Want to be punished in the name of the moon? Sexy Sailor Moon lingerie gets our pulses racing

Many girls across the globe were fans of the famous manga and anime series Sailor Moon as children, some even beyond their schoolgirl years. Who hasn’t wanted to try out that kick-ass sailor uniform she wears to fight evil villains? Well, don’t worry if you’ve already outgrown your middle school uniform. We found one fan who took her love of the series a step further than even simple cosplay.

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Yokohama, being Japan’s second-largest city, has a little something for everyone. Its romantic harbor is lined with parks and backed by a breathtaking skyline. History buffs can see numerous centuries-old structures inside Sankeien Garden. The Ramen Museum and Chinatown are great foodie destinations, and the Noge and Kannai districts are filled with enough cocktail bars and brewpubs give your liver a serious workout.

Unfortunately, many overseas travelers are unaware of all Yokohama has to offer, and skip right by the city on their way between Tokyo and Kyoto. In an effort to help get the word out on Yokohama’s numerous attractions, the city has teamed up with telecommunications giant NTT to provide free Internet access to foreign tourists.

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I’ve never done the math, but I can confidently say the amount of time I spent as a kid standing in line at an arcade to play the classic fighting game Street Fighter II totals somewhere in the dozens of hours.

As a result of all that waiting around to dragon punch people, the game’s soundtrack is permanently hard-wired into my brain. I’ll occasionally find myself unconsciously humming the various Street Fighter II character themes, and while the specific title may be different, I’m sure gamers everywhere have certain pieces of background music stuck in their heads, too.

What separates YouTube user Smooth McGrove from the rest of us though, aside from a glorious beard, is his ability to near-perfectly replicate every single note of the arrangement from iconic video game tunes, using nothing but his own voice.

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Cosplayers let loose behind the scenes before the World Cosplay Summit championships

Every year the city of Nagoya plays host to the World Cosplay Summit (WCS), a large-scale competition between cosplay representatives from around the world. Teams of two from 20 different countries are all brought to Japan to take part in this life-changing opportunity. The championship finals will be held on the outdoor stage of Oasis21 on Saturday, August 3, starting at 7 p.m. Japan time. Tickets are available, though they are not required to watch the event. In fact, you don’t even have to be in Japan to watch this year’s world-class cosplay performances. It’s been announced that for the first time Niconico Douga will be stream the entire event on the World Cosplay Summit’s official channel.

But you know, not everything to do with the WCS involves competition. Cosplay itself is about bringing together people of similar interests and building a sense of community between those who like to dress up as Japanese characters. These cosplay teams must prepare not only as performers but as representatives of cosplay culture in each of their respective countries. Before the finals even take place, teams must take part in a week’s worth of parades, photo shoots, and official meetings. it’s a good thing there are some opportunities to relax worked into the schedule as well.

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Is your pet cat too lazy and uninspiring? Turn him into Totoro!

Cats, eh? Lying around in the sun all day, ignoring their owners until their greedy little bellies are empty or they have an itch that they can’t scratch on their own. Anyone would think they weren’t put on this earth to constantly entertain us!

But if your pet cat simply isn’t in the mood to play and is the kind that will let you place random objects on its back without clawing your face off or vowing to smother you in your sleep, this little trick to transform an inactive furry pal in everyone’s favourite Studio Ghibli fluffball Totoro might be just the way to liven them up!

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Sony and Panasonic announce joint development of 300GB capacity disc

Sony and Panasonic announced on July 29 that they are developing a new generation of optical disc that will boast capacities of 300GB or more. The joint business venture is a move by the two companies to strengthen their presence in the digital archiving industry. It would initially be targeted at the business industry but it’s possible that in the future, it could take off in the consumer market the same way that Blu-ray did in years previous.

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Five things not to do on a romantic getaway in Japan

Who doesn’t want to take a vacation alone with their special someone? Couples’ vacations are quite popular in Japan with both the young and old. In a country that boasts a wealth of hot springs, rustic townships, and even big tourist-centered cities, there is no end to exotic places to visit. Shared vacations can be a great way to learn more about the local areas and spend some time with your Japanese boyfriend or girlfriend.

But what happens after the first couple days of excitement wear off? What do you do when he starts snoring too loudly or she takes too much time picking out an outfit to wear for the evening?

Here are some helpful hints for couples looking to take a trip with their Japanese partner.

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How to make café-caliber coffee and snacks with your toilet

Starbuck’s remains a hugely successful coffee chain in Japan drawing droves of workers on a daily basis. Of course, their drinks don’t come cheap, which is why the guys at Omocoro are constantly looking for ways to recreate the Starbucks experience at home and on the cheap like their homemade Frappuccino.

In another experiment they sent writer Kisho into a back room, locked the door, and told him not to come out until he could surpass the Starbucks formula.

It’s been four months, and everyone at Omocoro has forgotten about Kisho’s existence. However, some startling news out of Hong Kong has him racing against the clock to complete his mission or die trying. Here is his story.

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Tied to a desk but wish you were outdoors? Grab yourself a lawn-feel keyboard!

I’m sure most of us would rather be out in the fields with the sun on our face and the wind in our hair each day than shackled to a desk like a clone bred to serve the gods of the Cloud with their important databases and spreadsheets, but needs must and without hours of computer work our world would be on its knees in days. Thankfully, online “keyboard workshop” FILCO is bringing the outdoors to us with its new “Midori” lawn-type keyboard, which features a soft, turfy finish that will tickle your palms and wrists throughout the day, reminding you that life isn’t all pie charts and quarterly reviews.

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Fan creates video line-up of 174 real-life, anime and video game robots… in height order

Remember those science videos they used to show at school which began with the smallest known organism and zoomed out and out until the entire solar system filled the screen? Well imagine that but with almost every robot and mecha you could ever imagine thrown in for good measure.

