Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama and Japanese rock band Maximum the Hormone have each creatively inspired the other, and now they have come together for the latest Dragon Ball Z movie, which will feature the band’s intense and explicit track “F” as the main battle song.
As with the beginning of any new year, there comes the chore of getting a new calendar for your wall or fridge. Sure one usually arrives in the mail from your friendly neighborhood real estate agency, or you could always shell out for the motif of your choosing from a local calendar boutique.
But the really lucky years are when the perfect calendar just falls right into your lap, as it did with our Japanese writer Ponkotsu the other day. From an associate in Shanghai, he received something in the mail with the words Chinese Dream printed on its front; a calendar that he knew in an instant would become the one of his own dreams too.
If you have friends who moved to Asia and you can’t figure out why, this article is for you. If you’re the one who moved to an Asian country and you have a hard time explaining why to people back home, then this article is for you too. If you’ve visited Asia and absolutely loved it, then we think we know why, so please read on. And lastly, if you’ve never visited Asia, then you should read this article to find out why you should get your butt over here without delay!
A little while back, we listed 10 things we love about Japan. But we realized that many Asian countries have similar awesome traits. So today, we’re going to expand our love and share 10 things we absolutely adore about Asia!
If you’ve been reading up on our international medical news recently, you may have stumbled upon the shocking story of staff posing for photos during surgery on a patient at a hospital in China. While the news was disturbing to say the least, it seems they’re not the only ones fooling around in the operating room, with a new set of images from a clinic in South Korea showing medical staff enjoying birthday cake, games and unabashed selfies, even with the patient lying unconscious in the medical chair.
Just like how families in the west put lights on their homes and ornaments on trees for Christmas, Japan has its own traditional decorations for New Year’s. One of the most common is kagami mochi, a stack of two or three rice cakes topped with a mikan or daidai, both orange-like citrus fruits.
No one’s exactly sure why it’s called kagami mochi though, since even though the name literally means “mirror rice cake,” there’s no mirror included in the display. As a matter of fact, in the minds of some animal lovers in Japan, the design options for kagami mochi are wide open, as shown by this collection of photos where adorable pets take the place of the rice cakes.
Nengajo, or New Year’s greeting cards, are a ubiquitous part of the end-of-year season in Japan. Much like Christmas cards in the west, nengajo are sent to family and friends to update them on what you’ve been up to that year. In fact, there are so many nengajo sent at the end of the year that post offices in Japan have to employ students as temporary staff to make sure they meet the delivery deadline of January 1. While there are plenty of preprinted cards available from stationery shops, many people opt to make their own, personalised cards. A nice touch, but results may vary depending on the artistic skills (and sense of humour) of the postcard sender! To show you what we mean, we’ve put together a little list of the best of this year’s nengajo. Some of them are genuinely impressive, while others would make us cringe if the neighbours saw ’em!
When you buy a fukubukuro (lucky bag) from a store in Japan, you can usually be sure that the value of their contents will surpass the amount you paid for the bag; it’s a guarantee, or else no one would ever buy them! But when you decide to buy a fukubukuro from a secondhand store, you certainly can’t feel 100% sure that you will get your money’s worth.
Are your secondhand items going to be in good condition? Are you going to be getting some good value? Or are you getting the games that even the secondhand store just wants to get rid of? Let Tokyo’s most famous used video game store Super Potato help you decide after the break.
Morians Kiodo, a firm based in Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture, is known for developing a new kind of heat pack that is powerful enough to heat food without having to use a flame. It’s certainly a welcome invention for both outdoor adventurer types and people who happen to be experiencing power outages.
Now, the same company has utilized their technological prowess to create user-friendly hydrogen gas-emitting bath kits, which can be easily administered in the comfort of your own home. So easy, in fact, that our ace Japanese reporter Yoshio decided to–wait for it–test out the water for himself!
There’s a particular type of male who when in possession of a vehicle strives to make it the most outstanding machine on the road for better or for worse. This generally involves painting obnoxiously loud colors onto their cars, which have been fitted with even more obnoxiously loud speakers. The result is a visual and audible horror show only appreciated by those with a similar mindset.
And then we have Harpeet Devi of India who has reached new heights of annoying car customization. He had his transmission customized to have four speeds in reverse and only one speed forward so he can drive backwards everywhere he goes.
Entertainment news source Variety reported on Monday that Scarlett Johansson has signed on to star in Dreamworks‘ adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Deadline reported in October that the actress was offered the role, but she was still undecided at the time.
The film has not yet been greenlit for production, but Variety notes that Johansson’s involvement should make production more likely.
Tokyo is a wonderful city; there’s no denying that. But sometimes you might want to get out into the country and experience some of the different cultural areas of Japan. Of course, if you’re busy working all week or only in the country for a brief time, you may not be able to get out to a place like Aomori Prefecture.
Recently, however, we were in the mood for some tsugaru-jamisen and a few glasses of Aomori Prefecture’s distinguished sake. We didn’t have time to jump on a train to the northern prefecture, but, fortunately, Tokyo is home to Haneto Izakaya, an establishment featuring food and music from Aomori Prefecture. Check out the food, drinks, and a video of their amazing shamisen player rocking the joint!
He’s lived in Japan for four years but has only been an entertainer for two months. Even so, this guy already has Japanese celebrities roaring with laughter.
