and tea-based beverage creations that you’ll feel like you stepped into a wonderland of Japanese tea. Naturally, we weren’t about to stay away from a good tea party, so we made our way to the branch of Isetan in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. Let’s take a look at what we saw and tasted at the event, shall we?
Some of you may remember us reporting on a new promotional campaign by Burger King for their new Big King 4.0 burger. Called the Big ( ) Discount it is assumed that bringing in a Big Mac or receipt from a Big Mac will knock 120 yen (US$1) off the price of a Big King.
However, aside from pictorial allusions nowhere do they explicitly state that it has to be a Big Mac. They simply offer a discount for a “big something-something,” so our reporter Seiji Nakazawa went to his local Burger King with a bag full of “big” stuff such as candy and Mr. Big albums in the hopes of big savings. You’ll be surprised how for it got him.
Autumn is in full gear and day by day the weather is getting chillier. Sooner than you know, you’re going to be needing to keep your head warm, so why not grab a pair of underwear to wear on your head? Oh, your usual underwear is too breezy? Don’t worry, because now you can buy hats that look just like underwear!
Celebrities are no strangers to lavish and extremely costly weddings. They’ve been known to spend upwards of millions of dollars on the venue, dress and jewels, and then their wedding photos get plastered all over celebrity and gossip magazines. As the wedding season wound itself down, there was still time for a few October weddings, which included the exceptionally extravagant affair celebrating the nuptials of Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming. They spent around $31 million for their nuptials! Imma let you finish, but that is more than Kim Kardashian-West and Kanye West’s wedding in 2014 and that was the best wedding of all time. Of all time!
Yes sir! A much beloved Tuna Roadshow was scheduled to be held at Costco on 7 November according to the English on their advertisement. It would seem that the English was designed to attract foreigners who might not be familiar with the concept of Tuna Roadshows, which we imagine would include…everyone.
I’m guessing it’s a show where people dust off that old fish lying in their attic and take it to tuna experts to see how much money they’re worth. Either that or someone did a half-assed job on the translation.
According to a program that recently ran on TV, there are more than 100,000 ramen shops across Japan, and because competition is so fierce, most are lucky to survive for even two or three years. In order to succeed in the chaotic ramen business, many shops are starting to come up with ways to offer not only a good bowl of steaming noodles and broth, but also a one-of-a-kind experience that will keep customers coming back for more.
And Ramen Jiyujin, based on theinr overwhelming number of supporters on social media, has managed to accomplish just that, with a take on ramen that is only limited by your imagination. Take a trip with our Japanese reporting team to Yokohama to see the shop for yourself!
With the slogan “Delicious ramen is in your house,” Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., the Japanese company best known for producing the Maruchan brand of ramen noodles, announced the second round of their ongoing ramen campaign on November 5, which will culminate in one lucky person winning a super stylish, one-of-a-kind, ramen donburi [porcelain bowl] chair.
As if the thought of owning your very own ramen-bowl chair wasn’t exciting enough, the campaign also comes complete with four handsome characters ready to teach you all the secrets behind cooking a perfect bowl of ramen!
When raising a toddler, the one thing on every parent’s mind is: Nap time is critical. When you miss nap time, there can be tantrums, screaming, crying and your sweet little one can transform into a kaiju-like terror. One couples’ child had such an incident and it resulted in the destruction of Little Tokyo by Godzilly – King of Daughters. Luckily, dad was there to capture the rampage.
Autumn is the season of school cultural festivals (bunkasai) in Japan. Students pour hours and hours of their time into creating the best possible attractions, food stands, and performances and proudly display these efforts of love for the surrounding community to enjoy.
There must be something in the water because, starting with the teacups ride we introduced last month, Japanese students seem to be showing some unprecedented creativity this year. Just take this musical arcade game that was built entirely by high schoolers, and which many stunned guests have proclaimed to be “good enough to be in a real game center.”
Every year, tech giants like Apple, Samsung and HTC give us more features and better, often bigger, displays to look forward to in our smartphones. But so far they still haven’t managed to come up with a way to tackle perhaps the most common problem users have, which is dropping your phone and cracking the screen.
