Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
The first day of E3 2014 has come to a close and our heads are spinning from all the Gamecube throwback controllers and unexpected Just Dance participants…or are we still just a little queasy from that Oculus Rift demo (more on that soon!)? Either way, we feel so lucky to have been a part of this huge event and want share some of our favorite photos from the day.
Let the photo dump begin!
Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. was a hit almost immediately upon its release in 1985. Everyone who played it knew right away that it was fun, but what wasn’t so immediately apparent was just how solid, and therefore timeless, the basic game engine was.
You’ll find very few gamers today who remember, and even fewer who honestly care, about titles such as Comic Wartoad and Section Z, both of which saw release in 1985 and were moderate hits in their day. More than 30 years later, though, Mario still has a special place in gamers’ hearts. Now, even if you’ve played through all of Mario’s adventures, both new and old, the fun doesn’t have to stop, as Nintendo is releasing a new piece of software that’ll let you create your own Mario levels.
Details, and photos from the E3 show floor after the jump!
Since the end of May a special investigative team was dispatched to Oenunto Village in Indonesia at the request of the Chief Medical Officer of nearby Kupang City. Their mission was to figure out what really happened after hearing about a woman who gave birth to her third child: a healthy, bouncing baby gecko.
While avid football (or soccer, if you prefer) fans around the world are ticking down the days until Thursday (the start of the FIFA World Cup) a popular YouTuber in Singapore is doing his part to ease their anticipation with a few laughs. He and his group of friends put together a brilliant video in which they recreate some common situations people find themselves in while watching game after game of the tournament. You can definitely relate to their list whether you’re a staunch supporter yourself or if you’re surrounded by people who are.
Which of the parodied scenarios can you sympathize with most?
As pretty much every gamer in the world no doubt already knows, Super Smash Bros. is coming to Nintendo Wii U and 3DS this year. Along with everyone else, we’re itching to play it, but every time we pictured ourselves taking a mallet to Kirby‘s pudgy pink face, the same thoughts kept coming back to bug us: Do we really have to play the game with Wii remotes or the Wii U gamepad? Are we going to have to buy those “pro” pads that we’re frankly not all that fond of?
Thankfully, a series of officially licensed controllers modelled on the Nintendo Gamecube controller that we once loved so dearly is due to arrive sometime around the Wii U game’s launch, and they’re preeetty! Details and photos direct from the E3 show floor after the jump!
Do you like dancing? How about hairy men with adamantium claws? Then we have the perfect video for you!
There’s a unique challenge for anime professionals working on a franchise with as long a history as Gundam, which aired its first episode 35 years ago. Since each new series does away with the war mechs of its predecessors, designers are always under pressure to come up with giant robots that look more powerful, technologically advanced, and, in the case of the villains’ machines, sinister than what fans have seen before.
With Gundam Unicorn’s NZ-999 Neo Zeong, piloted by baffling-named antagonist (and Toyota owner) Full Frontal, we think the animators did a pretty good job. From its sharp, angular lines, blood-red paint job, and the crevices in the sheet metal produce murky shadows, the mobile armor appears immediately menacing and dangerous.
Unless that is, you remove the head unit and replace it with a cute anime girl or kitty cat.
So, you’re at a party and having a great time. The girl/guy you’ve had a crush on since you walked in seems to be really into you, the drinks are flowing, and the host is cool. But then you realise you have to poop. Like, really bad.
You excuse yourself, get to the bathroom and do your business only to find that the party’s all-you-can-eat Indian curry and Taco Bell buffet was a little more than your body could handle. Now you’ve got 11 inches of stagnant water staring you down and the romantic interest you were hitting on is knocking on the door saying she’s next in line to pee.
Do you: A) reach for the nearby plunger, B) exit the bathroom complaining loudly about the mess that “someone” left, C) escape through the nearest window, or D) use one of these patented South Korean toilet seals to clean up the whole mess?
By far the most popular series today among Japan’s ultra-hardcore anime fans is Love Live. With a bevy of cute girls, pleated skirts, pop idol competitions, and nary a prominent male character, it’s checked off enough of the necessary boxes to give it a solid pedestal on which its charismatic cast has been placed.
Fans of Love Live even have their own nickname, as it has become common to refer to them as Love Livers. Yes, grammatically that makes no sense, but you can’t expect the franchise’s fan base to stop and correct the odd nomenclature. They’re too busy celebrating the birthdays of Love Live’s dozen-plus idol singers by buying merchandise, sending online salutations, and, in the case of one fan, getting a giant tattoo of his favorite character that covers his entire – and we mean entire – back…
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup all set to start, the 32 qualifying teams are hard at work preparing for the final tournament and getting as many edges over the competition as possible in order to survive to the end.
