Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
My Navi News, a Japanese news website, polled 1000 of their members to find out just how many people dislike creepy-crawlies. A whopping 63.1% said they can’t stand the little guys. Take a look at their reasons why and find out Japan’s most hated bug.
Winter is approaching fast and it looks like Japan’s romance with the color black is finally fading away into softer shades with Pepsi’s newest seasonal flavor, Pepsi White.
There are a variety of fashion select shops in Japan, Beams being one of them. With over 70 shops nation wide, Beams is a good place to go for a fashionable selection of shoes and clothes. This spring, Beams opened a new branch called B:ming Life Store, a family oriented fashion shop.
At the B:ming in Kichijoji, Tokyo, they’ve created an exciting way to have some fun while you shop. Embedded on the wall is a huge display which instructs you to make various poses and uses Kinect to doll you up and turn you into a fashion ad on the spot!
Paris: city of love, romance, food and… mental anguish?
In an article over on Gold Rush, writer Senya talks about the devastating psychological condition that has come to be known as “Paris Syndrome”; a condition that, bizarrely, seems to affect Japanese people in particular, with many visiting the city suffering from symptoms similar to depression that, in rarer cases, results in suicide.
What is it about Paris that has such a debilitating effect on Japanese? What could they do to avoid it or lessen the symptoms?
We delve a little deeper to find out…
Settling in a comfy chair with a nice cup of tea or coffee and a tasty snack (or two) at a cafe either by yourself or with some friends can be bliss. But what may be a problem if you’re in even a half-way large city is choosing which cafe to go to, as there seems to be a cafe on every street corner nowadays.
Well, we certainly have one interesting cafe that we can recommend to our readers, the Kasoyo in the Mejiro area of Tokyo, which one of our reporters from Pouch visited following the recommendation of a friend who also is very fond of cafes. A recap of what made the experience so enjoyable follows below: Read More
A 32-year-old man in the town of Hino, Tokyo, was arrested late last week on suspicion of having entering a woman’s apartment and demanding that she hand over her underwear.
According to an FNN News report, the man crept into the premises before brandished a knife and telling the resident to surrender her panties, but was apprehended soon after.
Our fearless foodie correspondent Kuzo is traveling the world and tasting everything he can like the cafeteria food of Chernobyl, Melt-Proof Popsicles in China, and Gasoline Clams in North Korea.
However, Kuzo’s greatest challenge may in fact lie in his home country of Japan at a ramen restaurant in Hiroshima which is said to serve a ramen so disgusting it’s completely inedible. Even the staff serving it is said to gag merely at its malevolently malodorous stench – all for the low, low price of 1,800 yen!
Could he finish his lunch without loosing it? The following is his report.
Villa Escudero is a beautiful hacienda-style resort built inside a working coconut plantation located in the Quezon province of the Phillipines. The resort has become a prime tourist destination for both locals and overseas visitors, who are drawn by the cozy rooms, natural beauty, and unique cultural activities such as bamboo rafting and rural village tours.
Perhaps most unique of all is the Waterfalls Restaurant, where guests can enjoy a meal on bamboo dining tables set at the foot of a small waterfall.
While walking home from the station last weekend, eyes glued to my mobile phone as is my own particular vice, I suddenly found myself enveloped by vast plumes of cigarette smoke. Looking ahead of me, a guy in a business suit walking in the same direction had lit up a cig and was merrily puffing away, obviously in need of a hit having just disembarked a train himself.
While I’m definitely one of the anti-smoking set, I have absolutely no problem with other people smoking if they want to- just so long as it doesn’t affect the people around them. For me, smoking is like farting; go ahead and enjoy your own, but please don’t share with everyone else.
Breaking into a little jog, I overtook the smoker- a man in his late fifties wearing a business suit- and, once again able to breathe freely, walked up-wind of him.
No sooner had I done so that a second man, a little older this time, emerged from a side street. He blew his nose noisily on a handkerchief and stuffed it into his coat pocket, at which point he coughed, sniffed and, with what sounded like a tremendous physical effort, spat something brown out onto the pavement just a few feet ahead of me.
Quite forgetting myself, I muttered “kitanai naa” (“man, that’s dirty…”) a little too loudly, but received little more than a quick, disinterested glance from the man as he passed by.
So when I came across an article over on NicoNico News titled “Senior Citizens Have Worse Manners Than Young People”, I couldn’t help but feel that it might be on to something…
How many times have you ever been running to school late in the morning, rushing to get to class before the bell rings, only to turn the corner and bump into someone of the opposite sex, who you consequently fall in love with?
If your answer is more than “none,” chances are you’re either an anime character or an extremely well-organized stalker. Let’s face it: while there are plenty of situations found in anime or manga that seem like they could play out in real life, most are unlikely to ever naturally occur unless by some bizarre fluke.
Niconico News recently asked 500 of their readers to brainstorm some of the most common examples of such situations. Check what they came up with below!
Japan has the robot market covered pretty well, with a robot for almost every occasion. We’ve already seen a restaurant filled with fembots, a 24-fingered hair washing robot, and a $1.25 million boardable mecha.
This time, Japan brings the world a tiny bipedal robot that can ride a bike and balance all by itself.
When I saw some early images of the new Windows 8 desktop, I wasn’t crazy about the change in appearance. It looked fine for a tablet device or smartphone but those new windows/buttons seemed too clunky and primitive for my liking.
