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I’m sure there are many of you who like to bake your own bread. (I, unfortunately, lack the culinary skills to do so and have to resort to store-bought goods.) But bread doesn’t always turn out the way you intended, does it? It certainly didn’t when Twitter user korpi baked a batch of what was supposed to be harmless, wholesome cheese bread, and the pictures she shared on her account have apparently caught the attention of Japanese Internet users — with their shock value. But what could be so alarming about some pieces of bread? Read More

The Xbox 360’s successor may well be just around the corner, but Microsoft has a serious problem on its hands in Japan. According to sales figures published by Japan’s Dengeki Online, even last week’s top-selling Xbox 360 game, Gears of War: Judgement, only managed to sell a paltry 347 copies in total. In a country where sales for Nintendo’s handheld 3DS reached almost 60,000 units in the exact same period, it’s clear that Microsoft’s console is struggling to keep its head above water.

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Facebook Opens Brick-and-Mortar Store in Myanmar – Or Does It?

In a recent visit to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, we made a rather interest discovery; it would appear Facebook was trying to muscle in on the hot Southeast Asian clothing market.

Even after closer inspection, however, we were unable to determine whether or not Zuckerburg and crew were in fact the backers behind this chic apparel retailer.

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iOS Facebook Chat Update Includes Awesomely Disgusting Projectile Vomit Emoticon

Facebook, possibly in an attempt to outpace Asia’s reigning chat program king LINE, updated their iOS Facebook Chat program on April 17, adding “stickers” that can be used in chat conversations much like LINE’s “stamps” (also called “stickers” in English language versions).

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Japanese Style Yakisoba Flavored Yakisoba: It’s Confusingly Delicious!

Yakisoba (fried buckwheat noodles) is a standard food in Japanese cuisine which can be found in restaurants, food stands, and convenience stores across the nation served in a variety of ways such as on hotdog buns or in an omelet.

There is also a variety of instant yakisoba noodle packs among which is the decades old Peyoung brand – loved by Japanese people of all ages for its delicious taste and easy preparation.

Occasionally the company releases special flavors like curry and super-hot, but this time they came out with perhaps the most unexpected flavor of all: yakisoba flavored yakisoba.

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Having ruled out Colonel Mustard with a candlestick in the dining room (thanks Hasbro), Osaka prefectural police at the city’s Taisho station are trying to figure out who made off with national flags from two of the district’s elementary schools on April 16.
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It became evident on the 16th that as a general rule, Chinese authorities would soon ban domestic media companies from using quotes from foreign media sources and information garnered from Weibo, the country’s popular microblogging website. Citing the need to “form a healthy reporting structure,” among other reasons, authorities are preparing to lay out strict reporting regulations

The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), state authorities that control domestic media, made it clear they will start “requesting reporters and editors” not to use reports from foreign media sources or citizen-generated content from the Internet without first gaining prior approval.

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Woman Barred From Boarding Flight with Foul-Smelling Durian Flies into Rage, Angrily Chows Down in Middle of Airport

There are a lot of things that can ruin a good vacation and lord knows one of them is the whole airport/airplane experience in general. Lost luggage, security checks, kids kicking your seat.

But this bizarre news story from China will make you grateful those security checks are there after all. Read More

There’s a Snake in my Soup! We Taste Test Some Popular ‘Soul Food’ from Hong Kong

Have you ever heard the phrase “you are what you eat”? Perhaps this is why every region has its own brand of “soul food,” embodying the heart and history of its people. For Japan, the most basic and invigorating dishes you can find would probably be natto and miso soup. But how about the powerhouse city of Hong Kong? Apparently, and much to our surprise, Hong Kong’s home-grown food for the soul is snake soup! Before hearing of this, the thought of eating a snake had never really crossed our minds, but we couldn’t help but be curious about the taste. And so, we took to the streets of Hong Kong in search of a restaurant that would sell us some freshly prepared snake. Read More

High-Tech Water Bottle Turns Cola into Colorless Liquid 【Video】

It’s the water bottle of the future! The OKO “advanced filtration water bottle” isn’t your average container for high quality H2O. It features a filtration system developed by NASA that’s so powerful it can filter cola into a clear, colorless liquid in seconds. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the video.

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Forget the Big Mac, Why Not Try Some Curry at McDonald’s in Thailand

If number of stores is any indication, McDonald’s is the world’s most loved fast food chain with over 34,000 locations in 119 countries. We’re guessing the most common order at the golden arches is a burger with a side of fries, but if you happen to find yourself in Thailand, you might be surprised to find a bowl of curry and rice on the menu right next to the McDonald’s classics. The official name for this bizarre burger joint item is the McGrilled Chicken Curry Rice.

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We Try Fried Piranha, Even Dead and Cooked It’s Pretty Dangerous

Nara Kenko Land is a well-known spa here in Japan which offers pools, baths, massages, and exercise equipment.

