Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Those of us with pets likely all have a story of finding our animals in all sorts of strange positions, hidden places and just plain odd situations. Twitter user jack4520 recently found their beloved pet in what looks like an incredibly uncomfortable place, although the smile on the animal’s face says otherwise. Click below to find out what animal found its way into this crowded bookshelf!
“Forget the Grand Prix, the real race for the drivers is the flight from Korea to Tokyo tonight on various private jets.” A statement tweeted by F1 writer Adam Cooper on 6 October when the Korean Grand Prix was held.
Sure enough, only a few hours after the race had finished, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso tweeted, “Already in Japan! One of the best GP’s of the year!” This is a move that the Japanese media had taken as a source of pride as well as yet another sign that trouble looms for the beleaguered Korean Grand Prix.
Earlier this year, we brought you videos shot by those who fled the wall of water that the March 11, 2011 earthquake brought to Northeastern Japan. As shocking as they were, most – thankfully – were taken from relatively far away by the towns’ residents once they had reached comparative safety. The following footage taken in Iwate Prefecture, however, was recorded right where the tsunami hit by security and roadside cameras.
The footage shows the awesome, raw power of the tsunami, and gets much more up close and personal than anyone would every hope to. We should warn you that some readers may find the following images disturbing.
Originally a particularly polite way of saying “you,” the Japanese word otaku evolved into a label for anyone with an obsessive, passionate devotion to their hobby. While most commonly associated with anime fans, the term is also applied to hardcore video gamers, technology buffs, and even auto enthusiasts.
Much like “geek,” otaku was initially a derogatory term, but has lost a lot of its sting and become largely co-opted in recent years. Still, it’s important to not let yourself get too wrapped up in your hobbies. Conveniently, there’s now a mathematical formula to determine if your otaku-ness has become too much for your own good.
Given the less assertive role of the Japanese Self-Defense Force compared to a conventional military, it’s natural that the organization’s recruiting tends to be on the low-key side. The JSDF does indeed do invaluable work in disaster-relief and humanitarian missions, but the pitch to recruits is less hunting down the world’s villains and more holding the fort and being ready to lend a hand when people are in need.
Accordingly, the JSDF Coordination Office for Kagawa Prefecture, located on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, has decided to go with showcasing the soft power-look of cute anime girls in its recruitment efforts.
Even the greatest of heroes meet their end eventually, whether they be staff-wielding wizards or portly plumbers. With this incredible sculpture, Polish artist Kordian Lewandowski presents the demise of none other than our favourite 8-bit champion, Super Mario. And as sad as it is, it’s really quite breathtaking.
You might recognize the suit-clad men pictured above from their many other choreographed dances around Japan. For those unfamiliar, these seven men make up World Order, a dance group led by retired mixed martial artist, Genki Sudo.
Their newest video, “Welcome to TOKYO” was made to celebrate the selection of Tokyo as the site for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The group can be seen dancing around famous landmarks around the capital of Japan such as Asakusa Temple, Tokyo Tower, and Kabuki-za Theatre. Watch and be amazed by the beautiful places and robotic businessmen Tokyo has to offer.
During a Q&A session at The 73rd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, announced that he doesn’t believe in staff layoffs or downsizing during periods of economic difficulty. Particularly outside of Japan, it is not unusual for employees in the game industry to be faced with redundancies as part of business restructuring. However, while there are many possible reasons why a company may need to shed some weight, Mr. Iwata emphasised that he is strongly against such an approach.
For many parents, one of the hardest things to accept is that their children are growing up. Every milestone on the path to adulthood seems like it comes too soon, whether it’s finishing school or moving out of the house. Perhaps there’s no greater shock than the day a doctor tells you your child is carrying a fetus. Especially if your child is two. And, especially, if your child is a boy, as was the case for one family in China.
There are certain customs restaurants in Japan follow when serving dishes that originated overseas. Fried rice should come on an octagonal plate. Steak must be accompanied by a few wedges of carrots, steak fries, and corn.
When it comes to curry and rice, the roux should never completely cover the grain. Ideally, it should be poured over half of the plate, allowing the customer to enjoy mixing the two together in whatever ratio they feel is best.
Trying to keep with the spirit of this tradition caused problems for one Tokyo restaurant, though, when its special plate of three kinds of curry ended up containing an unfortunate and unintentional hidden image.
Currently underway at the new Shisedo Ginza Building in Tokyo is the Japan Original Beauty event which features a live talk with beauty professional Tadashi Harada. Harada, who works with Shisedo as one of their “Top Beauty Specialists” was the genius behind a series of portraits with models depicting characters from Hirohiko Araki’s manga masterpiece JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
In the wake of its limited edition corn soup-flavoured brethren, a new Garigari-kun popsicle is rumoured to be hitting Japan’s freezers any day now. There has yet to be any official announcement from the famous popsicles’ maker Akagi, but one netizen recently spotted what looks like an ad for, of all things, a potato stew-flavoured ice cream. More details after the jump!
