Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
“Add a lot of cute decorations to the room we’re staying in!” says the blue goldfish with a matching blue tiara. No this isn’t a joke; uncommonly cute anthropomorphic goldfish are just a part of the marketing campaign for a completely customizable fish tank aimed at young children in Japan. With a fancy backdrop and jewels galore, it’s a far ways away from the plastic aquatic plant or bubbling clam shell in typical aquariums.
April Fools’ Day is just a few days away! Are you prepared for it? Perhaps the pranks we picked out earlier this week were lacking some impact. Well, that’s because we kept the best for last!
If you’re looking for something that will shock the entire family or add a little excitement to your otherwise boring workplace, check out this homemade head in a jar! Be it for April Fools’ or for Halloween, this creepy artifact is bound to raise some hairs, and the best part is, no blood is involved in the making. Instructions after the jump!
In our modern world, with the sometimes questionable motives of our political leaders and the abundance of often conflicting information available online, it’s perhaps not surprising that countries’ armed forces have a hard time finding new recruits.
While the United States Army opted to take a rather gung-ho approach to recruitment by releasing a free-to-play tactical first-person shooter video game in the form of America’s Army, Japan – who, following its defeat in World War II, is permitted only to have “Self-Defense Forces” that remain on Japanese territory – has its own methods of rallying support and enticing potential new recruits. Its latest recruitment drive, for example, is so fantastically quirky that is positively screams “Japan”.
Say hello to the JSDF “cheerleading shout” app that allows future soldiers, sailors and pilots to take selfies and insert them into Mii-like avatars that dance around when special augment reality (AR) cards are scanned.
A week ago, we brought you news of how snack maker Calbee is pushing the potato chip with its gourmet, triple-thick slices of fried spuds. Potato chips are only one half of Calbee’s pincer attack on your salt-receptor taste buds, though, as the company also produces the phenomenally popular line of shrimp chips called kappa ebisen.
The extremely competitive nature of the Japanese junk food industry means that you have to keep innovating though, and sometimes in the process of pushing through existing boundaries, you end up in strange new places, which explains why Calbee is now selling shrimp chips covered with strawberry chocolate.
In a world with 24-hours news networks and a camera on every phone, finding fame isn’t particularly difficult. In fact, we’re all just one slip on a patch ice uploaded to YouTube away from being the next flash-in-the-pan Internet sensation. But that fame is truly fleeting–does anyone even remember “Chocolate Rain” anymore?
So if you really want to “make it” in today’s world of instant Internet glory, you’ll need to do better than getting tweeted or YouTubed–you’ll need to land on Wikipedia, the world’s greatest resource for free, possibly accurate information for high school research papers. And who is Wikipedia’s newest addition to achieve eternal glory and fame? None other than Natalia Poklonskaya, the new attorney general of Crimea we’ve talked about a few times before.
With the earliest varieties of cherry blossoms already starting to bloom around Tokyo, it’s almost time for sakura season to get into full swing! It’s Japan’s most enticing time to get out of the house and enjoy the beauty of nature! There’s just one little problem, though.
It’s still pretty cold out.
So if you’re torn between feeling immersed in Japanese culture and feeling anything in your toes, here are six Starbuck’s locations where you can relax with a warm cup of coffee while gazing at the cherry blossoms just outside the windows.
This year has already seen the Chinese media go gaga over a beautiful marathon girl, a beautiful gym babe, a beautiful university student, and a beautiful journalist. At this point, some of you have probably been making bets about who the logical next “beautiful woman” to pop up would be. Did you guess correctly?
Whether you won or lost your bet, check out this gorgeous and stylish yoga instructor who seems to blend in with any setting naturally!
Do you think Walt Disney ever scratched his butt in public?
Sure, it may not be the classiest thing to do, but sometimes when you’ve got an itch, it needs to be scratched right away. It doesn’t make him a monster, it just means, like all of us, occasionally his base urges won out against social propriety.
Still, it’s a little hard to reconcile the man responsible for Mickey Mouse having an itchy behind. Just like it’s a little shocking to learn that Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy, kept a stash of sexy mouse drawings locked in his desk.
