Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Three-dimensional character bread, called chigiri-pan, is currently trending on Japanese Instagram under the tag #3Dちぎりパン. These upright, puffy loaves are handcrafted by artistic bakers with more than a pinch of creativity and dollops of love. We’ve already spied loaves in the shape of some popular Disney, Ghibli, San-X, and Moomin characters, among others. Perhaps one of the following creations will inspire you to try your hand at making some chigiri-pan for yourself!
In Japan, not only is sliced salmon a dinnertime staple, but it’s a cute mascot and candy too. And salmon also has one other crazy property that sets it apart from all other fish: it can still swim around even after it’s been sliced into cutlets. Apparently…
But while all of us adults know that’s not possible, some kids might not, and one Japanese television show decided to do an experiment to see how kids would react to swimming cuts of cooked salmon. Do the kids know where the fish on their plate actually comes from? Watch the video to find out!
There was an overflow of talent, skilled dancers, and amazing performances at the World of Dance competition held in Los Angeles last month, but this boy’s dance group from Japan made a particularly strong impression on the audience. Not only were their moves awe-inspiring and beautifully synchronized, but the fact that everyone in the group was of high school age or younger made their dance all the more incredible.
Watch the full video below and be blown away by the high-flying flips, spins, and awesome soundtrack!
Of all the cool dance videos we’ve seen this summer, the one by the Dancing Strawhats and Koharu Sugawara was perhaps our favorite. The video did an excellent job of mixing contemporary dance and music with traditional scenery and clothing, and it was this juxtaposition that really captured our attention.
A new video by another group of contemporary dancers has captured our attention today, but this time it features Kiyomizu-dera, one of Japan’s most famous temples, and some lovely music by an incredibly talented koto player. We are in love with this video and we bet you will be too!
So we all know that Shiba Inu are the cutest dogs ever. But what happens when you have a pet that isn’t a Shiba Inu? Do you dress them up in cosplay? Conduct adorable experiments on them?
How about just turning them into Shiba Inu instead? That’s what happened to one Japanese Twitter user, who accidentally had his Pomeranian groomed to look like Shiba Inu. He posted the photos of the adorable aftermath for everyone to see, pretty much proving that if you believe hard enough, anyone can become a Shiba Inu.
A critical darling, Ghost in the Shell may well be one of the most beloved anime in history. Its compelling story, engaging characters and beautiful art all combine to make one of the most exciting franchises we can name, so it’s little surprise that 25 years after its release, the film remains a fan favorite to this day.
In celebration of the first film and the entire franchise, a special product has been announced: a limited-edition series of ukiyo-e prints featuring images from Ghost in the Shell! But when we say limited-edition, we really do mean limited — only 300 copies will be made!
And they won’t come cheap either…
The English and Japanese-language teams at RocketNews24 have entered into a strange sort of competition, as they try to one-up each other with foods that don’t look anything like they should. The English side fired the opening salvo in this war of the eyes vs. the taste buds with a sneaky pink soy sauce taste test, and now our intrepid Japanese reporter Mr. Sato has decided that revenge is a dish best served sweet with this cake from a Tokyo bakery that looks exactly like a pizza.
Japan attracts all kinds of people from all over the world. Some come to work, others come to play, and thanks to its relatively low crime levels, high standard of living and abundance of delicious food, Japan is a very easy place to call home for a while. Plus, isn’t Japan where all those anime, video games and ninjas come from? It’s got to be worth a visit!
But today, instead of talking about the myriad things Japan has to offer visitors, we’re going to have a bit of fun by taking a closer look at some of the visitors themselves. You might not encounter each of these five types of people if you’re staying in Japan for just a couple of weeks, but if you’re here for work or an extended sojourn, then you’re bound to meet at least a couple of them along the way…
On September 2, Kurand Sake Market opened a new shop in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. This location is a sister branch to the original Kurand Sake Market which opened earlier this year in Ikebukuro, where sake lovers can sample 100 varieties of sake for 3,000 yen (US$24.64) per person with no time limit.