Up until now, lonely otaku wishing to tuck in with their favorite anime character had to rely on the cotton-blend comfort of their beloved dakimakura, aka “love pillows.” I’m sure it’s nice to wrap around the 2-D image of one’s imaginary lover, but it must be a bit of a letdown considering that a pillow only satisfies two of the major senses: sight and touch. Just think how far these fan’s crazy fantasies could carry them if sound and scent also came into play.
Well, Vocaloid fans rejoice, because a member of Nico Nico Douga’s engineering department has put together an application which allows the user to not only see and interact with a 3-D virtual model of Hatsune Miku in her bed, they can also hear, touch, and even smell her! Talk about dreams come true!
It’s no secret that RocketNews24 writers are big fans of McDonald’s Japan, with its selection of artery-clogging novelty menu items providing endless amusement and article fodder at price ranges that even an Internet “journalist” can afford day after day.
Every once in a while, though, we find it necessary to dish the dirt on McDonald’s Japan so that our readers don’t think we’re on the Golden Arches’ payroll. So, fortuitously, an anonymous Netizen recently leaked McDonald’s Japan’s base costs for its most popular menu items and we have to admit, we found the dangerously low – sometimes single digit – yen values to be alarming and disturbing at the same time.
Japanese Internet shoppers thought they got an amazing deal last month when they paid just 1,000 yen (US$10) for a 18,840 yen package of three premium Japanese steaks. Word of the 95 percent discount on the shopping site Rakuten Ichiba spread like wildfire with a flurry of tweets, blog posts and message board announcements. Alas, things were not quite as they seemed.
These days, it’s not uncommon for Japanese soccer players to be placed on foreign teams. Shinji Kagawa with Manchester United and Yuto Nagatomo with Inter Milan are just two examples of Japanese athletes who play for teams abroad.
Now, the island country can lay claim to a new rising star, a nine-year-old soccer player who recently signed a contract with the world-famous Spanish soccer club, Real Madrid. Read on for a full introduction to this talented young player, as well as some videos of his amazing play style!
You can’t keep a good plumber down, and Super Mario Bros. is still going strong decades after it first launched. Veteran players will no doubt already know the locations of every hidden block, the route to every warp zone, and how to score easy extra lives by bouncing Koopa Trooper shells off staircases, but this last trick for unlimited 1-Ups isn’t so easy. Yup, it turns out that sometimes if you want infinite lives you actually have to work for them.
We apologize in advance if you have a strange fear of cucumbers or an all too common fear of snakes, but this was just too cool to pass up. The following video shows how a humble green cucumber can be transformed into what can only be described as a pickle python.
Cars sure are great. They look cool, they go vroooom really loudly, and they can even get us around to different places much faster than just walking. But there are a few drawbacks, too, perhaps the chief of which is that they’re incredibly dangerous! Zipping around at high speeds reduces the amount of time we have to react to dangerous situations and this can turn even small mistakes into giant disasters.
Of course, that’s just a problem with everyone else, right? I mean, I know I’m a great driver–this wouldn’t be an issue without everyone else on the road. Fortunately, Nissan is working on just the thing to help keep me safe: autonomous cars!
Feeling blue? Is Monday ruining the week for you? Try a bowlful of snuggly warm kitty, cozily comfortable and soooo cute, in a ridiculously small vessel. It’s good for what ails you.
These cats should feel right at home in an average Tokyo apartment!
Japanese Shinkansen welcomes overnight guests for one night during summer festival
Starbucks Japan unveils exclusive new Frappuccinos limited to three regional areas
Pokémon Card Stores requiring facial recognition scans for entry in Japan in latest anti-scalper move
A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too
McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack
Japanese government okays plan to create a backup capital city
Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?
Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China
Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
Giant Evangelion Spear of Longinus to be installed at Japanese train station with Eva art trains
Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?
Kodama Shinkansen trains on popular Japan route get a whole new look this winter
Brand new Shinkansen bullet train unveiled in Japan… but it won’t carry passengers
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see itTokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in TokyoStudio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroadSalomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japanese government okays plan to create a backup capital city
Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?
Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?
Family Mart’s new Famima flagship in Tokyo has a hidden gem that most visitors miss
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
Why is Taco Bell failing in Japan, even as the country falls in love with tacos?
61-year-old Kyoto man arrested for playing guitar and radio too loudly for seven years
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Japanese Coo-Che becomes a viral sensation, and everyone wants a taste
Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?