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Meet the new model set to make manga artists’ lives a whole lot easier

Oona McGee
Oct 7, 2013
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When it comes to replicating human poses and natural movement, artists often look to anatomical models. Traditional figures do have their limitations, though, with the lack of details making it difficult to recreate the lines of a raised shoulder or a clasped fist. But things are set to change, with a new figure on the market called the S.F.B.T-3, (Special Full-action Body Type v.3). Ten years in the making, this girl has 80 moveable parts in her body, allowing for an unprecedented number of poses and anatomical designs. We take a look at the doll’s amazing details and see how it performs in some popular anime poses for the illustrator’s eye.

Is that a horse in your parking lot or are you just happy to see me?

Preston Phro
Oct 7, 2013

While Japan is certainly home to a wide variety of animals, from adorable Shiba Inu to emotive puppies, one creature you don’t see too often is the horse. Sure, they’re out in the countryside doing horse stuff–eating, pooping, and running like the wind–but it’s not like you see a horse just hanging out in front of convenience stores. I mean, seriously, this isn’t The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Or is it??

A musical tribute to Ghibli — Here’s to more than 25 years of epic animation 【Video】

Kay
Oct 7, 2013

I’m sure many readers of our site are aware of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s recent announcement that he is retiring from filmmaking. Some of you may have even seen the press conference he held in Tokyo on September 6. While some people were skeptical upon hearing the announcement, since Miyazaki had mentioned retirement several times in the past, the legendary animator started off the press conference by saying that he knows he’s cried wolf multiple times concerning retirement, but that he was serious this time.

And so it was that Ghibli fans around the world had to accept that the creator of numerous acclaimed anime films such as Spirited Away and Princess Monoke was finally putting down his animator’s pen. Naturally, the news caused a huge response across the Internet, but one video in particular posted after the conference by an obviously musically talented fan has been receiving considerable attention on the Japanese Internet. We admit it is a slightly long video at 31 minutes, but if you’ve seen any of the Ghibli films and enjoyed the experience, we think it will be well worth your time to view the musical tribute.

Creepily cute mascot Okazaemon gets female counterpart in Okazaennu

Master Blaster
Oct 7, 2013

April this year saw the nationwide emergence of Okazaemon a regional mascot (called yurukyara in Japan) who operates out of Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. In spite of looking like a strung-out cat that will stab you for its next fix, Okazaemon has captured the hearts of mascot fans with his offbeat charm.

In fact, Okazaemon’s ever-rising star has earned him second place in the Regional Yurukyara General Elections after Funasshi, another breakout mascot success of 2013. And with such notoriety there are bound to be those who emulate the formula. Enter Okazaennu: the female weird kanji cat character.

Ministop convenience stores to begin selling Pizza (America) Dogs

Master Blaster
Oct 7, 2013

Japan has a somewhat confusing take on hotdogs compared to other countries. For example, you’d be hard pressed to find packs of hotdogs on sale at any supermarket let alone buns, and yet they’re readily available on the breakfast menu of every McDonald’s.

Also, people may envision a true American hotdog to have been boiled in murky water on the side of the busy street, slathered with ketchup, onions, and relish and all served on a bun that may or may not have been used as the vendor’s pillow a few minutes earlier. However, in Japan, an “American Dog” is the common lingo to a pancakey kind of corn dog.

Now, Japanese convenience store Ministop is taking the “America” out of American Dogs and replacing it with pizza for some junk food hybrid goodness.

These doughnuts from Hokkaido are unbear-ably cute!

Oona McGee
Oct 7, 2013

A long time ago, in a place quite far, far away, there was an area of Japan so remote that the indigenous people called it sir etok; literally the end of the earth. Known today as Shiretoko, the peninsula at the northeastern tip of Hokkaido remains a place of untouched beauty, traversed by a unique population of brown bears.

So what does a visitor to the end of the earth bring back to the rest of civilisation as a reminder of the beauty and the bear? Given that live bears don’t act kindly to being captured, a cute alternative has popped up in miniature, edible form. Wrapped in a cosy doughnut ball, these little cubs are flying off the shelves like hotcakes. We bought a variety pack to take a closer look at what makes these adorable souvenirs so popular.

Latest chitchat technology pairs your smartphone with your home phone for ultra-convenient use

Joan Coello
Oct 6, 2013

Panasonic announces the release of a digital cordless phone, VE-GDW03DL, which allows the use of a smartphone as a sub-handset over a wireless internet connection. The domestic chat device is set to hit stores on 14 November, and has an open price tag.

Would you eat this centipede crab?

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Oct 6, 2013

Culinary experts say that presentation is important, but we’re not sure this is what they were talking about.

Presumably born from some twisted chef’s nightmare, the crabipede is complete with creepy crawly legs and faux pinchers made out of crab legs, and even has a pretty convincing head and backend made of the shells of two crabs. The menacing curl in the crabipede’s body is enough to send lighthearted diners scurrying away.

Unusual punishment lands Hiroshima elementary school teacher in hot water

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Oct 5, 2013

A male teacher from a public school in Hiroshima City is in trouble for the implementation of a bizarre, and disputably inappropriate, classroom rule involving making his students pose and have their picture taken in front of the entire class.

This cat wearing glasses is quite the looker!

Rachel Tackett
Oct 5, 2013

There’s no discrediting the fact that dogs can achieve a wide range of expressions when you draw on some eyebrows, but the fact of the matter is that cats still maintain a higher level of sophistication than dogs could ever even dream of. Don’t believe me? Check out this fancy feline wearing some really sleek spectacles! No dog could ever achieve an expression that harnesses such critical disdain and yet sends you head-over-heels in love.

