Japanese women of Twitter show off legs to encourage men working over Golden Week holidays

It’s Golden Week in Japan! Aside from New Year’s, these precious vacation days at the end of April/beginning of May are the longest stretches of time in a row that most people get off from work. Unless, of course, you don’t get the time off work because you’re too busy. Then your Golden Week is typically spent crying to yourself at your desk and watching people have fun outside your window.

But not this year! Women all over Twitter have teamed up to create a hashtag devoted to cheering up men stuck in the office over Golden Week: #ShowLegToShowSupportForSalarymen. If you’re stuck at work too, then feel free to join the fun and take a look as well… just as long as no one’s watching the slightly NSFW tweets on your computer.

Read More

Notice me, Kitty! Adoring cockatoo’s three-year campaign to win the heart of the cat it loves

If you’ve got any experience of the dating world, then you probably know how much it sucks when someone you like doesn’t like you back.

Generally, most people tend to give up at this point and move on, but when Mai-san the cockatoo first laid her beady eyes on handsome Ku-san the cat, she knew she had to make him notice her, even if it took years of hard work…

Read More

Dojinshi fans worry trade pact could be the end of Comiket, but is the fear founded in reality?

Whether you call it Comic Market, Comiket, or Comike, the twice-a-year event is the largest gathering of creators and fans of dojinshi, Japanese self-published comics. Each iteration of Comiket draws hundreds of thousands of otaku to its venue at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center.

Something else that’s known by more than one name is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. A proposed trade agreement between a dozen nations, including Japan and the U.S., the legislation is more commonly referred to by the acronym TPP in the Japanese media.

As negotiations between the U.S. and Japan continue, some anime and manga fans are worrying that the Trans-Pacific Partnership/TPP could be disastrous for Comic Market/Comiket/Comike, but just how justified are these fears?

Read More

Ghibli’s Spirited Away film shrunk into 5-minute, 8-bit video

CineFix’s 8-Bit Cinema feature has turned plenty of popular films into video game-style videos likeTitanic, The Fast and the Furious, and The Walking Dead. On Tuesday, the group uploaded a version of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli‘s award-winning film Spirited Away, with a MIDI-version of Joe Hisaishi‘s score to boot. Much of the film’s story is condensed into a quick five minutes and is transformed into 8-bit and “a little bit of 16-bit” art.

Read More

Nissan GT-R driver crashes into pole, disintegrates car’s front quarter, somehow survives 【Video】

If you’re into sports cars, there’s a lot to like about Nissan’s R35 GT-R, such as its tremendous grip and ridiculous power. But if I’m being totally honest and picky, it’s a little large and heavy for my tastes, seeing as how it tips the scales at 1,740 kilograms (3,828 pounds). No matter how much torque the engine is making, there’s just something that feels good about a lightweight car, you know?

But this video shows there’s an easy way to solve that issues: Just crash your GT-R headfirst into a streetlamp at 170 kilometers (106 miles) an hour, and watch the excess weight and space disintegrate!

Read More

Takashi Miike’s live-action Terra Formars anime adaptation casts its lead actor

As Japan’s biggest anime and manga hits become increasingly mainstream in their popularity, more and more of them are getting live-action adaptations. One of the latest series tapped for the transition is Terra Formars, the sci-fi action manga from writer Yu Sasuga and Kenichi Tachibana.

The first major news about the project came in February, when it was announced that Takashi Miike will direct, and now the live-action Terra Formars has found its star.

Read More

Animated short sends a strong message about our smartphone addiction 【Video】

How many of you are guilty of walking around outdoors with your eyes glued to your phone as you check your email and social networks? Playing games when you should be focusing in class? What about texting one-handed while driving? For all the positive advancements smartphones have brought to our society, it’s impossible to deny that they’ve also brought with them a slew of new problems.

Students at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts have created a short, satirical cartoon depicting modern society’s smartphone addiction. There is no dialogue, but the video voices its message very clearly.

Read More

Halal ramen comes to Tokyo with Asakusa restaurant, and it’s so good anyone will enjoy it

For decades, the international perception of ramen was that it was something for lazy college students to buy in bulk for when they wanted a quick, hot meal, with only minimal thought given to flavor or presentation. And while ramen does sometimes take that form, assuming it’s all like that is sort of like basing your whole image of pizza on microwavable frozen varieties.

Thankfully, there’s a ramen renaissance going on, as the rest of the world is getting onboard with just how delicious Japan’s favorite noodle dish can be. In response, some restaurants in Japan are adapting to make their food more accessible to foreign visitors, such as this restaurant in Tokyo that serves halal ramen.

Read More

Worn-out stubby pencils got you down? Bring them new life with TSUNAGO!

We’ve all been there: the pencil that you’ve been using for weeks, maybe even months, has finally been sharpened down to a barely usable nub. It’s a pain to use, but at the same time, it’s an even bigger pain to have to get new pencils. Or maybe you feel bad throwing out a perfectly good, if incredibly awkward to hold, pencil.

But not anymore! Japanese company Nakajima Jukyudo has recently released TSUNAGO, a “pencil rejuvenator” that turns small pencil stubs back into fully functional pencils. How exactly does it work? Check out the video to see how the magic is done!

Read More

Squid ink toaster oven pizza released by Nippon Ham

I’m sure we can all remember those happy childhood days when Mom would go into the kitchen to wrestle a squid. The sound of tentacles swishing through the air and muffled curse words could mean only one thing: Squid Ink Pizza for dinner!

