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Daughter of Osamu Tezuka, God of Manga, discovers his stash of hand-drawn sexy mouse artwork

Casey Baseel
Mar 29, 2014
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Do you think Walt Disney ever scratched his butt in public?

Sure, it may not be the classiest thing to do, but sometimes when you’ve got an itch, it needs to be scratched right away. It doesn’t make him a monster, it just means, like all of us, occasionally his base urges won out against social propriety.

Still, it’s a little hard to reconcile the man responsible for Mickey Mouse having an itchy behind. Just like it’s a little shocking to learn that Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy, kept a stash of sexy mouse drawings locked in his desk.

Play video games, learn Japanese: Crowdfunded JRPG “Koe” reaches its goal with cash to spare

Philip Kendall
Mar 28, 2014

I’ve always maintained that, while the method may work for a very lucky few, drilling lists of words and kanji characters is like trying to commit blocks of random numbers to memory – that is to say painfully hard work, time-consuming, and not in the least bit natural or fun. Rather, a better way to approach language learning is to encounter words in context so as to easier form cognitive connections and assimilate them into that which we already know.

So when I stumbled upon Koe, an upcoming role-playing game designed to help people learn Japanese as they play, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of excitement.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” Meet the Japanese cat that loves to tap 【Videos】

Philip Kendall
Mar 28, 2014

Cute, loveable, selfish, or cold-hearted, whatever you think of cats, they’re nothing but entertaining, and this little fella is no exception. Taken from what must have been hours of footage captured by its owners, these videos show one particular cat’s penchant for newspapers, plastic, bags and even plants – anything that springs back when he hits it – as he sits and paws, and paws, and paws away, never seeming to get tired.

Tatsuo Horiuchi: 73-year-old who creates beautiful works of art using only Excel

Fran W
Mar 28, 2014

When Tatsuo Horiuchi was approaching retirement age, he wanted to do something new with his free time. So he bought a computer, and in 2000 decided to try his hand at making digital art. But Mr. Horiuchi from Nagano Prefecture, Japan, doesn’t use Photoshop or any other graphics editing software. These intricate digital artworks were made entirely in Microsoft Excel! It’s hard to believe that spreadsheet software can be used to make something so compellingly beautiful.

Fourteen years after he first started experimenting with digital art, Mr. Horiuchi is now a celebrated artist whose works have been exhibited locally and nationally. He’s also the winner of the Excel Autoshape Art Contest (what d’you mean, you didn’t know that was a thing?!) Let’s take a look at some of his work, and the fascinating process that goes into making it.

Awesome Korean airsoft park lets you live out your urban combat fantasies 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Mar 28, 2014

We’ve talked before about airsoft, and how the game that allows you to gun down your friends is ironically gaining seeing its ranks grow and grow in Japan. Unlike paintball, airsoft uses solid-state, BB-like ammo, so it’s a great way to unleash your inner remorseless 1980s action hero (or his gritty, 2010 reboot) without getting your fashionable combat fatigues stained with purple and orange splatters.

Most airsoft fields tend to be just that, fields out in the woods. But what if your combat fantasies are more Predator 2 than Predator, and you’d prefer an urban theater of operations? Is there a place where you can hunt the deadliest game: man?

Sure there is, at the Wanju Military Theme Park in Korea.

Tokushima City wages war on toilet paper bandits as 900 rolls go missing from public restrooms

Philip Kendall
Mar 28, 2014

Police may or may not be on the lookout for a woman with chronic diarrhoea this week after it became clear than an incredible 900 rolls of toilet paper have been swiped from city hall restrooms in Tokushima, Shikoku over the past three years, with the trend showing no sign of coming to an end any time soon.

How-to: Easy-to-make Capriccio rolls look like roses, make you look like a master chef

Casey Baseel
Mar 28, 2014

My brother, who spent several years working as a seafood cook, is an extremely handy guy in the kitchen. Even still, one of his most popular dishes is the incredibly easy to make Lebanese staple called hushwe. He jokingly refuses to teach his friends how to cook the rice and beef dish, since he’s worried that if they knew how simple it is, they’d lose respect for him as a chef.

The secret’s out, though, on how our Japanese-language correspondent Kon crafts her gorgeous rose-shaped salmon Carpaccio rolls, and today we’re going to share the technique with you.

2014: The 10 best airports in the world

BUSINESS INSIDER
Mar 28, 2014

Skytrax has released the results of its annual World Airport Awards and, once again, Singapore’s Changi Airport has taken the top spot.

It’s no surprise that Changi came out on top again. The international transit hub has incredible amenities, such as a butterfly garden, rooftop pool, movie theaters, hotels, spas, and showers — and even a four-story slide.

Skytrax based its rankings on 12.85 million customer nominations across 110 nationalities and included 410 airports worldwide. It incorporated passenger satisfaction across nearly 40 categories, including service and shopping and security and immigration.

All the airports commended last year made the 2014 list, but in a slightly different order.

Sailor Moon fan project releases latest scene preview

Anime News Network
Mar 28, 2014

The Moon Animate, Make Up! project released a new scene preview for the fan-animated episode of Sailor Moon.

The project will reanimate episode 38 of the first season, “Fractious Friends” and use the English language dub. All animation positions are currently filled but you can apply to be added to the waitlist if a scene opens at moonanimatemakeup@gmail.com.

According to the project organizer Kaitlin Sullivan, the project is on track to be finished by late May or Early June.

Japanese Star Wars notebooks: Because Jedi have homework to do too

Fran W
Mar 28, 2014

April is the start of the academic year in Japan, and for kids, parents and stationery manufacturers that means one thing: it’s back to school shopping season. And across Japan, as elementary school students carefully write their names in their notebooks for the new year, there’s a good chance that notebook will be Showa Noto brand. The company’s gakushucho (study notebooks) are a hugely popular series of school notebooks, used by school students all over the country. Showa Noto also makes character-branded goods, and we’re desperate to get our hands on one of these new Star Wars school notebooks!

Yoppi and the Fashion Factory: One man’s magical makeover in Shibuya

Master Blaster
Mar 28, 2014

On the surface, a lot of guys don’t seem to put much effort into their appearance. This is often mistaken for sheer laziness or apathy, but in these cash strapped times, many men simply lack the funds to look as stylish as they want to.

One such man is Omocoro’s Yoppi, or as he’s known to the rest of the world, “that Japanese guy who was caught looking at cartoon porn on the train.” Struggling on a blogger’s budget he resorts to bland colors and patternless pants. That is until one fateful day when he heard of a contest in the fashionably elite area of Shibuya which promised to make his dreams of looking good come true.

Here is his story.

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Bake and feast — We try the new bakeable Kit Kats!【Taste Test】

Kay
Mar 28, 2014

Remember the bakeable pudding-flavored mini Kit Kats we told you about earlier this month? Well, we managed to get our hands on them, and also on the cream cheese flavored bakeable Kit Kats sold at the Kit Kat Chocolaterie as well. And you know what that means — it’s time for a RocketNews24 taste test! So, let’s get on with the baking and tasting, shall we?

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“Denki Anma”: The Japanese traditional torment that you’ll be glad stays in Japan

Mike
Mar 28, 2014

Kids find all kinds of ways to playfully bully each other that adults might shake their heads at. In the West, this might manifest as little mean-spirited pranks like nipple twisters, convincing a kid to eat a whole tube of toothpaste, or to run up and touch the creepy cat lady’s house in the middle of the night.

But Japanese kids tend to take a more sexually charged approach. We’ve already talked about the intricacies of the infamous kancho – that mighty, two-handed violation of someone’s hind quarters that happens to every westerner at least once and lingers in their psyche for decades, yet the Japanese shrug it off as just another schoolhouse (or workplace) prank.

But one you may not have heard about is the long-standing tradition of the “Denki Anma.”

Wait, did North Korea really just call South Korea’s president a “blabbering peasant woman”?

Philip Kendall
Mar 28, 2014

Yes. Yes, it did.

Relations between North and South Korea took a turn for the childish today as a spokesman for the notorious hermit nation labelled South Korea’s President Park Geun-Hye a “peasant” and remarked that she ought to stop “blabbering” if she ever wants to see relations between the two countries improve.

Me, and indeed, ow.

“Make your own Pino ice cream fondue” event to be held for one day only in Tokyo

Master Blaster
Mar 27, 2014

Pino is one of Japan’s most beloved brand of ice cream snacks. They combine the simple deliciousness of a chocolate covered ice cream bar with the bite sized convenience of a bonbon.

Since their launch in 1976, Pino have become available in other flavors such as double-chocolate or strawberry, but their vanilla ice cream with chocolate coating has remains a firm favorite. However, on 13 April this year, Morinaga Milk Industry will be holding a one day event where you can not only taste brand new Pino flavors, but you will actually be able to create your own from over 100 different combinations. Details after the jump!

The original cast of Street Fighter II beg for mercy in model form this summer

Philip Kendall
Mar 27, 2014

As we have come to learn over the years, Japan really loves its capsule toys and mobile phone accessories, and there’s always some cute new bit of plastic to attach to your person or use to brighten up your electronic devices. But for fans of the original Capcom fighter Street Fighter II (which is everyone, surely!?) we have some extra good news today.

A new series of models, showing the world warriors not in their typically magnificent fighting poses but on their knees and with their noses touching the ground, begging for forgiveness, is due to be released later this year.

Good news for robot and pop idol fans: new Macross anime series is on the way!

Casey Baseel
Mar 27, 2014

It’s hard to think of an anime franchise that’s had a bigger impact than Macross. Aside from being a huge hit in its native Japan, the military sci-fi saga has provided no fewer than three gigantic boosts to anime’s international popularity. The original Macross, repackaged internationally as Robotech in 1985, provided many English speakers with their first taste of Japanese animation, a feat repeated by its 1994 direct-to-video follow-up, Macross Plus. Macross’ first theatrical feature, 1984’s Do You Remember Love?, is even largely credited with kick-starting the practice of fan-produced anime translations.

Now, the franchise is poised to bring in yet another crop of new fans, with the announcement that a new Macross TV series is on its way.

Want to play piano or guitar by ear? There’s an app for that too and we tried it out

Master Blaster
Mar 27, 2014

Playing by ear is truly an enviable skill. To be able to just hear something then play it yourself is almost like a super-power to many a musical layman. With enough time and practice I could probably develop such an ability too, but come on. I got too many ice cream and animal dating games to write about already.

So I rely on computers to do it for me. There are a variety of software applications on desktop computers that can take a song and at least attempt to break it down into its components, but they can be rather complicated and difficult to use. Now Casio has come out with an iOS app called Chordana Viewer that can reverse engineer songs right on your Apple device for piano or guitar.

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Off-road bikes added to Japan’s disaster relief arsenal

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Mar 27, 2014

In light of emergency vehicles being unable to reach victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has announced the addition of 10 off-road bikes to their force.

We put the internet’s “techniques for emptying your bladder with morning wood” to the test

Mike
Mar 27, 2014

Ladies, you might want to cover your eyes for this one, ’cause this piece is going to get a little, um… messy.

Guys know all too well how awkward it can be to wake up with what is not-so-delicately referred to as “morning wood;” That is, a big honkin’ erection first thing in the morning for no apparent reason. Now, if you’re getting your standard eight hours of sleep, odds are – man or woman – you’re also going to have an urge to pee, but morning wood complicates this significantly: How on earth do you empty your bladder while pitching an underpants tent?

A series of hilarious diagrams outlining the possible methods a man may use to tackle this situation recently appeared online. The Japanese arm of our site thought these were frankly the best thing ever, but wondered whether they could really be applied to real life, so with a willing model and a camera, headed into the bathroom to give the poses – from “the Lunge” to “the Superman” – a try.