However, for a limited time they are holding the “Big Amazon Mysterious Fish Exhibit” giving us a rare chance to eat the South American river’s fish, including the deadly piranha.

Suspicious that a health spa would offer edible piranhas, our lovely reporter Usagi went down to check it out and perhaps eat a fish that eats people.

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Free Gifts and Cheap Coffee No Help as McDonald’s Japan Troubles Continue

The collapse of McDonald’s Japan continued as the company recorded declining year-over-year sales for the 12th consecutive month at the end of March. The situation is dismal, as whatever the company does seems to end in failure.

Its 100-yen menu (about one US dollar) and free giveaways no longer impress customers who have grown accustomed to deflationary pricing. Its “Food in 60 seconds or next burger free” campaign, which the company initiated in January as a measure to help revive fortunes, also failed to deliver. And there doesn’t appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. Its most recent venture, free gum and other “unique”gifts to purchasers of breakfast sets, has been roundly criticized on the Internet as being a “hackneyed idea.”
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  • Apr 17, 2013

Ladies, Please Don’t Be So Blatantly Disappointed With Your Delivery Man (At Least With How He Looks)!

A short while ago, a group of men belonging to a particular delivery service company became hot news in Japan, not for their sterling courier service as you might expect, but, to put it bluntly, for their dashing good looks. Yes, as silly as it may sound, good-looking delivery men, specifically those working for major Japanese delivery company Sagawa Express, have been making many a Japanese woman swoon.

But then again, perhaps it isn’t too surprising that these “Sagawa Danshi” (literally, “the Sagawa men”), as they have come to be collectively known, have been in the media spotlight, as plenty of hot men are indeed in the employ of Sagawa Express, and the busy delivery work tends to keep them physically fit and energetic looking. However, all of this attention now seems to have resulted in a rather unfortunate phenomenon for some Sagawa delivery men. Read More

Studio Ghibli Denies Live Action Adaptation of Kiki’s Delivery Service, We Dream Up Other Possible Ghibli Adaptations

There were rumours recently about a live action version of Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. What’s more, these reports claimed that Takashi Shimizu, the horror film director who brought us nightmare-inducing classics like The Grudge, would be sitting at the helm of the project. A horror take on the story of a cute 13-year-old witch? It  seemed too good to be true! Well, it was a sad day when Studio Ghibli released an official statement quashing the salacious rumours, saying, “We have no involvement in the matter.”

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South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai revealed its new E4U single-person concept car at the recently completed Seoul Motor Show. Egg-like in shape, the mobility device measures 92cm in width while standing 123cm tall. Hyundai believes the vehicle to be suitable for narrow streets in urban centers where speeds are generally slow.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Gets Explosive New Multiplayer Map Set in Kyushu

Players of the Call of Duty series are no strangers to downloadable content in the form of additional maps on which to shoot, stab and detonate. Ever since downloadable map packs were released for Call of Duty 3 back in 2007, console gamers have been treated to (or blighted by, depending on your stance on DLC) regular releases of additional content to purchase or risk being the one guy in their group of friends who can’t play on the same maps as everyone else.

This time around, developers Treyarch are dropping virtual soldiers and screaming headset-wearing pubescents on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. As well as being situated in the shadow of an erupting volcano, the town featured in the map is absolutely covered with cute cultural references and written Japanese which, we’re happy to say, is not riddled with mistakes.

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Sayonara Taxis? Tokyo to Consider Operating Trains, Buses Around the Clock


Whether working late or partying late, people lacking the stamina for an all-nighter and missing the last train home in Japan are primarily left with two rather expensive options: taxi or hotel.

Well, in the not-so-distant future, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government may provide a more wallet-friendly third option, buses and trains operating 24 hours a day.

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Taiwanese Cosplayers Appear in their Droves, Show All-Out Passion for Hatsune Miku

Ever since Japan started its whole Cool Japan kick, it’s been pushing manga and anime to a world-wide audience like never before. Near the forefront of it all is the software program turned pop icon, Vocaloid, with Hatsune Miku stealing most of the spotlight. Just last week, more than 20 real-life Mikus gathered together at a park in Kaohsiung, Taiwan! It was a truly magnificent spectacle, perhaps the highlight of our year thus far. Read More

New Fujitsu Technology Lets Users Scan Objects and Manipulate Data with Their Bare Fingertips

Imagine putting a travel brochure on the table, touching the word “Hawaii” and having a video of sandy beaches appear next to it. Better yet, image tossing some Post-it notes onto the table and tapping them with your finger to instantly digitize and upload them to your computer. Sounds like something from a movie set in the distant future, doesn’t it?

Fujitsu Labs has made this and more possible with a new interface system that may let us toss out our mouse and scanner in a single throw.

Watching the video below, you might think cutting edge sensors are required, but all it takes is a run-of-the-mill webcam and an on-the-market projector.

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