Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Until now, we never really understood what all the fuss was about roses. Women seem to love them, and men seem to spend inordinate amounts of money to purchase them for their sweethearts. But now that we’ve seen the pitch-black Turkish Halfeti Rose, we’re starting to understand that roses can be not only dangerous, kind of smelly and enchanting all at the same time, they can also be the perfect centerpiece of the most hardcore heavy metal album or low fantasy book cover of all time.
Generally it’s nice to have your country or town be number one in something. Even if it’s for something as despicable as bag snatching, you can at least gain a slightly twisted sense of pride for toughing it out in such a rough-and-tumble locale.
However, when a recent study reported by Bloomberg Japan declared that Japan had overtaken the U.S. in smartphone and tablet app purchases, people we less than enthused leaving comments such as “Japan’s screwed,” and, “This is sad news indeed.”
It’s Monday again and you know what that means! Your Monday Kickstart video is here to get you going through another week.
This week, we found a cute cat that seems more interested in lounging around being a kitty than living up to his bushy lion mane.
When I was a kid, I used to watch Japanese anime that were dubbed in English or Mandarin because the original versions were not broadcast on the local TV channels. Most of the time, the theme songs of these anime remained in Japanese, and I had fun singing along to the catchy tunes even though I had absolutely no idea what the lyrics meant. However, it isn’t entirely uncommon for international versions of anime series to have theme songs localized to the audience’s native language and tastes for music.
Recently, a clip of the Arabic version of the popular anime series, Arupusu no Shojo Haiji (Heidi, Girl of the Alps) has been making waves among Japanese netizens due to its localized opening song, which was starkly different from the Japanese original. Videos after the jump!
Have you ever wondered how militaries transport their massive weapons and ordinances across countries or even continents? We always just pictured gigantic airplanes like in Operation Dumbo Drop, but apparently not. It turns that they just get trucks, latch the weapon on, and take off down the highway! Simple, if not just a little disappointing.
But for one Chinese army truck driver lugging an enormous gun, that operation turned out not to be quite so simple after all…
Do your eyes light up with excitement at the prospect of exploring remote land untouched by humankind? Even if your idea of adventure is a new brand of cup ramen, we think everyone can be impressed by Japanese explorer Yasunaga Ogita, who will make a second attempt at a gruelling solo trek to the North Pole. And the nearly 800-km journey will be made all the more difficult since Ogita plans to hike through some of the world’s coldest and harshest terrain without any supplies other than what he alone can carry.
In the important world of Internet hierarchy, the battle between cats and dogs for the title of cutest animal is a fierce one. But someone must have told the dogs that they are losing because there are some canines out there with some inferiority issues so severe that they become frozen with fear at the mere sight of a cat. Japanese netizens are feeling nothing but pity after seeing a video of dogs, many of whom are much larger than their feline foe, timidly trying to tip-toe past a scowling cat.
Bessatu Margaret, a spin-off of Margaret, a manga magazine for girls, is coming up on its 50th year of publication and the astounding cover of superstar characters for their special tribute has just seen the light of day. Featuring work by artists from Shonen Jump, Young Jump, and more, it’s a must-see for any manga fan!
So, let’s say you wake up one morning, unlock your smartphone, and find yourself bombarded with all caps texts from friends about some “zombie apocalypse.” And probably a few Instagram selfies, too, just to mark the occasion.
You look out the window and, sure enough, there go a few zombies shuffling down the street, moaning about brains.
What would you do??
On December 13… RocketNew… I’m sorry.
It’s just I can’t stop staring at it. None of us can. How many times have we looked at the menu screens of our iPhones or iPads? Too many times to count, but we could never see what was going on right in front of us all this time.
Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture is famous nation-wide for its Chinese fried dumplings known as gyoza in Japan. The capital city boasts over 200 gyoza shops many of which are densely located near Utsunomiya Station in what is known as “Gyoza Town.”
Our reporter, Usagi, braved the imminent threat of deliciousness and boarded a Tochigi-bound train. Next stop: Gyoza Town!
Remember all of those umbrellas that were abandoned in train stations in October and November this year during the typhoon season? Well at least one station in Tokyo definitely does, but thankfully they’re putting a few of them to good use: by turning them into surprisingly pretty Christmas trees!
If you or someone you know is expecting or has just given birth to a tiny person, and you’re looking for a gift that’s both cute and a little bit quirky, we may have the perfect item for you right here: Japanese online retailer Akasugu has just announced that it is now stocking baby and maternity items featuring collaborative designs between Japan’s Hello Kitty and classic kids’ picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
For those living in colder climates using a smartphone creates a major dilemma. We want to check our messages but wearing gloves often renders our touch screens useless. Sure, there are specialized smartphone compatible gloves, but going that way severely limits your choices of style and color.
Driven to the edge with this problem, Yoshiaki Owari of the Daily Portal Z came up with a groundbreaking way to keep your hands warm, stylish, and functional. In addition, you’re left with a tasty dish at the end of the day when you use Sausage Gloves!
If you’re ever looking for the Japanese equivalent to “John Smith,” the go-to name is decidedly “Tarou Yamada.” And yet, if you look at today’s population, neither of those names top the popularity charts! Yamada, though simple to write and stereotypically Japanese, isn’t even in the top five for family names!
