Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Whether our parents like it or not, food is an art form. Playing with food is awesome, and we’ve seen some spectacular examples of shaved-ice masterpieces, printed designs onto food, or corgi omelets.
But if you’ve been looking for a quick, easy artistic recipe you can do at home, look no further. Get ready to make the cutest little appetizers you’ve ever seen: fried poodles.
Along with its naked giants and high-flying fight scenes, anime and manga mega hit Attack on Titan is defined by its oppressively bleak atmosphere. Its world is one in which not only do rampaging monsters want to eat you, the ruling aristocracy is ready to kick you out of the walled city if you’re too big a drain on its resources.
Compelling as its story may be, after spending enough time in that setting, even fans of the series could find themselves needing a stiff drink. If so, they might want to reach for a glass of the soon-to-be-released Attack on Titan plum wine.
There’s a lot to love about Tokyo. Aside from the sheer energy of being the most bustling metropolis in Japan, it’s home to some amazing modern attractions, like the Skytree, Ebisu Beer Museum, and RocketNews24 offices.
Still, even we can appreciate the occasional longing for a simpler, slower-paced time. Thankfully, even if you don’t have a time machine, as long as you have access to the capital’s outstanding public transportation network, you can catch a glimpse of Japan’s traditional rural lifestyle at this beautiful open-air museum of thatched-roof houses that’s an easy half-day trip from Tokyo.
The city of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, home to the impressive Toshogu Shrine and its famous evil-averse monkeys, is a popular choice for day trips from Tokyo, what with its World Heritage sites and easy train connections. But if all you’re doing is popping in for an afternoon of temple hopping, you are missing out on a lot of what Nikko has to offer. Take our advice and take a couple of days to check out what everybody else is missing.
When Anthony Minko was designing his new office in Brooklyn, the estate planning attorney knew that it needed to feel calm and supportive.
After all, a place where people talked about what will happen after they die should feel secure.
So Minko — who had studied the spend idly slow martial art tai chi — hired RD Chin, a New-York based feng shui architect.
We’ve talked before about handy Japanese words and phrases we wish we could toss around in English. This kind of linguistic jealousy doesn’t flow in just one direction, though. Japanese businesspeople regularly make use of a number of English phrases, either because they’re more concise, precise, or just sound cooler to their ears than their Japanese counterparts.
Sometimes, though, knowing English isn’t enough to understand these loanwords, since their pronunciations can get pretty garbled in the transition from English to Japanese speakers. Feeling confident in your ability to translate English translated into Japanese back into English? Read on and see how many you can decipher.
Did you know that in the United States, you can buy an apple, literally eat it all the way down to the core, and then return the core for a refund? It’s like free apples every day.
Okay, so that’s a little far-fetched; pretty much everybody in the US would go out of business if you could just return everything when you were done using it. But it’s true that, comparatively speaking, return policies stateside can heavily favor the consumer. With the exception of certain goods, you can return most things still in decent condition as long as you remembered to keep the receipt.
And that’s just one of the quirks about various countries of the world revealed in this adorably peppy Taiwanese video:
Having a hard time coming up with a cool gift idea? Wanting to create something fun and uniquely yours? Why not try your hand at glass-etching! It might sound a bit daunting, but as some Twitter users in Japan are finding, it’s a lot easier than expected, and a lot of fun to make your own anime (or anything!) goods. All you need are a few basic items, a steady hand, and some helpful tips to make your own awesome, customized etched glass! Follow us after the jump to get started.
It is common for such establishments as restaurants and movie theatres to offer student discounts, senior discounts, and the like to its patrons, and one Tokyo bar even offers balding gentlemen money off their booze. But one restaurant in China has decided to offer a free meal only to those deemed beautiful enough.
Each person has their own tastes and preferences of what they find attractive, so if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how does the restaurant go about judging who gets their dinner gratis?
I love shopping online; nothing beats shopping at a mega sale sans the crazy crowds and long queues. In fact, I’ve gotten so accustomed to shopping for clothes, accessories, appliances and even manga online, these days when I step into an actual store I feel kind of lost and confused.
