Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Typically, nail art in Japan is bold and colorful or just plain huge, but it turns out neither are requisites to being impressive! Sometimes small can be just as amazing as big (at least that’s what we tell ourselves), and one Twitter user has gone a long way to proving that with her diminutive and delicate nail art, created by literally carving the tips of her nails!
For reasons we will never fully appreciate or ever be able to fathom, wearing plastic convenience store bags as clothing is inexplicably trending in Taiwan right now. It appears the trend is being spurred partially by the convenience and life-hacky money-saving of cutting two leg holes in a 7-Eleven bag and wearing it around like pajamas, and partially by the fact that a lot of objectively good-looking women are posting their plastic bag-clothing photos on social media.
But until now, it seems no one really thought to actually take the style for a spin outside, until one crazed Taiwanese Netizen dared himself to ride around on a motorcycle wearing nothing but a plastic bag outfit if 10,000 people “liked” his initial comment.
Spoiler: They did.
Sony has been in the mobile business full force since its merger with Ericsson in 2001. Microsoft partnered with Nokia in April 2014 and there have been phones bearing the Microsoft’s logo since November of that year. Notice a name missing from this short list?
Nintendo has never been in the mobile business and for years they refused to even consider games for cell phones. However, that hasn’t stopped Nintendo fans mocking up and dreaming of a mobile phone made by their beloved game company. Most have been hilariously bad, but a recent design by the tech website Curved has plenty of good things going for it.
As a kid, I loved Halloween. My brother and I would go all out decorating the house with tombstones, cobwebs, and corpses made out of old clothes stuffed with newspapers. Plus, how can you not like a holiday that gives you not only free candy, but an excuse to stay up past your bedtime eating it too?
So I’ve been happy to see how whole-heartedly Japan has been embracing Halloween, which each year seems to get bigger and bigger here. Some neighborhood shopping arcades have started inviting trick-or-treaters and passing out candy, and there are now multiple costume parades in the Tokyo area. As a matter of fact, Japan is so psyched for Halloween this year that stores started selling decorations in August.
A notice posted at the Kamata bus station in Tokyo revealed that buses will not stop as usual at the station on Sunday morning, due to the filming of a movie titled “Shin Gojira” (New Godzilla).
There hasn’t been a lot of love for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ logo, which was officially unveiled by the event’s Organising Committee at the tail-end of July. Almost immediately after getting their first eyeful of it, many in Japan called it unappealing and confusing, and just a few days later some were calling it plagiarized.
In other words, not too many people were looking forward to seeing the emblem plastered all over the city during the Games, as well as the years leading up to them. The good news for the logo’s detractors is that they probably won’t have to, as the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics seem ready to officially withdraw the design for their promotion.
In recent years, it’s become increasingly popular for doting dog-owners in Japan to dress up their pets in little outfits when they head out for a walk. But since their canine companions are already equipped with a natural coat, all doggy fashion is really doggy cosplay, so why not dress your dog up like a member of the cast of smash-hit anime Attack on Titan?
Making the viewer feel good is a time-tested method of crafting an effective commercial. Gather a bunch of attractive people, have them frolic in beautiful surroundings for 30 seconds, and at the end subtly slip in the product, implying “You too could be having this much fun with this brand of car/beer/athlete’s foot medication!”
Thai advertisers, though, sometimes decide to take a different tack, with emotionally devastating commercials that seem designed to reduce all who watch them to blubbering piles of streaming tears and seeping sympathy. Case in point: this new ad with man’s inhumanity to man as its central theme features dialogue such as “What the f*** are you smiling at?”, terrible violence, and a completely unexpected final purpose.
One of the upsides to being a little kid is that you can get presents even on someone else’s birthday. But like getting your food pre-cut into bite-sized pieces and having older people carry you around when you’re tired, you can only expect to receive bags of party favors up to a certain age.
A rare exception to this, though, is the birthday of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Harland Sanders. To celebrate Sanders’ birthday, KFC Japan is offering all-you-can eat fried chicken, but the unlimited bird is just part of the chain’s generosity on that special day.
Those dog days of summer are turning into sweet school days as students around the world are getting ready to go back to school for fall. In Japan, their summer vacation has already finished and a familiar scene is probably playing out in high schools across the country.
But don’t take our word for it, ding dong ding dong, there goes the bell. Here comes our teacher, Iron Man sensei!
There’s a huge variety of fees that need to be paid when renting a new apartment in Japan. In addition to an advance payment of your first month’s rent, there’s insurance, the security deposit, the realtor’s fee, and the dreaded “key money,” basically a sign-up cost that you pay to the landlord for the privilege of being allowed to start giving him money on a monthly basis.
Add it all up, and you’ll probably find yourself out several months’ worth of rent before spending the first night in your new home. But there’s a nice upside if you chose to go through one unique realtor, because while you’ll still have some fees to pay, you’ll also get a nice housewarming present in the form of several hundred dollars’ worth of anime merchandise.
Recently, with elements of the Japanese language and its culture starting to be adopted by people in countries the world over, we hear the word “emoji” being used incredibly often overseas. In fact, both the word “emoji” and the digital images themselves have become pretty much universal.
And now, those emoji that I knew from my cell phone screen here in Japan have even been turned into fashion icons!
Everyone’s favorite Muppet frog once sang about the difficulties of being green, but there were a few points he left out: being dumped by your boyfriend, for example, or being mistaken for a green traffic light and in turn getting hit by a car—both things this poor girl from China claims happened to her after a facial mask she used turned her face a glowing, fluorescent green.
