Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
A 7-Eleven convenience store in Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture was the scene of a daring late-night armed robbery earlier this week as an unidentified young man held clerks at knife-point and made off with a total of three onigiri rice balls, whose combined value came to approximately 300 yen (US$2.94).
He’d have gotten away with too, if it hadn’t been for the bread delivery guy…
2014 marks the 1,200th year since Buddhist monk Kukai made his holy journey to 88 temples on the southern Japanese island of Shikoku. The Shikoku Pilgrimage now attracts people from all over Japan as well as the world to visit the same temples along the 1,200 km-route.
Now, a new TV series, Ohenro, is out to appeal to a new generation of religious travelers and features three female pilgrims stylized in the ever popular moe fashion of super-cute anime characters.
But Japanese netizens, eager to soak up all things moe, are wondering if they will have to make their own “holy trip” since only four broadcasters are airing the show!
One of the best things about camping is gathering around the fire at the end of the day to cook, eat and drink with friends and family. Free of the trappings of our modern life, we’re able to focus on the food, the nature around us, and – a something of a rarity in our paradoxically lonely social network-obsessed world – each other.
But cooking out in the wilderness can be a fiddly affair. With none of our modern kitchen appliances or shining stainless steel countertops on which to prepare meals, doing something as simple as chopping up an onion for the pot can be a real pain, least not for the poor soul who has to carry a wooden chopping board and knife in their backpack.
This genius device from India, however, does away with the need for a knife and chopping board altogether making campfire cooking an absolute breeze.
A few months ago, we brought you news that Japanese developer Spike Chunsoft was bringing manga and anime smash Attack on Titan to Nintendo’s popular portable, 3DS. Up until now, the game seemed destined to remain a Japan-only affair, but rumour has it that its makers are searching for a publisher to bring the game to Western audiences. Get hype, kids!
While KFC Japan recently unveiled their newest menu item featuring a collaboration with soccer player Ronaldo, KFC China has (accidentally) unveiled a somewhat different item: Horrific chicken wings.
Your fist kiss is sure to be a memorable event. It might even be the most memorable event in your life for decades if all goes well…or if it turns into a proper disaster. At least, that’s what we learned from teenage comedies–and Hollywood never lies, right? But even though it’s such a big event in any young person’s life, everyone’s first kiss seems to come at different ages.
We’ve discussed kissing in Japan before, but a new survey reveals the average first-kiss age of Japanese folks broken down by prefecture, showing which prefecture’s women were the fastest and kissiest in the country! Who do you think came in first place? And who’s bringing up the rear as the “slowest to their first kiss?” Find out below!
The nostalgia of a classic Nintendo Entertainment system is like nothing else.
I remember when I first got a Nintendo. I didn’t get the bundle with the gun, so no “Duck Hunt” for me, but that didn’t stop me from playing “Super Mario Bros.” for hours with my friends. Then I’d go to their houses and play for hours more. It was the first real game system I had (before that I had a Commodore VIC-20 — don’t mind me as I date myself) in a long line of game systems that followed.
I think back on those games and that system fondly, but I never considered buying one today, or even one of the mods people have made, such as this one, called the Hyperkin Retro 5.
Usually it’s because the graphics on these systems is pretty weak compared with what we’re used to from systems like the Xbox 360, and especially newer systems like the PS4 and Xbox One.
Until now, that is.
When I was in middle school, I used to watch Dragon Ball Z every single day. I’ve seen all 291 episodes of the series and without a doubt can say that my favorite story arc begins with the arrival of future Trunks until the end of the Cell Games. Why? Because the villains are awesome, of course (sorry, Frieza)! Everyone loves Cell and the attractive-but-deadly android siblings, known as Numbers 17 and 18.
Speaking of the androids, Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball, has recently released an interesting bit of trivia for the first time ever – Number 17 and 18’s true names! Even cooler is how their names combine to create something new. Do you have any guesses?