However, with such drive and passion it’s only natural for some teams to go a little over the line in their preparation from time to time. That’s what seemed to have happened with the Korea Republic national team who came up with the idea of swapping most of their players’ uniform numbers in their games leading up to the tournament in order to protect their strategy from prying eyes of the competition.
What’s in a name? New parents often look for a name that they hope will embody the spirit of their child or be something that their son or daughter can wear with pride throughout their life, but even the most heartfelt monicker can prove awkward when taken out of context, and can be more funny than beautiful when heard by speakers of other languages.
For Japanese parents, the meaning of kanji characters used for a child’s name are just as important as how it sounds. Recently, however, one young couple had the name they chose for their new baby daughter rejected when they attempted to register it at their local town hall. It was probably a good thing, though, since the characters they had chosen had an altogether different, rather unpleasant, meaning that the couple were completely unaware of.
It’s easy to trace the roots of American football and basketball, as they’re both comparatively recently developed sports. Things get a little more difficult with soccer, though.
While the world’s most popular sport got its first set of standardized competition rules in 1863, courtesy of England’s Football Association, the game had existed in various forms for some time before that. Several countries have since claimed to be the birthplace of soccer, but one now has the official recognition of the president of soccer’s international governing body.
According to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, soccer originated in China.
Chinese citizens are often caught urinating and defecating in public places around Hong Kong and mainland China, but that didn’t stop this disapproving male passenger from taking matters into his own hands.
When you stop and think about it, personal grooming should be everything to the man-eating giants of Attack on Titan. After all, it’s not like they can rely on their fashion sense to look their best, since they’re constantly naked.
By nature, though, giants have giant beards. So how do you fight back against so much facial hair? With a whole new branch of Attack on Titan’s military, as documented in three new animated shorts.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you achieve your dream? If that’s got you thinking about a career change, you may want to look to the Land of the Rising Sun because in Japan there are some unusual employment opportunities available. From human dog food testers to bad smell specialists, we’ve found seven surprising jobs for you to consider. And they’re all ready and waiting for you in Japan.
Sailor Moon’s ever-growing Miracle Romance cosmetics range is continuing the 20th anniversary celebrations with news of their most coveted release to date: the Eau de Toilette. Designed for adults, the fragrance features a delightful blend of fruity florals and earthy tones while the packaging includes adorable details fans will love.
PlayStation TV, originally launched as PlayStation Vita TV in Japan, is coming to the US, Canada, and Europe this autumn, Sony has announced at E3.
Potato chips and chocolate aren’t as obvious of a choice as chips and salsa, but the Royce Confectionary Company in Japan has had a impressive amount of success with their Potato Chip Chocolate snacks. With their sweet and salty flavor combination, these little treats are uncommonly satisfying. And even if you don’t live in Japan, you’re in luck, we have a super simple recipe just for you!
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Haven’t you ever secretly wanted to play with a pack of the world’s largest rodent? Even if you’re one of those people who don’t quite understand the allure of the water-loving capybara, a native of South America, the folks at Shizuoka Prefecture’s Izu Shaboten Park are on a mission to change your mind. The park is already famous for its capybara hot spring during the winter months, and it will soon add another capybara-themed attraction to its roster–the “Cabybara Rainbow Plaza,” in which you can actually engage in water play with the animals! How can you pass up this chance to play with Mickey Mouse’s bigger, perpetually spacey-looking cousins??
But don’t book your tickets quite yet, because the “Capybara Rainbow Plaza” opens on July 19. More details after the jump.
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Poop is in full bloom at the Unko Museums for cherry blossom season
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Shizuoka hot springs town invites you to see one of the longest hina doll displays in Japan
Legendary pie cafe Anna Miller’s finally returns to Tokyo after three-year absence
Sakura Totoro is here to get spring started early with adorable pouches and plushies
The other side of Shibuya Station has a great restaurant for trying tamagokakegohan
Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season
New interactive Pokémon attraction coming to Universal Studios Japan
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Now is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardens
Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen?
New Family Mart cinema opens inside Japanese airportJapan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on EarthForeign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning looks to be affecting tourist crowds on Miyajima
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your homeJapan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Sakura Totoro is here to get spring started early with adorable pouches and plushies
The other side of Shibuya Station has a great restaurant for trying tamagokakegohan
Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season
New interactive Pokémon attraction coming to Universal Studios Japan
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen?
Pompompurin and his cute little butt take over Shinjuku’s famous 3-D billboard
Tokyo travel hack: How to enjoy a free sightseeing boat tour around Tokyo Bay
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
A day in the life of Suda51, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture【Video】
We investigate which conveyor belt sushi restaurant is best for drinking alone, drowning regrets
Cute coffins now available at Tokyo’s coffin relaxation salon[Photos]
Playing Switch 2 games with just one hand is possible thanks to Japanese peripheral maker
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】