However one research team at Tokyo University is hoping to change that by creating glass that is nearly indestructible. If the team achieves its goal, the glass could be used in everything from buildings to consumer electronics as soon as 2020.
When traveling to a foreign country for the first time, no matter how well-prepared you are, there’s sure to be a lot you’ll be surprised by! Let’s take a look at 10 things in Japan that might surprise you when you first hop off the plane.
With these in mind, you can enjoy your first trip to Japan even more!
Any expat, exchange student, or anybody who has otherwise spent a long period of time abroad will tell you that, while the local food is exciting and fun and delicious for a while, eventually you’ll start to experience intense urges for the comfort foods and products of your native land. For some, these urges may be occasional, mild pangs, but for many, the urges are so strong they can’t resist stocking up on boxes and boxes full of their favorite items from home every time they head back.
Recently, a Japanese female expat who has been living in America for years introduced our sister site to the top 10 items that she likes to stock up on when she visits Japan:
Totoro sequel anime Mei and the Baby Catbus will screen at Ghibli Park this winter
Japanese convenience store chain releases new Immoral Konbini Food for a limited time
How to make Kyoto’s most famous dessert, nama yatsuhashi, with your microwave
Tokaido Shinkansen Sushi Journey Bento takes your taste buds on a trip from Tokyo to Osaka
Tsukemen ramen restaurant becomes a hit with foreign tourists in Tokyo
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Studio Ghibli releases new Howl’s Moving Castle goods that capture the magic from the anime movie
Tokyo Space-out tournament draws nearly 100 competitors, finds who’s the best at doing nothing【Video】
Starbucks Japan reveals new Halloween goods for 2024, with black cats and a costumed Bearista
Starbucks Japan unveils Halloween Frappuccino for 2024, and it’s like drinking a magic spell
Studio Ghibli releases new insect whistle necklace from Nausicaä of the Valley of the WindStarbucks Japan unveils Halloween Frappuccino for 2024, and it’s like drinking a magic spell
Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno returning to anime with new project for 50-year-old franchiseTotoro sequel anime Mei and the Baby Catbus will screen at Ghibli Park this winterStudio Ghibli releases new Howl’s Moving Castle goods that capture the magic from the anime movieStarbucks Japan reveals new Halloween goods for 2024, with black cats and a costumed BearistaTsukemen ramen restaurant becomes a hit with foreign tourists in Tokyo
“Shibuya is closed for Halloween” – Hachiko to be covered, monitoring towers put up on October 31
Japanese izakaya serves up cheap breakfast…and morning drinks in Tokyo
Every piece of Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli anime concept art to be published in new book seriesJapanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spacesStudio Ghibli releases new insect whistle necklace from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
New Hello Kitty McDonald’s Japan Happy Meal toys are here, and Kitty’s sister is part of the setStarbucks Japan unveils Halloween Frappuccino for 2024, and it’s like drinking a magic spell
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Starbucks teams up with the oldest of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns to create a Bizen ware coffee mugEvangelion creator Hideaki Anno returning to anime with new project for 50-year-old franchiseTotoro sequel anime Mei and the Baby Catbus will screen at Ghibli Park this winter
Studio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion range
One of Tokyo’s most beautiful gardens gets its own moon for moon-viewing season
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in JapanJapanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Studio Ghibli releases new Howl’s Moving Castle goods that capture the magic from the anime movie
Tokyo Space-out tournament draws nearly 100 competitors, finds who’s the best at doing nothing【Video】
Starbucks Japan reveals new Halloween goods for 2024, with black cats and a costumed Bearista
Starbucks Japan unveils Halloween Frappuccino for 2024, and it’s like drinking a magic spell
Studio Ghibli reveals mystery hidden on coat of arms and outdoor signs at Ghibli Museum
Is the absolute closest conveyor belt sushi to Akihabara Station any good? Let’s find out!
This market is the birthplace of the “selfish” sashimi bowl, and it’s awesome【Photos】
Japan’s new “Immoral” gyoza will make your day and wreck your marriage【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan unveils New Year’s collection for 2024, with daruma, dragons and Mt Fuji for luck
Scientific study from Japan proves ninja hand gestures sharpen the mind and reduce stress
The top 5 ice creams you should try at Family Mart convenience stores in Japan this summer
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
