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Morinaga releases Attack on Titan ChocoBalls — packages feature mascot bird Kyurochan in cosplay!

Who doesn’t love light, crunchy chocolate snacks that you can pop easily into your mouth, right? The Chocoball chocolates, from major Japanese snack maker Morinaga, have long been a popular snack in Japan and available in a wide range of flavors over the years. And what do you get when you cross over a well-loved snack like that with one of the biggest manga/anime hits in recent years? You get an awesomely cool snack, like these Attack on Titan ChocoBalls that have just been released this week!

Yes, this chocolate and manga collaboration comes in three exciting flavors for a limited time, and we have to say Kyuro-chan, the mascot bird for the ChocoBall brand, definitely looks dashing and ready to take on some Titans as he appears on the packages cosplaying as the main characters from the manga! So, ready to take a look at the special collaborative ChocoBall products?

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Unfamiliar glimpses of Japan’s favorite cat duo【Video】

Look out below! Maru and Hana‘s owner just uploaded yet another adorable kitty video to make the internet go “awww!” This time, the furry duo is seen from below thanks to a clever camera angle and a glass top table. Watch as the two feline friends eat kitty treats, have a mini brawl, and lick their paws like there’s no tomorrow.

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Internet declares Yoko Ono’s Glastonbury festival set “the worst live performance ever” 【Video】

It’s been a week since Yoko Ono made her festival debut at Glastonbury. A week, however, is a long time on the internet. While music critics have been fairly kind – if not particularly enthusiastic – about the 81-year-old’s performance, netizens have let rip on the singer-songwriter’s erratic wailing, with one criticising Ono’s voice as sounding “like a goat with a sore throat”.

Join us after the jump for screaming, giant political banners, and an octogenarian dancing like there’s no one watching.

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Sailor Moon cover is sentimental by moonlight, winning fans by daylight【Video】

Do you know what we love at RocketNews24? Our favorite Saturday morning cartoon themes re-imagined in different musical styles! There’s nothing like kicking back and hitting the ol’ nostalgia button and listening to a song in a way you never imagined possible. Well, just in time for the new Sailor Moon reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal, we’ve got a version of the ever popular “Moonlight Legend” that is going to Marty McFly you back to the 90s!

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Awesome fan film is more Transformers than Michael Bay could ever handle

I never really felt much about Michael Bay one way or another until he started in on Transformers. Michael, sir, we may share the same first name and I may be willing to enjoy the casual racism and over-the-top violence of your earlier works, but when you start messing around with my childhood… That’s where I draw the line.

Transformers may have never been anything more than a glorified 30-minute toy commercial with a loosely cohesive story arc at its best, but to my child brain, it was my glorified toy commercial…with ROBOTS!

While Michael Bay may have had a field day, and earned literal truckloads of money, destroying my childhood, a Malaysian fan had the incredibly bright idea of using actual Transformers toys to make an awesome stop-motion homage to the venerable 80’s classic.

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A brief history of Japanese rockabilly: Not just for your grandparents!【J-Tunes】

The Japanese music world is as fascinating as it is occasionally bizarre. While groups like AKB48 might dominate the radio waves, there are myriad talented bands and underground genres to be explored. And, like anywhere in the world, genres and bands in Japan flow in and out of favor with the tide. The history of visual kei should be proof enough of that. But when it come to the ebbs and flows of popularity, one genre stands out among the others: Rockabilly.

Though you may not associate the country-tinged rock genre with Japan, you definitely should. Even before the Internet was born, rock music was making its way overseas and dominating the charts–and Japan was no exception. If you’re looking for a new take on classic rock or just appreciate a good bit of weirdness with you coffee, you’ll definitely enjoy our trip through the history of Japanese rockabilly.

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While we get as warm and fuzzy as anyone when we spy a puppy, kitten, or bunny, our love of the animal kingdom extends far beyond just those three types of critters. We’re pretty fond of owls, too, whether they’re keeping us company as we have a drink, silently serving as art tutors, or just hanging around the house.

But as tranquil and wise as they may usually appear, even owls have limits, and there are some sights so provocative they cause the birds to go completely bananas, like this guy here is doing.

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Kobe’s not just for beef, as this awesome street stall hot dog with ham and bacon taught us

Given that Japan has so few cultural stigmas about alcohol, it’s not surprising that once the drinking starts, it can easily go on into the wee hours of the morning. Of course, it’s only natural to start feeling hungry if it’s been several hours since dinner, and even if part of you knows that stuffing your face at 1 in the morning isn’t the healthiest decision, alcohol and willpower seem to occupy the same space in the human bloodstream, and the former usually makes room for itself by pushing the latter out.

Thus Japan the proud culinary tradition of the shime, the post-drinking meal before staggers home and falls asleep. Ramen is by far the most popular shime choice, but on a recent trip to Kobe we found something at least as good: a freshly grilled hot dog with ham and bacon.

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Special anniversary ONE PIECE episode will feature untold story from time jump

Heads up, One Piece fans – there’s a new, extra-special anniversary episode coming your way that’ll fill in some of the blanks from the time jump!

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The top 10 sweet souvenirs in Tokyo

If you’re lucky enough to take a trip over to Tokyo, it’s best to bring a little slice of Japan’s capital back home for those who missed out on your trip. But with all the delectable sweets and beautifully packaged treats, it can be a little overwhelming to choose the right one. So before you leave, be sure to take a look at this list of the top 10 omiyage you can only buy at Tokyo Station.

