Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
From afar, it seems like this building in Japan has given its lobby’s floor lights a fancy new makeover by adding cat statues to them. On closer inspection, however, we can see that these are actually real cats that have decided to position themselves right on top of the light sources and are being illuminated like heavenly beings.
About 200 South Korean Special Forces are taking part in ten days of grueling winter weather combat training.
With a constant threat from North Korea, South Korea’s Army Special Warfare Command (SWC) is responsible for special operations in the country. SWC soldiers frequently work closely with US Green Berets and their modus operandi include guerrilla warfare, assassinations, and counter-terrorism.
Every year, members of the SWC must participate in winter warfare training in the mountains of Pyeongchang, east of Seoul. Conditions in Pyeongchang generally include temperatures as low as negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit and deep snow.
If you head out to the countryside in Japan you’re likely to notice that there’s a whole lot of wildlife to be found on these myriad islands. Whether it’s brown bears (Hokkaido), venomous snakes (Okinawa), or stinging centipedes (Everywhere), it’s important to be aware of what might be lurking. It’s not all creepy crawlies and bitey-stingies, though – there’s a possibility you’ll bump into capering monkeys, wild boar trotting down residential streets, and other adorable and fuzzy members of the animal kingdom. If you’re extra-lucky, one might even seek you out as a special friend, which is what happened to one bloke on Twitter when a deer decided to take up residence under his porch!
One of the worst things about winter in Japan is that with no central heating and a lack of insulation, the temperature inside your house feels pretty much the same as the temperature outside your house. One of the best things is taking the opportunity to snuggle up under a kotatsu, especially if you have a furry friend to join you.
To both fuel and satisfy its intense interest in celebrities, Japan is always on the lookout for its newest “it girl.” In the case of the nation’s newest sweetheart, the “girl” portion of the title is pretty appropriate, seeing as how the popularity of 16-year-old actress Suzu Hirose is soaring. But while her tender age lies squarely in the period associated with puppy love, Japan is apparently serious about its affections for Miss Hirose, as her highest profile gig to date is appearing in ads for the country’s most popular marriage planning magazine.
The recent news that Scarlett Johansson is interested in starring in a live-action version of science fiction anime Ghost in the Shell got fans around the world excited earlier this week. But while the actress sounds ready to step in front of the cameras as cybernetic public security officer Motoko Kusanagi, the project itself is yet to be greenlit, odds are you’re still a couple of years away from being able to buy your tickets (provided the film avoids the common fate of would-be Hollywood anime adaptations that never make it off the ground).
There is one sure thing Ghost in the Shell fans can look forward to in the near future though: a new anime movie in the franchise, which is set to open in 2015.
This may be old news to any British, Swedish or South American readers, but most of North America and Asia have yet to experience Coca-Cola’s newest creation: Coca-Cola Life.
In the face of the all-natural health trend, last fall Coca-Cola released a green-labeled, Stevia-sweetened cola in select areas around the world as a kind of test run. Unfortunately, Japan was not one of those testing places, despite their predilection for weird-flavored sodas and possession of palates less accommodating to the super-sweet.
Rose Yokoyama, a writer from RocketNews24’s partner website Pouch, got her hands on some Coke Life in order to try to it before it makes its debut in Japan (if it ever does). Here’s what she thought of the green cola!
Last year, Nissin, makers of Cup Noodle instant ramen, created the awesome Samurai in Brazil ad, in which a soccer player clad in Japanese armor travelled to South America to show off his footwork to the locals. The company later caught up with the freestyle soccer expert in Europe with a sequel, Samurai in Manchester .
In its newest commercial, Nissin isn’t just switching venues, but sports, too, as Samurai in New York features one of the best tennis players in the world, who proves just how talented he is by leaving behind his racquet and delivering powerful forehands, backhands, and serves using a wooden sword.
If you’ve lived in Japan for some time, you may have heard of the popular traditional sweet called Akafuku. It’s basically mochi rice cake topped with a rich and incredibly smooth sweet red bean paste. Well, it’s come to our attention that the makers of this long-selling confection are also offering on their website something you may not expect from a sweets manufacturer — awesome paper craft templates, and all free too! So, are you ready for some serious cutting and pasting?
Tired of RocketNews24 items that are coherent and have some semblance of order? Me too, so here’s a video of Dragon Ball Z villain Freeza playing an excellent rendition of the One Piece theme song “We Are!” on the drums. Well, it’s nearly Friday, isn’t it?
If you’ve ever flipped through the pages of a glossy Japanese fashion magazine like Vivi or Non-no, you might have noticed that quite a few of the models are half-Japanese. For various cultural and aesthetic reasons, a mix of Japanese and Western facial features is generally considered extremely attractive in Japan, and there’s an increase in the number of Japanese women who believe that the key to creating gorgeous offspring is to have their own “haafu” baby.
In order to satisfy this desire, some women in Japan have taken quite calculated steps to help make this a reality, including purposefully moving into international share houses in order to be in close proximity to Western men.
Last summer, we took a look at a series of ads from Okinawa’s Bank of the Ryukyus, known locally as Ryugin, that featured magical girl idol singers and giant robots. Those are certainly more visually appealing images than a staid banker or graphs explaining interest fees, but if we’re being totally honest, the sort of CG animation shown in the commercials really isn’t Japan’s forte.
