On March 21st candy company Morinaga is going to begin selling the popular Chupa Chups lollipops in a more bite-size size. The suggested retail price for a bag of 14 is 198 yen (about $2.37).
Japan may hold the reputation as one of the most expensive countries in the world, but that doesn’t mean the majority of the population is struggling everyday just to scrape by. In fact, even part-timers can do pretty well for themselves thanks to the high wages offered for even some of the most basic jobs.
When I was in university, I supported myself by working part-time at a restaurant for 900 yen ($10.80) an hour which carried me through those four years just fine.
Wages seem to be even higher now, perhaps due to a recent scarcity of part-time labor, especially in Tokyo.
To give you a better idea of just how much Japan rewards its part-time employees, I’ve selected a few entry-level jobs from around Tokyo to share with you all. Be sure to let us know how the wages compare with your own country!
Earlier this month in Kanagawa Prefecture, a high ranking government official was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife’s “male acquaintance.” The attack took place when Mr. Noda (47) discovered his wife entering a hotel with another man (44) after following her when she left home late in the evening. In the heat of the moment, Mr. Noda confronted them and allegedly ended up severely beating the man in the face and chest, breaking several ribs.
A few days after the confrontation, the alleged victim filed a complaint with the authorities. After Mr. Noda was arrested, the story hit blogs across the internet and triggered a landslide of support for him.
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Arguably the most famous Nepali curry shop in Japan is Daisuki Nippon (I Love Japan) in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. Since its opening in 2010, this tiny, independently-run restaurant has managed to get attention from all corners of the country in a story that plays out eerily similar to the plot of a Seinfeld episode.
The story begins with shop owner Pradahan Vikas struggling to get anyone to come to his store. Sometimes he would go the entire day without serving a meal. Faced with such hard times, Mr. Vikas turned to Twitter to chronicle his worries, unbeknownst to him that they would be the key to his success.
A young man who is assumed to be Korean has decided to share his feelings to the world on YouTube and as a result ignited a powder keg of tensions between Koreans and Japanese internet users.
In broken Japanese, the boy gave a minute and a half speech about his take on the post-Tohoku Earthquake situation which, as one Japanese commenter said, “crossed the line.” He then gives a glimpse into his own homicidal fantasies before politely asking all Japanese people to “die quickly.”
One day I was reading the American gourmet magazine Food & Wine and I came across this reader submission.
When I lived on the island of Hawaii, every Sunday I would buy cookies at the farmers’ market from an elderly woman everyone called Tutu, or “Grandmother.” She would sell only one bag per person until she ran out, which took about 30 minutes. Before I moved away, I asked her for the recipe. She gave it to me on the condition that I couldn’t share it with anyone for 25 years. Time has passed, and now I’d like to share it with your readers.
A cookie recipe kept under lock and key for 25 years! Of course, I had to give it a try. Read More
Thanks to the proliferation of the internet we can see countless images in an instant with the click of a mouse. Most of the pictures available online, however, are of cats with misspelled captions or people confusing Joseph Kony with Carl Weathers.
On 7 March Apple made their latest press release announcing the upcoming iPad, and also happier news for Japanese users that the new update to iOS has taught Siri how to speak their language. Yet, beneath all this fanfare one whopping issue lurks that’s enough of a let-down to crush even the most ardent fanboy’s heart.
The battery display is all out of whack. Not only that it’s out of whack in the most disappointing way possible.
Readers of this website are likely to be familiar with nikuman, the steamed rice pastry often made with meat filling. In the past we have reported on the delicious slime shaped nikuman and Puyo Puyo themed nikuman. One thing to note about nikuman is that their name is made up of two parts niku (meat) and man (steamed bread) so that if you change the filling the suffix remains the same giving you pizzaman or curryman.
Universal Studios Japan took notice of how this is linguistically similar to the suffixes often used for superheroes in English and developed Spiderman (here the man would be pronounced kind of like a Jamacian accented mon).
As we quickly approach the one year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake the have been signs that debris from the massive tsunami has finally touched down on American shores.
Recently residents of northwest Washington state have been finding more and more fishing gear and garbage with Japanese writing on it since last weekend. In fact, in the past two months one man found 15 pieces of Japanese debris has been reported which is a sharp increase from the only 4 pieces found in the previous 46 years.
The Japanese airline industry has recently entered a phase of stiff competition as low cost carriers from countries like Europe have entered the scene. Mainstays JAL and ANA have had to come up with more creative solutions to attract people to their higher-priced offerings.