The Asakusa branch invited curious members of the media in for a sneak peek before its grand opening to the public, so we promptly sent our sake-loving reporters Mr. Sato, a veteran of the Ikebukuro shop, and Sailor Venus-cosplaying reporter extraordinaire Yoshio to check things out. But rather than write their opinions for each of the 30 individual brands they sampled, which would undoubtedly become tedious after a while, they decided to create a handy visual guide so that you can gauge their reactions to each cup with a picture, thus eliminating any language barriers in the process. Let the sake festivities begin!
Online console gaming has been thriving for over a decade now, and ostensibly it should have brought gamers from all over the world into contact with one another as competitors and co-op teammates. In practice, though, regional differences in preferred genres, aesthetics, and overall play styles have meant that Japanese and Western gamers haven’t crossed paths all that terribly often.
At least until Nintendo released Splatoon this year for the Wii U, that is. Combining the team-based shooter Western gamers have so embraced with the colorful quirkiness that their Japanese counterparts have always been fond of, Splatoon’s popularity is bridging the oceans. This is giving overseas Inklings a chance to play with gamers in Japan…or to complain about them online and devise strategies to avoid them.
On the afternoon of 3 September, a 59-year-old man walked into a shopping mall in Higashi Ward, Nagoya. He then grabbed two packs of roast pork from a supermarket and concealed them as he began to leave the premises without paying. A security guard had noticed the act of petty shoplifting, however, and a chase quickly ensued.
The perpetrator was no match for the younger and more agile guard, who managed to catch the man before escaping out the parking garage. However, just as the security guard grabbed the man’s shoulder to turn him around, he was struck by an unexpected counter-attack of the most smelly kind.
Virtual idol or not, there’s no denying that Hatsune Miku is a bona fide star in the Japanese music scene. But while human vocalists might have professional photographers eager to take their pictures for a glossy photo spread, the equivalent for Vocaloids like Miku is being drawn or redesigned by famous artists of the anime and video game world.
Last year we saw Miku as reimagined in CG by Final Fantasy’s Tetsuya Nomura, and now the world’s most popular computer-generated songstress is being given a new physical form as a figure based on a redesign by the character designer of seminal anime hit Evangelion.
For a lot of us, Dragon Ball Z was our after-school superhero show. Powered up aliens, defending the earth from destruction, huge battles, and fearsome stare downs-what more could you ask for?
How about fulfilling everyone’s childhood dream and becoming the superheroes we idolize? That’s where cosplay comes in. You don’t get any of the special powers, but you get to pretend for a day and look the part, and it just got easier than ever to cosplay as some of your favorite Dragon Ball Z characters thanks to some new life-like masks that will help turn you into Goku, Piccolo, or Frieza.
Love and music may not have borders, but neither do other universal concepts like the call of nature.
Although Japan is famous for its modern toilet technology (there’s even a museum now), many non-Eastern Asians are often taken aback when they visit the country and have their first encounter with the older, squatting kind. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re a staple in most Japanese schools, parks, and stations.
The fact that there’s such a gap in modern toilet technology got us curious about how toilet models and their degree of upkeep varies worldwide, and fortunately one brave soul has gone through the trouble of filming bathrooms across the globe to answer this very question.
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Peter, a former engineer from Britain, met his Taiwanese wife Liu Yifang through an online dating site years ago. They met, fell in love, got married, and then decided to open a bakery together. Cerebral palsy has not held Liu back in the least, and Peter says it was her strong will and boldness that drew him to her.
While the bread sold in their bakery—fondly dubbed “love bread”—has been satisfying stomachs, their story has been winning hearts as the couple shows us what love is really about.
Did you know that Peanuts is almost 65 years old? Yup, the much-loved comic strip featuring the mini adventures of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Woodstock is celebrating its 65th birthday on October 2 this year! It’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in a little nostalgia over one of America’s favourite cartoon series.
