Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
The baseball world in Japan has been shaken to its core by a pitch so fast it stands among the fastest in the world – and it was done during a high school game.
The pitch, thrown during a televised semifinal match between Ichinoseki Gakuin and Hanamaki Higashi, has focused all the attention of professional baseball onto young Shohei Otani, the pitcher for Hanamaki Higashi High School.
It seems you can buy just about anything on the internet these days, and here’s another bit of proof to put on the pile. What’s the one thing you could add to your home and garden that would make you stand out among your neighbors?
You got it; an 18 meter (59’) tall, 3 ton (2205 lbs) Brachiosaurus statue.
A new online service called Bemool has just been launched in Japan targeted at men who don’t know how to dress themselves. For a meager service fee of 5,000 yen (about $60 US), a stylish and pretty expert will go out and buy some outfits for you, something that is no doubt a god-send for shopping-averse–hell, going-out-in-public-averse–net denizens. Read More
You may have read our previous report about how Japan’s top sword makers had been called upon to bring your favorite weapons from the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion off the screen and into reality.
Well, the day has finally arrived as the Bizen Japanese Sword Museum has at long last opened their “Evangelion & Japanese Sword Exhibit” utilizing traditional sword making techniques to create swords of the future Evangelion universe.
It seems the days of keeping novels or magazines on a stand by the toilet are slipping away from us as more and more people are taking their smartphones into the loo to pass the time. On top of this, social media has paved the way for everyone to update the world on all their daily minutiae.
And what could be minuter than broadcasting our bowel evacuations to the world. On an individual basis such information might be meaningless to others but when analyzed en masse we can learn something about the pooping habits of a nation.
Okay, is everyone ready for summer? You may already have vacation plans, but if you’re going to be in Tokyo this summer, you may want to consider visiting the Sunshine Aquarium in the Ikebukuro area. Why? Because you’ll be able to see “flying penguins” there this summer! Read More
Who doesn’t love Lego? It’s a toy that has certainly stood the test of time and transcended all boundaries of gender, class and geography with its simple yet endless possibilities.
And who doesn’t love Tokyo? It’s a city that has certainly stood the test of time and grown into quite the cultural mecca of food, science, and art. However, it’s a big city that requires time to explore fully. So why not head down to Decks in Odaiba, Tokyo Beach to see the best of it in everyone’s favorite medium – Lego! But that’s not all Legoland Tokyo has to offer.
It seems that some of life’s simplest yet most widespread problems never have solutions. Millions of men worldwide have to watch their hair fade away with no reliable cure. Or how about that man or woman who somehow manages to sit next you on the subway or bus making your eyes water with their biological curse of body odor, better known by bacteriologists by its scientific name: “pit stank.”
Pit stank doesn’t discriminate. The victims are our fathers, sisters, children, and spouses. However, thanks to the pioneering efforts of a legal rep for an NPO in Sendai working with Tohoku University’s New Industry Creation Center the world is one step closer to a cure for this socially scorned affliction.
A recent first round qualifying game for the high school league national championship between rivals Nichidai Fujisawa (Japan University’s High School) and Buso ended in controversy after a botched infield fly ball was mishandled causing a Nichidai runner to steal home and earn a walk-off victory for their team.
According to South Korea’s Far East Daily newspaper, China’s public radio broadcast an interview with a currently active Major General who spoke like many Generals do, with much aplomb and sabre rattling to be heard. Let’s see what he has to say.
On first hearing about this story, it’s easy to be skeptical that a review for a can of cat food could possibly be as unnerving as one buyer’s comment on Rakuten (Japan’s answer to Amazon) was purported to be.
Most of us have spent enough time on the internet and saw our share of Goatses and blue waffles. So how could an online review for a tin of Mon Petit Whitefish & Tuna For Kittens possibly turn our web-hardened stomachs?
It did.
Dating can be difficult and costly no matter what country you live in, but because of the economic inequality and old-fashioned customs of China it can be a down-right nightmare.
Take one Mr. Hu of Hubei Province whose girlfriend, ironically named Ms. Yuan, he had been dating for a couple months. However, because of money troubles he was unable to buy her presents and had to turn to a life of crime.
However, what could have been a romantic “man in love against the world” kind of rebel story turned out incredibly lame when the target of Hu’s criminal behavior turned out to be none other than Ms. Yuan herself.
