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Doughnut Sandwich Taste Test Round 2 — This time it’s a Mos Burger and Mister Donut creation!

Now, some of our readers may recall that we recently introduced on our site some devilishly tempting-looking doughnut sandwiches sold at Tokyo Station, and guess what? These “doughnut sandwiches” may actually be catching on in Japan, because popular Japanese food chains Mos Burger and Mister Donut have joined forces to come out this week with a new line of “MOSDO!”collaboration products, and one of them is a doughnut sandwich that we might say is one of the most, well… interesting-looking sandwiches we’ve ever seen. It’s the “Mos Burger French Cruller with Round-and-Round Chorizo Sausage” (Mos no French Cruller Guruguru Chorizo), and yes, it really does look like what you see in the picture!

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Five video games that will never, ever get made (but totally should)

The E3 video game trade show is now just a couple of weeks away, and gamers the world over are getting excited. Will Rockstar Games come clean about its next project? Will Sony announce a launch date and pricing info for its new streaming service? Will the guys from Valve surprise us all by walking on stage, saying: “Episode 3. November 1,” and dropping the mic? Maybe not, but it’s fun to dream, right?

Sure, we all want to hear news of the games that have been teased over the past few months, but wouldn’t it be fun if a few more games came completely out of left field and blew us all away? With that in mind, we set our creative minds to work and came up with five video games that we wish existed, but are quite sure – perhaps for good reason – will never, ever happen.

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Cuss like a pro with this handy guide for Japanese speakers

Everyone knows that there are certain nuances in every language that you just can’t learn from school. Humor, for instance, but also cursing. Sure, you might know the definitions of a few key words, but stringing them together is a task unlikely to be perfected except by those who have spent some time with folks who are native speakers.

A recent book written by MADSAKI and published by Transworld Japan is giving Japanese speakers the fine opportunity to learn how to creatively curse in American-English. Titled, How to use F*** Correctly: 99 Phrases Using F***, S***, D***, and H*** that Schools Won’t Teach You, Handle with Care, it promises 176 pages of illustrated cursing, with examples.

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Move over, Psy: YouTube goes wild for dancing Korean baby 【Video】

YouTube videos that rack up millions of views tend to feature either funky music, dancing, or children or animals doing adorable things. These are the kind of links we share again and again, sending to our friends and happily watching multiple times. These two Korean babies rocking out to dance music, therefore, were always going to be the perfect mix for a YouTube hit!

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Pikachu soccer jersey lets you represent as a lover of both sports and Pokémon

In Japan, the national sports teams are officially known as the Nihon Daihyou, literally the Japanese Representatives. And while it’s true that the Japanese soccer team will be getting eve more attention than usual as it competes in the World Cup in Brazil, one could argue that Japan’s pop cultural icons, more so than its athletes, are the most prominent representatives of the country internationally.

Or, you could sidestep the debate by combing the too with a Pokémon soccer jersey.

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Some Japanese apartments are incredibly sparse. In the most extreme cases, your lease gets you four walls, a kitchen sink, bathroom, and that’s it. Oh, you want lighting fixtures, a stove, and air conditioning? Sorry, you’ll have to purchase all that on your own.

As a result, savvy apartment hunters are always on the lookout for properties that include some of these amenities. And while it’s incredibly convenient to find a place that already comes with ceiling lamps, it still can’t match the thrill some animal lovers in Japan experience when they find a new pad that comes with a cat.

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Macabre Japanese ukiyo-e reveal gothic side to art of the floating world【Pics】

When you think of Japanese ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, you probably think of Hokusai’s beautiful landscapes in his Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji, or the stylized prints of beautiful courtesans in traditional Japanese dress. But there are also many pieces of Japanese art and ukiyo-e from the Edo to the Meiji period (between 1603 and 1912) that represent a more mythical and macabre side of Japan.

The following is a collection of 20 pieces that all contain skulls or skeletons in some form, many of them by renowned and famous artists of the time.

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Video series recreates the highs and lows of walking past a cute girl and not saying hello

For the most part, guys hitting on girls isn’t really a part of Japanese culture. Thankfully, there are a number of social institutions that take its place, such as frequent student mixers, company drinking parties, and singles’ dinners organized by groups of friends with an exactly equal number of unattached men and women present.

All of this largely circumvents the need for a guy to go up to a girl that catches his eye in a book store or coffee shop with nothing more than a smile and a hello. It also means that if a man is out and about and spots an attractive woman, if there’s no one to give him a formal introduction, a glance at her pretty face, and maybe a moment where her eyes meet his, is about all that he can ever hope to take away from the encounter.

For some guys, though, that’s enough, and for them, there’s a new website featuring nothing but short videos of cute girls walking past you.

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Microsoft to launch real-time translation through Skype

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the company plans to launch a real-time translation tool for Skype before the end of this year.

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Sushi train restaurant serves up caramel banana sushi and caramel mayonnaise corn sushi!

Starting from today, sushi train chain restaurant Kura-zushi will be serving up two incredibly unique, limited-edition delicacies. Thanks to a sweet collaboration with Morinaga Milk Caramels, customers will now be able to order caramel banana sushi. And that’s not all – caramel corn mayonnaise sushi will be on the menu too.