I’ve always maintained that, while the method may work for a very lucky few, drilling lists of words and kanji characters is like trying to commit blocks of random numbers to memory – that is to say painfully hard work, time-consuming, and not in the least bit natural or fun. Rather, a better way to approach language learning is to encounter words in context so as to easier form cognitive connections and assimilate them into that which we already know.
So when I stumbled upon Koe, an upcoming role-playing game designed to help people learn Japanese as they play, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of excitement.
Cute, loveable, selfish, or cold-hearted, whatever you think of cats, they’re nothing but entertaining, and this little fella is no exception. Taken from what must have been hours of footage captured by its owners, these videos show one particular cat’s penchant for newspapers, plastic, bags and even plants – anything that springs back when he hits it – as he sits and paws, and paws, and paws away, never seeming to get tired.
When Tatsuo Horiuchi was approaching retirement age, he wanted to do something new with his free time. So he bought a computer, and in 2000 decided to try his hand at making digital art. But Mr. Horiuchi from Nagano Prefecture, Japan, doesn’t use Photoshop or any other graphics editing software. These intricate digital artworks were made entirely in Microsoft Excel! It’s hard to believe that spreadsheet software can be used to make something so compellingly beautiful.
Fourteen years after he first started experimenting with digital art, Mr. Horiuchi is now a celebrated artist whose works have been exhibited locally and nationally. He’s also the winner of the Excel Autoshape Art Contest (what d’you mean, you didn’t know that was a thing?!) Let’s take a look at some of his work, and the fascinating process that goes into making it.
We’ve talked before about airsoft, and how the game that allows you to gun down your friends is ironically gaining seeing its ranks grow and grow in Japan. Unlike paintball, airsoft uses solid-state, BB-like ammo, so it’s a great way to unleash your inner remorseless 1980s action hero (or his gritty, 2010 reboot) without getting your fashionable combat fatigues stained with purple and orange splatters.
Most airsoft fields tend to be just that, fields out in the woods. But what if your combat fantasies are more Predator 2 than Predator, and you’d prefer an urban theater of operations? Is there a place where you can hunt the deadliest game: man?
Sure there is, at the Wanju Military Theme Park in Korea.
Police may or may not be on the lookout for a woman with chronic diarrhoea this week after it became clear than an incredible 900 rolls of toilet paper have been swiped from city hall restrooms in Tokushima, Shikoku over the past three years, with the trend showing no sign of coming to an end any time soon.
My brother, who spent several years working as a seafood cook, is an extremely handy guy in the kitchen. Even still, one of his most popular dishes is the incredibly easy to make Lebanese staple called hushwe. He jokingly refuses to teach his friends how to cook the rice and beef dish, since he’s worried that if they knew how simple it is, they’d lose respect for him as a chef.
The secret’s out, though, on how our Japanese-language correspondent Kon crafts her gorgeous rose-shaped salmon Carpaccio rolls, and today we’re going to share the technique with you.
Skytrax has released the results of its annual World Airport Awards and, once again, Singapore’s Changi Airport has taken the top spot.
It’s no surprise that Changi came out on top again. The international transit hub has incredible amenities, such as a butterfly garden, rooftop pool, movie theaters, hotels, spas, and showers — and even a four-story slide.
Skytrax based its rankings on 12.85 million customer nominations across 110 nationalities and included 410 airports worldwide. It incorporated passenger satisfaction across nearly 40 categories, including service and shopping and security and immigration.
All the airports commended last year made the 2014 list, but in a slightly different order.
The Moon Animate, Make Up! project released a new scene preview for the fan-animated episode of Sailor Moon.
The project will reanimate episode 38 of the first season, “Fractious Friends” and use the English language dub. All animation positions are currently filled but you can apply to be added to the waitlist if a scene opens at moonanimatemakeup@gmail.com.
According to the project organizer Kaitlin Sullivan, the project is on track to be finished by late May or Early June.
April is the start of the academic year in Japan, and for kids, parents and stationery manufacturers that means one thing: it’s back to school shopping season. And across Japan, as elementary school students carefully write their names in their notebooks for the new year, there’s a good chance that notebook will be Showa Noto brand. The company’s gakushucho (study notebooks) are a hugely popular series of school notebooks, used by school students all over the country. Showa Noto also makes character-branded goods, and we’re desperate to get our hands on one of these new Star Wars school notebooks!
