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Japanese explorer to attempt harrowing solo trek to North Pole

Scott R Dixon
Dec 16, 2013
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Do your eyes light up with excitement at the prospect of exploring remote land untouched by humankind? Even if your idea of adventure is a new brand of cup ramen, we think everyone can be impressed by Japanese explorer Yasunaga Ogita, who will make a second attempt at a gruelling solo trek to the North Pole. And the nearly 800-km journey will be made all the more difficult since Ogita plans to hike through some of the world’s coldest and harshest terrain without any supplies other than what he alone can carry.

Cowardly dogs unable to face their greatest enemy: Cats【Video】

Scott R Dixon
Dec 16, 2013

In the important world of Internet hierarchy, the battle between cats and dogs for the title of cutest animal is a fierce one. But someone must have told the dogs that they are losing because there are some canines out there with some inferiority issues so severe that they become frozen with fear at the mere sight of a cat. Japanese netizens are feeling nothing but pity after seeing a video of dogs, many of whom are much larger than their feline foe, timidly trying to tip-toe past a scowling cat.

Girls manga magazine celebrates 50 years with a freaking awesome cover

Preston Phro
Dec 16, 2013

Bessatu Margaret, a spin-off of Margaret, a manga magazine for girls, is coming up on its 50th year of publication and the astounding cover of superstar characters for their special tribute has just seen the light of day. Featuring work by artists from Shonen Jump, Young Jump, and more, it’s a must-see for any manga fan!

Curry of the Dead: Zombie-bait curry that’s good enough for human consumption

Preston Phro
Dec 16, 2013

So, let’s say you wake up one morning, unlock your smartphone, and find yourself bombarded with all caps texts from friends about some “zombie apocalypse.” And probably a few Instagram selfies, too, just to mark the occasion.

You look out the window and, sure enough, there go a few zombies shuffling down the street, moaning about brains.

What would you do??

RocketNews24 office left in disarray at startling Apple iOS discovery

Master Blaster
Dec 16, 2013

On December 13… RocketNew… I’m sorry.

It’s just I can’t stop staring at it. None of us can. How many times have we looked at the menu screens of our iPhones or iPads? Too many times to count, but we could never see what was going on right in front of us all this time.

We try some “First Love” flavored gyoza in Tochigi’s “Gyoza Town”

Master Blaster
Dec 15, 2013

Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture is famous nation-wide for its Chinese fried dumplings known as gyoza in Japan. The capital city boasts over 200 gyoza shops many of which are densely located near Utsunomiya Station in what is known as “Gyoza Town.”

Our reporter, Usagi, braved the imminent threat of deliciousness and boarded a Tochigi-bound train. Next stop: Gyoza Town!

Five facts that will blow your mind

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 15, 2013

1. Sailor Moon lingerie is a real thing.

2. Japanese idols actually wear (and sell) glasses.

3. Fast and Furious is called Wild Speed MAX in Japan.

4. There’s a book dedicated to drawing men’s butts on sale in Japan right now.

5. You can age wine at the bottom of the sea.

Tokyo station turns commuters’ discarded umbrellas into sparkling Christmas trees

Philip Kendall
Dec 15, 2013

Remember all of those umbrellas that were abandoned in train stations in October and November this year during the typhoon season? Well at least one station in Tokyo definitely does, but thankfully they’re putting a few of them to good use: by turning them into surprisingly pretty Christmas trees!

The very hungry Kittypillar: Two childhood favourites combine

Philip Kendall
Dec 15, 2013

If you or someone you know is expecting or has just given birth to a tiny person, and you’re looking for a gift that’s both cute and a little bit quirky, we may have the perfect item for you right here: Japanese online retailer Akasugu has just announced that it is now stocking baby and maternity items featuring collaborative designs between Japan’s Hello Kitty and classic kids’ picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Sausage Gloves combine high tech, high fashion, high cuisine, even high environmental awareness

Master Blaster
Dec 15, 2013

For those living in colder climates using a smartphone creates a major dilemma. We want to check our messages but wearing gloves often renders our touch screens useless. Sure, there are specialized smartphone compatible gloves, but going that way severely limits your choices of style and color.

Driven to the edge with this problem, Yoshiaki Owari of the Daily Portal Z came up with a groundbreaking way to keep your hands warm, stylish, and functional. In addition, you’re left with a tasty dish at the end of the day when you use Sausage Gloves!

Japan’s five most common family names

Rachel Tackett
Dec 14, 2013

If you’re ever looking for the Japanese equivalent to “John Smith,” the go-to name is decidedly “Tarou Yamada.” And yet, if you look at today’s population, neither of those names top the popularity charts! Yamada, though simple to write and stereotypically Japanese, isn’t even in the top five for family names!