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Häagen-Dazs Japan’s newest flavour sounds perfect for when you have the sniffles

One of the few fun things about having a sore throat or something nastier like tonsillitis is that you have a legitimate excuse to lie on the couch in front of the TV and eat ice-cream.

And now – although we’re imagining makers Häagen-Dazs is hoping that more than just the sickly few will appreciate it – there’s a brand new flavour that sounds perfect for those feeling a little under the weather: Lemon Ginger Float.

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Japan’s sobbing politician set to make everyone get wild in the club with dubstep remix 【Video】

Until about a week ago, Ryutaro Nonomura was a relatively unknown prefectural assemblyman from Hyogo in Japan’s Kansai region. Name recognition is extremely important for politicians in Japan, where ballots often require voters to write in the name of the candidate they’re voting for, so under normal circumstances the fact that the whole country now knows who Nonomura is would be a major boon for his political career.

Unfortunately, “manically crying while responding to allegations of misuse of government funds” is anything but normal, but that’s exactly what has caused Nonomura’s sudden rise to fame. Aside from making citizens shake their heads at the conduct of public officials, Nonomura’s meltdown has caused people to both laugh and cringe.

And now, it’s ready to make them dance.

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Feel lame and old by watching kids react to a Nintendo Game Boy for the first time

In the latest episode of their popular “React” series, YouTubers The Fine Bros decided to give their group of tech-savvy kids none other than an original Nintendo Game Boy to see what they’d make of it. As you might expect, what with the portable console now being roughly 25 years old, many of the kids had absolutely no idea what it was, nor even how to turn the thing on.

So join us after the jump to see little kids fumbling to insert game cartridges, failing to find the power switch and saying things like “You have to actually press buttons” and “I kinda feel sad for the people in the past.”

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What’s the best (and worst) cola in the world according to our Japanese writer?

While we usually focus on news from Japan or Asia, sometimes we like to flip things around and give our readers a Japanese perspective on other cultures. We’ve given you a Japanese person’s take on New York ramen before, and today we’ve got another taste-testing piece for you! But this time, we’re casting a slightly wider net by sending one of our writers to try all the Coca Cola flavors on the planet at World of Coca Cola in Las Vegas.

Read on to find out if he likes your country’s cola flavor!

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American rice ball restaurant takes liberties with classic Japanese snack

The humble onigiri rice ball is the traditional Japanese answer to the sub sandwich: it’s a no-frills, on-the-go snack that balances carbs and protein and doesn’t require utensils. And just like subs, onigiri come stuffed with a huge variety of fillings, from salmon flakes to meatballs, seaweed to shrimp tempura.

And, just as “healthy” American sub sandwich chain Subway is making huge headway in Japan recently, onigiri are apparently making the journey the opposite way to American shores… But something has definitely gotten lost in translation.

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Here are Japan’s favorite ice creams from last month! Vanilla wins by a mile…

Like any other country, Japan loves ice cream. Especially in the summer months, the delicious treat just flies out of the freezers. And thankfully this year, no reports of errant freezer divers have appeared online! Maybe they finally got it out of their system–or at least learned not to post photos on Twitter…

So, which flavor of ice cream is the most popular in Japan? While that’s certainly a question with an amorphous answer, there is one way to come up with a satisfying conclusion: Take a look at ice cream sales!

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  • Jul 7, 2014

Krispy Kreme Japan brings us more doughnut ice cream sundaes and sweet tea summertime treats!

Okay, when Krispy Kreme Japan came out with the sinfully delectable-looking doughnut ice cream sundaes in April this year, we kind of thought they were the dessert of our dreams. Well, the original doughnut ice cream sundaes we introduced to you in our previous article may be available only until July 14, but luckily for us, sweets makers and pastry chefs always seem to have a way of coming up with another new dream dessert. This time, it’s still a lovely doughnut and ice cream creation, but in a new refreshing flavor with a Japanese twist — matcha green tea! And they also have other new delightful snacks and drinks as well that will all be coming out later this month, so let’s take a look at the new Krispy Kreme offerings, and hope the wait until they become available won’t drive us crazy! Read More

Defrost a steak in 5 minutes without using heat or the microwave? What is this sorcery!?【Video】

Buying in bulk and freezing some of your purchase to cook another day is a great way to save money. But the problem with freezing things is that then you have to unfreeze them. That’s right, my friend. We need to talk about defrosting.

If I told you there was a super-fast way to defrost meat that doesn’t require a heat source, a microwave, or even hot water, you’d probably think I’d been drinking too much Lemon Coke or something. But, dear reader, never again will you feel depressed about the single-person servings lined up neatly in your freezer. Never again will a good steak go to waste for want of an eater. Never again. And it’s all thanks to the magic of physics. Yes. Magic.

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Pugs take over Westeros in Game of Thrones video parody…because why not?

Almost 2 million people have viewed this short YouTube clip of pugs dressed as Game of Thrones characters since it was uploaded late last month. And well, why not? It’s not every day you get to see doggies cosplaying as characters from George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world of Westeros. Heck, we may even prefer the adorable pugs to some of their live-action counterparts!

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Good Smile Company holds employee figure contest

Good Smile Company, the figure powerhouse behind the popular figma and Nendoroid lines, decided to hold its third figure creation contest for its employees. The entries are impressive, but what do you expect from professional figure makers?

You can check out all the entries at the company’s blog, but here are some of our favorites.

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