All right, this video should delight and impress all of you Gundam fans out there. And even if you’re not a Gundam fan, I think you’ll still find the video pretty amazing! You have to admit that it takes a huge amount of dedication, perseverance and love for the anime, not to mention time, to actually do what was done in this video. The end result is a full-color drawing of the Gundam mobile suit machine from the well-known anime series, and while the picture itself is an excellent effort, what is truly impressive about it is the unconventional way it was drawn. Read More
A few months have passed since our resident reporter Mr. Sato consumed a Whopper loaded with 1050 strips of bacon. Now the smell of bacon grease has finally faded from the office and Mr. Sato seems to have learned his lesson after spending countless hours curled up in the fetal position, praying his arteries would hold out another day.
At least, that’s what we thought until he walked into the office the other day carrying a Whopper with 1000 slices of cheese in his hands.
Cheesus Christ.
At the moment there’s a picture book that’s very popular in Japan called “A Picture Book of Hell.” It’s intended to teach kids good manners, and it’s become something of a hot topic, if you’ll excuse the pun. Popular illustrator Akiko Higashimura even mentioned it in her manga series “Mama wa Tenparisto”, loosely translated as “Momma With a Short Fuse”. As you can imagine, there’s been a lot of interest among mothers and educational professionals.
I suppose terrorizing your kids with two-dimensional representations of hell is OK, but did you know there’s a place you can take them to experience it in real life? Read More
Awesome Course Schedule, an app released last year by Japanese content provider Labit, has been rapidly gaining traction with students at Japanese universities, because it allows them to rate and review their courses. Read More
Established by a 10 member team including journalists, activists and University professors, the committee for the “Most Evil Corporation of the Year” (in Japanese “Black Corporation Award”) has made a shortlist of nominees each vying to be the blackest of businesses.
In Japanese, the term “black business” refers to companies who rake in huge profits while exploiting their own work force by discrimination, harassment, unpaid overtime, and short-term contracts. This type of business is a widespread problem in Japanese society but often goes on undiscussed in mainstream media.
Only 4 July, Suwon, South Korea officially opened their newest attraction; “The Restroom Cultural Park” which is the world’s first toilet theme park. To answer the question on everyone’s mind – What the…? – we should first look at a little background on Suwon city.
This city located outside of Seoul is well known for two things. First, the great Hwaseong Fortress ranks among UNESCO’s world heritage and has ruins which run throughout the city. Second is their recently deceased mayor who was known affectionately as Mr. Toilet.
If you’re a fan of Japanese manga, you may be familiar with the comic magazine “Weekly Shonen Jump” (“Shukan Shonen Jump in Japanese”), one of the longest running and most widely read comic magazines in Japan. Well, you might be interested to know that a mystery countdown has been going on the magazine’s website, and until recently, the page showing the countdown contained just a short Japanese phrase (“最強、始動” which roughly translates to “The Truly Mighty are Getting Ready for Action” ) followed by the letter D covering the page. Read More
Mt Fuji convenience store becomes “lawless zone” as tourists hurl abuse at security guards
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
Travel tip: Fukuoka has a great luggage delivery service that’s cheaper than a coin locker
Japan’s workplace drinking party communication is unnecessary, says majority of workers in survey
Drinkable Mayo on sale at Japanese convenience stores for mayonnaise fanatics
Survey asks Japanese women if they could marry a man who’s rich but ugly
Rolling suitcase with built-in desk is perfect for mobile businesspeople and cosplayers alike
8 types of chikan perverts found on Japanese trains
Late-night cake cafe in Tokyo’s hostess/host bar district will satisfy your confectionary desires
How merry is Starbucks Japan’s new Merry Cream holiday Frappuccino?
Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】
Celebrating Good Couple’s Day in Japan…by getting our significant others to dress us
7-Eleven Japan releases fukubukuro lucky bags filled with convenience store surprises
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Beautiful Totoro bag returns, still requires jumping through an extra hoop to get, still worth it
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a rowStudio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
Survey asks Japanese women if they could marry a man who’s rich but ugly
Rolling suitcase with built-in desk is perfect for mobile businesspeople and cosplayers alike
8 types of chikan perverts found on Japanese trains
Late-night cake cafe in Tokyo’s hostess/host bar district will satisfy your confectionary desires
How merry is Starbucks Japan’s new Merry Cream holiday Frappuccino?
My Neighbour Totoro kimono coat sells out as soon as it’s released by Studio Ghibli in Japan
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Kyoto’s “ikezu” culture of backhanded compliments explained in hilarious souvenir sticker series
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
It’s like the samurai era never ended at this beautiful Japanese mountain town
Do cold noodles from a Japanese vending machine fill us with joy or regret?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Here’s why it’s worth lining up for this street food donut from a Taiwanese night market
