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You Asked for It and Now It’s Here: See-Through Paper! You Did Ask for It, Right?

On 18 March an announcement was made that shook the world of manufacturing. For centuries man has had to endure white paper for writing down notes, works of art, or fake telephone numbers from girls met in the bar.

Sure, there was the development of colored paper, but that’s just putting lipstick on a pig. The real innovation will come in the not too distant future when we will be able to enjoy paper the way it was truly meant to be – nearly invisible!

Think of the applications! Seriously, think about it, because we had to for a really long time.

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Mixing Business with Pleasure: Take Your Nerdiness to Work with the Itasuit!

Who says the office is no place for scantily-clad girls with blue hair? Now you can look smart and professional while staying true to your animé roots with the latest in clothing for discerning otaku- the itasuit!

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Japanese Resort Announces New Studio Ghibli Diorama Exhibition

Fans of Studio Ghibli’s work who are unable to make it as far north as the Ghbili Museum in Tokyo will no doubt be excited to hear that the Laguna Gamagori Resort in Aichi Prefecture has announced that it will host a special Ghibli diorama exhibition within its amusement park from now until the beginning of March next year.

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Overhead Tablet Stand Makes it Easy to Use Your iPad While Lounging in Bed

Last month we introduced a clever invention that held a heavy laptop over the user’s head, allowing anyone to use their computer while lounging in bed. This month we found a different version of the same concept: an overhead tablet stand. As long as they are sturdy enough to support the weight of their intended device, the laptop and tablet stands seem like useful products. But if the stands did fail and if you had to choose, we’re guessing you’d rather get a tablet to the face than a laptop.  Read More

It looks like winter is behind us in Japan now and we can soon look forward to taking a dip outdoors. However, it looks as if these people jumped the gun by a month or so and took the plunge early… with all their clothes on… carrying bags and sinking to the bottom like a stone…

What on earth is going on here?

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On March 14, Hiroshima City announced tentative plans to remove molded plastic mannequins depicting the horrors of the atomic bombing from its Peace Memorial Museum by 2016. The proposed removal is in line with a review suggesting displays within the facility be switched to include more that depict actual articles belonging to the deceased and other real items from the period. Opinions from visitors to the museum are split on whether or not the mannequins should be removed.

The three mannequins in question are of an adult woman, a college-aged woman, and a small boy shown wondering through the blast aftermath in a severely burned state. Originally made from wax, the mannequins have been on display at the museum since 1973, and in their current form since 1991.
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Ginza’s David Bowie Café Now Open and in Full Funky Swing

As reported here on RocketNews24, a special, limited-time-only café in honour of legendary British rock star David Bowie opened on March 18 this year. Keen to see if the real thing was as far out as the earlier press release, our reporter headed down to Ginza, Tokyo to check it out.

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In Search of Osaka’s 11 Cent Vending Machine

Legend has it that in the urban center of Osaka there sits a vending machine so cheap that it boggles the mind. Here a tasty beverage can be purchased for a measly 10 yen (US$0.11).

RocketNews24 had sent a reporter, Usagi Yumeno, to Fukushima Ward in the port town in search of this machine.

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How to Break Up When the Other Half Just Won’t Let Go: Spit in Their Face!

“Hey, there’s no way I’m splitting with you, babe. After all, we’re supposed to be lovers, right?”

Moving words from our own Mr. Sato there, but perhaps relationships aren’t always quite so straightforward? What if, for example, you feel that the relationship you’re trapped in has all the passion and energy of a punctured party balloon, while your partner is still penning sonnets and writing messages in fire outside your window? There’s no easy way to tell them that it’s over. Or is there? One 23-year-old Tokyoite thinks she may have stumbled upon a powerful, if slightly disgusting, method.

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It’s a shame that our man Mr. Sato didn’t talk a little more about his own country during his recent visit to Turkey. In a video currently attracting a lot of attention here in Japan, a Turkish television crew hit the streets of Istanbul to ask its residents whether they knew the geographical location of Japan. As it happens, despite the amount of media attention that Japan has received in the past couple of years, the average man on the street in Turkey is still a little off the mark when it comes to the home of sushi and Super Mario…

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Alone in the Red Zone: Fukushima Town’s Sole Resident Speaks Out in Harrowing Documentary

After the great earthquake and tsunami that came with the calamities of March 11 2011, many residents to the Kanto region of Japan experienced turmoil on an unprecedented scale. If natural disaster wasn’t enough, there was also the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant, spreading radioactive contamination even as far as Tokyo. Now after two years, Fukushima’s 20-kilometer radioactive exclusion zone still remains in place.

While most families fled the contaminated areas in the early stages following the explosion, one brave man remained undeterred by it all, staying put in his hometown. Naoto Matsura (53) is believed to be the sole inhabitant within the 20-kilometer red zone.