A video of the interview with the unfortunate young lady has gone viral across Chinese social networking sites, with many just as skeptical of the wild story as you probably are this very minute…
A Yokohama area immigration office has apologized for mistakenly serving a Muslim man, who is interned there for unknown reasons, a meal that included pork, the consumption of which is forbidden by Islamic law.
For its part, the Yokohama immigration office says it attempted to accommodate the man’s requests for pork-free meals, but unknowingly served him a salad spiked with bacon pieces in an administrative foul-up.
A little while back, we brought you news of Electrical Udon developed by Kurare of Arienai Rika (“Unbelievable Science”) for an event to be held in Osaka. Well, that event has come and gone, and we were fortunate enough to be there to get a taste of his technicolor noodles along with some other off-color foods like blue rice topped with even bluer curry and fried chicken with a secret green sauce.
We also got to see some of the DIY science that made Arienai Rika a cult hit with science and tech enthusiasts in Japan.
Following the events of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, radiologists in Japan have been closely observing the area for potential changes. A new report by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences now suggests that the fir trees in Fukushima may be exhibiting strange growth patterns, with the radiation from the disaster being named as a possible factor.
After more than a year since the last film from anime production house Studio Ghibli, the paint is rapidly drying on the writing on the wall. At the very least, it looks like animation fans are in for a long wait before the next Ghibli movie, and it may turn out that When Marnie Was There ends up being the last theatrical feature we ever see from the company co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki.
Still, that doesn’t mean that other artists, perhaps working in other mediums, won’t carry on the beloved anime studio’s spirit. As a matter of fact, if you’ve got the necessary video game production skills, that someone could be you, as a U.K.-based Project Morpheus team is looking for an artist to help add a Ghibli-like aesthetic to its game.
What would modern life be like without the humble toilet? Actually, we’d rather not think about that.
Many of us around the world should direct our thanks to TOTO Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of toilets and the very company that invented the washlet. In fact, Friday, August 28 marked the grand opening of the new TOTO Museum in Fukuoka Prefecture, where the company was originally founded in 1917.
Takashi Harada, our Japanese reporter who proclaims that he couldn’t survive a day without a washlet, immediately made a bee line to the new sanctuary to give thanks to the toilet gods and to learn a bit about the historical evolution of the toilet.
Walk in to any Japanese convenience store, and you’re bound to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices at your fingertips. Even taking a stroll through the drink aisle will leave you open-mouthed as you stare at the myriad interesting flavors and varieties to be tried.
Of course there’s green tea, barley tea, roasted tea and more, but how do Japan’s black and flavoured teas measure up? We decided we needed an expert’s opinion, so we turned to one of our English writers for help. With a sampling of 15 different teas, we put our parched taste-tester to work.
It’s so easy these days to try something new and creative since tons of people post really cool things to Instagram and Pinterest. A person can get a million fantastic ideas for their next project just by browsing for a few minutes. What’s especially helpful is that people will often post DIY tutorials and step-by-step pictures to allow even the commonest of folk to get their creative juices flowing. Whether your final product turns out as well as the instructions you are following is a bit of a crapshoot, it’s still extremely fun/funny just to try it for yourself.
So for a Studio Ghibli fan’s next big day, why not try and make one of these amazing Totoro cakes? Check out dozens of spectacular sweet treats featuring one of our favorite Japanese characters after the break.
Live-action Spirited Away stage play announces world tour with first-ever U.S. and Canadian dates
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Japanese man’s gross conveyor belt sushi social media prank video gets him a 500,000-yen fine
Studio Ghibli combines anime and craftsmanship in new Totoro and Jiji Gobelin tapestry bags
Pikachu brings electric style to brand-new Pokémon G-Shock watch featuring every stater trio
Blind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the train
Mt Fuji installs new emergency shelters ahead of the 2026 climbing season
Taco Spaghetti appears in Japan, and our taco fan rushes to try it[Taste test]
Here’s what Shibuya’s famous scramble intersection looked like after the Japan vs. Sweden match
Tokyo has only two barley tea makers, and we visited one to see how mugicha is made
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Family Mart Japan installs red-eyed “Monster Wolf” to keep bears away from convenience store
Starbucks Japan creates special drink bottle bags, adorable stickers for all 47 prefectures[Pics]
Starbucks Japan reopens Shinkansen platform store after redesigning it for speedPikachu brings electric style to brand-new Pokémon G-Shock watch featuring every stater trio
Japanese sweets brand creates new drinkable Cigare and we’re totally here for itJapanese man’s gross conveyor belt sushi social media prank video gets him a 500,000-yen fineLive-action Spirited Away stage play announces world tour with first-ever U.S. and Canadian datesBlind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the trainJapan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel styleJapan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Forget Tokyo go-karts – there’s a new way to sightsee on four wheels in JapanJapan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
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]Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
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]
Blind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the train
Mt Fuji installs new emergency shelters ahead of the 2026 climbing season
Taco Spaghetti appears in Japan, and our taco fan rushes to try it[Taste test]
Here’s what Shibuya’s famous scramble intersection looked like after the Japan vs. Sweden match
Tokyo has only two barley tea makers, and we visited one to see how mugicha is made
Krispy Kreme Japan releases new fruit doughnuts…that taste better cold
The adorable, delicious joy of the Totoro cream puff gift box[Taste test]
Japan’s Mos Burger goes super-premium for summer with eel burgers that require pre-orders
International fugitive Carlos Ghosn says he’d be best person to head Nissan now
New live-action Pokémon adaptation announced for Pokémon Unite
Speed trap camera stolen from Saitama Police while in use
Starbucks Japan reopens Shinkansen platform store after redesigning it for speed
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing crosses over to Baskin-Robbins Japan with special ice cream and merch