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I’m fortunate in that my wife and I have fairly similar tastes in movies and TV shows. We both agree that Modern Family is funny, seeing the Hulk beat up Loki in The Avengers is deeply satisfying, and that the anime Escaflowne is an extremely compelling take on the standard plotline of “boy meets girl, girl falls in love with other boy, and by the way both boys pilot giant robots.”

At the same time, we’re also mature enough to respect each other’s opinions when they do diverge. Unfortunately, not all spouses can agree to disagree when it comes to entertainment, as is the case with the woman in Japan who’s looking for a divorce because her husband isn’t a fan of Disney’s Frozen.

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Tennis coach forces his students to draw elephant heads on their penises【TomoNews Video】

A tennis coach in Tainan banned his students from dating. Anyone who broke the rule was forced to have an elephant drawn on their privates.

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American singer to perform theme song for newest Studio Ghibli film 【Video】

A recent scandal in the Japanese entertainment world may have delayed the release of the announced box set of the works of retired anime director Hayao Miyazaki, the latest offering from the production house he helped found, Studio Ghibli, is still on track for its planned July premiere. With the big day coming up fast, producers have released a short teaser of the anime film’s theme song, which is being performed by American folk singer Priscilla Ahn.

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What was this Attack on Titan giant doing at a protest in Hong Kong?

We knew Attack on Titan was crazy popular with an incredible 36 million volumes in circulation and a huge fanbase that stretches from Japan to the English-speaking world and beyond, it’s also been translated for audiences in Korea and China (Taiwan). Next year things will reach new heights with a full length live-action film starring Haruma Miura in the leading role.

When we saw these photos apparently showing a Titan from the series taking part in a demo in Hong Kong, we just had to find out more. “The Red Giant” is a piece of protest art made by Hong Kong based artist Kacey Wong, and pictures from the demo have been doing the rounds on Japanese online message boards this week. At once among the crowd and separate from it, the looming bright red figure is a powerful symbol of what Wong sees as the threat posed to Hong Kong by mainland China’s rapid growth as an economic superpower.

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Bones of mythical Japanese water demon to go on public display

Every Japanese person knows about kappa, the tricksy and sometimes dangerous, yet strangely polite, water demons from ancient folklore. But how many have actually seen one in real life?

Next month, people will have the chance to, when parts of a supposedly real kappa go on display in all their mummified glory.

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  • May 28, 2014

The Ozashiki Cafe — Japanese restaurant offers chance to spend time with real-life geisha!

Have you ever fantasized about the world of geisha? Even for most of us Japanese, the beautifully made-up and richly adorned geisha is an object of fascination and mystery, simply because the world they live and entertain in is so exclusive. Since it’s quite rare for the average Japanese person to have the opportunity to be entertained by professional geisha, many of us don’t really have an idea of what goes on in the tea houses (ochaya) and traditional restaurants (ryotei) where geisha perform, which is why the ryotei Miyakodori has come up with a one-day event called the “Ozashiki Cafe” to offer us a glimpse into the hidden world of geisha!

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China to remove six million cars from its roads in an effort to make city air breathable again

Chinese cities have featured a lot in the news over the past few years. With the country experiencing rapid economic growth and its industries going into overdrive – though often with scant regard for the environment – the air quality in some cities has deteriorated to the point that health organisations have warned against spending too much time outdoors. The country’s rivers, too, bear the scars of progress as factories pump tons of waste into them, in some cases turning the water dark red.

Thankfully, though, the Chinese government has pledged to address the situation, and has this week announced plans to remove as many as six million vehicles from its roads in an effort to detoxify city air.

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Noodle maker does everything you can’t: make noodles!

The other day we brought you news about Brazilian style cup noodles and as the saying goes, you eat with your eyes before your mouth and we’re sure many of you became suddenly hungry after looking at the picture. Even though you knew it was Cup Noodle, that didn’t stop you from salivating at the words “BBQ” and “Brazilian spices”. Seeing instant ramen undoubtedly brings the thoughts of, “I wonder if I could make my own ramen noodles myself, instead of whatever is in this Styrofoam cup.” Starting from July, you can and this new product from Waganse is just as easy as “making” a Cup Noodle and probably a whole lot healthier too.

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Take a peek inside a Hong Kong cat cafe

Many foreign tourists who come to Japan make sure to check out one of the country’s ubiquitous cat cafes before heading home. After all, if you’re a cat lover, what better way to relax in the middle of your busy schedule while still doing something distinctly “Japanese”?

But did you know that cat cafes are springing up in other parts of the world, too? Take Hong Kong’s Ah Meow Cat Cafe (阿貓地攤), for instance. Located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong’s major shopping district, the cafe is always jam-packed with curious customers. We wanted to share with you some photos from popular Canadian blogger La Carmina’s visit to the cafe, so sit back, gather up your feline friends, and start purring!

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Things Japanese girls do that make foreign guys run for the hills

Are you a Japanese girl? Are you terrified that your implausibly popular foreign boyfriend might run off after one of those other girls that are constantly throwing themselves at him? Japanese website Madame Riri has come up with a whistle-stop guide to things Japanese girls do that make foreign guys back off. Avoid these pitfalls, and you too can have a fairytale ending with your Price Charming… Apparently. Let’s see what they came up with!
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