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Japanese Internet users amused by CIA Twitter feed, led there by United States Forces

KK Miller
Jun 13, 2015
Tweet

Public programs and government agencies are going out of their way to reach and connect with people as much as possibly, creating mascots and getting on social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) joined Twitter a year ago, and while many may fear the agency, the CIA saw this #Twitterversary as the perfect occasion to reach out and try to find common ground with the people of the Internet. So, they compiled a list of five reasons why you should be following them on Twitter, and it didn’t take long for Japanese users to find the tweets! Can you guess which one caught their attention and got them all aflutter?

Who needs fast food? Tokyo restaurant has awesome cutlet lunch sets for less than five bucks

Casey Baseel
Jun 13, 2015

Given Tokyo’s reputation as one of the most expensive cities on the planet, you might think that dining out in Japan’s capital requires either a large fistful of yen or the fortitude to put up with a growling stomach after an undersized meal that leaves you only half-full. That’s not always the case, though, and it’s not like budget dining restricts your options to Yoshinoya or 7-Eleven, either.

We recently found a restaurant right in the heart of Tokyo that has filling, delicious lunches that are so cheap, we sort of felt guilty eating there.

Japan has a pill to cure your pre-speech jitters, and it’s got carrots in it

Fran W
Jun 13, 2015

Agaranzai is a new Japanese herbal medicine which claims to lessen headaches and anxiety brought on by public speaking. Basically, it’s marketed as a cure for the jitters. The makers suggest taking it before making a speech at a wedding, giving an important presentation at work, or going to a job interview. But what’s in it, anyway? And should we buy it?

There’s a reason why there are fewer green Lego bricks than any other color

KK Miller
Jun 12, 2015

Lego building blocks are a fantastic toy for growing kids and adults alike. These snap-together bricks allow you build pretty much anything, regardless of whether you follow the instructions included in the box or throw caution to the wind and build whatever pops into your head. With the success of The Lego Movie and a sequel and spin-off movies in the works, the outlook for this 65-year-old toy has never been better.

But there is an alleged little-known secret hidden in the core of Lego’s sensibility. If you take a random sampling of Lego bricks, you will notice that there are far fewer green ones than any other color. The reason why may surprise you.

30 random things Japanese girls say that annoy Japanese men

Evie Nyan
Jun 12, 2015

Sometimes, girls say the darndest things… but you’d be surprised at the variety of utterances that get Japanese men’s eyebrows twitching in rage. We rounded up some of our Japanese male writers to compile a list of 30 things Japanese girls say that really grind Japanese guys’ gears!

Any guesses what made the list? Trust us, some of these came straight out of left field.

Our Japanese writer tries the “hold a coke with your boobs” challenge

Evie Nyan
Jun 12, 2015

If you spend a lot of time on the internet, like all of the RocketNews24 team does, then you can’t help but notice when a new “do this stupid thing” challenge starts going aroud. Whether it involves chugging cinnamon, blowing up your lips, or scarfing hot peppers, it’s all pretty silly stuff that normally we’re way too sophisticated to have a go at.

But something about the “hold a coke with your boobs” challenge captivated the attention of our Japanese writer P.K. So much, in fact, that he decided to have a go for himself! Warning, this post is potentially NSFW for everyone who doesn’t work in the RN24 office!

Math-solving phone app is the quickest way to self-study, skip homework, and/or fail your tests

Casey Baseel
Jun 12, 2015

I think we can all agree that math is a pretty handy thing to understand, right? A basic concept of things like fractions and algebraic equivalents is what keeps us from getting taken advantage of by con men who make such tempting offers as trading two of their shiny monies (or even three!) for our one paper money when the latter is actually of greater value.

Still, basic math is all about following the proper procedures to arrive at the one true solution, which is why you don’t get partial credit for having the wrong answer on your math assignment just because you took a novel approach and wrote the numbers with nice penmanship. As such, you can program a machine to spit out the answer in a fraction of a second, and with a new smartphone app, all you have to do is snap a picture of the math problem, and let the app take over from there.

The “will boyfriend”: A new title in Japan’s evolving dating scene

Casey Baseel
Jun 12, 2015

The Japanese language takes a lot of cues from English when it comes to talking about romance. For example, “kisu”, the corrupted pronunciation of “kiss,” is about 100 times more common than “kuchitzuke,” the purely Japanese word for locking lips. Found the love of your life? Then it’s time to puropozu (propose), and when your bride walks down the aisle, she’ll probably be wearing a uedingu doresu (wedding dress).

Still, sometimes Japanese goes its own way, and while “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” are pretty readily understood, the indigenous terms kare and kanojo are much more widely used. And every now and again, the two languages get mixed together to describe something in the Japanese dating scene, such as with the newly coined phrase uiru kare, or “will boyfriend.”

Woman on commuter train thinks she’s getting a romantic kabe-don, seems guy would rather beat her

Casey Baseel
Jun 12, 2015

As clean, punctual, and safe as Japan’s trains may be, riding them during rush hour usually isn’t a particularly pleasant experience, when passengers are packed in at extremely close proximity to one another. In their search for anything to make the experience a little more tolerable, some people will latch onto any positive they can find, such as a mere hint of romance in a chance encounter with an attractive fellow commuter.

This week, one woman’s heart skipped a beat as she found herself the sudden, if unintentional, recipient of a kabe-don on her morning ride to work. But while she could easily tell the man bracing himself with one arm against the wall behind her was a handsome stranger, she didn’t know that his full description should also include “prone to fantasies of ridiculous violence.”

Pac-Man ghosts were almost all the same color — red

BUSINESS INSIDER
Jun 12, 2015

The four different-coloured ghosts are immediately recognizable characters in “Pac-Man,” but Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde could have been all one shade if the president and cofounder of the video game company that created Pac-Man had his way.

