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Twin Tail Day makes Twitter a paradise for guys in Japan【Photos】

Joan Coello
Feb 10, 2014
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You may not have known, but February 2 was Twin Tail Day in Japan. Silly as it may sound, this day commemorating the pigtail hairstyle is in fact an official day recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association. The date, 2/2, was chosen because the shape presented by hair done up in a twin tail style resembles the number “2”. There are few traditions associated with this strange holiday, but the most common is to post pictures of yourself wearing your hair in pigtails on Twitter. Let’s take a look at just a few of the top trending pictures of girls celebrating Twin Tail Day. You’re welcome.

Kanto region gripped in the grip of a couple inches of snow: “I have to change my underwear!”

Master Blaster
Feb 10, 2014

On 8 February, the skies over Tokyo and much of the Kanto region darkened. Ominous clouds suddenly began to steadily sprinkle the urban center with fluffy flakes of snow. However, in an area not used to such weather conditions, chaos ensued. Residents urged loved ones to stay indoors if possible while others flocked to supermarkets to load up on supplies. Our own Kuzo – who’s no stranger to reporting from dangerous environments such as North Korea and the spa-resort town of Évian-les-Bains, France – took to the streets of Tokyo to see how everyone was coping with the nearly three inches of snow that had strickened them.

All the awesome cuteness of a cat’s paw harnessed in one pastry, on sale now in Osaka

Master Blaster
Feb 10, 2014

From now until 31 March you can get your hands on a Kuro Neko No Te (Black Cat Paw) pastry at a bakery in the Hotel New Hankyu Osaka. This is the second installation of the Neko No Te (Cat Paw) series of delectable pastries that started last year to celebrate the hotel’s 50th anniversary.

Artists use SD cards and Febreeze to create Japanese crests for the modern age

Oona McGee
Feb 10, 2014

There’s a lot of art enmeshed in everyday Japanese life. From the pictographs of the kanji writing system to the aesthetics of traditional practices, it’s easy to take for granted the visual symbolism on which a lot of the culture is based. One of the most striking examples of Japanese design is the kamon, or family crest, used for centuries to signify a family name or clan and often seen on the sleeves of formal kimonos and ceramic roof tiles of traditional homes. It’s estimated that there are as many as 30,000 family crests in Japan, and while many Japanese would struggle to identify a large number of them, some crests, such as the chrysanthemum Imperial crest and the Tokugawa shogunate hollyhock design, are easy to identify.

Artists are now using the digital medium to create a number of new kamon to the delight of netizens nationwide. What makes these unique is the fact that the images inside the crest are not flowers or scenes of nature but more modern logos and tools familiar to us through advertising and the digital age. The crest above, for example, might look like a cross design made up of four stylised rectangles, but if you look closely you’ll see something more commonly used in digital cameras: SD memory cards. Featuring everything from Twitter logos to Febreeze bottles, these unique crests are perfect for the tribes of today.

Girls manga magazine comes with cool perfume mixing set, puzzling beauty advice columns

Casey Baseel
Feb 10, 2014

The monthly comics anthology Nakayoshi is the oldest of Japan’s big three girls manga magazines, debuting months before rival Ribon and decades ahead of Ciao. Most of Nakayoshi’s readers are elementary and junior high school girls, but with over 50 years in circulation, there are generations of adult women who grew up reading its titles such as Princess Knight, Sailor Moon, and Cardcaptor Sakura.

One such former Nakayoshi kid is our Japanese correspondent Anji. While Anji’s a little older than the magazine’s target market, she was recently enticed into buying her first issue in years by the freebie included with Nakayoshi’s March issue: a perfume set that allows you to mix your own fragrances.

That cool giveaway wouldn’t be the only thing that surprised her about the magazine she used to know, however.

Who wants to fund the world’s first suitcase designed for cosplayers?