Uploaded to Niconico Video by user Monako, the video “I Compared the Size of 174 Robots: Microman to Gurren Lagann” is making an appropriately huge splash online today as netizens play Name that Robot while marvelling at just how enormous some of these sci-fi creations are actually supposed to be. From Doraemon and Mega Man to Optimus Prime and Macross Quarter, this is one heck of a nerdy science lesson!

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Homeless man puts himself up for auction online, receives 600 bids in a matter of minutes

Something attracting quite a bit of attention on the net at the moment is an incident involving a 25-year-old homeless man in Japan who put himself up for sale as an “item” on the Yahoo! Auctions website. Anyone winning the bid would in theory have been able bring the man into their home and provide him with accommodation.

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Giant mushroom will either provide you with months worth of meals, or days worth of psychedelic high

This mushroom spotted in China weighs a whopping 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and measures over a meter in height, baffling scientists and piquing the interest of recreational users of psychoactive substances everywhere.

Apparently, researchers are still unsure as to what type of mushroom this monstrosity is, meaning it has an equal chance of tasting delicious, killing you, or turning you into an enormous, nigh-invincible super version of yourself (if you operate on video game logic, which as we all know is infallible).

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Unforgettable lines from popular manga

Ever heard a phrase on TV or in a comic that shocked you right to the core? Maybe a particular line that struck a cord with you and forever afterward you found yourself repeating it? If you’re an avid anime fan, then you might have an answer to that question.

Recently, a survey was conducted among Japanese fans online regarding whether manga character lines left lasting impressions on their viewers. Out of over 700 inquiries, about 31 percent answered that yes, they’d been moved by particular phrases from manga. Here are some of the most heart-wrenching, go-getter phrases picked by fans.

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Ki&Ki: The new face of traditional Japanese music

The world of traditional Japanese music is incredibly varied–there’s exciting min’you folk music, austere gagaku ancient imperial court music, and the ethereal tunes of Noh plays. But one genre in particular stands out among the all others: tsugaru-jamisen.

A fast, lively style of playing born out of min’you as performed by traveling entertainers, tsugaru-jamisen hails from Aomori Prefecture and is the youngest genre of “traditional” Japanese music. And, from Hiromitsu Agatsuma and the late Takahashi Chikuzan to the Yoshida Brothers and Kevin Kmetz, there is no shortage of talented, inspiring performers in the tsugaru-jamisen world.

But for us, one duo in particular stands out: Ki&Ki.

Even if you don’t recognize the name, you may already be familiar with these two incredibly talented young women thanks to their numerous YouTube videos. Recently we got the chance to sit down with the pair to learn a little bit about their history with tsugaru-jamisen.

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Luxury restroom in Chinese department store the envy of Japanese shopaholics

With seemingly endless stories appearing online about shoddy electronics, blood-red rivers and food products that could put their consumer six feet under, China gets a bad rap sometimes. True, this writer may well have wandered into some of the most poorly kept public restrooms that he has ever seen during a brief stay in the country a few years ago, but there is also plenty of luxury to be enjoyed in China.

Even with my six-figure salary, though, I have a feeling I’d be politely turned away should I even come within 50 feet of the swanky restrooms in this particular Chinese department store.

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Shenanigans at Osaka summer festival lead to one arrest

July and August tend to be the seasons where summer festivals get kicked into full swing. Much like festivals in any country, the festivities are often accompanied by various stalls selling drinks and snacks. Other stalls can be found offering games that you know are probably rigged, but just can’t help trying.

For one such stall runner, 45-year-old Tsutomu Morikawa, poor price planning led to a date with the police.

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From polar bears and penguins to coelacanths, Japan’s magical ice trays create sea creatures

Fancy a shark, a squid or a manta ray floating in your highball?

Now you can, without all the bother of hauling them out of the ocean. Cute miniature versions perfectly formed from ice that will swim on the surface of your beverage.

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It’s at this time of the year that China’s biggest video game expo, China Joy, throws its doors open to the gaming public. And as with events like Tokyo Game Show here in Japan, what many visitors will undoubtedly be drawn in by are the absolutely gorgeous booth babes (or “booth companions” as those in PR would prefer us to say) who line the arena’s stands in their dozens.

Japan’s Xinhua News reports, however, that despite being something of a main attraction for many visitors, a number of these same young women earn a considerable amount of money in between trade shows by working as mistresses on the side.

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Cornman unleashed: The once elusive eccentric sheds light on his passion and hobby of walking vegetables

The other day I relaxing at home with the TV on. Suddenly, my wife said to me “It’s him!” I looked up and there on the screen was Cornman (Toumorokoshi Ojisan), in all his sharply-dressed corn-toting glory, giving an interview on Out x Deluxe.

It’s been a while since we last saw him dragging a daikon around in March, and still we had been unable to get a clear shot of his face. Yet now here he was talking openly about himself and the ear of corn he calls Tomoko.

After doing a little research online, sure enough, Cornman was doing the rounds and telling all about his mysterious love of tying a leash on vegetables and taking them around the Kanto area. In particular, thanks to a very illuminating interview with Entabe we can learn all we need to know about Cornman – or should we say Mr. Masahiko Naganuma.

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Welcome to summer hell: Chinese lake becomes a sea of humans and rubber rings

Summer in Asia is hot. Like, really, really hot. Seeing mirages hot. Cooking whole English breakfasts on the sidewalk hot. But no matter how hellish the summer heat gets, we will never, ever, ever set foot in this Chinese lake.

The above is the Hieronymus Bosch-esque hellscape of what is quite possibly the world’s most crowded summertime attraction: a lake in Suining City, China.

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