The changing face of Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo and the decline of Japan’s biggest Korea Town

KK Miller
Jun 11, 2015

If you are looking for some Korean food while in Tokyo, the place to go is Shin-Okubo. The famed “Korea Town” in the middle of the metropolitan Tokyo area has served as a gathering place for fans of Korean TV dramas, K-pop music and Korean cuisine. Sadly, though, what was once was a bustling consumer zone for people who loved all things Korean, though, has seen its fortunes decline in recent years, and there are a number of theories as to why.

Man attempts to sue Chinese actress for staring at him too much… through his TV screen

Evie Nyan
Jun 11, 2015

Chinese actress, pop singer and director Zhao Wei has had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry. Currently starring in the drama series Tiger Mom, she’s only just returned to acting in television dramas after a five-year absence.

But now, she has to deal with being sued by one viewer who claims her performance in the drama has caused him “spiritual damage“. How? Apparently she’s been staring at him too much!

What makes “Love Live!” so mega popular? We asked one passionate super fan

Krista Rogers
Jun 11, 2015

If you’re into anime and you haven’t been living under a rock for the past two years, you should have at least heard of the unstoppable, indomitable multimedia force known as Love Live! School Idol Project, which first aired in early 2013. The show took off and captured the hearts of Japanese and foreign viewers alike seemingly in the blink of an eye.

In fact, fans of the series are known for being so incredibly dedicated to the teenage troupe that we wanted to find out firsthand what attracted them to the series. Consequently, we had our Japanese reporter ask one enthusiastic fan, whom we’ll call Mr. K, for his personal opinion. What do you think he had to say about the draw of the series?

Get ready for more Steampunk adventure: Steam Garden releases video and details for next event

Preston Phro
Jun 11, 2015

Earlier this year, we gave you a photo tour of Steam Garden 8, showing off the incredible fashion and craftwork on display. Needless to say, we had a great time and were blown away by the detail that went into everyone’s outfits. Sadly, we weren’t able to get any video for you, but today’s you lucky day, because a video showing off some of the participants in full, fantastic attire has just been released!

We also have some information about the next Steam Garden event, scheduled for August. If you’re bummed you missed the last one, here’s you chance to slip into (or bolt on) your best steampunk gear and go adventuring!

Hello Kitty secures deal with Universal Orlando Resort, to open shop in Florida theme park!

Kay
Jun 11, 2015

Hello Kitty may be as cute as a button, and there’s no denying she’s one of the most popular and successful character franchises ever created. And while our beloved Ms. Kitty may have almost single-handedly repaid her parent company Sanrio’s debts, it seems she’s still keeping herself as busy as ever, as it was announced recently that she’ll be opening her very first shop in the Universal Orlando Resort later this year. Yes, while the international feline celebrity may have turned 40 last November, she’s showing no signs of slowing down — but then again, somehow we didn’t think Ms.Kitty would be the type to enjoy early retirement!

Language fail: 22 funny and embarrassing tales of Japanese language missteps

Philip Kendall
Jun 11, 2015

They say that one of the main reasons so few Japanese people master the English language is because they’re worried about making mistakes or embarrassing themselves. While we do wish more Japanese would break out their English a little more often (get a couple of drinks into your coworkers and you’ll be amazed at how much English they actually know), at the same time we can’t really blame them for being reluctant to speak, because learning a second language as an adult can be tough.

After all, when our words fail us, it can not only result in confusion, but very often shock, laughter, and even anger. Just ask the kind folks who were good enough to share with us their most awkward and memorable mistakes made when speaking – or rather trying to speak – Japanese.

Join us after the jump for 22 tales of language mishaps. Oh, and maybe make some notes while you do so that none of these ever happen to you!

Japan’s tax agency considers protected designation for Japanese sake

Jessica
Jun 11, 2015

Okay, Rocketeers, time for a pop quiz: what is Japanese sake? Turns out the question is actually a little more complicated than it looks on the surface.

Sushi suitcase covers are back, this time with new flavors!

Audrey Akcasu
Jun 11, 2015

In most countries, when you think of conveyor belts you might think of factories, but in Japan, most people’s minds would probably jump first to sushi. Conveyor belt sushi is not only delicious and cheap, but it adds a little fun to your meal.

Some innovative designers decided to take that fun and add it to another common conveyor belt: airport luggage carousels. Last year Parco released their first edition of sushi suitcase covers, but this year they are back with three new flavors.

Tower Records celebrates Super Mario Bros.’ 30th anniversary with cafe and sale

Jamie Koide
Jun 11, 2015

It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since Nintendo first unveiled Super Mario Bros. on the original Japanese NES, or Famicon as it’s known in Japan. With over 200 games and counting, Super Mario has become the best selling video game franchise of all time. We’ve seen the video game icon get sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach on countless occasions, and become a legendary go-kart racer and sports athlete, as recapped here.

Mario’s been used to sell everything from Mercedes to Converse, and this time, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the industry-changing Super Mario Bros. video game, Tower Records is teaming up with Mario for a special limited edition cafe and summer sale at participating stores.

Make your tummy happy, eat a kimchi yogurt rice bowl today

Evie Nyan
Jun 11, 2015

In the boring and often mildly terrifying world of being a competent adult, there comes a time when you have to start eating healthily or face the horrible consequences. Junk food somehow seems less appealing when you have to factor in the inevitable side effects such as bloating, stomach cramps, and bad skin.

So we’re always looking for new things to eat that have added beauty benefits, and recently a secret super recipe has come to our attention which involves adding a dollop of yogurt and kimchi to our rice bowls.