Having purchased from various online retailers based across the globe, I think I’ve had my fair share of browsing through all sorts of web stores, yet none of them managed to crack me up like this Korean online shop I stumbled upon a couple of days ago. Think along the lines of kidney bean shoes and dresses with gyoza necklines. Sounds ridiculous, but it’ll all make sense when you see the pictures after the break!
No Hollywood special effects, no magician’s helper, heck, not even any mystical kung-fu powers here. All it took for this Shaolin monk in China to walk on water was practice, practice and more practice! That said, running across hundreds of metres of wooden panels placed on the surface of a lake is definitely not a feat that any layman could achieve without proper training, a high level of fitness and immense concentration.
If you’re an animal lover, you can probably find something to like in even mother nature’s less visually appealing species. Slightly defective cats are basically the kings of the internet, after all. But we were shocked to find that some of Japan’s Twitter users have been mercilessly mocking a certain species of black bear for being “super creepy and gross.” C’mon, guys, it’s a bear! Bears are cute! Or at least, that’s what we thought until we saw the pictures…it turns out that there’s a certain kind of bear out there that’s just, well, kind of a major dork.
Don’t believe us? Check out this gallery of awkwardness! It’s un-bear-able!
Okay, we know there are plenty of Sailor Moon goods out there, but for those of you who can’t get enough of the pretty soldiers, we have some more moon prism power studded goodies to share with you! This time, they’re additions to the line of precious looking Sailor Moon Pullip dolls that we’ve previously introduced, and we think the dolls may captivate you with their charm even if you’re not a Sailor Moon fan!
Who doesn’t love a good mashup? We’ve seen some great ones before: Pokémon turned into Godzilla monsters, Doraemon turned into Dragon Ball, even Crayon Shin-chan turned into Attack on Titan.
But when it comes to sheer quantity of mashups, the clear winner is MOUNTAIN GRAPHICS, a company that sells t-shirts and other goods with cute and cool designs on them. They have over 900 pictures on their Twitter and Instagram account of mashed-up characters from video games, anime, and more.
Ever wanted to see Mario and PaRappa the Rapper fused together? Or Bomberman and Hello Kitty? Hoe about Bowser and Cthulhu? Well today’s your lucky day!
In 2014, Dr. Shuji Nakamura, along with two other scientists, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work in creating bright blue LEDs. In 1993, Nakamura held only a master’s degree and worked with just one lab assistant for a small manufacturer in rural Japan, yet he was able to find a solution that had eluded some the highest paid, best-educated researchers in the world.
If his story ended there, he would no doubt be the poster boy for Japanese innovation and never-say-die spirit, but in the years since his discovery, he has instigated a landmark patent case, emigrated to the US, given up his Japanese citizenship and become a vocal critic of his native country. Last week, the prickly professor gave his first Japanese press conference since picking up his Nobel and he had some very succinct advice for young Japanese: Leave.
Keiunkan Inn in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for holding the Guinness World Record for being “The oldest hotel in the world”. Established in 705 A.D., it boasts such notable former guests as daimyo Takeda Shingen, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and numerous emperors of Japan.
The inn itself is located in the southern alps of Yamanashi Prefecture, nestled in lush valleys in the very heart of nature. It’s the perfect location for escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life. What’s more, the inn is built upon prime hot springs ground, which means guests are able to enjoy numerous open-air and communal hot spring baths. Each room’s shower, bath and sink facilities are fed by pure hot spring water, which is neither treated nor heated by any artificial means. In fact, except for the toilets, the entire inn uses the hot springs water in its daily running, which makes it a very special and luxurious place to visit.
Our reporter, Yoshio, decided to book a stay in “the oldest hotel in the world” in order to share his experiences with the good readers of RocketNews24. Read on for many, many gorgeous photos of his trip!