On the surface, a lot of guys don’t seem to put much effort into their appearance. This is often mistaken for sheer laziness or apathy, but in these cash strapped times, many men simply lack the funds to look as stylish as they want to.
One such man is Omocoro’s Yoppi, or as he’s known to the rest of the world, “that Japanese guy who was caught looking at cartoon porn on the train.” Struggling on a blogger’s budget he resorts to bland colors and patternless pants. That is until one fateful day when he heard of a contest in the fashionably elite area of Shibuya which promised to make his dreams of looking good come true.
Here is his story.
Remember the bakeable pudding-flavored mini Kit Kats we told you about earlier this month? Well, we managed to get our hands on them, and also on the cream cheese flavored bakeable Kit Kats sold at the Kit Kat Chocolaterie as well. And you know what that means — it’s time for a RocketNews24 taste test! So, let’s get on with the baking and tasting, shall we?
Kids find all kinds of ways to playfully bully each other that adults might shake their heads at. In the West, this might manifest as little mean-spirited pranks like nipple twisters, convincing a kid to eat a whole tube of toothpaste, or to run up and touch the creepy cat lady’s house in the middle of the night.
But Japanese kids tend to take a more sexually charged approach. We’ve already talked about the intricacies of the infamous kancho – that mighty, two-handed violation of someone’s hind quarters that happens to every westerner at least once and lingers in their psyche for decades, yet the Japanese shrug it off as just another schoolhouse (or workplace) prank.
But one you may not have heard about is the long-standing tradition of the “Denki Anma.”
Studio Ghibli adds new Mother’s Day gift sets to its anime collection in Japan
Silicone testicle covers banned from Japanese sauna following cups being left behind and on shelves
Virtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
Is this Japan’s most extreme cherry blossom viewing? Leap, cycle and climb through 2,500 sakura
McDonald’s Guarantees Your Order in 60 Seconds or You Get a Free Burger, Employs Actual Hourglass
Häagen-Dazs Japan releases new ASMR ice cream called “Rocky Crunchy!”
We visit a Muji in South Korea to search for some uniquely Korean products
Criminals of Japan’s Edo Period Were Often Punished by Getting Face Tattoos
Eight Ways You Really, Really Shouldn’t Use a Japanese Toilet
Sushi Push Pops aiming to be Japan’s newest sakura season snack sensation
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Starbucks Japan opens new cafe and art gallery in top Tokyo tourist neighbourhood
Is Japan’s Crab-shaped Cup Ramen Timer worth the hype?
Pizza Hut Japan teams up with creator of one of the country’s best kinds of ramen for ramen pizza
Komachi Shokudo: Japanese mum’s-style cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner in TokyoVirtual idol Hatsune Miku redesigned with look that adds new elements and brings back old ones
Starbucks Japan releases a new Cream Puff Frappuccino for a limited time
The top 10 graduation songs in Japan as chosen by current Japanese high school students
Pikachu and Eevee become handmade Lladró porcelain sculptures to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th birthday
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
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 home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
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】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Häagen-Dazs Japan releases new ASMR ice cream called “Rocky Crunchy!”
We visit a Muji in South Korea to search for some uniquely Korean products
Criminals of Japan’s Edo Period Were Often Punished by Getting Face Tattoos
Eight Ways You Really, Really Shouldn’t Use a Japanese Toilet
Sushi Push Pops aiming to be Japan’s newest sakura season snack sensation
Kids today get all the best toys! “Sketch Aquarium” turns doodles into lifelike swimming fish
Komachi Shokudo: Japanese mum’s-style cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tokyo
New retro museum in Tokyo is like a time portal back to the Showa era【Photos】
Japanese convenience store sandwiches get extra protection from new business backpack
PDA in Japan: Is it OK to Kiss on the Street Corner?
Kura Sushi opens new high-end revolving bar restaurant in Tokyo
Survey asks Japanese people where they’d most like to “live” after death
Japanese cat island reveals all its cats will soon be gone
Kyoto creates new for-tourist buses to address overtourism with higher prices, faster rides