Smart Sushi: How the classic dish and technology come together to make dinner even more fun

Joan Coello
Oct 5, 2013

Kaitenzushi, or conveyor belt sushi, is possibly Japan’s most famous dining invention, and continues to amaze foodies around the world. The concept of serving plates of sushi on a conveyor belt is said to have started as early as 1958, and the trend continues to grow internationally even today.

Granted that the automated serving system has become a somewhat familiar scene today in sushi restaurants worldwide, the brilliant fusion of food and technology continues to evolve in a truly Japanese fashion. A visit to Muten Kura Sushi presented an advanced system that was beyond my knowledge of kaitenzushi.

Chinese woman pulled over for breastfeeding her child while riding a moped

Andrew Miller
Oct 4, 2013

In China, the sight of mothers cradling their babies in a rush to get somewhere is not that uncommon. With the pressing demands of modern-day society, many mothers are juggling two or three things at once and it’s hard not to feel anything but admiration for them. But as with anything, there will always be someone who takes a given concept to the extreme.

As you can clearly see from the photo above, one woman thought she could redefine what it means to multitask by breastfeeding her child while riding a moped down a busy street. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the news made its way onto YouTube and consequences arose.

Emoti-pup! Twitter users’ hearts melt at photo of puppy with natural “frowny face” markings

Philip Kendall
Oct 4, 2013

Twitter exploded in a mess of coos and smiles last night when a single photo of a puppy whose markings look almost exactly like the classic Japanese “frowny face” emoticon (>_<) was shared by user panda_tamio. Puppies rarely have to try especially hard to be adorable, but this one may just be the cutest thing we’ve seen all week.

You’ll feel guilty about more than just the calories when you eat this Rilakkuma cake

Mike
Oct 4, 2013

We’ve already elaborated on how much food-themed characters freak us out, but until now we thought we were pretty much fine with food based on characters. When we saw this photo of a Rilakkuma birthday cake being served at a Japanese restaurant, we found ourselves suddenly overwhelmed with melancholy, plus a touch of revulsion.

Japanese Ministry of Defense’s official visitor safety illustrations are surreal, hilarious

Philip Kendall
Oct 4, 2013

Living in an age where people threaten legal action the moment they trip over a pebble on a public beach, it’s little wonder that companies and organisations should take extra precautions when allowing everyday folks to wander around their facilities during open days, taking great pains to highlight every possible risk beforehand so that they don’t get sued when someone gets savaged by a radioactive monkey.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense is no exception, and in an effort to ensure their safety when touring military vessels, have put together some handy information and rules for the public to abide by while on board. Fortunately for you and me, this is no boring old list of dos and don’ts: this is a list that comes with pictures evidently created by a member of staff with years of experience using Microsoft Windows’ Paint program, resulting something that not only looks like South Park‘s “Terrance and Phillip Show” but even manages to sneak in a little Metal Gear Solid reference for video game fans.

Japanese businesses anger universities by offering jobs to their students

Casey Baseel
Oct 4, 2013

Recently, a number of Japanese college students irked their universities when posts about their rule-skirting shenanigans showed up on everyone’s favorite social network for immortalizing bad decisions, Facebook.

But underage drinking is almost universally accepted in Japan, and colleges here lack the animal mascots that are prime kidnapping targets in American institutions of higher learning. Just what kind of shameful, inappropriate behavior had these kids been up to?

They’d been getting job offers from A-list companies.

Special Halloween treats from familiar companies in Japan

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Oct 4, 2013

Every year, new products and special creations are announced in honor of Halloween and Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, black cats, and a number of other spooky symbols can be seen on familiar products. Even in Japan, Halloween is celebrated (although sometimes misunderstood), giving rise to cute and scary limited edition items. Let’s take a look at the sweeter side of Halloween in Japan with menu items from Baskin Robbins, Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone, and Mister Donut.

High-tech glasses provide near-instant translation of Japanese text

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Oct 4, 2013

Although major cities in Japan have installed signs in both Japanese and English, many foreign travelers still face difficulties reading the text found on things like menus, product packages, and billboards. That may all change thanks to NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, and their new glasses that are capable of almost instantly translating Japanese text.

Simple tricks to making instant ramen look like a gourmet meal

Andrew Miller
Oct 4, 2013

Have you ever wondered what happens when you take one of the cheapest ready-made foods on the market and combine it with some clever photography? Japanese site Livedoor News has, as it demonstrated with some instant Cup Noodle. We’ll introduce you to how they made an 88 yen (US$0.80) product look like a luxurious meal by incorporating it into a variety of settings, and of course keep your curiosity at bay with plenty of photos.

We visit a hidden store on the Imperial Palace grounds offering items you can’t find anywhere else

Master Blaster
Oct 4, 2013

The Imperial Palace of Japan is a popular destination for tourists around the world. Aside from being the residence of the modern line of Japanese emperors, it’s also known for being the location of Edo Castle, home to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Being such a place steeped in culture and history, it’s definitely worth checking out, but that’s not the only reason. Tucked away in the imperial palace is a little known shop humbly called Kunaicho Seikatsu Kyodokumiai (Imperial Household Agency Cooperative) which sells food and items related to the imperial household. These items can only be found at this shop and they can’t be bought on-line.

This shop is largely unknown to even Japanese people, so our reporter Yoshio went in (after making the necessary reservation) to discover what limited edition treasures the Kunaicho Seikatsu Kyokumiai had to offer. Let’s see what he found in his photo-filled report!