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Katawa Shoujo visual novel gets Japanese release… Wait, it wasn’t originally in Japanese?!

Scott Wilson
Apr 23, 2015
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Back in 2012 when a bunch of 4chan members released a visual novel game based around romantically pursuing disabled high school girls, expectations were low to say the least. But to the shock of the internet, the game received widespread acclaim for its impressive visuals, story, and music, not to mention its sympathetic treatment of its characters.

However, despite being a game in a distinctly Japanese genre and taking place in a Japanese high school with Japanese characters, the game was originally written and released in English. It’s only now, three years later, that Katawa Shoujo (“Disabled Girls”) has finally been released in the language many people thought it was originally created in: Japanese.

No doctors or hairdressers! Survey asks Japanese women what professions they don’t want to date

Casey Baseel
Apr 23, 2015

Japan is a country that values fiscal responsibility and economic security, and that can influence how people judge a possible romantic partner. For example, we previously looked at a survey in which an overwhelming number of women said they’d rather date a man who’s ugly but rich than a guy who’s handsome and unemployed.

That doesn’t mean that just any old job will do, though. A new poll asked Japanese women what jobs were deal-breakers for a potential boyfriend, and the resulting list includes some surprisingly high-paying professions.

There might be a Jedi running for mayor of Shibuya

Mike
Apr 23, 2015

So we all know that Tokyo-area political races can attract some pretty, um… eccentric candidates.

We’ve got perennial Tokyo Governor candidates like Mac Akasaka, representing his own Smile Party (often while dressed like Superman), leader and probably the only member of the World Economic Community Party, Mr. The Only God Matayoshi Mitsuo Jesus Christ, and Rock ‘n Roll Samurai – aka TOKMA – whose big shtick is to dress like a samurai and play war-mongering rock ‘n roll music.

But, despite their crazy antics and lofty-sounding, self-appointed nicknames, these men are all mere Earthlings. What Tokyo needs is a true leader. A man of stellar moral character. Someone who can protect Tokyo from the inevitable threat posed by evil empires from other galaxies. In other words, Tokyo needs a Jedi. And that’s why Mutsuto Imajo gets our vote for Shibuya Mayor!

It looks so real! Attack on Titan face packs included in beauty magazine VOCE

TokyoGirlsUpdate
Apr 23, 2015

There will be a special collaboration insert included in the June edition of the Kodansha-produced beauty magazine, VOCE (pronounced Vo-che), on sale April 23rd. Each magazine will come with one Attack on Titan face pack by the makers of the kabuki face pack, Isshindo Hompo, and feature Attack on Beauty!!

Scarlett Johansson: Live-action Ghost in the Shell begins filming in early 2016

Anime News Network
Apr 23, 2015

Actress Scarlett Johansson gave an update on Dreamworks‘ live-action Ghost in the Shell film during the press event for next month’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Pay to have a cute girl squeeze your rice balls at “Galmusu”, Akihabara’s onigiri idol cafe!

Evie Nyan
Apr 23, 2015

Onigiri are the perfect Japanese snack food. Portable and (generally speaking) healthy, they consist of a small ball or triangle of rice containing one of a huge variety of fillings, wrapped in seaweed or coated with some kind of seasoning. While most of the onigiri you can buy at convenience stores here in Japan are probably filled and shaped by machine, it’s traditional to roll ’em yourselves by making a squeezing motion with your hands. And now you can combine your love of onigiri with your love of cute idol girls by heading down to “Galmusu”, a new cafe where, for a small fee, a cutie will squeeze your rice balls for you right in front of your eyes!

We sent one of our Japanese reporters to investigate this new form of edible performance art!

Oh, but before you read on, we should probably mention one thing: our reporter usually can’t stand anyone handling his food…

Manga goes 2.5-D with artist’s awesomely clever paper cutout photography 【Photos】

Casey Baseel
Apr 23, 2015

These days, we’re seeing more and more manga and anime being adapted into live-action movie, stage, and musical versions. In other words, Japanese animation and comics are going from the 2-D world to the 3-D one.

