Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Xenon has just started selling a futuristic USB recharging cable for iPad, iPhone, and iPod, which not only lights up, but you can see how fast your device is recharging by how fast the light pulses along the cable. And when your charge is full, the light turns off. Read More
They say that dog is man’s best friend. However, as the number of smartphone users continues to grow that title may soon be challenged, especially if you consider Bandai’s newest iPhone development, Smartpet.
This month, beverage maker Kirin announced that it will be releasing the first ever health food cola on April 24th. The drink will be called Kirin Mets Cola. No connection to the MLB team, although fans will find the font suspiciously familiar.
According to the company, the drink contains an indigestible form dextrin sometimes used as a fiber supplement, which restricts the body’s ability to absorb fat while eating. It contains no sweeteners and has strong carbonation for a refreshing feel. They also claim that blood tests performed in house after consuming the beverage prove the drink keeps levels of neutral fats low after eating.
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Have you ever seen such a lustrous gold egg before? I’m willing to bet most people would answer “no” to that. And yet, this shiny egg is the real thing! Well, at least it’s a real egg, anyway.
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Two active and sizable faults were discovered east of Tokyo, a bit more than 100 km off the coast of Chiba Prefecture, measuring 160 km(99miles) and 300 km(186miles) long respectively.
Who doesn’t love cherry blossoms (sakura) and cherry blossom season? That exquisite pink everywhere. Refreshing, energizing, even. It’s fun just to wander around checking out the different parks with cherry blossoms. Sadly, time flies and the petals blow away… Read More
Let’s face it; using public toilets is never a pleasant experience. Putting aside all the legendary messes you have encountered, even if the restroom is immaculate you still have to worry about yourself. As stealthily ninja-like you try to be on the can it is virtually impossible to do it without making any embarrassing sounds.
This is especially true of the fairer sex who often do a courtesy flush but in these ecologically sensitive times it’s hardly a sensible use of a gallon of water.
Dreaming of a truly one-of-a-kind wedding in a magical setting? Well, there’s exciting news for people who want just that. Now you can get married at the ultimate fantasy lover’s venue — none other than the land of magic itself, Tokyo Disneyland. Read More
Since March 8, you may have been seeing umbrellas around Tokyo printed with graphics for a new Xbox 360 and PS3 mahjong game.
What small girl hasn’t dreamt of being a Disney Princess? Now you can actually make it happen, at least in the digital world. Read More
Produce prices are almost impossible to predict, mostly because of crops ruined by El Nino, global warming, or whatever cause de jour we hear about in the news. The rest of the time we’re hit with stories about E. coli in our spinach or other edible plants being the subjects of genetic manipulation. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to avoid all of these problems?
Japan’s largest homebuilder, Daiwa House has come up with a solution to all of these produce related problems wrapped up in a 30 cubic-meter wonder box. Dubbed the “agri-cube”, this little veggie factory lets you grow 23 different varieties of edible plants from lettuce to basil.
They say the only thing you have after losing everything is your name. Not so, says the Izumisano City officials who in the dying moments of their failing economy are considering a plan to sell their naming rights off amongst other ideas.
Residents of the Osaka Prefecture city will be pleased to know that they wouldn’t be selling it to just anyone with money, so the threat of the name becoming Poopiehead City is minimal. From June till the end of November they will be accepting proposals from both foreign and domestic businesses interested in unique ways to advertise using their city’s government and resources.
Most of the world is familiar with Hello Kitty as she puts her stamp of cuteness on backpacks, shirts, posters, and the occasional jumbo jet or hotel room. But how much do people outside of Japan know about her personal life.
As the Japanese lovingly refer to her as Kitty-chan she is also occasionally known by the name she uses on her British passport, Kitty White. This info is provided by her owners at the Japanese company Sanrio.
However, when we look at Hello Kitty’s bio on Sanrio’s Taiwan website, we discover that Japan may have been wrong all this time. Their translation of the infamous cat’s real British name is not Kitty but in fact Katie.
The internet is home to thousands of thousands of tests and quizzes each promising everything from your IQ to the Glee character that most resembles you. Now we bring you a new test that really kinda probably doesn’t work, but it’s fun to try.
Using just a pen and paper you can get a snapshot of your current mental state. But to get a super-duper accurate reading you CANNOT scroll down to until you complete each step, OK?
About 30 years ago, the late great George Carlin asked the famous question; “Where’s the blue food?” In this routine he’s quick to point out that many foods with “blue” in the name aren’t really blue. Blueberries are so dark they barely register as blue. Blue cheese is just white cheese with blue mold in it. And if anyone on the internet refers you to a “blue waffle” please forget you read it and move on with your life.
