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Fill Your Sandwich with Potato Salad or Shrimp at Subway in Japan【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

You, Me, And a Tanuki is a weekly featured blog run by Michelle, a Californian who is currently one of only two foreigners living in Chibu, a tiny fishing village on one of the Oki islands in Japan. Check back every Saturday for a new post or read more on her website here!

With loads of other tasty, portable alternatives, Japan hasn’t embraced the sandwich like other countries have. Sure, there are sandwiches readily available at any convenience store…but they aren’t any good.  The most common sandwich found chilling alongside the rice balls consists of ham, too much mayonnaise, and limp lettuce sandwiched between two whiter than white pieces of bread.  Another conbini favorite is the egg salad sandwich…again with too much mayonnaise on white bread.

Living in rural Japan, the only option to satisfying my cravings for a good sandwich has been to 1) make it myself or 2) trek 2.5 hours all the way to the nearest Subway. Driven by my cravings, I decided to stop by Subway after a business trip. I usually don’t like Subway sandwiches, but I have no room to be picky nowadays.

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Simple Pleasures: The Story of One Man’s Love Affair with a Nylon Washcloth

“This is one thing that I want to continue using until the day I die.”

Of all the things that Japan is renowned for– all of its architectural triumphs, pioneering technology, sexy shenanigans and mind-bending animation — it comes as a surprise to this writer to read that one Chinese blogger in Japan values one thing above all else. Residing in Japan for more than 15 years, this 39-year-old blogger and professor of fine arts claims that, were he to return to his homeland, he’d miss one item more than anything else, and simply can’t begin to fathom why it hasn’t caught on back home.

Forget underwater Walkman music players, forget strawberry ramen and cuddle cafes; for this man, the humble nylon wash cloth is the pinnacle of Japanese invention, and it has become an essential part of his life.

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According to a recent survey conducted by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), as of September 2012, numbers of foreign tourists visiting Japan reach 430,000, an increase of 32.7 percent. Japan’s tourist industry suffered as a result of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, but it looks like tourism is on the rise in Japan once again.

 When foreigners do find themselves in Japan, travel guidebook in hand, they are inundated with advice regarding must-see places. But the worst part about taking a trip is arriving to one of these “must-see” locations and realizing it isn’t all that great. That’s why we’ve gathered up a list of the top five most disappointing tourist spots in Japan as recommended (unrecommended?) by users on Reddit.

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This Valentine’s Day Let That Special Guy Eat Your Face with Some Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. In Japan this means it’s time for women to bestow gifts of chocolate unto the men in their life.  However, for the guys who are really special, homemade chocolate awaits.  That personal touch makes all the difference.

The Fab Café in Shibuya Tokyo is setting up a workshop which uses a state of the art 3D printer to create the ultimate in personal chocolate.

On 14 February, much like how Mr. Sato had himself made into a figurine, participating women will be able to sculpt their own likeness on a chocolate truffle this season.

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Hey, Slimebags!! No, Not You – Limited Edition Bags to be Handed Out at Lawson Convenience Stores

Arguably Japan’s most successful video game franchise and mightiest convenience store chain are joining forces again to celebrate the re-release of Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden (aka Dragon Warrior VII) for the Nintendo 3DS.

In their previous celebration of Dragon Quest X a limited edition plastic bag was handed out stylized after the hit game online game.  This time they’re taking it further with a new style of bag never before seen from Lawson’s – and possibly never again.

There are two types of bags available each depicting the lovable enemy “slime” from the Dragon Quest series.

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On the subject of love, marriage and relationships, Japan’s My Navi News carried out a survey late last year in which it asked 905 regular readers to share their pet peeves and relationship deal breakers. Rather than focusing on a partner’s merits, readers were asked to list the points that would turn them off or cause them to rule out the idea of marriage altogether. A relationship hate list, if you will.

Dividing the responses by sex, there were some surprising – and some not so surprising – replies. Dozens of tips for singletons and plenty for those already in relationships to bear in mind after the break.

