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Tokyo Motor Show set to reveal the new concept Toyota SF-R, which looks surprisingly like Pikachu

Oona McGee
Oct 12, 2015
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Since Toyota revealed details of its concept S-FR, set to make its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month, people in Japan have been picking their jaws up off the floor—but it’s got nothing to do with the car’s impressive specs or surprisingly low price point.

You see, the compact sports car looks astonishingly like Pikachu, the bright yellow electric rodent from the popular anime franchise Pokémon. And what’s even more surprising is that few people in the mainstream media are daring to comment on the astounding likeness.

Player recreates Pokémon Red video game within Minecraft

Aleisha Riboldi
Oct 12, 2015

It seems that there is nothing you can’t create within Minecraft. For the uninitiated, Minecraft is a video game where players create things out of blocks in a 3D cube world. It is self-described on the game’s website as “a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.” One genius player has gone to the extreme by recreating the video game Pokémon Red within Minecraft. It doesn’t get any meta than that.

Nobel Prize for Literature eludes Japan’s Haruki Murakami yet again, and he couldn’t care less

Audrey Akcasu
Oct 12, 2015

Winning a Nobel Prize is a pretty big deal, to put it lightly. Many people would even say that it is the most prestigious award out there. Knowing that, no one would ever call a Nobel Prize a nuisance, right? Well…

Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous authors to come out of Japan, is not really interested in winning a Nobel Prize and actually kind of wishes people would stop nominating him.

Nurse in China dubbed “Angel Nurse” for breastfeeding child during major surgery

KK Miller
Oct 12, 2015

When performing surgery on a patient, the ideal thing is to sedate them and complete the operation while they are lying still on the table. Unfortunately, there are situations where putting them under is out of the question. When young infants requires surgery, you often can’t fully anesthetize them because their bodies can’t handle it, which means the patient will often be awake or reacting to stimulus during the process.

When a baby was screaming during an operation in China, a nurse stepped in to calm the child down by breastfeeding the patient during surgery. The surgery was completed successfully and the father gave the nurse the nickname “Angel Nurse“. Join us for more details after the jump.

Meet Orizuru, the origami paper crane that can really fly 【Video】

Oona McGee
Oct 12, 2015

For one special little crane who thought he was destined for greater things than gathering dust on someone’s desk, dreams really can come true. The intricately folded origami bird proved that the sky’s the limit when it comes to development in Japan, as he was released to an enthralled audience of onlookers in Tokyo this week.

So how did the impossible become possible? We take a look at the video of the beautiful bird in flight and the team that gave him functional wings after the break.

Newly established Japan Ninja Council promises to be your one-stop website for all things ninja

Master Blaster
Oct 12, 2015

When you think of “cool Japan,” it’s hard to overlook ninjas, those stealthy spies and assassins with more tricks up their sleeve than a magician in a parka. And yet it seems these timeless icons of Japanese culture have largely been overlooked by the national government’s Cool Japan in favor of AKB48 spin-offs and abacuses.

So instead, a band of 11 Japanese governors and mayors have assembled to create the Japan Ninja Council (JNC) with the sole aim of reminding everyone how cool ninjas are. Having officially launched on 9 October they aim to collect every bit of information on ninjas, including their history and culture, and provide it to anyone who wants to learn more about these elusive figures.

Shinkansen: Evangelion Project will also open a café and goods store at JR Hakata Station

KK Miller
Oct 12, 2015

Thanks to Japan Rail West, we will soon be able to ride a Shinkansen train modeled after Shinji Ikari’s Evangelion unit. Details have been flowing in about the train itself, but what about the stations that will be receiving this special train? The most appropriate thing would be for Hakata Station or Shin-Osaka Station to redecorate itself to look like Neo Tokyo-3, but the futuristic decor might not be for everyone. Instead, Hakata Station will be opening two Evangelion-themed stores in order to fill all our needs for special Evangelion eats and goods!

