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Why Do Foreigners Like Japan so Much? We Head to Comiket 82 to Find Out!

Many foreigners view Japan as some marvelous dreamland of technology and culture; a place where crazy is the norm and embracing fantasy in everyday life is acceptable.

But to Japanese people, Japan is just that place you were born. Everyone and everything is routine, and it’s often difficult to see why the rest of the world get’s so worked up about “Japanese culture.”

Earlier this month, we sent one of our Japanese reporters to Comic Market (or “Comiket“), the world’s largest self-published comic book fair and otaku mecca, to interview real live foreigners and ask them what it is they really think about this country.

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Limited-Edition Pikachu Yellow Nintendo 3DS XL Coming to Japan in September

While North America and Australia are still have a week to wait before they can get their hands on the Nintendo 3DS XL, Japan is already getting its first limited edition version of the little giant: Nintendo 3DS LL Pikachu Yellow.

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Beautiful Japanese City Councilor: “I don’t wash my face or go to the bathroom”. Loses Job, Might be a Yakuza Alien.

Asuka Tachikawa, 27, famous for being a “beautiful city councilor,” has had pressure put on her to quit her job because she is actually an alien in disguise trying to ruin the city of Niizu in Saitama (near Tokyo).

Elected as a city councilor in February this year, the Saitama Prefectural Electoral Office has decided that her election is invalid because she may not have lived in the city for more than the required 3 months. In other words, she is an alien.

But what evidence do they have?
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Move over Ryohei Kato! There’s another male gymnast whipping women into a frenzy online.  His name is Kohei Uchimura, and while his boyish good looks and personality scores points with the ladies, it’s a certain part of his body tucked away that sets him apart from others.

That’s right. Women can’t seem to get enough of Uchimura’s arm pit hair.  In fact, there’s a lot of talk of using it a garnish as one person commented “I want to sprinkle his fresh pit hair over my soba and savor the taste.”

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  • Aug 16, 2012

Annoyed by Buzzing Mosquitoes? A Smartphone App May Be the Answer to Your Problem

We’ve introduced some unique smartphone apps in one of our previous posts, but here’s one more unique app that’s caught our attention and may even be useful, if you believe what the developers say. If you’ve ever been annoyed by mosquitoes in the outdoors, and I believe most of us have at one time or another, then the Mosquito Buster app may be the solution to your pest problem. Yes, those small, buzzing blood-suckers can really be a pain, can’t they? But can a smartphone app really help you avoid mosquitoes? Well, the people at TABROID, a Japanese site that focuses on Android-related news and information, have apparently tested the app out in the field to see if it actually works. Read More


  • Aug 15, 2012

 

I’m sure you’ve all had the experience of folding paper planes as a child. But the paper planes we’re going to show you here don’t look at all like the typical paper plane you might imagine. In fact, we have to warn you, you may even think these paper planes look a bit creepy. Why? Because these planes have legs! Yes, that’s right, they’re two-legged paper planes! But how ever did such a trend begin? Read More

Bottles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Bottles! In China Everyone Carries Cucumbers to Beat the Heat

In these dog days of summer it’s a pretty good idea to carry around a bottle of water or sports drink to stay safe from heat stroke.  However, in China, home of the melt-proof ice pop, people are into a much more low tech way to keep cool.

One of our reporters was standing at a traffic signal in Shanghai when he spotted an attractive businesswoman rummaging through her purse.  Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a huge cucumber and started munching on it as nonchalantly as one would drink a cup of coffee from Starbuck’s.  Mildly aroused, he decided to investigate this spontaneous act more deeply.

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Sakhalin as Seen From a Japanese Tourist in 42 Points

Sakhalin is a large and sparsely populated island in the North Pacific, lying directly North of Japan and East of Russia. While it currently belongs to the latter, the island was the source of a bitter territorial dispute between the two countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Getting into Sakhalin as a tourist can be rather difficult due to the restrictions set by the Russian government, which is why, despite the island’s proximity to Japan, Japanese and other foreign tourists are few and far between. While you can find tours of historical remains from Japanese occupation and landmarks visited by famous Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, you’ll need quite a bit of cash and patience to get there in the first place.

One of our Japanese correspondents recently returned from a trip to Sakhalin and shares with us his rather random thoughts on the Russian island in convenient numbered list form.

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20 Guilt Free Snacks With Only A Hundred Calories

Imagine, if you will, a conversation in your Pilattes studio or gym locker room, or even on the train in any city in Japan, between two slender women, whom nobody would ever guess to be worried about their weight.  These women could be any age, married, single, with or without children, the point being that they are slender.

“I’m getting fat!  I really have to watch what I eat!”

“Me too!  My weakness is snacks I can’t help eating snacks!”

“Oh, guess what?  I found an article on RocketNews 24 about ‘diet snack food’!  It introduces 20 of them, I’m pretty sure it says they are no more than 100 calories each!”

Two heads meet in the center to gaze over an i-phone. Read More

The Very Bitter Gourd ‘Goya’ Ripens into a Sweet Treat!

The goya represents summer in Japan in many ways.  This bitter gourd is a staple of Okinawa cuisine with a tropical image, its bitterness is celebrated as one of the healthiest foods around.  If you can stand the bitterness then it is excellent for the skin, a beauty aide for women!

