Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
We’re already well into the school summer holidays here in Japan, and Sony is taking the opportunity to entice younger gamers over to its decidedly more grown-up portable console, the PlayStation Vita. Join us after the jump for a closer look at these cheeky ads from Sony’s summer campaign.
With the Sailor Moon series currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, we’ve heard plenty of news about special events and products commemorating the occasion here in Japan. But what about fans who are outside of Japan? Well, if you’re a fan of the lovely sailor uniform clad ladies and you’re going to be in California during this month, you may want to check out the exhibit Moon Crisis: A Sailor Moon Tribute Art Show now going on at the Rothick Art Haus in Anaheim, California — because what can be more fun than an art show bringing together fans and artwork of your favorite manga/anime, right? And what’s even better, this Saturday on August 9, they’ll even be having a masquerade at the exhibit where participants will be treated to some delicious Pocky chocolate snacks! Dressing up in honor of your favorite warrior princess and getting a taste of some chocolate treats at the same time — now that sounds like our idea of fun!
One thing that has always stood out about Japan for me personally is the sidewalks. No matter where you are, you’ll almost always have a little yellow brick road to skip along–though it’s not actually an ode to The Wizard of Oz. In fact, it’s not an ode to anything at all: Those yellow, bumpy tiles are actually guides for the visually impaired. It’s a simple but clever solution–you can easily feel the bumps even through your shoes and they’re even easier to find with a cane. That way, even if you can’t see, you can still be sure you’re walking safely on the sidewalk and know when you’re coming to a turn or crossing.
Well, unless you’re trying to get to this newly built convenience store…
We’ve seen a lot of cute and especially strange nail art from Japan, but we’ve never seen any that looked this delicious! Ebi, tamago, sake, and many more of our favorite sushi toppings grace the tops of this young woman’s nails, in what will probably make it even harder for chronic nail biters to kick the habit.
More up-close pictures and even more kinds of sushi nails after the jump!
On 4 June at around 11pm bridal store employee, Eisuke Himoto, allegedly approached a 30-year-old woman on her way home from her part-time job. According to police, he called out to her asking, “Why don’t we get a drink?” to which the woman tried to run away.
Most men at this point would consider attempted escape as a sign that a woman is not into them. Himoto, on the other hand, allegedly felt this had become the perfect opportunity to begin hugging and kissing the woman from behind.
Luckily, Himoto’s same utter lack of judgment would eventually lead to his speedy arrest shortly after.
The names of the toys – Turnin’ Turbo Dashboard; Fun-To-Drive Dashboard – might not ring any bells. But the boxy red plastic exterior, the click of the gear stick and the repetitive roar of the engine that drove parents to distraction? Yep, you know this game.
One Redditor recently pulled his Dashboard out of storage and was delighted to discover that it “still runs like a dream”. Cue reams of nostalgic commenters flung back into their playground days, when kids could be kids and sit alone all summer playing 100-mile-an-hour driving simulator without prompting any hand-wringing or moralistic wailing. It’s time to raid your stash of enormous dry cell batteries – we’re going for the drive of your life.
Nintendo’s business is in dire straights, and has been for three consecutive years. Perhaps that’s why the company let Mercedes-Benz sponsor three new cars into its cartoonish racing game for the Wii U, in the form of a free downloadable content (DLC) package set to release at the end of the month.
When it comes to cash, we all no doubt have our favourites. I, for one, have a huge soft spot for those nice, big 500 yen coins since every time I hold one I feel like I’m either shopping in a medieval market town or about to plonk it down on a bar counter to cover the cost of my beer, bath and bed for the night. Those flimsy little one yen coins, however, have a habit of seeking me out, and I always find myself trying to palm them off on convenience store clerks, devastated when I’m a single coin short of the nine yen they’re asking for.