But it turns out there’s an intermediary step that we’ve been forgetting. Here with a reminder is one talented comic artist who’s using illustrated cutouts of his characters, settings, and even sound effects to create an amazing 2.5-D manga.

Feasting with Fluffy! Learn how to cook for both you and your feline friend

Krista Rogers
Apr 23, 2015

“Cooking school for my cat and me”? Sounds like a dream come true for ailurophiles (cat lovers) the world over!

ABC Cooking Studio, a popular chain of cooking schools across Japan, has recently teamed up with MonPetit, a brand of gourmet cat food under the Purina label, to offer cooking lessons on how to craft the perfect meal which can be eaten by both you and your cat! With four special recipes to learn, this is the ultimate chance to pamper your adorable kitty and to partake of a top-quality meal together.

All-you-can-drink sake in the park as 23 brewers come to Tokyo for the Shibuya Sake Festival

Casey Baseel
Apr 22, 2015

Late spring is one of the few universally pleasant times to spend outdoors in Japan. The cold of winter and the heavy pollen counts of early spring are gone, and the heat and humidity of summer are yet to make their appearance.

Of course, some would say that no matter how nice the weather is outdoors, it’s even more comfortable to have a drink in hand. Next month, you’ll be able to scratch both those itches at once with the Shibuya Sake Festival in Tokyo’s Miyashita Park, where you can spend a day drinking as much as you’d like of more than 100 different kinds of sake.

“Pink Pussy” up for sale in Hyogo Prefecture

Master Blaster
Apr 22, 2015

While perusing Japanese restaurant website Tabelog recently, I came across a little cafe in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, called Pink Pussy. Quite what it was I don’t know, but something about the place really appealed to me so I hopped on a train over there. It was a bit of a journey but I’ve traveled farther to get some, and you can’t put a price on a good cup of coffee.

However, when I arrived I was shocked to find that Pink Pussy had been put up for sale.

Driver struck by another vehicle in the wrong lane, still ordered to pay 40 million yen

Meg Murphy
Apr 22, 2015

Driving is dangerous business – tons of metal and motors on wheels, whizzing around at high speeds past other vehicles and pedestrians, which is why you never want to throw alcohol into that mix. What a lot of people don’t realize, though, is that driving while you’re sleepy can be just as dangerous as driving drunk. You become less attentive, your reaction time slows, and drowsiness can also affect your decision-making.

Three years ago, a tragic accident occurred in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, in which a sleepy driver drifted into the opposite lane, causing a fatal accident. The case went to court, and the court’s decision was announced last Monday. Many were shocked to hear the results: that the judge placed fault on the driver of the car that was struck, ordering them to pay 40 million yen (over US$336,000) in damages.

Revealed! Japanese companies are putting hidden messages in their packaging!

Evie Nyan
Apr 22, 2015

You may have noticed that Japanese product packaging tends to be completely covered with text in a variety of fonts and styles. If you’ve ever taken the time to read any of it, you’ve probably realised that quite a bit of it seems to be particularly chatty, going beyond the usual product description in order to occasionally impart some philosophical wisdom or advice.

Some companies even go as far as to include hidden messages to communicate directly with the consumer. Check out this gallery of some of the best.

Anna Sui’s new manga accessory collection includes anime eye pouches and torso bags

Casey Baseel
Apr 22, 2015

March 31 was the last day to pick up something from Anna Sui’s line of Sailor Moon purses and accessories. The American designer hasn’t exhausted all of her Japanese animation and comic inspirations, though.

Next month Anna Sui pop-up stores are scheduled to open at six locations in Japan, where fashion fans can find exclusive bags, wallets, and pouches that take cues from some of Japan’s most famous manga creators, including Osamu Tezuka, Ryoko Ikeda, and Rumiko Takahashi.