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Feb 9, 2014

Cosplaying has become a global hobby. From Hungary to Singapore and many places in between, people just can’t get enough of bringing their favorite fictional characters to life. But with so many costumes to carry around, what’s a traveling cosplayer to do? That’s where Coscase, a new type of suitcase that is specifically designed to support the lifestyle of cosplayers, comes in. Frentrep, the makers of Coscase are looking for backers on Motion Gallery, a funding platform similar to Kickstarter. Assuming you already own your own suitcase, is the Coscase worth an additional suitcase purchase? You decide.

New arcade game lets you get face-to-face with AKB48 members… and shoot them in the face

Master Blaster
Feb 9, 2014

Starting this April in arcades everywhere, darlings of the idol scene, AKB48 will be making their debut in an arcade game. Unfortunately for fans they are also zombified and require you to take aim and unload on them with your handgun.

It’s called Sailor Zombie AKB48 Edition, and as the name suggests it features members of the pop squad dressed up in adorable sailor outfits. Also as the name implies, the cuties are reanimated corpses who desire to eat your brains.

Snowfall in Tokyo sees customers clearing shelves across the region

Oona McGee
Feb 9, 2014

If you’re in Tokyo today you’re probably indoors staying warm and gazing out the window at a very different scene thanks to Tokyo’s first real snowfall of the season. Hopefully you’ve stocked your kitchen with more than a battered bottle of Kewpie mayonnaise and stray packets of ramen seasoning because if you’re thinking of heading out to the shops for a quick snack, there’s a good chance you won’t find anything there. It seems the city is full of nervous shoppers acting like bears going into hibernation, hoarding stocks despite an abundance of 24-hour convenience stores and fully-functioning delivery services. After seeing these photos, we’d hate to see supermarket conditions in a blizzard or even worse, in a major catastrophe.

Chinese company to launch $50 headphones that don’t play music

Fran W
Feb 9, 2014

Back in the early heyday of the iPod, its distinctive white in-ear headphones were blamed for a sharp rise in street robbery in London because they identified the wearer as having a fancy music player valuable enough to be worth stealing. If the newest product released by Shanghai-based company King Jim takes off, though, the next zombie-like commuter you see wearing headphones might not be able to listen to any music at all thanks to Digital Earplugs (Dijitaru Mimisen in Japanese). The new device looks just like regular white headphones, but they’re not for playing your favourite tunes. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Still don’t want a smartphone? Japanese women might want you

Casey Baseel
Feb 9, 2014

Despite my work address being “The Internet,” my personal use cell phone actually isn’t a smartphone. Maybe it’s a result of spending several hours a day looking at websites, but to me there’s still just something that feels right about a compact phone that folds shut with an oddly satisfying snap, even if the sound provokes a Pavlovian response of laughter from any technophiles in earshot.

But like skinny ties and 8-bit video game graphics, it seems like flip phones aren’t quite ready to fade away entirely. As a matter of fact, busting out an old school flip phone in Japan just might make a man more attractive to women.

KFC Fish back for a second helping, will it stick around this time?

Master Blaster
Feb 8, 2014

Last autumn Japan was treated to a new way to enjoy KFC: Kentucky Fried Fish. At that time our reporter Kuzo was lucky enough to sample a few sticks before the entire nation converged on the fast food chain and devoured the crispy battered fish sticks faster than KFC could supply them.

As a result the KFF campaign came to an abrupt halt in under two weeks time due to lack of ingredients. However, from 6 February, KFC Japan says they have reworked their logistics and are reviving Kentucky Fried Fish! This time we sent in Megu to check it out.

What will Ma-kun mean for New York?

Japan Culture NYC
Feb 8, 2014

New York Yankees’ pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 14, and among the new faces will be Masahiro Tanaka, a 25-year-old phenom from Japan who signed a seven-year, US$155 million deal in late January.

Ma-kun, as Tanaka is affectionately known (“kun” is an informal Japanese suffix generally used to address young boys or subordinates), is coming off an unbelievable season, going 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA. He also had eight complete games, more than any MLB team in 2013. Now it’s time to test his arm against MLB lineups.

