Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
In the year since revisions to copyright law in Japan made illegal downloading a crime punishable with jail time and heavy fines, the music industry hasn’t experienced a significant increase in profits. In fact, police have yet to prosecute anyone for the crime! It kind of make you wonder if they know that Internet pirates don’t have peg-legs and eye patches…
As the weather starts to cool down, there’s nothing better than cozying up with a nice hot cup of tea. But sometimes that plain old tea cup and bag isn’t enough to lift your spirits on a particularly gloomy day. That’s where this darling DIY tea bag design comes in. With a relaxed expression that seems to say “Aww, that’s the stuff,” this little tea cup bather will keep you company and warm your spirits on even the grayest of days.
Remember back in high school when you’d opened up your textbook to find George Washington picking his nose and Joseph Stalin with a peg leg and eye patch. It was enough to make you bow down and thank the graffiti gods for giving you a much needed distraction from the incessant ramblings of your instructor.
Textbook doodles seem to transcend national borders and bored students from all over the world appear to have a penchant for defiling educational tools. We’ve already shown you some from Asia, a continent that seems to be home to an abundance of bored students with idle hands. Now let’s take a look at textbook doodles from Twitter user and Japanese high school student, Chanta, who takes it to a whole other level, actually erasing parts of his textbook to create entirely different, albeit twisted, pictures.
In a previous article, I wrote about the amazing quantity and variety of mooncakes I encountered during my recent visit to Singapore. But of course, there are a host of other tasty treats to try in this island city-state. Now, although I’ve never lived in Singapore, I’ve made several trips to the country, and it probably doesn’t take very long for any visitor there to figure out that Singaporeans take their food very seriously.
Befitting a nation of people who are extremely passionate about food, there is no end to the number of high-end restaurants in Singapore serving cuisine of every kind, from gourmet Chinese food to fresh Japanese sushi and sashimi so mouth-watering that the quality is on par with or even surpasses anything you can find in Tokyo. But as you may expect, such fine dining is bound to be quite pricey.
Well, since there is already a multitude of information out there on well-known, smart restaurants, I thought I would share with you some treats I’ve tasted in Singapore that I thought were particularly delightful and at the same time won’t leave a huge dent in your wallet. Tasty and affordable, what more could you ask for, right?
Much to the joy of political comedians, recent years have seen a sharp increase in international political gaffs thanks to the Internet and the ease with which stupid comments can go viral. And Japan is no stranger to this trend, with numerous politicians having resigned after letting inappropriate jokes slip to the wrong reporter.
Now one Japanese career bureaucrat in his 50s is in hot water for his inflammatory, supposedly anonymous blog posts. But many Japanese netizens feel his punishment is far too light.
Someone believed to be a college student recently posted an image of another college girl shoplifting food on Twitter. According to the photos, she girls stole some onigiri and what appear to be two cups of instant noodles.
This is just the latest installment in the recently growing fad of posting obnoxious or illegal behavior on Twitter with the apparent aim of receiving hate posts from other netizens. This tweet was no different, receiving scorn and speculation for scores of watchers.
University life may not be quite how it appears in the countless teen comedies that Hollywood coughed up during the early noughties, but it can still be a lot of fun. And if these photos taken during an event at Kangwon National University’s recent campus festival are anything to go by, some colleges aren’t afraid to cross a few lines when it comes to having a good time.
Hisashi Fukushima, a 44-year-old man from Hidaka City, was born with a serious learning impediment, but this handicap has in no way gotten the better of him. This truly gifted individual is an awe-inspiring artist with an unbridled passion for the beauty of the railway system. Fukushima’s photographic memory and steady hands have allowed him to recreate many life-like scenes of trains upon their tracks in paintings as well as paper craft. His faithful renditions of Japan’s railways have earned him a number of prizes in art exhibitions, and one glance at his work makes it obvious why! Keep reading for a sample of Hisashi Fukushima’s stellar art portfolio.
Boredom on the road can lead to serious accidents as drivers become less alert or more reckless driving down straight and well lit roads. So perhaps there is some merit in the idea that more dangerous road conditions can lead to safer and more attentive driving.
Take this bridge which connects Japan’s Highway 194 with Highway 299 over the Niyodo River in Kochi Prefecture. Lacking any barriers or guard rails drivers must keep a steady wheel when crossing the Nagoya Low Water Bridge (no relation to the prefecture).
For the 15 minutes or so just before work officially begins each morning, most Japanese offices are filled with shouts–or mumbles, for those who haven’t had their coffee yet–of “Ohayou gozaimasu!” While it’s hardly unusual for workers to greet each other with a “Good morning” anywhere in the world, the importance that aisatsu, or greetings, have in Japanese society can often seem bewildering. After countless sleepless nights wondering just why it was so important to be sure to say hello to everyone in the office, we decided to do some research!
On 25 September, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a speech and rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. His aim was to promote US investment as a part of his economic reform plans known as “Abenomics.”
However, the highlight of the speech came towards the end when he mentioned the heavy metal band Metallica and their hit song Enter Sandman while discussing Japan’s future and the Tokyo Olympics. While this may have seemed perfectly innocent at first, this name-drop may have hurt the PM’s standing in the metal community with previous supporters now wondering if Abe is, in fact, a “poser” – someone who only acts like they know about metal.
Japanese fast food chain MOS Burger has just unveiled two new seasonal rice burgers that fans of Japanese cuisine will definitely not want to miss—the miso mackerel burger and a Japanese-style veggie burger.
In the world of fast food, it often seems like the name of the game is “innovate or die.” Though you’d think that two buns, lettuce, tomato, onions, and a hamburger patty would be enough, McDonald’s Japan introduces new sandwiches faster than we can count them.
