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Can our Japanese writers guess what this pink soy sauce is by taste alone?【Video】

Preston Phro
Aug 1, 2015
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Soy sauce is delicious, and it’s by far one of our favorite condiments. It can enhance all manner of foods and make even something as boring as plain tofu delicious. But even as much as we love it, how well do we really know it? For example, could our gourmand Japanese writers figure out they were eating soy sauce even if it didn’t look like soy sauce?

This might seem like a silly question – and it definitely is! But it’s also a legitimate question thanks to the clever food processing skills of a company that also makes pink curry. So, do you think our food-loving writers will be able to identify pink soy sauce? Or will we have the last laugh? Find out below!

Disney to release ‘Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki’ Blu-ray set

Anime News Network
Jul 31, 2015

Disney announced on Thursday that it will release “The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki” Blu-ray box set. In addition to Miyazaki’s 11 feature films, the set will include a bonus disc with the 1972 television pilot film Yuki no Taiyō (Yuki’s Sun), three episodes of the 1972-1973 series Akado Suzunosuke (Little Samurai), and a video of Miyazaki’s retirement press conference.

How many Mentos can the human body handle with a gulp of cola? We experiment 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Jul 31, 2015

There are some food and beverage pairings pretty much everyone finds complementary. Wine and red meat. Milk and cookies. Draft beer and edamame soybeans.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are certain combinations we’ve learned to stay away from. Soda and Mentos, for example, are well-known to produce a volatile reaction if consumed together. But just where exactly is the human body’s threshold for these two incompatible mouth-mates?

Or, more specifically, where is RocketNews24 reporter P.K.’s body’s threshold?

Keep your life in order with this Sailor Moon day planner and its flip-book art

Casey Baseel
Jul 31, 2015

Sailor Moon is a busy girl. Along with having to juggle her responsibilities as both a regular junior high school student and the guardian of humanity, she’s got a packed social calendar of hanging out with her friends and going on dates with her boyfriend/helping him recover his senses from one of his worryingly frequent brainwashings.

If you’ve got a similarly large number of appointments to keep track of, maybe you could use a little help from this Sailor Moon day planner featuring dozens of stylish touches and flip-book art inspired by the franchise.

How to make Japan’s coolest summer snack: Onigirazu! 【Recipe & Video】

Evie Nyan
Jul 31, 2015

Everyone knows and loves onigiri, or rice balls. They’re the perfect portable snack, available in every conbini with a wide range of different fillings. But some of us have grown tired of the same old snack. Thus, the “onigirazu” was born! We’ll show you how to make it right here!

Snoopy Museum scheduled to open in Tokyo’s Roppongi

Casey Baseel
Jul 31, 2015

As the glitzy center of Tokyo’s nightlife scene, Roppongi is best known for its high-profile dance clubs, high-class restaurants, and high-cover charge bars. But even if you’ve got no interest in dancing, dining, or drinking, there’s a new attraction coming to the neighborhood: the Snoopy Museum.

Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward to begin legally recognizing same-sex partnerships

Meg Murphy
Jul 31, 2015

In a landmark move last February, Shibuya Ward in Tokyo announced it would begin legally officiating same-sex partnerships, giving gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples. While the movement, set to begin in October this year, has received some scrutiny, it has also seen plenty of support.

Now, in what may be the beginning of a domino effect, one of Shibuya’s neighboring wards, Setagaya, has also announced that it will be offering the same legal recognition to same-sex couples, beginning this November.

Don’t like the new Digimon character designs? Look like one of the old ones with Taichi’s goggles

Casey Baseel
Jul 31, 2015

With Digimon returning to the world of anime after a 15-year break, you’d think fans of the original series, which aired in 1999 and 2000, would be uniformly ecstatic. Nostalgia is a funny thing, though, and while some are glad to have the cast of kids and digital monsters back in any form, others are unhappy that the human characters look different from how they did in the original TV show.

Unless you’re a producer for the upcoming Digimon Adventure tri. movie series, though, there’s not much you can do about the onscreen visuals, except maybe sign a petition denouncing the new artwork. On the other hand, you can choose to make yourself look more like the classic Digimon cast with a pair of these goggles, modeled after lead character Taichi’s.

Awesome retro faceplate turns your New Nintendo 3DS into an old-school Game & Watch

Philip Kendall
Jul 31, 2015

With its Super Famicom-esque face buttons, the New Nintendo 3DS is already rocking the retro in a big way. But if you’d like your portable console to look even more old-school, this fully functional Game & Watch-themed faceplate from Japanese gadget and accessory maker Colombus Circle is sure to do the trick!

Sanrio mascots promote pacifism on 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender

Anime News Network
Jul 31, 2015

On August 14, 1945, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Forces it would come to be known as V-J Day before signing the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender but the anniversary is also in the midst of debate over constitutional revisions with criticism honed in on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Sanrio has seemingly voiced its option, albeit through the mouths of its popular mascots, in the latest issue of the company’s Ichigo Shimbun magazine. The magazine includes an article reflecting on the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and is titled “Let’s think about what we can do for peace” with a sub-headline reading “No more war!” It calls for readers to research war through popular media and the memories of those who lived during that time.

Wonder Festival Summer 2015 figure exhibition completely dominated by hot male swordsmen

Scott Wilson
Jul 30, 2015

Japan loves showing off the reasons why it is the king of the plastic model world. Two months ago we saw some amazing creations at the Amazing Japan Model Expo 2015, and now this month that tradition is continuing with Wonder Festival Summer 2015, an exhibition for artists to show off their sculpted creations.

But there’s something special about Wonder Festival. Whereas other plastic model exhibits focus on scantily clad female figures, Wonder Festival was completely dominated by sculptures of male characters, ranging from the dashing and handsome to the outright seductive.