JAL’s initiative has been to collaborate with popular restaurant chains so that people can enjoy their favorite foods instead of the dishes that are so-often the target of stand-up comedians. Already they have sold hamburgers from fast food chain Mos Burger in a project called AIR Mos Burger, as well as dumplings from popular Chinese food chain Edosei with AIR Nikuman. The third time’s the charm as now the granddaddy of Japanese fast food comes to the skies with AIR Yoshinoya.
Millions of people have experienced the satisfying feeling of pulling back their digital angry birds, releasing and sending them flying into those rickety pig-built structures on their smart phones or computers. It almost makes you want to light up a cigarette afterwards.
But after playing through the hundreds of levels that Roxio has released you may find that original satisfaction waning somewhat. We have seen the videos of “real-life” versions in the past, but most of us lack the space and resources to do it ourselves. Well now, some ingenious fans have found a great way to add a fresh kick to their Angry Birds addiction using a real slingshot.
Text messages sent from Arisa Miura, a city worker who died in the tsunami that struck Minami-Sanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, and her boyfriend were released to the press on March 5th. In the 5 texts, which were sent between the two lovers after the earthquake and before Miura was swept away, one can see the depth of their affection in their consideration for the other’s safety even in a hectic emergency situation. Read More
The Ameyoko block of Tokyo is a comprised of a busy market street lined with quaint little shops selling various foods, cosmetics and knick-knacks like clocks. You can expect to find just about anything in Ameyoko, which makes it the perfect location for Geinanhonbo, a whale-meat specialty shop, to open its newest branch.
At Geinanhonbo you can choose from 16 different cuts of whale meat from a giant fridge that takes up most of the shop space. Red meat cuts are relatively cheap, costing 380 yen per 100g (US$1.32/oz), but more expensive parts like the tail or jaw can run up to 2,800 yen per 100g ($9.84/oz). The store offers “almost every edible part of the whale” including the heart, which costs about as much as the red meat.
Ladies, are you looking for something to liven up your wardrobe but not go overboard? Are you tired of the man in your life not paying attention to your new shoes that you spent hours choosing?
If so, then visit etsy.com for your next pair. Here you can find sparkly and eye-catching designs that are too far over the edge of good-taste. I guarantee your husband or boyfriend will compliment you on your 1-UP designed shoes faster than you could imagine.
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Like with many natural disasters, governments and large corporations throw money and supplies in relief efforts. Although the aid is greatly appreciated and needed by the victims, there is always this lingering cynicism that these donations were done out of self-serving motives. Especially when said company releases an ad tooting their own horn about the contributions they made.
However, a largely unsung gesture by FujiFilm has recently celebrated its milestone of restoring over 1,000,000 photos recovered from earthquake devastated areas. The cynic in you may ask what the big deal is about cleaning some photos when these people need food and shelter.
Museums always struggle to find ways to attract younger visitors, so it’s not unusual to see a museum tie in an exhibition to some pop-culture trend. Even the Bizen Japanese Sword Museum which you’d think is one of the “cooler” museums for the kids has had to come up with new ideas recently.
As a result anime fans may want to take a trip to Setouchi City in Okayama Prefecture this summer to check out the “Neo Japanese Sword Evangelion” exhibition. This exhibition is a fusion of the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the works of Japan’s finest traditional sword makers. Read More
Thanks to Japan’s extensive rail system, millions of people are safely and promptly carried to and from to their destinations every day.
For instance, Uchihara Station in Mito city alone sees over 2000 people pass through every day. However, these useful transportation nodes are also plagued by a dark social ill: suicide by train.
So you’re taking a vacation to Japan via the Hello Kitty Jet to buy some Hello Kitty stationary, knick knacks, clothing, and accessories, but you don’t have a place to stay? The Shinhankyu Hotel in Osaka has got you covered!
Starting March first they are making Hello Kitty themed Prince Kitty Rooms available, each decorated wall-to-wall with the infamous kitten along with her childhood companion Dear Daniel. Everything in the room from the curtains to the sheets to the cushions is touched with the pink and white essence of Japan cutest cultural icon, all of which are exclusive designs for this hotel.
Shiro Suzuki has been eagerly practicing to beat his high score of 178,270 in the Mercenary Mode of Resident Evil 4 (called Biohazard 4 in Japan). Most who have played the game would agree that this is an impressive score, whereas hardcore gamers may scoff at the number.
What makes Mr. Suzuki unique, however, is that on 10 February, 2012, he celebrated his 74th birthday.
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