Matsumura’s determination to remain rooted in the same place and see through the nuclear catastrophe has caught the attention of many, with his accounts even being adapted into a documentary. The documentary tells of the events after the great earthquake and Mutsumura’s reasons for remaining at his home despite all those around him fleeing, never to return. Perhaps even more interestingly, it gives some rather candid accounts of this man’s feelings towards Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the company that operated the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

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Following the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Japan, the sheer scale of the tsunami which smashed into northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011 was unprecedented. Coastal communities were devastated by waves which at their highest reached 40.5 meters above sea level, travelled up to 10km inland, and swept everything along with them. Mud, debris, cars, boats, houses, and fire.

The small town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture was one of the hardest hit. About 10 percent of the population perished or went missing, including the mayor and many town officials. Iwate’s leading local newspaper, the Iwate Tokai Shimbun, was unable to continue operating as their printing press was washed out to sea, and two of their reporters were killed.

In 2012, a group of journalists banded together to once again start reporting the news from Otsuchi to support the town’s recovery, using the Internet to connect with people. Tsunami survivors have shared their stories of terror, panic, suffering and hope for the future through this new newspaper, known as the Otsuchi Mirai Shimbun (“Otsuchi Future Times”). These stories have been translated from the original Japanese into English by a team of 28 hard-working volunteers from Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., and published on the second anniversary of the disaster as a Kindle ebook.

Here are some excerpts from these true stories of survival:

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5-4-3-2-1 Thunderbirds and Japan’s Self Defense Force are Go!?

Word has been circulating that the famous British sci-fi puppetry program Thunderbirds and Japan’s pseudo-military, The Self Defense Force (SDF) are teaming up for a promotional campaign.

A series of posters will be released explaining the similarities between the missions of the fictional IRO (International Rescue Organization) and functional SDF: “international peace cooperation activities and disaster relief.”

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Our Reporter’s Top 10 Awesome Things About North Korea

OK, hands up: how many of you have ever paid a visit to North Korea? For purposes of photography, our man Kuzo recently found himself crossing the border into what is admittedly a country that differs in many respects to anything many of us have ever seen before. While he was there, he kept a list of things that stood out, impressed and downright confused him. Our reporter’s top 10 awesome things about North Korea after the break.

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Creepy Robotic Cat Ear Maker Neurowear Releases Mindreading Headphones That Play Music Based on Your Mood

Are you tired of combing through iTunes or Pandora in search of the perfect song? Well you’re in luck! Now your headphones can read your mind and select the exact playlist to suit your mood.

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10 Yen Coin Takes Out Entire Shinkansen Train, Passengers Evacuated and Delayed

JR Central may want to consider banning the use of 10 yen coins from their mighty Shinkansen bullet trains due to the potential hazards they pose.

On 12 March a 400-meter, 715-tonne shinkansen train capable of 300 km/h speeds was pulled off duty because of a single 2.4-centimeter 10 yen coin.

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China Releases Knockoff iPhone5S Before Actual iPhone5S Goes on Sale

Just like every other Apple release, scores of eager Apple fanatics will wait in line for hours (or days) in order to be one of the first to get their hands on the new iPhone5S. But for those who are so eager they can’t wait for the rumored August 2013 release, there is now an alternative to waiting: purchase the Goophone i5S, China’s knockoff iPhone5S, on sale now.

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In the early hours of Monday morning this week, a truck scattered its nine-ton load of fresh fish across the surface of the road after crashing and flipping over on a freeway in China. As word spread of the terrible accident, droves of people quickly arrived on the scene, causing further traffic jams and making the situation yet more perilous as they descended on the cargo, armed with plastic bags or various sizes.

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Auntie Power: Japan’s Older Women Form “Obachan” Party

In Japanese, obachan is a word that means aunt, but is sometimes used to refer to a middle-aged or elderly woman in a derogatory way. There is no good translation in English, but the image is of an eccentric, loud, irritating busybody long past youth or beauty. Not many women would choose to apply this word to themselves, but a new political party has emerged out of Osaka that is proudly claiming ownership of the word and attempting to reform the image of Japan’s obachans. We went to find out more about this All Japan Obasan Party. Read More

Quite common in Western countries, the concept of shared accommodation in Japan is still relatively new. However, according to Oak House, a guest house and apartment operator in Tokyo, such accommodation is gaining in popularity. Fifteen years ago, the company managed about 150 units; today that figure has risen to 2,300. Shunned by some as being inconvenient and a hassle, others are being drawn to added-value properties featuring amenities such as yoga studios and home theater facilities. Oak House said there is a waiting list of 100 people at its most popular location.

Shared accommodation also has the benefit of being cost effective as no key money (a mandatory, nonrefundable payment, typically equivalent to two months’ rent, given to the landlord for the privilege of being able to live in the unit) or security deposit (typically two months’ rent, and though technically refundable, is seldom returned in full as apartment cleaning fees and other expenses are deducted) are required. Additionally, furnishings are provided, something else that is not common in Japan, meaning initial outlays can be kept to a minimum.

With the popularity of this type of housing increasing, companies in Japan are concocting various inducements in an effort to draw in renters.

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