Curious to see what an exhibit full of these plastic hunks is like? Read on!

Metal Gear Solid composer talks Konami fall out

Anime News Network
Jul 30, 2015

By now, the video gaming community is all but painfully aware of the sudden divorce between game director Hideo Kojima and game developer Konami. Solid Snake himself has even tweeted the fact that studio Kojima Productions has been disbanded, the studio logo having been removed from advertisement posters for the upcoming title, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

The fastest way to open an onigiri will only take one second 【Video】

KK Miller
Jul 30, 2015

There isn’t enough praise we can give to Japanese convenience stores because they provide exactly what their name suggests, convenience. They stock all sorts of snack foods, expertly pre-prepared meals, and a wide selection of delicious rice balls. Those tasty onigiri are the perfect snack, portable, tasty and with very little waste.

But sometimes you are just so hungry that you need to be eating that onigiri right then and there. You try to quickly open the package, but it all just gets mangled instead. Fear not! RocketNews24 will show you how to open an onigiri in only one second. You won’t want to miss this video after the jump.

Creative shark exhibit ad for Osaka aquarium goes viral on Twitter

Jamie Koide
Jul 30, 2015

Thanks to movies like Jaws and the rare instances of human shark attacks, most people don’t conjure up images like the friendly-looking guy above when they think about sharks.

To clear up much of the misconceptions and misinformation surrounding these sea creatures, the Discovery Channel began airing a weeklong marathon of shark-based programing, named Shark Week, in 1988. Celebrating over 15 years of annual shark science documentaries and mockumentaries in the summer, it’s gone on to be the longest running cable television event in history.

But this July, after the Discovery Channel finished up its Shark Week marathon in the U.S., Japan soon took up the baton with the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan’s Shark World event that began July 17. In order to attract attention the aquarium has been putting up a number of poster advertisements around stations and on trains, leaving those that spotted the ad feeling consumed by surprise.

New Attack on Titan collaboration takes the fight to unwanted body hair

Oona McGee
Jul 30, 2015

Fans of the hit anime Attack on Titan may also know it by its original Japanese title, Shingeki no Kyojin, which literally translates to “Advancing Giants.”

Giants aren’t the only thing advancing upon us, though, because now there’s an unusual advertising campaign announcing the arrival of Shingeki no Bijin, or Advancing Beauties, and the war we’re fighting is the war on body hair.

Could the 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo possibly be plagiarized?

Jamie Koide
Jul 30, 2015

Last Friday the logo was revealed for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was received with mixed reviews, with many of the opinion that the aesthetic thought that went into the logo wasn’t quite as deep as the message behind it.

As if there wasn’t already enough debate about the execution of the logo design itself, now there are rumors that the design could possibly be a plagiarization of the work of French designer Oliver Debie.

Crazy new Mos burger is covered in sauce, has a lineage that spans the globe

Casey Baseel
Jul 30, 2015

While everyone has his or her own preference on what ingredients make for a great burger, we can all pretty much agree on the proper construction method, right? Bread on the top and bottom, meat, vegetables, and condiments in between has pretty much been the standard for as long as anyone can remember.

Japanese hamburger outfit Mos Burger has been shaking up the burger blueprint this summer, though. This month, the chain released a burger that replaces its bun with two thick slices of tomato, and next month Mos is set to launch something equally unusual: a burger covered entirely in sauce, even on the outside!

Ads for JR’s “Seishun 18” rail pass celebrate the isolated beauty of Japan’s most far-flung stations

Mike
Jul 30, 2015

It seems so easy to plan an entire Japan vacation around a single tour of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The mega city has just about everything a tourist could possibly want to see, from Akihabara’s blinding neon to the breathtaking skyline of Yokohama, to the quiet, old-world charm (and weird poop sculpture) of Asakusa.

But to not venture away from Tokyo, to Japan’s more far-flung and lesser-known destinations is to rob yourself of the grander Japan experience, and Japan Rail (JR) has long sought to encourage visitors, both domestic and foreign, to wander off the beaten path with the Seishun 18 unlimited rail pass. And, if the idea of unlimited access to JR’s vast and far-reaching network of tracks isn’t enough to inspire your sense of adventure on your next Japan visit, perhaps these ads for the Seishun 18 rail pass, which depict the isolated beauty of some of Japan’s most remote train stations, will be.

Beijing to enact “Good Person Protection Ordinance”

Master Blaster
Jul 30, 2015

In a lot of major cities around the world, people are hesitant to get involved when they see an injured person. After all, if movies have taught us one thing, it’s that the people who go to check on the fallen hero are often the first to get picked off by a terminator or Mike Myers in hot pursuit.

At best stopping to assist someone with a wound will likely set you off on a journey that Peter Travers of Rolling Stone calls “an rip-roaring, edge-of-your-seat adventure” and seriously, who has time for all that?

That might be why Good Samaritans are hard to come by in big cities everywhere, and in Beijing the government is looking to change that by offering protections in what is casually being referred to as the Good Person Protection Ordinance. However, rather than killbots and monsters, this measure will protect helpful souls from a much more real threat.

We bought a piece of a real, launched rocket for only 500 yen, and you can too! 【Pics】

Krista Rogers
Jul 30, 2015

Do you have any aspiring astronauts, astronomers, aeronauts, or cosmologists in the house? If so, you’ve just stumbled upon the perfect birthday gift for said person.

For only 500 yen (US$4.05), you can now purchase legitimate fragments of a Japan-launched rocket being sold under the moniker uchuu gacha (“space capsules”). In fact, it’s such a good deal that we just had to buy one for ourselves!