The ever popular ‘green curtain’, which is a vine plant grown on netting over windows to keep out the heat, often consists of goya plants.  The leaves grow thick and can keep direct sunlight out considerably saving on cooling costs!

Goya growers and super markets throw out the over-ripe goya when it yellows, I suppose because it stops being the well-loved summer vegetable we all know.

But wait!  If you let it ripen, it turns into a bright yellow sweet fruit!  WOW!  Where did that bitterness go?
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How Many Winks Can You Expect to Catch with these Blindfolds? Over NINE THOUSAAAAAAND!

Have trouble getting to sleep? The sensory depriving qualities of a sleep mask might be just what you’re looking for.  Sure, you may think eye masks are for wealthy dowagers and other fuddy-duddies. However, these masks cater to the hip, urbanite otaku in all of us with patterns ranging from mainstream (Sailor Moon) to the obscure (Black Butler).

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Panda Onigiri Are Too Cute to Eat, We Do So Anyways

As a rule of thumb, if you want to cuten something up, add some panda. Just look at these panda rice balls (onigiri). There is no other animal on this planet that can make a ball of white rice look this adorable.

We know what you’re thinking: “Sure they’re cute, and I’d love to make them myself, but don’t you need the dexterity of a Japanese ninja housewife to do so?”

Not anymore you don’t! The panda rice balls you see above were actually made by one of our Japanese reporters (single, female, hasn’t made a bento in 5 years) with the help of the fabulous “Panda Onigiri Set,” which can be purchased for around $13 from sites like Bento & co or JBOX.

Already own a Panda Onigiri Set but are having trouble getting your rice balls to look like the ones in the picture? RocketNews24 is here to pander to your needs with our step-by-step guide to making adorable panda onigiri!

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Ride a Real Sushi Train! The Newest Attraction at the Hamanako PalPal Amusement Park

The first sushi train themed ride in Japan!

This is one ride we would like to try at least once before we die. The newest attraction at the Hamanako PalPal amusement park in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture allows you to ride on a piece of sushi. The name of the attraction?“Ride on the sushi and spin around!”
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Possum Cat Plays Dead(?) in the Heat [Video]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37myg2ReEOg?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360%5D

Summer can be tough. Some days are so hot that it’s difficult to do much more than idly lie there as the heat drains you of your energy. And just imagine how bad it is if you’re covered in fur.

At first glance this kitty is just sprawled out on a sofa, but as the camera moves around (up and down, circling around, even going right up to the cat’s face), you’ll notice that it doesn’t even move its eyes.

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If you don’t live in Hokkaido, Japanese summers are hot and humid! A good way to stay cool, other than staying in a confined room where air-conditioned air is piped out from a room cooler, is to use a uchiwa. It only takes just a little muscle to keep a constant breeze and recently there are highly functional ones that will help send cool air your way!

Stainless Steel type, put it in the Freezer!

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  • Aug 10, 2012

“All the World Has Been Waiting For You, Goku!” Fans Ecstatic Over News of New Dragon Ball Animated Film

We reported previously on a mystery countdown taking place on the website of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, which hinted that the popular manga “Dragon Ball” may be making a come back on the magazine. Well, fans of the manga can rejoice! We’ve found out that Dragon Ball is indeed coming back, although not to the Jump magazine, but as a new feature length animated film! Read More

Yakuza Themed Restaurant Operating in Bangkok, Still Not Sure Why Thailand Digs the Yakuza

There seems to be something about the yakuza that appeals to the people of Thailand.  First, we witnessed a brand of possibly yakuza themed tea: Chakuza.  Now we are presented with Yakuzaaa Man Man Japanese Kitchen, which seems to be a hit with local youths and foreigners.  You might be thinking from the name that it’s a gay restaurant, but it’s not.

At least I’m pretty sure it’s not…

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We Lose All Sense of Time and Space in the Magical and Beautiful Lello & Irmão Bookstore

In these days of digital media the world is losing more and more brick & mortar shops, which is a shame.  Take ebooks for example.  Sure they’re infinitely more convenient and less space consuming.  But half the fun of reading is going to the book store to find hidden gems and what could be your next favorite. No matter what book store you go to you can’t help but get filled with a sense of elegance and tranquility.

With that in mind, photographer Koach, before capturing the second most beautiful bookstore in Argentina, started his journey in Portugal at the oppositely designed but equally beautiful, Livraria Lello & Irmão (Lello for short).

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The Japanese branch of global hactivist group Anonymous has announced they will be holding their second Anonymous Cleaning Service event at Comic Market 82, which started today at 10am Japan time.

Those wishing to participate should ready their Guy Fawkes masks and head to the Yagurabashi pedestrian bridge in front of Tokyo Big Site by 3pm. Participants should also be prepared to take home whatever trash they collect and dispose of it themselves (there are no trash cans on the street in Japan).

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Six University Cuties to Face Off at “Miss Science” Beauty Pageant in Tokyo

At Japanese universities, female science and engineering majors are definitely in the minority. Even in Tokyo, it’s not uncommon for ladies to make up less than 10% of enrollment for science departments. But the elusive rikei joshi, or “science girl,” does exist and Japanese student organization CURIE is holding a pageant called “Miss Rekei Contest” to give them a chance to prove they’ve got beauty as well as brains.

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