A couple of months ago, we wrote about a set of Star Wars-themed notebooks sold over at the online shopping website Run@town. Much to everyone’s surprise, the fandom those little books stirred up caused a massive run that led them to being sold out within an single hour.
Now, Run@town is hoping that the force with strike twice with a new product that could tickle the fancy of Star Wars fans everywhere even harder. It’s an R2-D2 virtual keyboard projector! You read that right–a tiny droid beams a keyboard onto any flat surface for you to actually type on.
In these cash-strapped times, wouldn’t it be great to move into a brand-new house and not have to pay security fees or rent for two years? Wouldn’t be even better if it were a house built entirely to your specification and tastes?
Home building agency SuMiKa and employment website Wantedly are working to make that a reality for three lucky people with a unique promotional event. Anyone who enters could win a chance to design a house and live in it rent-free for two years.
A new series of movie clips and screenshots for Gareth Edwards Godzilla remake film began streaming on Friday. A clip confirms that the previously shown flying monster is known as a “MUTO” or “Massive Unidentified Terrestial Organism.” Another video shows Godzilla set to do battle with it.
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll have probably seen first-hand just how well the people here manage to make any time nap time. Whether it’s on public transport, in the office, or even in the classroom, there’s certainly no holding back when it comes to getting in a bit of shut-eye.
Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd. is tapping into the huge market of public sleepers with a new product for those who want to save face while shutting out the rest of the world at the same time. While it’s an efficient way to hide your gaping mouth and nap-time dribble, the company is actually claiming there are many unique beauty and health benefits to wearing this dome on your head.
An Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for consumers could go on sale next year, a company representative told Business Insider at Facebook’s F8 developer conference today.
Management at Oculus VR, the Irvine, Calif.-company that Facebook bought for $2 billion earlier this year, will be “disappointed” if it doesn’t have a headset available at retail for ordinary people by 2016, according to an Oculus spokesperson.
Any military force in the world is sure to be filled with young, healthy, fit men and women, which also happens to be the perfect recipe for creating super sexy humans–especially if you happen to have a thing for uniforms. So, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that this month will see the release of two photo books and a pair of DVDs from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force: One pair dedicated to their sexy men and the other dedicated to their beautiful women.
And unlike the JSDF’s 2014 photo calendar, you can expect to find nothing but real enlisted men and women in these books–including the JSDF’s only professional singer Yukari Miyake.
One of the happier pieces of news to grace media headlines in Japan recently has been the announcement that the Tomioka Silk Mill, located in Gunma Prefecture, is expected to make the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in June this year. With everyone excited about this historic building becoming the eighteenth recognized World Heritage site in Japan, the mill is sure to attract an enormous tourist crowd during the current Golden Week holidays which go on until next Tuesday, as well as the upcoming summer season.
But even before all this buzz, Tomioka Silk Mill had its very own brand of souvenir chocolates, and they have now been attracting quite a bit of attention in Japan — not just because of the silk mill’s soon-to-be expected World Heritage status, but because of the utterly unique (and some may even say grotesque) appearance of the chocolates. Yes, as you can see from the picture, they’re silkworm chocolates!
Due to the nature of the Japanese language, it would seem that nearly every date can be somehow punned into a “holiday” from Tofu Day (Oct. 8) to Honey Day (Aug. 3). Of course these aren’t official public holidays but are often chances for companies to highlight their wares such as Pocky Day (Nov. 11) characterized by all the ones looking like Pocky sticks.
The newest on this long list is Gokusen Day (May 9) which celebrates the Gokusen Banana, the apex of Dole Japan’s years of banana growing technology. To celebrate Gokusen Day, Dole will be selling 59 of the very best of their already high-grade Gokusen Bananas.
Last December, while conducting a study on the number of characters input into Google’s search engine, the company compiled various statistics on people’s search habits between January and November, 2013. Among them were the most-searched Japanese foods outside of Japan.