In fact, next Friday, the fast food chain will release a new sandwich called the “McToast.” But wait a second, look at that picture. Isn’t it just two inverted buns, cheese, and ham? And, hey, doesn’t it look kind of…familiar?
It has been suggested that there are no more original ideas in the world anymore, that every thought or invention has already been considered by someone before. Whether you believe this particularly pessimistic theory or not, the line between coming up with the same idea and “borrowing” one from someone else may not be quite as blurry as you may think.
Japan, like many other countries, is no stranger to cheap knock-offs of its products circulating in the global market. China is most commonly under fire for making bootleg Japanese merchandise to sell in their own country. However, today’s featured product pakuri (slang for “rip off” or “steal”) comes from Japan’s next door neighbor, Korea. The following are a bunch of slightly “modified” products sold in Korea that are liberally inspired by their original Japanese counterparts.
Walk into any convenience store in Japan and you’ll see the staples: magazines, drinks, snacks, and the ubiquitous onigiri. And when it comes to onigiri, the world-famous rice ball wrapped in seaweed, one of the hands-down most popular is the salmon variety, with salty, sweet, succulent flakes of orange salmon at its centre.
So which convenience store sells the best salmon onigiri? We decided to conduct a taste test in our offices to declare a winner, pitting the top three – 7-Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart – against each other in a battle befitting the rice ball’s feudal origins. With a set of scales, the slice of a knife and a merchant tester, we begin.
Kumamoto, a rural prefecture on Kyushu Island off the mainland of Japan, is one of the remaining “car societies” in a country using more and more public transportation. It is also home to one of the country’s roving party locations: the Beer Garden Train. While it’s nothing unusual to see drunk people on public transportation in Japan, this one-car trolley actually encouraged us to imbibe!
Many of us girls, who grew up with magical girl anime, held tight to the fantasy that we too could become a super-powered Sailor Scout and fight evil in the name of the moon. Well, dig those magic rods and transformation toys out of the closet, because it’s not too late to transform! In conjunction with the upcoming anime and the recent Sailor Moon Musical, Premium Bandai has begun accepting pre-orders for a new line of Sailor Scout T-shirts that promise to turn you into a Sailor Scout just by putting one on!
Like cute anime girls? Enjoy the occasional cup of sake? Then head on down to the Moe Syu Summit and Sake Matsuri. Held in Akihabara, the otaku capital of Japan, the festival combines moe (cute anime girls) and nihonshu (Japanese rice wine).
The word “otaku” in the Japanese language is a general term for anyone who is passionate about a hobby. But in English, “otaku” has become a term that refers to people who are obsessed with Japanese culture, particularly anime and manga. But the world of the otaku is sometimes misunderstood. That’s where JH Lab, a group of “otaku of the highest caliber” comes in, hoping to demystify the world of anime and manga fans and bring the culture of Akihabara to people everywhere.
To do this, JH Lab has created Akiba Anime Art (AAA), “a brand new pop-culture magazine from Akihabara, featuring cool OTAKUs, advanced technologies, kawaii-cosplays, Dojins and much more!” They’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to make their dream a reality and have quickly surpassed their initial goal, raising over US$42,000. Supporters of the project will receive special edition illustrations from featured Japanese artist, John Hathway, and have a chance to be drawn into his amazing Akihabara picture jockey cityscape. Let’s take a closer look at this rapidly growing magazine’s “ultra otaku power.”
McDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
Japanese city encouraging visitors and locals to cosplay as ninja for annual Ninja Festa
One of Japan’s oldest castles now lets travelers spend night on the grounds, drink in its keep
Foreign traveler caught trying to sneak into Japan by climbing down rope from cruise ship
All-you-can-drink deal for US$4 in Shinjuku is one of the best finds in Tokyo
Orange Juice Crisis ’24 – Japan’s OJ supplies drying up
Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
Icon’s Mac & Cheese Burger contender for best burger in Tokyo【Taste test】
Starbucks at Shibuya Scramble Crossing reopens, but is it really bigger and better than before?
History’s largest force of Samurai Colonel Sanders deploying to KFC Japan branches
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensMcDonald’s Japan’s new pancake pie is a taste sensation
Japanese city loses residents’ personal data, which was on paper being transported on a windy dayOne of Japan’s oldest castles now lets travelers spend night on the grounds, drink in its keep
Two things to do, and two things not to do, when leaving a traditional Japanese inn
Ghibli Park now selling “Grilled Frogs” from food cart in Valley of Witches
Red light district sushi restaurant in Tokyo shows us just how wrong we were about itStudio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
Studio Ghibli unveils massive T-shirt collection featuring top anime movie characters
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goodsForeigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in TokyoBad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950sForeigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Orange Juice Crisis ’24 – Japan’s OJ supplies drying up
Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns
Icon’s Mac & Cheese Burger contender for best burger in Tokyo【Taste test】
Starbucks at Shibuya Scramble Crossing reopens, but is it really bigger and better than before?
History’s largest force of Samurai Colonel Sanders deploying to KFC Japan branches
Japanese-style accommodation at the new Premium Dormy Inn hotel in Asakusa will blow your mind
Is Japan’s massive Shizuoka steak sandwich really as delicious as it looks in promo photos?
Find 707 animated frames in the “Haruhi Hunting” campaign to unlock a new animated clip!
Who wins in a battle of McDonald’s and Komeda Coffee’s chicken tatsuta burgers?【Taste test】
Studio Ghibli unveils massive T-shirt collection featuring top anime movie characters
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Ultra-retro cafe in Tokyo is like a hidden hideout, serves up cheap breakfasts with great coffee