In a recent poll, 477 My Navi Woman readers were asked which of Japan’s coins and notes boasts the “coolest” design. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the number-one spot went to the 10,000 yen note – the largest denomination available and worth roughly US$100 – but there were some surprises in the list too. Join us after the jump for a closer look at some of Japan’s cash.
Japan may be known as the Land of the Rising Sun for good reason. The Japanese are extremely reverential to the sun and, if you can find a spot somewhere that doesn’t have a skyscraper blocking your view, Japanese sunrises are impressive and breathtaking to behold. They also happen at like 4 a.m., when no one in their right mind is awake – and those that are are likely enormously drunk and just getting ready for bed.
So for a lot of people, you might be better off watching the sun set in Japan. It’s equally gorgeous depending on location, and even in the middle of summer, the sun starts to slip behind the horizon around 6:30 or 7 p.m., so catching that perfect sunset is easy to work into your plans and doesn’t require remaining awake at some ungodly hour.
Of course, some places are better than others for catching a great Japanese sunset. While it’s cool and all to watch the sky turn all kinds of magnificent colors and the neon lights of the city winking on one by one from whatever street you happen to be standing on in the middle of Tokyo, it’s just not the same without a perfect backdrop and that eye-searing, crimson glory of the sun itself visibly sinking behind the landscape.
Here are our top five picks for watching the sunset in Japan (in no particular order):
Hey, you! You like taking pictures don’t you? Well how would you like to have your best snaps up on RocketNews24 for all the world to see?
Every Wednesday, we’re running a fun little contest called Pic of the Week. All you have to do to enter is send us an Asia-related photo that you’re especially proud of or think your fellow readers would enjoy. If we like it, we’ll feature it on our site and maybe even say nice things about you.
Frozen is really big in Japan – perhaps even more so than in the West. It’s big enough that not only are there multiple Japanese versions of the film’s biggest hit song number, “Let it Go” – to cover a variety of different regional dialects – but at least one obsessive Japanese fan went to huge lengths and poured a ton of money into recreating the special wizard handcuffs that film lead Elsa is briefly entrapped in during the movie.
Although Japan has several martial arts that could claim to be national sports, few are quite as distinctive as sumo. With its massive yet lightning-fast athletes who must live a strict and traditional lifestyle, sumo continues to be an attractive sport to watch.
However, how many people out there knew that there is also a women’s sumo federation? Almost certainly not as many as there ought to be, because women’s sumo is entertaining on a few different levels, as we’re about to see in this video from the 1st International Women’s Sumo Tournament.
Now, we’re pretty sure that the mighty and terrible Godzilla hardly needs an introduction — he’s probably one of the most famous creations to come out of Japan. And the new Hollywood movie featuring a larger than ever before seen version of the monster, which was released late last month in Japan, seems to have gotten off to a good start here, having secured the number-one spot in the box office in its opening week.
It also happens that 2014 is quite a special year for Godzilla, as it marks the 60th anniversary since his very first movie came out from Toho in 1954. And now, to commemorate the celebrity monster’s 60th birthday, Toho has collaborated with renowned German stuffed toy maker Steiff to create a version of Godzilla quite unlike anything we’ve seen before — Yes, it’s the special edition 60th anniversary stuffed Steiff Godzilla, and what’s more, we got to take a look at the actual doll in advance of its sale!
With JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders available streaming and in print, fans everywhere are undoubtedly excited to see all of the Stands, supernatural powers that can protect and fight for their users.
Thanks to Japanese clothing brand BEAMS, fans can now become their favorite Stands with special, full zip-up Stardust Crusader hoodies. Or, at least three of the Stands. For the time being, hoodies come as either Jotaro Kujo’s Star Platinum, Noriaki Kakyoin’s Hierophant Green, and Jean Pierre Polnareff’s Silver Chariot.
Fans of anime house Studio Ghibli have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster for the past few weeks. First came the dizzying high that always accompanies a new Ghibli release, in this case director Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s When Marnie Was There. Then came the vague yet nevertheless alarming comments from long-time producer Toshio Suzuki, who reflected on the merits of Ghibli “dismantling,” “restructuring,” or “reconstructing” its anime production department.