We’ll get number one right out of the way because it’s not really a shocker: “sushi.” Number two, however, was a little more unexpected. Can you guess what it is?
With over 1,800 commonly-used kanji characters, plus two different sets of 46 phonetic characters each, typing on a word processor in Japanese works a little differently than in English. Many words in Japanese have the same pronunciation but are written differently, so first you have to type the word phonetically, then select the proper rendering from a list that pops up.
The cool thing is that sometimes the selections aren’t just written characters, but drawings of the object in question. Poking around in a Japanese word processor is like a linguistic treasure hunt, and our searches turned up illustrations of mythical creatures, delicious food, and famous landmarks of Japan.
If you’re kicking yourself for missing the hanami cherry blossom viewing season in Japan, we have some good news for you. There are still some sakura in full bloom right now and not only are they perfect for picnicking under, they’re a rare green variety that has even Japanese people gasping in delight.
Forget space or the deep seas, when it comes to human exploration, dating is the real final frontier. You never know where you might find that special someone–it could be in a club, at school, or even on the train. But conventional wisdom–in Japan at least–says that women should avoid dating these three types of men: Band members, bartenders, and hair stylists (biyoushi, in Japanese).
Now, it’s easy to imagine why so many might believe these Three Bs might be filled with the very baddest of bad boys–after all, what’s sexier than a guitarist who can mix a drink and do your hair? But how do Japanese men in these professions feel about their reputations? Find out below!
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Starbucks Japan creates special drink bottle bags, adorable stickers for all 47 prefectures[Pics]
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
Japanese sweets brand creates new drinkable Cigare and we’re totally here for it
Hatsune Miku successfully wraps Miku Expo 2026 North America tour with 100,000 attendees
Nearly half of Pokémon hot spring’s statues have been damaged less than two months after opening
Dragon Quest’s next quest is a journey to Yoshinoya for awesome Slime toy meals[Photos]
Japan’s Yellow Shinkansen to be retired, last chances to ride it come with eye-popping prices
Will we eat the gyoza or our words at this all-you-can-eat dumpling challenge?Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroadJapan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summerJapanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in AmericaJapanese sweets brand creates new drinkable Cigare and we’re totally here for it
7-Eleven Japan to start selling Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches this summer
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino, tea and soda drinks for summerStarbucks Japan creates special drink bottle bags, adorable stickers for all 47 prefectures[Pics]
“Phantom Egg Shop” opens in Japan, with a dozen rare Japanese varietiesJapan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the countryJapanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroadStudio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in JapanJapanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noonJapan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Forget Tokyo go-karts – there’s a new way to sightsee on four wheels in JapanJapan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Hatsune Miku successfully wraps Miku Expo 2026 North America tour with 100,000 attendees
Nearly half of Pokémon hot spring’s statues have been damaged less than two months after opening
Dragon Quest’s next quest is a journey to Yoshinoya for awesome Slime toy meals[Photos]
Japan’s Yellow Shinkansen to be retired, last chances to ride it come with eye-popping prices
Will we eat the gyoza or our words at this all-you-can-eat dumpling challenge?
“Alcohol is the best medicine” removed from Japanese government website
7-Eleven Japan now has Seven Cafe tea machines…but can they convert a coffee drinker?
Japan opens shrine for plush toys in Kyoto, offering memorial rites and a resting place for remains
Private Shinkansen Supreme Class Cabin pricing, start date, and details announced by Japan Railways
TKG Debate: What’s the best way to eat Japan’s beloved raw egg comfort dish?
Ginza Happo: One of Tokyo’s best all-you-can-eat seafood restaurants is an extreme buffet affair
Japanese merry-go-round has heartwarming backstory, is one of the best rides in Japan
Starbucks Japan sells Valencia Flavoured Syrup, and here are four ways to use it this summer
7-Eleven Japan’s new sweets burger is a mouthwatering philosophical debate