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Rocksmith’s Japanese Commercial Seems to Defy You to Buy It, Employs Aki Toyosaki

After mastering Guitar Hero years back, I was left with an empty feeling.  I had taken my plastic 4-button guitar controller out on the street to perform One by Metallica but no one paid any attention to me.  In fact, passersby seemed to be intentionally avoiding eye contact.

This is why I was excited to find Rocksmith would be released in Japan on October 11.  The game that actually lets you practice a real guitar in a fun way so you can walk away from it a better person with an entertaining skill!

However, my excitement took a bit of a hit when I saw the first Japanese commercial for it.

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Junior College Establishes Idol Department, Courses Include Make-Up and Dancing

 

The post-secondary education business has entered dire straits in Japan.  With the ever declining birth rate, schools across the nation are struggling to keep enrollments up.

In Fukuoka, Nishi-Nippon Junior College believes it has an attractive solution to this problem: the “Department of Media Promotion,” more casually referred to as the “Idol Training Department.”

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  • Sep 28, 2012

It seems there’s no shortage of news when it comes to world-famous digital diva, Hatsune Miku. Just recently, we were amazed that an avid fan was willing to shell out 369,000yen (US$4738) for a Hatsune Miku walkman with a premium serial number. Now, we’ve found a shockingly funny picture of, shall we say, an unique recreation of the “Hachune Miku” steamed buns which went on sale from convenience chain Family Mart in August. Read More

Life-Saving Multitasking Made Possible: Massage Your Face While Playing Nintendo DS Games!

Have you ever wanted to increase your productivity? Do you, like me, save time by brushing your teeth in the shower, ironing a shirt while eating toast, or taking your horses out for a morning canter while penning a poem about clouds?

Today’s your lucky day!

Japan Trust Technology (JTT) is now marketing a time-saving, relaxing beautification tool that every Nintendo DS owner should have- The Germa Roller Touch Pen! Read More

 

In the past few months, several of the anti-Japan demonstrations in China have turned into riots, many of which resulted in extensive damage to Japanese companies all over China.

But what is it that got the Chinese people so worked up? Surely not everyone is that passionate about the Japanese nationalization of the disputed Senkaku Islands. Perhaps people just got carried away in the mob mentality?

According to one Chinese demonstrator, the Chinese government may have something to do with it, claiming that Chinese officials mobilized people to join the Anti-Japan demos by offering them payments of 100 yuan, or about $15 US.

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Hilarious Comic About Room-Sharing Jesus and Buddha, “Saint Onīsan”, to Become Animated Movie

It was revealed yesterday that Saint Onīsan, quite possibly this writer’s favourite manga right now, is to become an animated feature film.

For the unfamiliar, Saint Onīsan (lit. Saint young man), is Hikaru Nakamura’s serial comic that tells the tale of Jesus and Buddha, who come down to Earth from heaven for a little rest and relaxation, setting up camp in a small apartment in Tachikawa, Tokyo.

Constantly on a budget but always keen to explore, Jesus and Buddha do their best to keep their true identities secret while experiencing as much everyday human life as possible. Doing everything from experiencing local festivals to shopping for a rice cooker, the pair often find themselves getting into genuinely hilarious mishaps. Read More

 

It was discovered that a Microsoft factory in China was pre-installing viruses through malware, or malicious software, during the manufacture process. Among this malware was a variety that extracted bank account information from network banks. Read More

Doorless Fridge of the Future Looks Good Enough For Doc Brown

Great Scott!  This fridge looks like something straight out of Back to the Future.

“Impress” has turned a few heads thanks to it’s unique honeycomb design and doorless front which makes it more of a refrigeration wall than anything else.  When inserting an item into the fridge, the white hexagonal panels recede into the machine and conform to the shape of the inserted item.  Food and drinks are easily seen as they protrude out of the doorless refrigeration wall and only areas which contain an item are cooled, saving energy.

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I don’t know about other guys, but even if I’m in a healthy relationship I will sometimes encounter a girl who completely grabs my attention and doesn’t let go.

Maybe she’s stunningly beautiful, maybe she exudes charisma and style; whatever it is, there’s just something about her that captivates me—but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m romantically interested.

It’s like I’ve been trying to tell my wife for the past three hours while she’s locked herself in the bathroom with my wallet and phone: there are some girls you want to date and there are some girls you just want to look at.

Just take a look at the illustration above, which sparked an online debate over ideal girlfriends vs. ideal eye-candy after being poster to Twitter earlier this week.

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Even putting current tensions between the country and Japan aside for the moment, China has seen a great deal of civil unrest in recent months. With citizens losing faith in their government, and the gap between the poor and the wealthy seemingly growing ever larger, it is little wonder that protests and riots are occurring more and more frequently.

At the end of June, pictures emerged of clashes between residents and armed police in the Canton region. It later become clear that the riot occurred following little more than a scuffle between two boys from neighbouring towns that got out of hand. Angry that men from the first boy’s town had entered into the argument, adults from the second boy’s town also became involved, and the spat quickly grew out of hand with thousands of locals eventually becoming involved in the fray. Read More

From Utter Chaos to Perfect Order: 32 Metronomes Magically Come Together in Sync

If you’re the kind of person who likes to arrange your Skittles candy by colour, or who refuses to get out of bed until the clock displays a round number, the start of this video might be tough to watch. But stick with it- everything falls into nice, neat, regulated order soon enough!

In a recently-released video from Saitama University’s Ikeguchi laboratories, 32 metronomes are placed in even (phew!) rows and set off one by one, creating a horrendous cacophony of clicks and whirrs.

At first, there’s nothing but visual and audio chaos as the pendulums swing back and forth at their own pace. Although the human brain naturally searches for patterns and rhythms, there are none to be found here, which is perhaps what makes it so uncomfortable for the more OCD-oriented of us to watch.

But then… Read More

RocketNews24 Original Scatch and Sniff: Aaah, That New Game Console Smell!!!

At 00:00 a.m. on March 1, 1997, a 14-year-old version of this writer- extremely lanky and awkwardly dressed- was standing outside a videogame store alongside his mother and a few slightly bedraggled-looking young men, clutching the pocket-money he’d saved for nearly 18 months, absolutely desperate to give it away.

This was undoubtedly the nerdiest moment of my life, and I’ve never since gone to a midnight launch of a videogame console, despite owning about a dozen since. But when I’d waited more than a year for the UK launch of the Nintendo 64, and, having convinced my infinitely-patient mother to drive me into town in the middle of the night, I was excited. Incredibly excited. Perhaps more excited than a night before Christmas with Santa, Willy Wonka and a dozen sugar-rushing puppies, even.

Back at home, opening my new console on my bedroom floor (it’s called “unboxing” now, and people post painfully long videos of it online…), I was hit by that curious smell of new electronics. But not just any old electronics smell; this was the smell of a new Nintendo 64. Clean, new, professional, yet somehow extremely welcoming…

Up until now, I had thought I was the only one who noticed these things- that videogame consoles, new mobile phones, whatever- had a distinct smell of their own, not just ‘electronics’.

But over at our Japanese site, Mamiya-san has written a great little article about his own experiences with much-loved games console the PC Engine (perhaps known to some as TurboGrafix-16), and, in particular, its own very special smell. Since the machine remains relatively unknown outside of its native Japan, I can’t help but share his experiences with our English-speaking readers. Read More

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Is It Possible to Take a Photo of Mount Fuji from Kyoto? One Teacher Says Yes

Alright all you photographers, this might be your chance to take a historical, never-before seen shot of Mt. Fuji taken 261km (162mi) away in Kyoto.  Although it was calculated to be possible by a geography teacher at Tsukuba University High School, Hiroshi Tashiro, it’s certain to be easier said than done.

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Starbucks Espresso Journey in Harajuku Provides a Unique Coffee Experience at the World’s First Starbucks Pop-up Store

Starbucks Japan invites you to enjoy a “supreme espresso experience” at the chain’s first-ever pop-up store in Tokyo.  Created by designer Oki Sato, co-founder of design company Nendo, and nestled in the trendy Harajuku district of Tokyo, this unique Starbucks event is aimed at providing visitors with a memorable coffee drinking experience.  Visitors can enjoy back-to-basics coffee drinks which highlight the richness of Starbucks espresso and are even able to try their hand at making Starbucks coffee and sample Starbucks Via flavored coffee in the second floor’s “experience space.”

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Sharp Corporation Potentially Not Doomed After All, Unveils Amazing New Solar Energy Panels

Not seven days ago, netizens were chuckling away at the expense of electronics giant Sharp Corporation’s efforts to install anti-bacterial air purifiers on top of photocopiers, with many forecasting the end for one of Japan’s once greatest innovators.

But recent news of affordable, ultra-efficient and easy-to-install solar panels from the very same company has brought those fervently blogging fingers to a sudden halt.

Solar panels, while very effective in the right environment and conditions, are hardly the most reliable of energy sources. Add to this the cost involved to purchase and install the panels, as well as their less-than-appealing aesthetic design, and it’s little wonder that few people take the idea seriously or are willing to invest the capital to get their home hooked up.

Sharp, it seems, has come up with solutions to the majority of these problems, and have a few extra surprises for us… Read More

Hello Kitty Gets Naked with Giant Anthropomorphic Mushroom on Your Chest

From baked goods to blue hedgehogs, there’s nothing international superstar Hello Kitty won’t do to make a quick buck.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, our beloved “Kitty of All Trades,” the face of untainted feline innocence herself, has gone full-frontal.

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The Perfect Gift for New Parents: 20-Year Birthday Card Box-Set Guaranteed to Jerk a Few Tears

In my native UK, while we’re permitted to drink, smoke, vote and watch (reasonably) naughty movies from the age of 18, our 21st birthday is still recognised as the moment when we become real adults, and are expected, as a result, to stop getting upset when Simba’s dad dies in The Lion King, and to brush our teeth a minimum of twice a day.

In Japan, a seijinshiki (coming of age ceremony) is usually held for a birthday boy or girl on their 20th birthday. They may have long since left school, found a job, started smoking and staying up later than their own parents, but until a person is 20 years old, they are not considered a true adult.

With this in mind, Japanese “Woman Smile Company” Senshukai’s “mama & baby for baby” catalogue has recently listed a new item: a special wooden box-set of 20 birthday cards that a mother (or father!) can pass over to their child upon their “coming of age”.

Already proving to be a big hit with young parents, the box-set has seen a sudden and huge increase in customer orders. Read More

 

Perhaps irked by the fact that we humans are tweeting almost as much as they are, perhaps just victims of the information age like the rest of us, birds have taken to keyboards to share their thoughts through micro-blogging site Twitter. No word yet as to whether they’re just telling us what they had for lunch or the topics they’re trending…

A bird lover in Latvia has set up a twitter account just for his local birds, and let’s them do the typing, with the account having already attracted more than 2,000 followers. Read More

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