This was followed almost immediately by reports that Japanese online media company Dwango was set to purchase and absorb Studio Ghibli into its corporate body. Those rumors have now been quashed, though, and by what seems to be a fairly reliable source: Dwango’s chairman himself.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot of overlap between hardcore anime fans and frequent convenience store customers. With so many animated series to collect and watch, how are you supposed to find the time to cook, let alone the cash for a meal out at a fancy restaurant?
So in order to draw in as many otaku with the munchies as possible, Japan’s competing convenience store chains have been partnering up with hit anime series. So while Lawson is giving away dozens of different Attack on Titan goodies, 7-Eleven is countering with just one type of prize: a gigantic Evangelion figure.
Now that you’ve been acquainted with kabe-don, the most talked about romantic situation in Japan at the moment, and the ways to fend off unwanted kabe-don, here’s the latest variation to the wall-pounding approach – mata-don.
“Mata” refers to the crotch, and similar to kabe-don, mata-don involves one person sandwiching another between themselves and a wall, but this time with an additional move of putting their knee or foot between the other’s thighs. We can already imagine some guys cringing at this nerve-wracking pose. If your heart is still feeling fine, read on to get a glimpse of what mata-don commonly looks like!
If Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering gets its way, employees will be carrying out their duties while decked out in strength-enhancing robotic exoskeletons, according to New Scientist.
As one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, the company is investigating ways to make its workflow more productive. But after researching the use of such robo-suits on the job and finding them to be helpful, the company is now working on improving its prototype model so that the suits might soon see regular use on the job.
Aww, look at that cute little kitty!
No, we’re not talking about the white one comfortably sleeping on its pink polka dot blankie. We’ve got our eyes on the all-black one that shares its tail.
New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals
Tokyo’s famous Lost in Translation hotel is closed
Studio Ghibli releases art crystal puzzles and folding umbrellas for rainy season in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases new mug and tumbler collection featuring Jiji and Totoro
Japanese public toilet becomes a tourist attraction in Tokyo
Japan’s wedding gift etiquette rule is too expensive, young people in survey say
Shibuya strip show-adjacent extra-fatty beef bowl fails and succeeds in impressing us
Sushi Ramen restaurant serves up the best of both worlds in one epic Japanese meal
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator apologizes for drawing characters making political statements ahead of elections
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
“Mt. Fuji convenience store” issues apology for bad tourist manners, adds multilingual signsNew Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals
How to make a secret rice bowl at Ichiran ramenTokyo’s famous Lost in Translation hotel is closedStudio Ghibli releases new mug and tumbler collection featuring Jiji and Totoro
FUK COFFEE?!? Japanese cafe has a perfectly innocent reason for its startling-looking name
Japan has nearly 4 million abandoned homes, but where and why?
Tokyo sweets store sells beautiful soft serve ice creams that look like works of art
Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
McDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society“Mt. Fuji convenience store” issues apology for bad tourist manners, adds multilingual signs
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensNew Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese localsMcDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in TokyoMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950sForeigner’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
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Japan’s wedding gift etiquette rule is too expensive, young people in survey say
Shibuya strip show-adjacent extra-fatty beef bowl fails and succeeds in impressing us
Sushi Ramen restaurant serves up the best of both worlds in one epic Japanese meal
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator apologizes for drawing characters making political statements ahead of elections
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Japanese-style accommodation at the new Premium Dormy Inn hotel in Asakusa will blow your mind
Awesome new Gundam manhole covers coming to Japanese prefecture for first time
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
7-Eleven opens “next generation” SIP convenience store in Japan
Tokyo DisneySea’s new Fantasy Springs area reveals the beauty of Rapunzel’s Forest
Foreign shoppers in Akihabara tip us off to an awesome souvenir idea: DIY Paper Theater kit【Pics】
Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
