Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
There seems to be something about the yakuza that appeals to the people of Thailand. First, we witnessed a brand of possibly yakuza themed tea: Chakuza. Now we are presented with Yakuzaaa Man Man Japanese Kitchen, which seems to be a hit with local youths and foreigners. You might be thinking from the name that it’s a gay restaurant, but it’s not.
At least I’m pretty sure it’s not…
In these days of digital media the world is losing more and more brick & mortar shops, which is a shame. Take ebooks for example. Sure they’re infinitely more convenient and less space consuming. But half the fun of reading is going to the book store to find hidden gems and what could be your next favorite. No matter what book store you go to you can’t help but get filled with a sense of elegance and tranquility.
With that in mind, photographer Koach, before capturing the second most beautiful bookstore in Argentina, started his journey in Portugal at the oppositely designed but equally beautiful, Livraria Lello & Irmão (Lello for short).
The Japanese branch of global hactivist group Anonymous has announced they will be holding their second Anonymous Cleaning Service event at Comic Market 82, which started today at 10am Japan time.
Those wishing to participate should ready their Guy Fawkes masks and head to the Yagurabashi pedestrian bridge in front of Tokyo Big Site by 3pm. Participants should also be prepared to take home whatever trash they collect and dispose of it themselves (there are no trash cans on the street in Japan).
At Japanese universities, female science and engineering majors are definitely in the minority. Even in Tokyo, it’s not uncommon for ladies to make up less than 10% of enrollment for science departments. But the elusive rikei joshi, or “science girl,” does exist and Japanese student organization CURIE is holding a pageant called “Miss Rekei Contest” to give them a chance to prove they’ve got beauty as well as brains.
Sunday afternoon, Seattle Mariners shortstop Munenori Kawasaki was on first base and showed off a sweet little fake steal move before pedaling back to first. It got not only the commentators but team members on both sides chuckling a bit. Read More
We’ve all had teachers with a variety of temperaments. Some were cool, mellow. Some awkward, or just characters. （But hey, teachers are human too and they have to put up with students’ quirkiness as well).
Have you ever said or done anything that pushed your teacher over the edge, even for just a second? Below are an assortment of such utterances taken from a 2ch thread titled “Tell Us Something You Said That Pissed off Your Teacher.” Some of them may sound weird, and you may be shocked at the violent reaction of some of the teachers, but you need to take into account that some forms of hitting are still considered acceptable in Japanese schools. Read More
In my career as a journalist, never have I seen such a debacle. The match in question was a bantamweight match, between Azerbaijan’s Magomed Abdulhamidovand Japan’s Satoshi Shimizu. On five occasions in one round, Shimizu knocked down Abdulhamidov, who also received a two-point penalty. The judges ended up awarding victory by judgment to his opponent, who was the one who spent more time on the canvas, and the referee didn’t stop the match as he would reasonably expected to during one of these downs, nor did he even start counting down a single knockdown. What exactly is going on with refereeing in the London Olympics? Read More
Summer in Japan is all about matsuri, or festivals. Young people dressed in yukata walking through streets lined with food stalls and game booths, the rowdy, drunken group of local men carrying a giant mikoshi shrine through the crowd while yelling “Washoi! Washoi!” and, of course, the fireworks.
The Japanese take fireworks very seriously, which is why Japan is home to some of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the world. To see what we mean, the fireworks show at this year’s Nagaoka Matsuri in Niigata prefecture has been generating buzz on the net thanks to some amazing video footage posted to YouTube. Check it out below!
It must be hard to be an Olympic athlete with all that pressure to perform with the eyes of the world watching you and asking you to do your very best in that one moment. Not to mention that most of them are far from home in a strange land with strange customs.
For many, the best way to relax the mind and get reconnected to your homeland is by music. And there’s no better way to deliver this acoustic tranquilizer than through a pair of the increasingly popular brand of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Unfortunately, electronics giant Samsung wants to take those away from the athletes.
When robot vacuum cleaners first hit the scene about a decade ago, they appeared to signal the end of lugging around traditional upright models. However, with a pretty hefty price tag and comparatively limited cleaning ability, they haven’t exactly caught the world on fire.
Seeing this, Sharp has developed a robot vacuum cleaner destined to light a fire under consumers: ladies and gentlemen, meet COCOROBO (also affectionately known as, RX-V100W). So what makes COCOROBO so great? Well, for starters, it’s remote-controlled and able to talk with people.
