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Investigation of North Korea Reveals Their Fried Chicken Is Pretty Good

In these days of globalization there are very few countries that can keep themselves shrouded in a veil of mystery like North Korea does. Although there is information out there, it can be hard to get a clear picture of what life is like in such a guarded nation. For example, how do they eat?

North Korea would never allow Western businesses like McDonald’s or KFC to get their greedy capitalist hands on its people, but that doesn’t mean they reject the fast food format itself. In February, 2012, one lucky Japanese traveler in Pyongyang was able to experience what a North Korean fast food shop was like first-hand and document it.

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China McDonald’s Finally Brings Curly Fries to The Asian Masses

China’s McDonald’s restaurants are pretty much the same as they are in other countries. They have the fries and burgers that we all have come to know and love. They use a different kind of oil for frying that’s out of this world, but that should be expected of a country that has centuries of experience in the art of fried food.

Now it seems McDonald’s China has also staged a coup in the fast-food realm and adopted the curly fry! We rushed in to investigate how they match up.

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Welcome Home, Arisa: Missing Woman’s Body Found Nearly 11 Months After Tsunami

The corpse of a woman found in January in the ruble of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, has been determined by DNA testing to be that of 24-year-old Arisa Miura, an employee at the disaster preparedness office at the city hall, which was washed away in the March 11th tsunami last year. Following the results, her body is finally being sent home. Read More

What Could Be More Fun Than A Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party?

A new toy has pushed its way into the crowded Japanese market. Called the Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party, it sells for 699yen (US$9). We got our hands on one of these babies to try it out a get a stick party started, but first the name probably needs some explanation.

If you walk into any convenience store across Japan and scour the lower shelves, under all the chocolate bars and gum you will find one of Japan’s most popular snacks, Umaibo (literally ‘delicious stick,’ which we will use throughout the remainder of this article for comedic effect). Delicious Stick is like a giant, rod-shaped version of that cheese-flavored snack of mysterious ingredients that goes by many names: cheese puffs, cheezies, cheese curls, cheese balls, and so on. However, in addition to cheese flavor, Delicious Stick comes in a wide range of flavors, including chocolate or shrimp and mayonnaise. At 10 yen (US$0.13) a pop they’re a pretty good little snack.

By using Crazy Delicious Stick Stick Party, you can – get this – cleanly cut one Delicious Stick into several smaller sticks. According to the name of this toy, making four smaller Delicious Sticks from a single large one will result in a “crazy stick party”. We rushed in to investigate this claim.

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Steve Jobs Much Better at Marketing than Cooking

It’s well known that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who passed away on October 5th last year, was a huge fan of Japanese food, and not just high-end sashimi and sushi, either. He reportedly enjoyed more quotidian fare like hearty udon noodles.

He even went so far as to develop his own Japan-inspired menu item for Apple’s company cafeteria, Cafe Mac. But is it really any good? Read More

Anyone who is familiar with Japanese culture knows about the packaged lunch known as “bento.” A bento can be found homemade or bought from a supermarket, convenience store, or restaurant that specializes in bento. One particular subset of bento is known as ekiben, or, the “station bento.”

As its name implies, you can buy a station bento on the platforms of major train stations across Japan. The station bento is beloved by travelers in Japan because they use ingredients famous or native to the region that you buy them, letting you experience the taste of an area even if you are just passing through. However, there is just one shortcoming to the station bento – it’s cold.

Luckily, thanks to the leading researchers in the field of bento technology, this is no longer the case!

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Dragon Tree On Coast Of Disaster-Struck Miyagi Prefecture Symbol Of Recovery, Draws Visitors From Across Japan

Iwai-saki is a beautiful cape surrounded by pine trees located at the southern end of Rikuchu Seacoast National Park in Kensennuma city, Miyagi prefecture.

While the area around the cape is now still and peaceful, large sections of Kensennuma city were destroyed and hundreds of lives lost in the tsunami and fires triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake last March.

While Kensennuma has a long road to recovery ahead of it, the city is said to be experiencing an increase in visitors recently who come to see a lone pine tree twisted in the shape of a dragon that stands alone on a beach of Iwai-saki.

We travelled to Kensennuma with camera in hand to see the scene for ourselves.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_D9vGM06PU&feature=player_embedded

Although he has rarely been seen in Western countries, Doraemon is an animated cat whose popularity rivals that of Mickey Mouse in Japan. From his beginnings in manga in the 70s, Doraemon has made the leap to TV and film animations and was appointed Japan’s first animated cultural ambassador. Now the Doraemon story lives on in a series of TV commercials for Toyota.

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Read the Short Story that Captured the Hearts of Japan

The following is a translation of a short story originally taken from a 2008 book by Haruhiro Kinoshita and posted on a blog called One Minute Impressions. The story struck a chord with tens of thousands of people across Japan as it spread through social networks.

There Was This Cashier

She moved from the countryside to go to a university in Tokyo. She joined many extra-curricular activities but always got turned off quickly . One after another, she jumped from club to club looking for something better.

When it came time for her to find work, she got a job with a manufacturing company, but she couldn’t continue working there. Three months after starting she felt she couldn’t see eye to eye with her boss. It didn’t take long for her to quit.

The next job she got was for a distribution company. She worked there for six months but came to realize the job was different than she had hoped it to be. Shortly after, she quit.

From there she joined up with a company that manages medical statistics and information, but this too didn’t do it for her.

This job just isn’t for me.