Now that we mentioned it, we’re sure you’re all curious to know now, so here’s a list of the five most common family names in Japan, as announcement by the Meiji Life Insurance Company.
MonoMax, a Japanese fashion magazine for men in their thirties, is giving away a free Coach travel clock in their January issue to celebrate the magazine’s six year anniversary. The issue was released on December 10 for 890 yen (US$8.90). Nine bucks for a designer clock?! We had to buy one and check it out!
The biggest star from Japan has got to be Hello Kitty, the adorable cat character that’s easily recognized by nearly everyone. And as the epitome of cute, Hello Kitty has garnered female fans from around the world.
It is this same Hello Kitty that became a contact lens fit to stick in your eye. When production of this bizarre incarnation of everyone’s favorite white cat was announced back in August of this year, the delicate purple contacts were all over the news. Just as strange, My Melody was also made into a contact lens, enabling people across Japan to stick not one, but two beloved Sanrio characters in their eyes.
Thinking how great it would be to hide an adorable character in such an inconspicuous place, ninja style, our Japanese writing staff bought a pair of Hello Kitty and My Melody contact lenses. Here are the results…
Legos make everything better. And when those little plastic bricks are used to make some of our favorite Pokemon, the coolness goes well over 9,000. Let’s take a closer look at this awesome engineering, including a peek inside the boardable mecha-type lego Pokemon!
With the end of this year fast approaching, we now enter the season of reflection for 2013 via ranking lists. In these last fleeting days let’s take a moment to see which albums, apps, shoes, books, and cockroach traps Japanese shoppers flocked to buy online in the largest numbers. Perhaps then we can form a clearer picture of what life in Japan was like for this two-thousand thirteenth year of our lord.
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
After 21 years, Harajuku’s famous Lolita fashion and cosplay shop is permanently closing
Pizza Hut Japan creates Landmine-type Pizza to celebrate Japan’s dark jirai-kei fashion
Osaka zookeeper caught stealing chimpanzees’ food
Dragon Ball anime replaces Yamcha’s voice actor for first time in 38 years
Japan voted Best Country in the world for second year in a row in Condé Nast Traveler poll
Japanese government wants to acquire original anime and manga art for creation of national archive
Kyoto becomes City of Yokai, with Night Parade of One Hundred Demons festival this autumn
Ultimate lazy sukiyaki – Can you make the king of Japanese hot pots in a rice cooker?【Taste test】
KFC Genshin Impact fried chicken combo meals now on sale in Japan
Pizza Hut adds a “Guilty Secret” sandwich to its menu for a limited time
Right now is the peak time to go to Tokyo’s most-beautiful-view beer garden【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases new Totoro and Jiji blankets to keep you cosy this winter
Game over for Classic Mini Famicom and Super Famicom as Nintendo announces end of repairs
This Tokyo rice ball takes 20 years to make and 2,000 yen (US$14.30) to buy, but is it worth it?
Give yourself a Totoro belly with Studio Ghibli’s Marshmallow Haramaki belly wrapsUltimate lazy sukiyaki – Can you make the king of Japanese hot pots in a rice cooker?【Taste test】
New Jimmy Choo x Sailor Moon collaboration brings anime magic to bags, shoes and accessories
Japanese chanko ramen restaurant contains a moving relic from the World Trade Center
Japanese woman subdues convenience store thief with headlock, credits anime for technique
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Studio Ghibli lets you cosplay as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle with cosy anime fashion range
New Hello Kitty McDonald’s Japan Happy Meal toys are here, and Kitty’s sister is part of the set
Starbucks teams up with the oldest of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns to create a Bizen ware coffee mug
One of Tokyo’s most beautiful gardens gets its own moon for moon-viewing seasonPizza Hut adds a “Guilty Secret” sandwich to its menu for a limited timeRight now is the peak time to go to Tokyo’s most-beautiful-view beer garden【Photos】
Matsushima restaurant offers all-you-can-eat sashimi in as many ways as you can dream it【Photos】
Super budget-friendly retro Tokyo hotel feels like having your own 1960s Asakusa apartmentNew Jimmy Choo x Sailor Moon collaboration brings anime magic to bags, shoes and accessories
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’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
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Japan voted Best Country in the world for second year in a row in Condé Nast Traveler poll
Japanese government wants to acquire original anime and manga art for creation of national archive
Kyoto becomes City of Yokai, with Night Parade of One Hundred Demons festival this autumn
Ultimate lazy sukiyaki – Can you make the king of Japanese hot pots in a rice cooker?【Taste test】
KFC Genshin Impact fried chicken combo meals now on sale in Japan
Animated video looks at 40 years of women’s fashions in Japan as Tokyo landmark gets set to close
11 different ways to say “father” in Japanese
Japanese chanko ramen restaurant contains a moving relic from the World Trade Center
The best cosplayers from Day 1 of Summer Comiket 2023【Photos】
Shizuoka’s local Cherry Beans Potato French fries are just plain devilishly good
The 13-year-old video game contest winner who became one of Japan’s greatest manga artists
The 5 best Japanese bento to buy at Kyoto Station
Rurouni Kenshin creator’s poor health condition lead to indefinite manga hiatus
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