In Japan, Snoopy is part of a menagerie of cute animal characters (including Elmo, Minnie Mouse, Jack Skellington, Moomins, Miffy, and Marie from the Aristocats) who were originally foreign creations yet have been seen decorating kyara-goods aimed at Japanese tween girls in recent years. Peanuts, and Snoopy in particular, are therefore pretty well-known in Japan, so the brand-new Peanuts Cafe due to open this year is bound to be a big hit!
Here at RocketNews24, cute cats and Shiba Inu get a great deal of love, but what about the underrepresented ferret? It can give the others a run for their money with its cuteness, and its long body is like a big furry hotdog that you just want to squeeze.
One Japanese Twitter user recently posted a photo of his pet ferrets doing something both adorable and hilarious. All of them insist on sleeping together on top of a special blanket, so no matter where the owner puts the blanket, the sleeping mass of adorable ferrets follow. Be prepared to squeal with cuteness after the jump!
There’s already a whole bunch of dating sim titles aimed at both men and women available to play on your phone or tablet. But for those who are fed up of sappy, cliché boy-meets-girl stories there’s a new addition to the growing range of visual novels available on mobile platforms that is set to tell a unique story focusing not on romance, but on the Buddhist religion.
It’s been about two weeks since Curry Shop Shimizu opened for business in the Chitose-Funabashi area of Tokyo. Considering the only dish they sell is a curry which mimics the taste of human feces, you might expect sales to have been slow.
However, not only is business booming, the demand has become too much for owner and adult film star Shimiken to keep up. As a result he put out an ad for interns to help take his poopy curry to the next level. On top of that, if you thought Curry Shop Shimizu’s fortunes couldn’t get any better, they are attracting top-tier applicants on par with the nation’s leading corporations.
With thousands of temples, beautiful gardens, geisha and maiko (geisha-in-training), and more history than you can shake an encyclopedia at, Kyoto is the place to be when visiting Japan. So with so many tourists from around the world crowding into the city, a few are bound to step out of line.
Thankfully TripAdvisor Japan created a handy infographic showing how to politely visit Kyoto. Kyotoites are understandably protective of their city and its cultural and historical treasures, and some will not hesitate to correct you if you’re doing something rude or wrong. So to be sure that everyone is on the same page, here are a few simple rules to keep in mind when you visit this wonderful city.
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Samurai Coffee: Try Edo period coffee once enjoyed by Japanese warriors
Studio Ghibli releases crystal glass paperweights featuring Totoro and the Catbus
Beard Papa goes beyond just matcha with its new premium green tea cream puffs
Japanese hair salons going bankrupt in record numbers
Uniqlo’s high-end sunglasses are a fashion minefield for anyone who isn’t Mr. Sato
Eating cheap sushi in a narrow building in Tokyo is an adventure for bold diners
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Police in Osaka file charges against resident for serial pigeon/crow feedingJapan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at homeThe average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey showsJapan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
Brand-new Square Enix Cafe to open in Tokyo…and in Los Angeles too!Studio Ghibli releases crystal glass paperweights featuring Totoro and the Catbus
Dorayaki from 89-year-old Japanese confectionery shop is one of the best sweets hidden in Tokyo
What are the worst things about living in the Japanese countryside?[Survey]
Retro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]
Viral tweet suggests Japanese convenience store ripping off customers with donuts, so we investigate
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to TokyoJapan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration eventsThe average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency saysJapan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Uniqlo’s high-end sunglasses are a fashion minefield for anyone who isn’t Mr. Sato
Eating cheap sushi in a narrow building in Tokyo is an adventure for bold diners
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Police in Osaka file charges against resident for serial pigeon/crow feeding
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
Hayao Miyazaki’s Whisper of the Heart concept art revealed in new Ghibli illustration book
Sega opening 65th anniversary store in downtotn Tokyo with deep-cut game merch
Viral tweet suggests Japanese convenience store ripping off customers with donuts, so we investigate
Retro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Lipton releases… Pudding Milk Tea in Japan?!?
49-year-old Japanese shut-in spends weeks living with corpse of mother who died at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet