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There has been a lot of talk online in Japan recently about Rina Nanase. Known as Rumi Kanda in her adult video days, the young model has been surprisingly open about turning to plastic surgery to change the shape of her face.

In a process that she began chronicling via Twitter late last year, Nanase has made a number of changes to her eyes, nose, and chin. Now that she has shared photos of her “finished” look, however, many are calling it “way too much,” with some even suggesting that she now resembles the character Dobby from the Harry Potter movies.

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First-of-its-kind towel is totally worth its 5,000 yen price, customers say

A good towel is always nice to have, especially in a country like Japan where bathing is a hobby, hand dryers and paper towels are largely nonexistent in public restrooms, and the three to five months a year of blazing heat and sweltering humidity will make you itching to wipe off all that sweat.

Yes, it’s hard to overstate the value of a good towel, though some might say Japanese textile maker INI is coming close with its 5,000-yen (US $49) bath towels. That price, though, gets you a towel unlike any that’s been made before.

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Meiji-Era Ace Attorney game’s 1st teaser streamed

CAPCOM began streaming the first teaser trailer on Thursday for the newest game in the Ace Attorney franchise, Dai Gyakuten Saiban –Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken– (Great Turnabout Trial: The Adventures of Ryūnosuke Naruhodō).

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Does Avril Lavigne’s Tokyo music video really have anything to do with Japan?

The lack of both L and V sounds in Japan’s language hasn’t kept Canadian musician Avril Lavigne from achieving widespread popularity here. As a matter of fact, given the country’s affinity for female solo acts, and its decades-long ready acceptance of “girls’ rock” music, you could make the argument that Lavigne has an even broader fan base in Japan, or at least one that’s split more evenly across the gender line.

So when Lavigne recently revealed she’d filmed her latest music video in Japan, maybe it wasn’t so surprising, even if a few of her choices for representing Japan were.

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The top five places to survive a real attack by Titans in Japan

It’s a thought that’s bound to have crossed the mind of anyone who has read or watched the wildly popular Attack on Titan series. And if it hasn’t yet, the realistic special effects in next year’s live-action film adaptation are sure to do the trick: In the extremely unlikely event of an attack on humanity by colossal Titans, where the heck can we go to be safe?? 

While this hypothetical possibility alone may strike enough fear into some people to make them go live under a rock, others have taken up the challenge and are using their creative thinking skills to plot out a course of action before disaster strikes. We asked one such Titan fan for advice, and she was kind enough to share the top five safest places from an attack by Titans in her opinion. Do any of your ideas make the cut? 

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Whack-a-Kitty: Now with real kittens【Video】

Ah, whack-a-mole, that fun childhood arcade game where the only goal is to smash all the moles back down into their holes. No one ever felt sorry for the little plastic rodents, but what if they were actual kitties? Take a look at this video featuring kittens in their own version of the classic game. (Don’t worry, no kitties were whacked in the making of this video!)

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Japanese homebuilder offers virtual reality tour of your new home while you’re still designing it

Few people know this about me, but on top of being a huge video game nerd, I’m also both a part-time eco warrior and a big fan of the Tiny House movement, which is all about simple living and not destroying the environment for the sake of building a McMansion. I’ll happily spend a full evening watching video tours of micro homes or looking at floor plans while sketching out my own future home. But no amount of doodles can compare to actually visiting a property in person and snooping around.

Japanese home builder Daiwa House, too, knows the importance of giving potential home builders a chance to experience their residences in person, and is about to launch a special “Try Lab” showroom that invites visitors to slip on a virtual reality headset and wander around inside their new house, whether tiny or huge, and really get a feel for the place before giving the architect the final nod.

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While most of the professors I encountered during my time studying abroad were relaxed and open-minded, I can clearly remember one blue-blooded educator I met who insisted that the food served at kaitenzushi restaurants, the eateries where customers pluck pre-prepared plates of sushi off of a revolving conveyer belt, wasn’t “real sushi.”

True sushi, she said, wasn’t something that you ate to satisfy your hunger, but a flavorful accent to stimulate your taste buds. It had to be prepared painstakingly in an intimate establishment with a proper pedigree, and was certainly not the sort of thing that could be prepared in any quantity similar to the vulgar amounts pumped out by inexpensive kaitenzushi restaurants.

I listened politely, consulted my wallet, and promptly went to a kaitenzushi restaurant. Vindicating my choice are the results of a new survey which shows that revolving sushi restaurants are loved by diners all over Japan, whether they’re out for dinner with the family, on a date, or even just stopping in for a bite alone.

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  • Apr 24, 2014

The Rice Cube — tasty-looking appetizers made fun and easy!!

Let’s face it, being a responsible adult can be a challenge. You’re expected to show up at work each day looking decent (thank god for make-up), somehow keep your home always looking half-way presentable and even be able to whip up stylish looking snacks and appetizers in no time at all when you’re having friends over, right?

Well, if you’re having particular difficulty with that last bit, and you’re tired of serving the same old chips and dip at get-togethers, then this little gadget that the wonderful reporters at our sister site Pouch recently found just may be a godsend. That’s right, folks, it’s the Rice Cube to the rescue!

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World’s fastest elevator to be built in China, will hit speeds of up to 72km/h

Japan’s Hitachi Corporation has announced that it is manufacturing elevators that will reach speeds of 72km/h (45 mph) for a giant high-rise being built in Guangzhou, China.