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Giant Hadouken Fired Over Kanto Region, Internet Sky Gazers Track It

Beginning at around 2:45am on 20 January, Tweets were appearing with reports of an “explosion” and a glowing object falling from the sky.  On the same day a video showing the meteor in high detail began to spread across the Japanese internet.

From the video we can easily see that this was no average meteor – this was a fireball.

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Want to Grow a Bonsai Tree? There’s an App for That

Saitama Prefecture might be known abroad for its connection to famous anime like Lucky Star and Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, but it’s better known in traditional art circles as a modern center for bonsai, the ancient practice of cultivating miniature trees. In fact, there is even a section of Saitama City called Bonsai Village that was once selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as one of the 100 most scenic towns in Japan.

The prefecture has now created a smartphone game called Twit Bonsai to promote Saitama’s bonsai attractions, and although you may think pruning a virtual tree sounds like the height of boredom, the app is gaining an unexpectedly enthusiastic following. Read More

By now we’ve all either heard stories of their efficiency or ridden them in person, but Japanese trains remain something of a source of amazement to many tourists visiting the country. They’re so clean! People obey the rules (well, usually…)! And the doors open exactly where they’re supposed to!

The following videos are examples of just how precise Japanese train drivers are expected to be, and how the simple process of lining up the doors of their train’s carriages with a couple of arrows painted on the platform is something that can bring great joy to many when they see it happen, and incredible anger and irritation to others when it doesn’t quite work out.

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Measure Asia’s Air Pollution with a Map Based on the Length of Your Nasal Hair!

In recent years along with many other developing Asian nations, China has been increasing its level of industrial manufacturing as it readies itself for remarkable industrial growth. However, neglecting its environment for the sake of industry has brought with it the problem of dense smog pollution, with microscopic smog particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less having been detected in overwhelming large amounts in China’s air in recent days.

The smog is the same as that found in factory exhausts, car fumes and the like. Measured per cubic meter, at one instance the observed value of pollution in Beijing reached levels 10 times the Chinese government’s recommended safety level. If one were to go by the Wealth Health Organization (WHO)’s recommended value, the figure rises to 40 times greater than normal. When it comes to pollution, it is thought that of the asian nations undergoing remarkable growth, 70% of nations are reaching a critical level. The toxic substances that seep out into the environment cause asthma, pneumonia and even in some cases death.

Of course, those living in highly polluted areas will surely want to know how their air compares, but measuring the levels each time can prove tiresome and expensive. With this in mind, one innovative company called Clean Air Asia has stumbled upon a way determine just how polluted your air is, and has designed an interactive map based on – wait for it – nostil hair.

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Two members of the Kanagawa Prefecture Police Force were arrested late last week on charges of extortion. Sergeants Mori and Arakawa of the Traffic Division and Organized Crime Unit, respectively, are believed to have abused their higher rank in order to coerce two female junior police officers into exchanging clothes in front of them. Sgt. Mori, meanwhile, is facing assault charges after he is believed to have attempted to kiss the pair.

Full details after the jump.

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Better Than Kobe Beef? 【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

You, Me, And a Tanuki is a weekly featured blog run by Michelle, a Californian who is currently one of only two foreigners living in Chibu, a tiny fishing village on one of the Oki islands in Japan. Check back every Saturday for a new post or read more on her website here!

There is a very special restaurant on Ama, the island closest to Chibu. The sign outside reads, “Island born, island raised. Oki Beef Shop.” The beef served there is said to be even better than Kobe beef, the delicately marbled beef from Hyogo prefecture.

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New Head Priest of Controversial Yasukuni Shrine Appointed

Yasuhisa Tokugawa is a descendant of the Tokugawa family consisting of the legendary Shoguns such Ieyasu Tokugawa. Yasuhisa, now 64, had a successful career in the oil business from which he retired.