Now that we mentioned it, we’re sure you’re all curious to know now, so here’s a list of the five most common family names in Japan, as announcement by the Meiji Life Insurance Company.

Our reporter buys a magazine just for the free Coach clock

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 14, 2013

MonoMax, a Japanese fashion magazine for men in their thirties, is giving away a free Coach travel clock in their January issue to celebrate the magazine’s six year anniversary. The issue was released on December 10 for 890 yen (US$8.90). Nine bucks for a designer clock?! We had to buy one and check it out!

Our male reporter tries on Hello Kitty and My Melody colored contacts…to boost his manliness?

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 14, 2013

The biggest star from Japan has got to be Hello Kitty, the adorable cat character that’s easily recognized by nearly everyone. And as the epitome of cute, Hello Kitty has garnered female fans from around the world.

It is this same Hello Kitty that became a contact lens fit to stick in your eye. When production of this bizarre incarnation of everyone’s favorite white cat was announced back in August of this year, the delicate purple contacts were all over the news. Just as strange, My Melody was also made into a contact lens, enabling people across Japan to stick not one, but two beloved Sanrio characters in their eyes.

Thinking how great it would be to hide an adorable character in such an inconspicuous place, ninja style, our Japanese writing staff bought a pair of Hello Kitty and My Melody contact lenses. Here are the results…

Robot Lego Pokemon are the coolest things we’ve ever seen!

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 14, 2013

Legos make everything better. And when those little plastic bricks are used to make some of our favorite Pokemon, the coolness goes well over 9,000. Let’s take a closer look at this awesome engineering, including a peek inside the boardable mecha-type lego Pokemon!

From Cardigans to Carjackings: The best sellers of Amazon Japan in 2013

Master Blaster
Dec 14, 2013

With the end of this year fast approaching, we now enter the season of reflection for 2013 via ranking lists. In these last fleeting days let’s take a moment to see which albums, apps, shoes, books, and cockroach traps Japanese shoppers flocked to buy online in the largest numbers. Perhaps then we can form a clearer picture of what life in Japan was like for this two-thousand thirteenth year of our lord.

Amazon Japan teases gamers with shots of PlayStation 4 stockpiles, warns of inflated prices

Philip Kendall
Dec 14, 2013

Gamers in Japan who have yet to place an order but are hoping to pick up Sony’s newest console when it finally launches next February may well be disappointed come launch day. Amazon Japan is already reporting that it has sold out completely, and although it is hoping to guarantee more units soon might not be able to meet demand.

As with most new must-have items, numerous retailers offering the console at considerably inflated prices are already starting to appear online. Whether or not for its own gain, Amazon Japan has urged its customers via Twitter to be aware that those paying more than 40,000 yen (US$385) for a PlayStation 4 are being ripped off.

We go behind the scenes at Japan Airlines’ in-flight meal factory【Photos】

Jessica
Dec 13, 2013

Airline meals once had a pretty bad rap, but in-flight food has improved quite a bit since Seinfeld was wondering what its deal was. And really, isn’t it kind of amazing that you can get a hot meal at all when you are barreling through the sky at 600 miles per hour in a small metal tube?

For everyone that has ever wondered how that perfectly portioned food turns up on your tray, we’ve gone behind that scenes at the in-flight meal production center for Japan Airlines (JAL) to get the scoop.

Mysterious Santa puts smiles on childrens’ faces with a generous gift of 3,000 books!

Joan Coello
Dec 13, 2013

Christmas is just around the corner, and ’tis the season to be giving! While some of us have yet to even start on our Christmas shopping, an anonymous Santa has already presented three schools in Hokkaido, Japan, with a whopping gift of over 3,000 books in total!

Five awesome hot springs in Taiwan (one of them has been on fire for 300 years!)

Joan Coello
Dec 13, 2013

Japan is famous for being an onsen (hot spring) nation, so much so that a friend of mine preaches that “if you’ve never been to an onsen, then you’ve never been to Japan”. Quite the extremist, but you get the idea. Japanese hot springs come pretty close to “heaven on earth”.

But Japan’s neighboring country, Taiwan, also has some fabulous hot springs to boot! The fact that there are onsen-loving Japanese people who travel to Taiwan for a soak is sufficient to vouch for the quality of these bubbling hot baths. Here’s a list of five onsen hot spots you wouldn’t want to miss on your trip to Taiwan!

Twitpics show sumo wrestlers getting health checks… in spaaaaaaace!

Philip Kendall
Dec 13, 2013

Now here’s something you don’t see every day – a bunch of enormous men in their underpants sitting in fiberglass pods that look like something NASA might fire out of a space shuttle.

Shared on Twitter earlier today by the Japan Sumo Association, these photos show some of the sumo community’s most famous faces attending a health check session prior to a series of upcoming bouts. They’re also kind of hilarious.