But then again, maybe I just don’t like change and after using it, it’d grow on me. However, this new layout combined with some ambiguous promotion has led many in Japan to believe that it suddenly transforms your regular old computer monitor into a touch screen.
With weather having turned cold, our intrepid Hyper Cool Biz Gentlemen Mr. Sato and Mr. Tashiro can finally put away their mankinis and start to pig out again. It’s good timing seeing as Pizza Hut and Evangelion are joining promotional forces to give Eva fans a chance to win never before seen merchandise.
From now to 16 December, if you buy Pizza Hut’s new “Hut Onebox” pizza combo with chicken nuggets and fries you get a chance to win Evangelion goodies such as a cushion shaped like an entry plug.
※“Entry plug cushion” might sound disgusting to non-fans. An entry plug is the capsule that people control the giant Eva cyborgs in.
Follow our gentlemen as they excitedly order their pizzas like two kids in a… pizza and Evangelion shop. What will they win?
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!
You can get coffee just about anywhere in Japan thanks to the millions (yes, millions) of vending machines littered around the country. ”How convenient,” you must be thinking. Yeah, if you like drinking awful coffee.
Before my husband proposed to me, he was faced with the seemingly impossible task of confirming my ring size without me noticing. Since I didn’t own any rings at the time, he was forced to come up with something craftier than simply stealing my jewelry box.
His solution was to ask his sister to have me try on a bunch of her rings. Never showing any interest in jewelry to begin with, it seemed odd that my husband’s sister would storm into my room and demand me to put on her rings. What’s more, she blatantly stared at my fingers, scrutinizing how well each ring fit as I tried them on.
Since I’m not an idiot, I knew a proposal was brewing.
This situation isn’t unique for men who finally decide to pop the question. But fellas, you’re in luck, there’s now a solution to your pre-proposal anxieties: Ring’s Note, an online notebook that records women’s ring sizes.
Before departing on his trip to the United States, our Japanese reporter Yoshio told us that he was looking forward to eating a real American burger. What that meant to him, apparently, was a 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon patty wedged between two glazed donuts and skewered on a steak knife.
Are you happy now, America? Japan associates you with bacon and glazed donuts. Actually, that sounds about right…
Check out Yoshio’s taste report below!
Pokemon Christmas and New Year’s goods will soon be on sale at all seven of Japan’s official Pokemon Center stores. Pokemon Christmas goods will be released on October 27 followed by Pokemon New Year’s goods on November 3.
Here’s a sneak peak!
Back in September, Nintendo released a limited edition Pikachu 3DS XL that was only available in Japan. The rest of the world was left staring longingly at the pictures of lucky residents of Japan lining up for four hours to purchase the adorable 3DS.
This week, Nintendo announced a new limited edition Charizard 3DS XL. Unfortunately, just like the limited edition Pikachu 3DS XL, the Charizard version can only be purchased in one of Japan’s seven Pokemon Center retail stores.
However, this time, even those who live in Japan will have a hard time getting their hands on this ultra-exclusive limited-edition 3DS XL because it will only be available to the winners of a lottery drawing.
RocketNews’ ever faithful correspondent, Kuzo, stumbled upon a new type of drink while traveling abroad. The bottle is divided down the middle with one side containing 100% orange juice and the other holding grape juice.
The cap has two separate spouts and lids, so if you want a sweet treat of grape juice just do that side. If you feel a cold coming on then go the other way for a vitamin C boost.
Or if you want to really take a walk on the wild side, flip them both up for a very loosely mixed orange/grape blend.
A 28-year-old single mother from the town of Fuchu, Hiroshima was arrested earlier this month after causing the death of her 10-year-old daughter, exposing a long history of abuse and neglect in the family.
Over at NicoNico News, a heart-rending story reveals the broken family’s background and details the sad details of the girl’s early years. Perhaps even more tragically, though, we learn that the girl– who spent much of her life in care– once sent her abusive mother a letter in which she states how much she loves her.
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
We tried Japan’s Strawberry Daifuku? liqueur, one of three dessert-themed liqueurs
New Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Is Starbucks Japan’s new Gohobi Melon Frappuccino really the ultimate melon Frappuccino?
This northern Tokyo capsule hotel is cheap, clean, comfortable, and has amazing amenities
J-pop megastar Utada Hikaru releases new video and recording of “Traveling”【Video】Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen communityNew Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese thingsForeign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
Hanton rice — a delicious regional food even most Japanese people don’t know about, but more should
Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Dragon Quest pet product line announced by Square Enix
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird trainOur Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
Toyota built a life-sized Miraidon Pokémon and are letting people test drive it this weekend
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
New Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Is Starbucks Japan’s new Gohobi Melon Frappuccino really the ultimate melon Frappuccino?
This northern Tokyo capsule hotel is cheap, clean, comfortable, and has amazing amenities
J-pop megastar Utada Hikaru releases new video and recording of “Traveling”【Video】
Enjoy viewing Kyoto’s cherry blossoms from above on a guided zipline tour
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
Looking for great sushi near Sapporo? Try this hidden restaurant in an airport souvenir shop
Train driver sues Japan Rail…over 56 yen for a one-minute delay
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
What happens to Cup Noodle Mystery Meat when you cook it in a rice cooker?
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
Starbucks Japan’s new summer drinks deliver all the goodness of Matcha and Youthberry