Now he’s doing what you’d probably expect a retired business man to do: he became the head priest of the most controversial shrine in Japan.

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Ah, the video game rumour mill! There’s none better when it comes to excited fans and the thirst for knowledge.

With the current generation of consoles now starting to show their age and high-end PC users increasingly looking back as if to say “What the hell are you guys still doing back there?” news and rumour of the next wave of video game consoles is slowly heating up. While some gaming pundits maintain that we’re still years away from getting new Sony and Microsoft toys, others are, with a healthy dollop of optimism, hoping to see next-gen console gaming before the end of 2014.

While there are still next to no confirmed crumbs of information about the next crop of machines for gamers to stuff into their hungry mouths, Sony Corporation’s president and CEO Kazuo Hirai went on record yesterday to speak about the launch of the company’s new technology, hinting that gamers may have to wait until after Microsoft makes its move for details of the next Playstation.

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According to a 2012 survey of 2,000 Shinsei Bank employees, the average worker now spends 510 yen (US $5.79) on lunch every day. That’s down from 710 yen (US $8.06) in 2001 and 600 yen (US $6.81) in 2007. That’s a 30% decrease in twelve years.

Nikkan Spa, a popular magazine in Japan, conducted its own survey and found an even bleaker outcome. In a survey of 100 salarymen (office workers) and public servants in their 30s and 40s, a surprising 64 percent of workers admitted that they spend 500 yen (US $5.67) or less on lunch. An even more astonishing 24 percent of workers get by on just 250 yen (US $2.84) a day.

A measly 250 yen (US $2.84) won’t even buy a beef bowl at Sukiya, famed to be the cheapest lunch around. If these salarymen can’t even afford the cheapest meals available for purchase, what exactly are they eating? Let’s take a peek inside the slimmed-down lunchboxes of Japan’s typical worker.

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It made the news over the weekend in Japan that middle schoolers in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture were forced to drink diluted hydrochloric acid as punishment for failing to perform a lab experiment correctly. Read More

New iPad App “The Legend of Momotaro” Brings Japanese Folk Tale to Life

Telling the age-old story of a hero born from a giant peach, Ghost Hand Games’ new app The Legend of Momotaro landed on our iPad last weekend. Promising an inspiring interactive experience while telling the classic Japanese tale, we fired it up right away. A couple of hours of reading, listening and screen-tapping later, we were left with no doubt in our minds: technology really can do great things for an old reading experience.

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Propaganda is an ugly art. History is full of distorted and racist imagery of one nation’s enemies during times of war. Looking back on them now we can chuckle at the absurd lengths people went to in an effort to instill hate in one another, but they often remain shocking nonetheless.

This series of paintings from North Korea surfaced on the internet around 2010, but it’s uncertain exactly when they were created. Judging by the American uniforms they’re most likely Korean War era. We can also see this by the one where US soldiers are depicted sawing open a guy’s head (they got lasers to do that nowadays).

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The Nihlistic Bus Schedule Advertisements of Tsukuba, Now in English!

Think back to the last time you saw an advertisement for a bus schedule.  Difficult isn’t it? Even on the off chance you have seen one before, it probably wasn’t so attention-grabbing as to stick in your memory.

It’s not like bus schedules need advertising anyway.  Either you use one or you don’t, no amount of persuading will likely change that.

Nevertheless, Tsukuba Tekken, a travel and rail association affiliated with Tsukuba University in Japan, has for years been designing quirky advertisements for their on-campus bus schedules.

Displayed in limited locations around the university, these posters have become a local legend both for their mystery and unorthodox content. So sit back and enjoy these advertisements translated into English.

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Father Bites and Kills Own Son for Being “Possessed by a Snake”

Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture was the site of a bizarre death of 23 year-old Takuya Nagaya at the hands his father, Katsumi Nagaya. The victim was repeatedly assaulted including bites before succumbing to injuries.

The father having been arrested on suspicion of assault had said “I did it to drive out the snake that had possessed him.”

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