Nadeshico Sushi restaurant challenges gender roles with all-female staff clad in kimono

Oona McGee
Oct 12, 2015

How many times has a woman made sushi for you at a sushi bar in Japan? If you answered ‘never’, you’re certainly not alone as the world of sushi is one that’s traditionally been dominated by men. While a number of female sushi chefs are working hard to change societal norms and stereotypes, there’s one special restaurant in Akihabara that’s taking things even further, with a sushi bar staffed entirely by women. From purchasing ingredients to preparing fish and making sushi, these ladies are looking to challenge the male-dominated profession, and they’re doing it all while dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

Get a taste of the Force with these two new Mets drinks from Kirin!

Kay
Oct 12, 2015

Here in Japan, people are just as excited about the new Star Wars movie coming out in December as the rest of the world. (Yes, this writer is all geared up to go see Episode VII in warm and comfy Darth Vader UGG boots come December.) People are so excited, in fact, that Kirin is releasing two Star Wars-themed carbonated drinks next month! Star Wars fans in Japan will be delighted to hear that the major Japanese beverage manufacturer is collaborating with the movie franchise in releasing the “Kirin Mets Red Force” and “Kirin Mets Blue Force” on November 10, and we think the concept behind the drinks is actually quite cool!

Introducing the delightfully strange “Bakeneko Festival,” full of kitty cosplayers

Mike
Oct 11, 2015

The bakeneko (“monstrous cat”) is but one of the many, many yokai of Japanese folklore. For centuries, Japanese people suspected that cats held mystical powers – due, it appears, both to cats’ aloof behavior and to the animals’ yokai-like physical features, such as their slit eyes and ability to move around silently. Even today, some elderly Japanese folks still harbor superstitions about cats.

One ability of the bakeneko, legend has it, is the ability to walk around on two legs (which we’ve actually seen demonstrated in real-life), which makes the yokai a fairly easy choice for cosplay. In fact, there’s a whole festival dedicated to bakeneko celebration and cosplay! And, before you ask, yes, of course we’re going to it.

Japanese tech company seeks to measure if 2-D crushes are more attractive than real-life models

Casey Baseel
Oct 11, 2015

It’s no secret that in Japan selling the fantasy of an anime or video game sweetheart is big business. But is everyone with a 2-D crush simply a lonely soul using the fictional character as a substitute for a lack of real-world interaction with the opposite sex, or do some people just prefer having a virtual romantic prospect? One Japanese technology company is aiming to find out, using the power of science.

Fan theory suggests the Pokémon world has a super dark history 【Video】

Mike
Oct 11, 2015

When you think Pokémon, you tend to think cutesy creatures fist-fighting and zapping each other with lightning until one of the creatures is “knocked out.” Also, you may think of widespread, real-world epileptic seizures and perhaps the moral complications of a world in which the local fauna are pitted against each other in fighting leagues, used as slave labor and also happily eaten, despite their astonishing intelligence, but maybe that’s a story for another day.

What you probably don’t associate with the series is a devastating intercultural war that has wiped out nearly the entire adult population, yet there appears to be some rather compelling evidence that that’s exactly what happened in the Pokémon world directly before the adventures of the first game…

Handy little Japanese invention removes kernels from your corn cob in seconds

Aleisha Riboldi
Oct 11, 2015

Are you looking for the perfect novelty gift for that special someone who already has everything? Do you hate getting corn stuck in your teeth? Then you’ll be glad to know that the Corn Peeler might just be the item you’ve been looking for, and it just might revolutionise the way you eat corn.

We make a Russian Kentucky Fried Chicken sushi ginger sandwich

Master Blaster
Oct 11, 2015

Our Japanese reporter Ahiruneko is an admitted gari (pickled ginger) maniac. Whenever he goes into a sushi restaurant he’s sure to polish off as much of the pink sweet and sour flakes as he does actual sushi. Yes, for Ahiruneko, sushi just wouldn’t be sushi without gari.