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[On Location at Somin Naked Festival] I Was So Cold I Actually Thought I Was Going To Die

Japan’s premier naked festival, Sominsai (Somin Festival), was held this year on January 29 at Kokuseki Temple in Iwate Prefecture.

The name “naked” is somewhat misleading though, as participants are required to wear a fundoshi, a piece of white cloth which can best be descried as a traditional Japanese G-string. This scant clothing offers little protection from the blistering, below-freezing cold participants are expected to endure. Nevertheless, the toughest of men from across Japan come to test their mettle by trekking through grueling icy course from the temple to the river that’s cold enough to make you feel like you’re dying.

I know this because I took part.

That’s right, your fearless reporter put his life at risk to bring the experience of Kokuseki’s Sominsai to you, our beloved readers.

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A 22 year-old in her 4th year of university in Kanazawa ordered an iPod through an internet auction but received a shock when she discovered the iPod once belonged to her. Another 22 year-old 2nd year university student, who sold her the iPod, was arrested on suspicion of stealing it from the woman’s parked car last December.

The woman had reported the robbery to police but was left with little hope of recovering it, so she turned to internet auctions to find a similar model on the cheap. By the beginning of January she was able to win a bid on one for only 5,000 yen (US$65), a third of the price she originally paid.

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Taiwanese Students’ Live-Action Recreation of Popular Anime is a Slam Dunk

Basketball’s popularity in Japan today can largely be credited to the mega-hit manga and anime series Slam Dunk. Since its beginnings in the 90s, its popularity had spread beyond the borders of Japan and even to this day it continues to hold a world-wide fan base.

Now, thanks to the National Taiwan University of Arts’ Department of Broadcasting’s Class of 2010, Slam Dunk has been lovingly recreated as a live action video. A hit on YouTube, the video is a rather meticulous reenactment of the opening sequence of the animated version.

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Japan’s Annual Running of the Students

There is an annual student event at the prestigious private college Ritsumeikan University. It’s called the Igakukan Dash, after the hall where it takes place.

Every year, just before the final deadline for turning in theses, a few desperate latecomers will come dashing through the hallway to get their papers in on time. Naturally, a large crowd of spectators always gathers to cheer and heckle these deadline daredevils. Read More

Would You Like Thousands of Baby Fish To Go With Your Pasta?

Near Musashi-Kosugi Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a restaurant called Italian Izakaya: Natura that constantly has line-ups outside. Regardless of the day, it seems the place is always wall-to-wall with customers.

While Natura is said to have good food in general, the real buzz is spreading about their specialty: Whitebait Piled on Peperoncino Pasta – 880yen (US$11). Whitebait refers to immature fish that are collected, cooked and eaten whole in large numbers, and are popular in Italian cuisine.

We decided to go to Italian Izakaya: Natura and investigate what all the fuss is about.

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Wherever you go in the suburbs of Japan, you can bet that there will be a ramen shop along the main road. They usually offer a large parking area and have the run down look of shops that have been in business for years and years. They’re the kind of places long-haul truckers like to stop for a meal and a nap.

One such ramen shop has made news recently when its rather unique billboard was blogged about. In bold, black letters, the sign reads, “There’s nothing good here!”
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A Yokohama Ward Office was shocked on 13 January, when they received a visit from the infamous immortal homicidal monster depicted in countless horror movies, Jason Voorhees. This time, however, rather than wielding a blood-stained machete, Jason hit the office with a donation of 10 Randoseru backpacks.

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Finally, Potato Chips That Make Us Feel Filthy Rich

On 19 January, potato chip maker, Koikeya, announced they will sell a new flavor in their Premium Series line of chips, this time using the flavor of one of the most expensive delicacies in the world, truffles.

Sold at convenience stores across Japan from January 30 to February 6, you too can get a taste of the good life for only around 150 yen (US$2) a bag.

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The Kissing App for People Who Love Their iPhones a Little Too Much

Sometimes we all need a little lovin’. Now you can get a kiss anywhere, at any time, with the saucy new iPhone app Choi Kiss, loosely translated as Kisses on the Go. This little piece of heaven won’t even cost you a penny.
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You Can Take The Yoshinoya Out of Japan, And It Seems You Can Take The Japan Out of Yoshinoya Too

The number one gyūdon (beef and rice in a bowl) restaurant, Yoshinoya, has been working its way into Thai markets. Already having infiltrated America and China amongst other countries, it appears there is no stopping Japan’s favorite beef and rice restaurant from world domination.

However, the further a restaurant strays from its homeland, the harder it is to keep the original atmosphere of that restaurant, as a team of reporters from our editorial department learned during a recent trip to Thailand. At first they were simply curious whether the taste was the same as Japan or not, but what they discovered was far more troubling. One member of the party, who was new to Thailand, exclaimed upon seeing the menu: “Huh? A cup of tea costs 30 baht (US$1)? What’s this about?! It’s free in Japan!”

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Carbonated Tea and Yakuza: A Big Hit With Thai Kids, But Something’s Not Quite Right

Although a popular drink around Asia, it can be difficult to turn the younger generation on to the simple pleasures of tea. In order to compete with the likes of colas and energy drinks, Bangkok tea makers have come up with Chakuza.

Chakuza combines the nutrition and refreshment of tea (“cha” in Japanese) with the rugged attitude and danger of organized crime (“yakuza” in Japanese). And according to a clerk at a Bangkok 7-11, it’s selling really well.

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