Where the country’s artists really shine is in a more traditional discipline that mimics the style of hand-drawn artwork, regardless of whether or not it’s done with pencil and paper or all on a computer. Thankfully, that’s just what we get in the bank’s newest ad, which comes from one of anime’s top veteran action directors, plus one of its most accomplished voice actors.
Remember those days in school when you just couldn’t focus on your school work, so instead of taking notes you doodled all over your papers? You’re not alone. Students all over the world scribble on their school supplies, much to the teachers’ dismay. Armed with a red pen, one teacher in Thailand has decided to fight back.
Iwata Bookstore is a modest little shop in Sunagawa City way up in the Northeastern part of Hokkaido. It also the site of an unlikely success story as it has recently been receiving orders from all over Japan by people wanting its one-of-a-kind offer of 10,000 yen (US$84) worth of books.
They’re not just any books though; these books are recommended by the shop’s owner Toru Iwata and hand-picked for every customer who orders.
There’s no shortage of unique hotels in Japan. Aside from the well-known capsule hotels and love hotels, there’s Gundam and Hello Kitty hotels, a toilet hotel, a so-cheap-it’s-scary hotel, and much more.
But the latest hotel that just opened up in Hokkaido is definitely the coolest of them all. It’s a hotel made entirely of snow and ice where you can spend the night in below-freezing temperatures!
Even if you don’t speak Japanese, if you’re a sushi lover, you’ve probably heard some of the language’s fish-based vocabulary. Maguro is pretty readily understood as “tuna” among foodies with a palate for Japanese cuisine, and many people who can’t put together a complete sentence in Japanese still know that uni is sea urchin, for example.
Not as many non-Japanese speaking diners are as familiar with the word iwashi, or sardine, though. Although sardine sushi isn’t unheard of, it definitely trails in popularity behind less fishy-tasting fare, and its relatively low price and humble image mean it doesn’t have the same level of pizazz as a seaweed-wrapped pile of ikura (salmon roe) or a glistening cut of otoro (extra fatty tuna belly).
Visual impact isn’t a problem, though, for one Japanese restaurant chain’s latest creation: the Whole Sardine Sushi Roll.
Back in the day, Japanese console games were king. What late-20s gamer doesn’t fondly remember the classics like Final Fantasy VII, Tactics Ogre, Street Fighter, Metal Gear, the original Super Smash Bros, and the spate of Japan-produced side-scrollers owing their lineage to Mario?
Unfortunately, while great Japanese games do exist and are still being made, general consensus on English-language gamer forums is that the vast majority of modern Japanese games have devolved into 25-hour, barely interactive CG films and creepy boob-ogling simulators.
And, with this widening rift between Japanese game fans and Western gamers, the darker, dirtier corners of the Internet can get a bit cheeky with their memes.
Feline YouTube star Maru brings the cute again in this new video titled “Maru never gives up”. It’s as simple as the description states: “Maru believes that he can get into all boxes. And Maru never gives up.” Join us after the jump for the full video and a breakdown of this chunky little neko‘s antics.
Shiba Inu are adorable, and over the years we here at RocketNew24 have brought you stacks of articles filled with photos to prove just how darn cute they are.
But why exactly are we so drawn to this loveable breed of dog? Recently the Japanese information compilation site Naver Matome put up a collection of tweets, dividing up the reasons people so adore Shiba inu into five different categories. Below you can read their incredibly rigorous scientific methodology, so you can see for yourself if you come to the same kawaii conclusions that they did (spoiler: Yes. Yes, you will).
While I was growing up, my family never got that involved in the discussion over whether the idolization of Disney princesses is a healthy thing or not. With three boys and no girls in the family, most of my parents’ time was instead channeled towards more immediate topics like telling their sons not to aim for the face during their regular battles in the backyard with their stockpiled arsenal of plastic battleaxes and broadswords.
As an adult, I can sort of understand both sides of the debate. On one hand, a little fantasizing seems harmless, and in and of itself, there’s nothing inherently wrong with little girls being drawn to such trappings of the princess lifestyle as a luxurious home and elegant clothes. On the other hand, criticisms about overemphasizing the value of comfort and beauty have some validity too, as if left unchecked those desires can turn into sloth and vanity.
As a matter of fact, one talented artist thinks Disney’s leading ladies make excellent stand-ins for all of the seven deadly sins.
Starbucks Japan unveils exclusive new Frappuccinos limited to three regional areas
Kyoto receives more foreign tourists than ever before, but fewer visitors say they’ll return
Pokémon Card Stores requiring facial recognition scans for entry in Japan in latest anti-scalper move
Japanese Shinkansen welcomes overnight guests for one night during summer festival
Tokyo Pokémon Center announces reopening after months-long closure following stabbing death
A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too
McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
Pachinko industry rebounds on convenience and innovation, but smaller parlors struggle to keep up
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China
Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
Giant Evangelion Spear of Longinus to be installed at Japanese train station with Eva art trains
Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?
Kodama Shinkansen trains on popular Japan route get a whole new look this winter
Brand new Shinkansen bullet train unveiled in Japan… but it won’t carry passengers
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see itTokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in TokyoStudio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroadSalomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too
McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
Pachinko industry rebounds on convenience and innovation, but smaller parlors struggle to keep up
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?
Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations
Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China
Japanese government okays plan to create a backup capital city
Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
Why is Taco Bell failing in Japan, even as the country falls in love with tacos?
How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?
Family Mart’s new Famima flagship in Tokyo has a hidden gem that most visitors miss