These days, one of the quickest and most popular methods for stocking a video game with a cast of attractive anime-style characters is to pick a class of item and anthropomorphize the heck out of it. There’s currently no hotter mobile game than Kantai Collection, in which players command a fleet of pretty girls who’re all modeled after World War II-era Japanese warships. If naval history isn’t your thing, you can also find titles featuring comely cars and moe mushrooms.
There’s a new entry in the subgenre though, and judging from its all-pretty boy roster of characters, it’s been designed with female otaku gamers in mind. As such, it’s no surprise that the men of Touken Ranbu are all based on something long and hard…plus sharp, as they’re all anthropomorphized swords.
As we reported earlier in the week, Islamic State militants are currently holding two Japanese nationals hostage. The militants have said that the men will be executed within 72 hours unless the Japanese government pays a ransom of US$200 million, something that seems highly unlikely to happen.
With this being a rather sensitive subject, many people were extremely shocked and angry when Japanese morning television show Mezamashi Television went on air with a “ticker” onscreen counting how much time had passed since the demands were made.
Universal Studios Japan is formally opening its new Attack on Titan attraction on Friday. “Attack on Titan The Real” is part of the Universal Cool Japan event (along with Evangelion, Resident Eviland Monster Hunter) which will run between January 23 and May 10. Musician and well-knownEvangelion fan HYDE was among the celebrities who attended Thursday’s opening ceremony. TheMainichi Shinbun paper’s MaiDiGi filmed the opening:
“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
Clear tonkotsu ramen becomes a cult hit at “Ramen Runway” in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases new insect whistle necklace from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno returning to anime with new project for 50-year-old franchise
A beautiful night in the Hokkaido woods with immersive Ainu folktale Kamuy Lumina【Photos】
McDonald’s Japan brings out new sweet potato caramel chocolate pies for autumn
Starbucks Japan releases first flower drink in exclusive, hard-to-find chilled cup series
Studio Ghibli releases new Totoro and Jiji blankets to keep you cosy this winter
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spacesStudio Ghibli releases new insect whistle necklace from Nausicaä of the Valley of the WindEvangelion creator Hideaki Anno returning to anime with new project for 50-year-old franchise
Japanese government wants to acquire original anime and manga art for creation of national archive
After 21 years, Harajuku’s famous Lolita fashion and cosplay shop is permanently closing
Pizza Hut Japan creates Landmine-type Pizza to celebrate Japan’s dark jirai-kei fashion
KFC Genshin Impact fried chicken combo meals now on sale in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases cute new blanket socks for winter
Kyoto becomes City of Yokai, with Night Parade of One Hundred Demons festival this autumn
We try to buy a retro Japanese coin-operated arcade machine at this secondhand shop near TokyoJapanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Studio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion range
New Hello Kitty McDonald’s Japan Happy Meal toys are here, and Kitty’s sister is part of the setStudio Ghibli releases new insect whistle necklace from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
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 franchise
One of Tokyo’s most beautiful gardens gets its own moon for moon-viewing season
Right now is the peak time to go to Tokyo’s most-beautiful-view beer garden【Photos】
Pizza Hut adds a “Guilty Secret” sandwich to its menu for a limited time
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 closedPrincesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in JapanJapanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
A beautiful night in the Hokkaido woods with immersive Ainu folktale Kamuy Lumina【Photos】
McDonald’s Japan brings out new sweet potato caramel chocolate pies for autumn
Starbucks Japan releases first flower drink in exclusive, hard-to-find chilled cup series
Studio Ghibli releases new Totoro and Jiji blankets to keep you cosy this winter
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Mr. Pringles, as Japan knows him, will change face and even emote on future packaging
KFC Genshin Impact fried chicken combo meals now on sale in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Studio Ghibli releases cute new blanket socks for winter
This non-sweet matcha treat is one of our new favorite Kyoto snack souvenirs【Taste test】
Osaka zookeeper caught stealing chimpanzees’ food
The last of the Mohican-hairstyle-wearing people still lining up for iPhones
Goku’s voice actress’ voice to be converted to AI for “non-acting” projects in Japanese, English