But now, having grown up into the cold world of adulthood, that simple joy of Mom’s homemade squid ink pizza has fallen by the wayside. Luckily, Nippon Ham has stepped in to help take us back to those days with their new Squid Ink Pizza.

Could a toaster oven pizza from the supermarket capture such a familiar taste of home? We bought one to find out!

Read More

Smoking may be bad, but these tobacco art creations are nothing short of fab!

Smoking is commonly seen as a vice, health hazard, and sometimes a dangerous weapon, and in the eyes of most non-smokers, smoking has virtually zero benefits — be it to the person smoking, the people around them, or, well, pretty much the entire universe.

However, if there was one thing related to smoking that smokers and non-smokers alike could enjoy, it would probably these tobacco art pieces made out of nothing but cigarettes!

Read More

Haven’t seen enough videos about weird Japanese things yet this week? No problem, you’ve come to the right place.

The other day, Diagonal View, a company dedicated to creating and managing online video content, released a video of what they’ve deemed as “The Top 5 Weirdest Japanese Videos.” We’e seen some pretty weird stuff over the years here at RocketNews24, so what could the “top 5” possibly be??

Read More

Galaga x Tekken crossover app previewed in video

The official YouTube channel for the Tekken franchise began streaming a promotional video for Galaga Tekken, a free smartphone game app that was first teased as an April Fools’ Day joke.

Read More

Time to get a Gundam haircut at this barber shop guarded by a team of mobile suits

It’s said that barbers’ poles, with their interlaced contrasting stripes, are a holdover from the Middle Ages, with the red and white symbolizing blood and bandages. In those days, the field of surgery was still at such an early stage in its development that the guy who cut hair would also handle operations and amputations. After all, cutting was cutting, right?

In our modern era, though, you’d never think of asking your doctor to take a little off the sides, nor would you trust your hairdresser to remove a tumor. So isn’t it time for barber shops to get a new symbol, like this one in Aomori with a compliment of giant Gundam statues hanging around outside?

Read More

New developments at Tokyo Disney Resort announced, plans include Frozen port in Tokyo Disney Sea!

© Disney

If you’ve been waiting for Disney to come up with new ideas to make their parks at Tokyo Disney Resort even more awesome than they already are, then your wish has just been answered! That’s right, Disney fans will have something big to look forward to as several new themes for the redevelopment of both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea were announced this week. And not surprisingly, part of the plans include a new area with a Frozen theme (we were wondering when that was coming). So, let’s see what Disney has in store for us.

Read More

Conbini-talk with Mr. Sato: How to make a convenience store snack 100 times more delicious

Japan’s convenience store- (conbini) littered landscape is a breeding ground for competition, and with that comes increasingly more delicious food and drink in an increasingly wider variety.

This shouldn’t be news to anyone who lives in Japan, but our self-confessed conbini connoisseur Mr. Sato says he has developed a way to make one of their snacks 100 more delicious than its regularly sold.

Read More

Japan tops list of countries with shrinking population projection, but no one’s surprised

As you may have heard, the Japanese population has taken a turn for the older…and the smaller. In fact, it has even topped a list of five countries facing “extinction” according to Sputnik Japan. The statistics have got a lot of people talking online, and we’re here to share all the tongue-wagging with you!

Read More

Japanese dentistry association says don’t hesitate to brush right after you eat

That might not sound like a shocking headline for those of us whom have been taught to brush right after every meal from an early age. But recent reports from the past decade have been suggesting something different.

Articles from the Mayo Clinic, Colgate, and New York Times among others have been advocating waiting 30 to 60 minutes after eating to brush. Apparently the delayed brushing movement has gotten so strong that parents Japan are beginning to complain to schools making children brush their teeth right after lunch time.

So the Japan Society of Pediatric Dentistry (JSPD) issued a statement telling everyone to not believe the hype and that it’s actually in your best interest to brush right away.

Read More

Marshmallow girls want to cosplay too! Plus-size costumes to be released next fall

Over the past couple of years there has been something a revolution in the perception and treatment of chubby girls in Japan. With the coining of the term “Marshmallow Girl,” plus-sized girls across Japan have been gaining confidence and options in the fashion world. There is now a fashion and beauty magazine dedicated to these girthy girls and even an idol group!

Although the fashion world is slowly coming around to providing for these larger-than-average young ladies, there are still holes in certain sectors, like cosplay. “Marshmallow girls” can rejoice, however, as a special line of plus-size costumes is due to be released this fall.

Read More

China’s ‘Rent-a-Foreigner’ industry is booming

Foreigners are being hired to pose as celebrities by Chinese real estate developers to help agents sell property in “ghost towns” by making them appear more animated and worldly, according to a new mini-documentary released by the New York Times.

Thanks to China’s overzealous property development, the supply of luxury apartment complexes in some of China’s most rural areas has far exceeded demand. But that doesn’t stop the sales pitches.

The Times’ David Borenstein traveled to provincial West China where he found firms that specialized in recruiting groups of expatriates who they would then rent out to attend events, the majority of which are hosted by real estate companies.

Read More

  1. 1
  2. ...
  3. 1270
  4. 1271
  5. 1272
  6. 1273
  7. 1274
  8. 1275
  9. 1276
  10. ...
  11. 1733