Powerpuff Girls Get Furry in Japanese Crossover Campaign

Anime News Network
Feb 8, 2014

The Powerpuff Girls and Japan’s Ponta mascot are crossing over to celebrate the cartoon’s 15th anniversary. Sega, Pizza Hut, and Cartoon Network Japan are participating with various goods featuring the Powerpuff Girls with ears and tails.

Chocolate and chicken? We try Lotteria’s Chocolate & Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Burger!

Kay
Feb 8, 2014

With a little under a week until Valentine’s Day, Japan is still in the midst of chocolate madness, and it appears the fast food industry is no exception. Hot on the heels of their unique french fries and chocolate sauce combination, fast food chain Lotteria has now come out with a burger with … yes, you guessed it — chocolate sauce!

Funimation to Stream Ben-To Fighting Comedy Anime This Month

Anime News Network
Feb 8, 2014

North American anime distributor Funimation confirmed on Thursday that it acquired the streaming rights to the Ben-To anime. The company will begin streaming the anime with English subtitles to subscribers on Tuesday, February 11, followed by free streaming on February 28.

Funimation describes the story based on Asaura‘s “school serious/gag action” light novel series:

Every day an epic struggle rages in grocery stores across Japan—the battle for half-priced bento boxes! Once the discount stickers go on, ravenous brawlers start throwing punches in a knockdown, drag-out war over who gets to take home the cheap eats…

SoftBank’s mascot dog behaving badly at bizarre press conference

Cara Clegg
Feb 8, 2014

Japan’s SoftBank Corporation recently put together a typically bizarre commercial to advertise their new student discount service, and held a press conference to announce it. In attendance was the famous SoftBank dog, and a couple of large pears, who all got a little over-excited. When dealing with huge talents like these, things don’t always go to plan…

Quiz of the Week: Round 6 (Now made with the tears of sad children*)

Philip Kendall
Feb 7, 2014

*made from concentrate

Happy Friday, everyone, and welcome to round 6 of our weekly multiple choice quiz! We hope you’ve all had a great week and enjoyed the news we’ve had to offer, and of course that you’ve been paying close attention, because as you should probably know by now, this quiz is by no means a walk in the park–it takes years of repeated head trauma to get into this kind of mindset.

So step inside and let’s see how much of newshound you are!

Historic Los Angeles donut shop makes our trip across the sea completely worthwhile

Casey Baseel
Feb 7, 2014

In many ways, Japan is a wonderland of desserts, a place with cherry blossom lattes, roasted tea parfaits, and even suicide-themed bean cakes. Still, the country is rather lacking when it comes to donuts. The indigenous Mr. Donut chain has branches all over, but while their products are indeed tasty, they’re usually a little on the bland side.

If you want the full-fledged flavor of an authentic donut, you’ve got to visit one of the American outfits in Japan, such as Krispy Kreme or Donut Plant. Unfortunately, Donut Plant locations are few and far between, and the lines at Japan’s Krispy Kremes are ridiculously long, so there’s no way for us to get our hands on the real deal without a bit of time and travel.

Since we’d already tossed subtlety out the window as far as flavor is concerned, we decided to do the same for the scale of our search for donut satisfaction. We hopped on a plane, leaving the Land of the Rising Sun and heading for the Land of the Ring-Shaped Cake, America.

Ape escape! Emergency manoeuvres at Ueno Zoo as world’s least-threatening gorilla gets loose

Philip Kendall
Feb 7, 2014

Visitors to Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo were asked to evacuate the premises yesterday after it was reported that a gorilla had become loose from its enclosure. More than 50 members of staff immediately leapt into action, preparing giant nets and tranquilizer guns to take down the rampaging, and undeniably cuddly looking, animal.

The 2014 Sapporo Snow Festival【Photo Gallery】

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Feb 7, 2014

Last year we brought you a firsthand account of the 2013 Sapporo Snow Festival, with more images of snow and ice sculptures than you can get your tongue stuck to. This year, we’re sad to say we couldn’t make it out to the annual event up in Japan’s northernmost prefecture, so we’ve been living vicariously through Twitter users. Some of the images we’ve seen are too good not to share, so we decided to give you a little taste of the snow festival through the following gallery of images from Twitter.