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Gari Gari Kun finally releases a delicious specialty flavor frozen snack, we still don’t trust them

First came corn soup flavor in 2012. Although unusual, it did find itself a very strong fan base for its sweet yet somewhat savory taste uncharacteristic of ice candy such as Gari Gari Kun. In 2013, Gari Gari Kun’s makers rolled out potato stew flavor, upping the savoriness factor by including little rubbery bits of potato inside the ice cream. Earlier this year, Japan was surprised by the sudden release of a spaghetti flavored Gari Gari Kun that could best be described as eating an ice-cold hot dog covered in ketchup and dipped in a frosty glass of milk.

After this onslaught of increasingly odd flavors, the Japanese public wasn’t sure whether to trust the makers of Gari Gari Kun ever again with a new flavor. However, on 22 April they released a “cream puff flavor” that both looks and sounds fantastic. But can an already shell-shocked public trust that this relatively normal flavored ice pop is safe for consumption? We picked a few up to find out.

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  • Apr 24, 2014

Tokyo Tower lights up beautifully in Star-Spangled Banner style for President Obama

Yes, President Obama has arrived in Japan (and apparently already enjoyed the legendary sushi at Sukiyabashi Jiro), and with all the buzz and tightened security accompanying his visit, it’s hard not to get a little excited. Well, it seems even one of the landmark symbols of Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower, is getting all dressed up to welcome Mr. Obama. For two nights only, the 333m (1093ft) tall tower will be illuminated in the red, white and blue colors of the American flag!

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17 mouthwatering photos from the legendary sushi restaurant where Obama just ate dinner

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just finished a meal at Tokyo’s Sukiyabashi Jiro, one of the best sushi restaurants in the world.

Sukiyabashi Jiro is headed up by 89-year-old master chef Jiro Ono. In addition to his restaurant’s three-star Michelin rating, Jiro is widely regarded as the world’s top sushi chef and was featured in the 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”

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Wow, Japan, is that a giant wooden phallus in your hot springs, or are you just happy to see m–oh. I see. Well, uh, I’ll just be on my way then. Um…maybe one quick photo…

As you are surely already aware, Japan has quite a few unusual, phallic festivals allegedly intended to be fertility rites for couples hoping for children. They’re also great attractions for curious tourists or anyone who wants to try frosted penis-bananas. Iwate Prefecture, perhaps not wanting to be left out, has a phallus festival of its own. Its standout feature? The phallus riding event! And, great news, ladies, they’re taking applications!

(Before clicking below, use your best judgement about whether or not this is something you should be reading at work.)

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‘Power harrassment’ in Japan’s police force blamed for officer’s suicide

An investigation into the suicide of a police officer in a Tokyo police station has found that harassment from a superior contributed to his death. While the chief is now facing disciplinary action, it has again highlighted the problem of abuses of authority in Japanese workplaces, also known as ‘power harassment’, or pawahara in Japanese.

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Shut up and take my money: Awesome handmade Lego video game art on sale now

If you like old-school video games and loving fiddling around with bits of Lego, then this is something that you absolutely need to see.

These scenes from Super Mario Bros 3, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and even action platformer Mega Man are all made out of Lego, placed carefully, brick by brick, onto a backboard to create startlingly accurate 8-bit graphic art. Needless to say we’re sold already, and haven’t even asked their maker how much he wants for them yet.

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“Miniature Calendar” reveals a magical world where tiny people live among our things【Photos】

Have you ever been in a situation where you could have sworn you left an object in a certain place, yet couldn’t find it when you needed it, but it pops up at some unexpected place some time later? Have you ever thought that, perhaps there are tiny people hiding in your room, mischievously fiddling with your things?

That’s probably what fills the mind of Japanese designer and photographer, Tatsuya Tanaka, as he shows in his imaginative portfolio of miniature people having fun among everyday items around us!

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Raw fish, fermented soy beans, and Chinese food: Japan’s 7 weirdest parfaits

You know Japan can seriously bring the weird, and their take on dessert is no exception. Whether it’s unthinkable ingredients, inventive execution or just downright audaciousness, here are our votes on Japan’s weirdest parfaits.

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The Whimsy Bomb! College Humor splices Studio Ghibli movies with other popular anime series

Throughout his long career as an animator and manga artist, Hayao Miyazaki has created a particular style and theme throughout his works that have inspired an untold number of younger artists. However, what if Miyazaki himself had been influenced by some of the other popular series to come out of Japan, like Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon?

Brian Murphy and Patrick Cassels from College Humor have dreamt up exactly such scenarios by combining anime hits like Pokémon with Miyazaki classics such as Spirited Away in an animated short titled: If Miyazaki Films Were Like Other Anime. And it’s truly glorious.

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We hope you’re not thirsty — Tokyo shuts down its vending machines for U.S. president’s visit

This evening, U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Japan. While here, he’ll be meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the two scheduled to discuss strengthening diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Japan, and also the possibility of Japan participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP.

Since we spend at least half of our time thinking with our stomachs, we can’t help but realize that Japan’s agreeing to the proposed trade agreement would likely mean lower import taxes on American beef. But while the possibility of a future with more meat has us excited, it comes with a gastronomic price, as the security measures surrounding the president’s visit mean that a number of beverage and ice cream vending machines in Tokyo have been temporarily shut down ahead of his arrival.

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