But one day he heard some troubling news. Word had it that Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Russia were selling a chicken sandwich topped with gari. “What are the Russians thinking?!” thought our reporter as he set out in search of these mythical creations…

What’s the difference between a “good” otaku and a “bad” otaku?

Casey Baseel
Oct 11, 2015

The word otaku has a long and complicated history in Japan. Originally, it was strictly a pejorative, a label used to mark those with an unhealthily intense interest in anime and other bits of minutiae-heavy hobbies. But while there are many who still use the word in that scathing sense, “otaku” has slowly built up another image as a badge of pride worn by those with a strong and enduring passion for the specific niches of art or technology that appeal to them.

That means that Japanese society, for arguably the first time, is starting to accept that being an otaku can be either a positive or a negative force in a person’ life. But what’s the difference between a good otaku and a bad otaku? One Japanese educator has an answer.

Crackers soaked in sea urchin available for a limited time, skull-rattlingly delicious

Master Blaster
Oct 10, 2015

I’d like to fancy myself a man of refined tastes. When I eat ice cream it certainly ought to be rose flavored. My colas? Well, they better be of an unexplained taste. And when it comes to crackers, I accept nothing less than those doused in the essence of sea urchins.

And now you can too! All you have to do is pick up a pack of Waza No Koda Wari Noko Uni Shoyu crackers at your local food vendor this winter season.

New Japanese-style Häagen-Dazs brings us chestnut and azuki red bean ice cream this fall

Oona McGee
Oct 10, 2015

Zeitaku is one of those lovely Japanese words that sounds as elegant as its meaning. As the word for luxury, it conjures up images of high-class ryokan accommodations with private outdoor rotenburo baths, multi-course kaiseki meals served by elegant ladies dressed in kimonos and extravagant purchases at department stores on the Ginza shopping strip.

While most of those luxuries are, sadly, out of reach for many of us, there’s one affordable item that comes to mind when Japanese people are looking for a bit of zeitaku when a friend decides to visit or as a treat after a long day. That small symbol of luxury is the rich, creamy ice cream of Häagen-Dazs, and now they’re releasing an amazing new chestnut and azuki red bean Japonais flavour to add a bit of class to the upcoming fall season.

Super Mario Maker level recreates intense Vocaloid hit with carefully positioned music blocks

Cara Clegg
Oct 10, 2015

Nintendo fans have been hard at work these past few weeks churning out all kinds of creative levels in Super Mario Maker for the Wii U. Even if you don’t have a copy of the game yourself, if you’re a fan of Mario you’ve no doubt had fun watching videos showcasing the mad-cap levels people have come up with and the rages of gamers trying to beat the hardest courses.

The level we’re showcasing today, however, focuses on not what an insanely tricky course looks like, but what you can do with music in the game by bringing Vocaloid into the Mario world.

We ask Japanese people about their favorite aspects of eight different cultures

Audrey Akcasu
Oct 10, 2015

We often hear about foreigners’ favorite parts of Japanese culture, like trains running on time and unparalleled customer service, but it’s not every day that we hear from Japanese people about their favorite parts of foreign cultures.

With that in mind, one of RocketNews24’s Japanese-language writers decided to interview a few well-traveled Japanese people and hear some of their favorite aspects of the different cultures they’ve experienced and how they compare to their own.

A week’s work on a Tibetan sand mandala, captured in eight mesmerizing minutes of video

Meg Murphy
Oct 10, 2015

Artwork takes many forms, from charcoal drawings to oil paintings, clay sculptures to wood carvings. All these types of mediums are durable in a sense, able to last many years if properly cared for. But what would you think of an artist who, after spending weeks on a project, purposefully destroys his masterpiece only a few days after its completion?

That is, in fact, part of the ritual of Tibetan sand mandala, which are symbols in Indian religions, particularly Buddhism, that symbolize the universe. Watch the incredible time-lapse video below of three Tibetan Buddhist monks as they labor away creating one of these beautiful, transient works of art!