Japan Bucket List II: 8 places you need to visit to really understand Japan

Amy Chavez
Apr 22, 2015

We at RocketNews24 believe that to truly understand a country’s people you need to know something about their history and where they came from. So following last week’s popular Japan Bucket List: Things you need to do to really understand Japan, this week we offer you eight places that contributed greatly to the development of Japan, its culture, and people.

Get ready to take your understanding of the Japanese people a step further with eight historical places that have helped shaped them into the people they are today. Let’s go!

Get in the Gundam robot! Event lets fans sit in giant Zeta Gundam replica cockpit

Casey Baseel
Apr 22, 2015

While the 1:1-scale Gundam statue in Tokyo is, with good reason, a mecca for mecha lovers, it’s not the only extra-large recreation of combat hardware from anime’s most prolific robot franchise. Clear on the other side of Japan’s island of Honshu, Okayama Prefecture has its own statue, modeled after the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.

On one hand, Okayama’s mobile suit isn’t life-size, but it still stands an impressive seven meters (23 feet) tall. Even better, this weekend fans will get to climb into its cockpit.

Make the ocean your office with new TRUE WETSUITS from Quicksilver 【Video】

Preston Phro
Apr 22, 2015

Even if you’ve never even attempted to hop on a surfboard, you’ve probably still heard of Quicksilver. Their clothing and bags have achieved a near ubiquitous status in many parts of the world, particularly as backpacks for students. But the Australian company’s heart is surfwear, as you probably know, so they obviously also make wetsuits. But as a new commercial for the company shows, they also make TRUE WETSUITS.

“Akakara Cochin meatball pizza” is the latest collaboration pizza in Japan, actually looks pretty good!

Krista Rogers
Apr 22, 2015

Aoki’s Pizza, the Japanese pizza chain which brought you last year’s chocolate and pineapple-topped Black Thunder pizza, is teaming up with fellow Nagoya-based Akakara (a popular nabe chain) for another wacky yet oddly appetizing-looking menu item: introducing this year’s “Akakara Cochin [a breed of chicken] meatball pizza.”

Raw eggs may lead to heads as bald as eggs

Master Blaster
Apr 22, 2015

One of Japan’s most beloved dishes is tamago kake gohan which is simply a bowl of rice topped with a raw egg and a splash of soy sauce. While the thought of consuming raw egg might be off-putting to some people, here a TKG is about as commonplace as a PB&J would be in America.

In fact raw egg is used as a garnish for many other dishes as well, which might make you wonder why everyone in Japan isn’t constantly kneeling over a high-tech toilet bowl. Actually the problem of bacteria has been licked quite some time ago, but now a new danger in raw egg consumption looms: it’s thought to cause hair loss.

Hooray! Taco Bell opens in Japan and we’re there to get the commemorative T-shirt and free taco!

Kay
Apr 21, 2015

While you can certainly find countless restaurants offering a seemingly endless range of cuisines in Japan, if you’ve spent some time in the country, you may have noticed that options for Mexican food (or at least American-Mexican food) can be somewhat limited. So when news went around that American fast food chain Taco Bell was going to re-open in Japan, the response on the Japanese Internet was huge. And while we understand that not everyone is a fan of Taco Bell, there certainly seemed to be enough people overjoyed that the chain was finally returning to Japan after having opened shop here once for just a short time in the 1980s.

All of this meant that the opening of the new Taco Bell shop in Shibuya, Tokyo was bound to attract lots of attention as well as a good crowd, and not to miss out on the excitement and tacos, our very own Mr. Sato from the Japanese arm of RocketNews24 was there on opening day to bring you the following report!

Edo and Meiji era Japanese artwork now available for free download 【Pics】

Audrey Akcasu
Apr 21, 2015

Attention all designers, artists, fashion enthusiasts and people who just appreciate some nice Japanese artwork: The Smithsonian Libraries should be your best friends.

Among their thousands of other free artwork and books, The Smithsonian Libraries and the Freer and Slacker Galleries, Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Arts now offer free downloads of thousands of beautiful Japanese prints.