Meet Atsugiri Jason (厚切りジェイソン), whose stage name translates to something like “Thickly-sliced Jason.” This up-and-coming comedic genius was recently featured on a Japanese TV New Year’s special, where he performed a short sketch entirely in Japanese which proved to be so popular that the internet is already buzzing about him making his big break this year.
Anyone who has ever struggled with learning kanji is sure to appreciate this video. Check out his comedy sketch after the jump!
While our RocketNews24 Japanese team of writers has been having fun snatching up a variety of lucky bags during this first week of the new year, the contents of those bags have ranged from exciting to just plain meh. But the two lucky bags our Japanese correspondent Yoshio grabbed from UFO catchers (aka claw machines) have hit a new all-time low. We don’t think he’ll be going back for more next year…
Stop what you’re doing and get ready to lose your…ummm…stuff. Kawaii-meets-coffins idol group BABYMETAL just released a trailer for a new song featuring guitars by Herman Li and Sam Totman, the semi-legendary guitarists from DragonForce. The song is called “Road of Resistance” and our only complaint is that the trailer is too short…despite being over three minutes long.
Following his tradition of the past few years, RocketNews24’s ace reporter and calendar model Mr. Sato dutifully lined up outside the Apple Store in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood to wait for the January 2 release of the its 2015 lucky bag (luckily, his experience waiting outside wasn’t nearly as traumatic as the poor folks’ up in Sapporo). Although he was hoping to score a MacBook Air for the second year running, this year our man had his eye on another item as well–the Apple Store lucky bag-exclusive t-shirt.
Will Mr. Sato find the coveted t-shirt in his bag again this year? See his haul after the jump!
Happy Monday, dear RocketNews24 readers! Here in Japan it’s been an especially gloomy Monday as it’s the first day back to work after the all too short New Year’s break. But there’s nothing like taking a sneaky peek at a few cute cat pictures on your phone during the morning meeting or lecture to get you feeling a little less blue, so here you go.
This snow-white kitty is cute enough as it is, but what does he do when his owner flips the switch on the heated rug beneath him?
What with all the kabe-don pictures and that cat that looks permanently surprised, 2014 was a busy year for us here at RocketNews24. But it seems there is one more important story from last year that we have entirely neglected to bring to your attention – until now.
In blogs, on Twitter and in one hugely-popular article on website Naver Matome, Japanese women have been talking about sukāto haki-wasure – the act of accidentally going out with no skirt on. But what on earth is the cause of this phenomenon? And what can be done about it?
Good news for all those who live in Japan and suffer from pollen allergies! Scientists have genetically modified rice in an attempt to desensitize the body to that nasty Japanese cedar pollen that causes all of the sneezing, mask-wearing and eye-watering every spring. Just think, eating some of this special rice everyday could relieve you from all of your hay fever woes!
It’s a new year, so time to get to work on your resolutions! Whether it’s hitting the gym, studying a language, or taking more time to sit down and play video games, here’s to accomplishing all your goals. Of course, when you’re in pursuit of a big goal, you may find yourself working overly hard and feeling exhausted when you hit the hay–which may result in sleeping in the wrong position. Who hasn’t woken up with a sore neck or back and wished they could call in sick and spend the day with a few dozen massage therapists?
If you’re feeling a bit of pain, we may have just the cure–and it’s inspired by none other than the manga GodHand Teru. That means it has to be effective, right?
Although they often live in the shadow of their cousin Pocky, Glico’s Pretz brand of cracker sticks are also usually quite tasty. They certainly have enough taste power to stand on their own, but now after joining forces with the children’s money magnet that is Youkai Watch they certainly are a snack force to be reckoned with. The result of this power coupling is Our Milk Flavored Youkai Watch Pretz.
The concept of youkai (traditional Japanese monsters) milk is kind of disgusting in the first place but fun for the kids so we’ll let that slide. However, one sharp-eyed Twitter user spotted in the fine print below: “milk solids 6 percent” leading many online to wonder if “our milk” might actually be something far more heinous. So, I grabbed a pack to take a gander at the actual ingredients and find out if Our Milk Flavored Youkai Watch Pretz actually taste like milk – youkai or otherwise – despite apparently hardly having any milk inside.
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro 2026 Corn Gift to its anime store for Mother’s Day
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Three ways going to see cherry blossoms alone is better than seeing them with other people
Why is Yoshinoya called Yoshinoya?
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Which Gundam is the favorite for fans in different countries? Gundam election announces resultsJapan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Totoro and Calcifer become little light-up lanterns for Ghibli-style excursions or at-home decor
7-Eleven Japan releases a crazy new viral sandwich: Chocolate Sprinkles and Whipped CreamTokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
Fatal stabbing at Pokémon Center in Tokyo reignites concern over rising stalking cases in Japan
Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime characterKrispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Why is Yoshinoya called Yoshinoya?
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Which Gundam is the favorite for fans in different countries? Gundam election announces results
Say hello to Japan’s new generation of adults, fresh from Kitakyushu’s 2023 seijinshiki ceremony
Japan’s new Pajama Suit is the perfect all-day, all-situations outfit for our current lifestyle
Here it is: The finalized map for Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan (and its food)
Fatal stabbing at Pokémon Center in Tokyo reignites concern over rising stalking cases in Japan
McDonald’s Japan releases “intense” McPork burger, prompts Michelin chef to create jam hack
Starbucks Japan adds new Sencha Matcha Tea Frappuccino to its menu, but only at 28 locations
Can you enjoy a day at Tokyo’s Kokugikan sumo stadium if you know nothing about the sport?【Pics】