This culinary curiosity appears to have everyone mystified as proved by the recent landslide of attention that has befallen a website called strawberryblu.com. A cute little article attempting to answer the question “Do blue strawberries exist?” which was written about a year ago has just recently been a magnet of attention in the middle of a fierce debate over genetically modified food.
I remember on my first day of computer programming class the first thing the teacher said was, “Computers are stupid.” It was a valuable fact that has served me well in my relationships with these ubiquitous machines.
For instance, if I show a four year old a can of Coke, they can quickly tell me what it is. Whereas for a computer, we have to print a series of lines and numbers on it just so the dumbass box can get up to speed.
It makes you wonder why we have to go through all the trouble of making up barcodes just so a machine can understand what you and I plainly see. It’s enough to make you think the barcode industry is some sort of insidious freemason plot. Recently, though, Toshiba has announced a scanner for supermarkets and other shops that will bring this evil syndicate of barcode charlatans to their knees.
Starbucks is quite nice, isn’t it? Their shops provide a comfortable, non-smoking place to enjoy a delicious coffee, they have a hip food menu, and you can even get a hundrend yen refill on the day’s coffee. The service isn’t half bad either. Of course, there’s the fact that it’s not exactly cheap, but we’ll forgive them that little foible.
There are six Starbucks locations in Tokyo that have just gotten even cooler, though. What’s so special about those six shops, you ask? Well, let me tell you! In short, the six stores listed below will allow you to take books from their attached bookstores to read while you enjoy your coffee.
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Machu Picchu is an Incan site from the 15th century located in Peru at an altitude of over 2,000 meters and is a well-known World Heritage Site. Each year, a huge number of tourists from around the world visit the site, and some say that the they are moved to tears by the magnificent view. It is probably on many people’s list of must visit places. Read More
This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan began. Since then the two countries have maintained a very strong diplomatic and economic relationship. However, culturally the two countries haven’t gotten as close as they could have.
Thankfully the Pakistan Embassy in Japan along with members of the Pakistani community in Japan have organized the Pakistan Bazaar in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo. Anyone in the Tokyo area on 24-25 March is welcome to experience the historical and cultural beauty that fills Pakistan with free admission.
Ramen comes in a wide variety of flavors. In the mood for soy-sauce based shoyu ramen? Or maybe you want to have miso-flavored ramen? How about salt (shio) or pork-stock (tonkotsu) ramen? These are the standard options for just about every ramen shop in Japan.
But what would you say to milk flavored ramen? Is such a ramen flavor even available?
Well, it is at a certain ramen shop in Tokyo, and apparently it’s quite tasty too!
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】
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
Flying dango: Unique tourist site where Japanese sweets are flown to you over a gorge
Cheeseburger rice bowls arrive at Japanese beef bowl chain Matsuya, and in our stomach【Taste test】
Turn clear files into works of art with cleverly designed Japanese scroll
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
Starbucks Japan releases special range of drinkware goods to celebrate the moon and the siren
Domino’s Japan has all-you-can-eat pizza isn’t an Internet rumor, but it is hard to find
The new Ranma 1/2 anime is here! So is it worth watching?【SoraReview】
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippersGhibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve tooJapanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
New Ghibli papercraft kit gives you a little Princess Mononoke forest on your desk【Photos】
Tokyo restaurant isn’t kidding about the name of its overflowing rare wagyu-ju【Photos】
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Tokyo park’s sea of clouds, nighttime illumination, and cosplay days make now perfect time to visit
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a rowGhibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
What’s the deal with akebi, the perfectly purple, alien-like fruit that’s in season now in Japan?Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippersGhibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve tooJapanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
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
Turn clear files into works of art with cleverly designed Japanese scroll
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
Starbucks Japan releases special range of drinkware goods to celebrate the moon and the siren
Domino’s Japan has all-you-can-eat pizza isn’t an Internet rumor, but it is hard to find
The new Ranma 1/2 anime is here! So is it worth watching?【SoraReview】
Line of foreign tourists leads us to Akihabara’s meatiest fatty ramen【Taste test】
New limited-edition Sailor Moon masks on sale at the Sailor Moon Store
Enjoy a Japanese sushi train at home with a fun Ferris wheel rollercoaster twist 【Video】
Pitch-black Black Belt udon noodles are a visual roundhouse, but do they taste good?【Taste test】
Discovered: An even better way to open Japanese convenience store rice balls【Video】
Beautiful Japanese garden green tea crepes waiting in Tokyo’s historical Asakusa neighborhood
Does Japan’s “body fat-burning” bottled tea really work? Our 30-day investigation 【RocketScience】
What’s the most popular way to prepare Japan’s beloved breakfast dish, Tamago Kake Gohan?