A 19 year-old male university student was arrested on suspicion of violating the Minor Offenses Act for attempting to video tape inside another female university student’s room.
The shocking part was how he came to be arrested. Before starting the story, I would like to emphasize that this criminal was enrolled in an institution of higher learning, which should imply a certain level of intelligence.
Tokyo’s famous Comic Market (Comiket) 82, the world’s largest doujinshi convention, is set to kick off on 10 August. We can be sure to expect cosplayers and original comics a plenty, but one particular creation has be stirring up a fair bit of hype weeks before the gates open – the PC game Sutra Master.
Sutras are, in a nutshell, short pearls of spiritual wisdom like something you might find in a high-brow fortune cookie and are often compared to prayers in other religions. Taken from Buddhist texts and often chanted during meditation or religious ceremonies, sutras are generally treated with solemn dignity but Sutra Master takes them to a weird new place.
The Shiba Inu is one adorable little ball of fluff, especially from behind. I mean, who can resist that curled up tail nestled atop a plump little posterior that shakes back and forth as they trot along.
Japanese blogger and Shiba Inu-lover Takedatake has recently found inspiration in that captivating rear view for a novel at-home recipe he calls: “Shiba Inu Plump Booty Curry.”
Instructions on how to make the dish follow below:
Famitsu has revealed three new songs for the upcoming Playstation Vita game Hatsune Miku Project DIVA f and it looks like one of the internet’s favorite memes, the Nyan Cat song, made the list.
We haven’t been this excited for a rhythm game since Trogdor made it into Guitar Hero II.
If you’ve visited Singapore, you may be familiar with the tasty local noodle dish, hokkien mee. Well, now that the Singapore Restaurant and hokkien mee specialty shop “Yac Man” has opened in Omote-Sando, those of you based near Tokyo won’t have to travel all the way to Singapore to get your fix! And since we’re always on the lookout for new and interesting foods, we sent one of our reporters to “Yac Man” to see what hokkien mee is all about.
Collecting is one of the predominate themes of the Pokémon franchise and Nintendo never seems to run out of new things for fans to spend their Pokédollars on.
For example, on August 3, The Pokémon Company reveled, “Pokemomo,” their newest lineup of adorable Pokémon merchandise featuring the artwork of Japanese illustrator Momo Okada.
A lone salaryman walks in to a room with bento in hand and sits down at a table to enjoy his lunch in privacy. He unties the knot holding together the bandana bundle to reveal a small brown bento box and chopsticks case. Finally, the man removes the lid from the bento to unveil a mouth-watering assortment of…colored yarn?
What follows is some hardcore lunchtime needlework.
Japan’s most famous Mt. Fuji view park cancels cherry blossom festival because of overtourism
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Three beautiful places to see Japan’s plum blossoms after starting your day in downtown Tokyo
No talking allowed, at all, at new Tokyo cafe, even when you’re ordering【Videos】
Thai anti-drinking PSA is surprisingly compelling 【Video】
What makes this new Japanese convenience store chain better than 7-Eleven?
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take “radio calisthenics” to an interesting new level
Naruto jerseys coming to Major Leage Baseball theme nights, Hello Kitty to take over a field
And now, we eat a bear paw we bought in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture【Taste test】
We take a trip to the adorable Doraemon station and soak up the adorable kitty robot anime decor
Yokai are descending upon Tokyo this spring in the latest immersive art experience
New Studio Ghibli stamps leave an impression on your stationery…and your heart
Japan cherry blossom forecast update moves up sakura dates for many parts of the country
Cherry blossom forecasts map shows Japan’s OTHER sakura season is starting right now
Japan’s Naruto theme park now offering real-world version of Minato’s kunai ninja weapon
Japan has a new bar just for people thinking about quitting their jobs, and the drinks are free
Morning-after pill finally available in Japan without a prescription, must be taken at pharmacyAnd now, we eat a bear paw we bought in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture【Taste test】
Studio Ghibli turns My Neighbour Totoro characters into bag charms for everyday adventures
Japanese women sound off on their minimum height requirements for a husband【Survey】
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning looks to be affecting tourist crowds on Miyajima
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminatingJapan’s Naruto theme park now offering real-world version of Minato’s kunai ninja weapon
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in TokyoStarbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
What makes this new Japanese convenience store chain better than 7-Eleven?
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take “radio calisthenics” to an interesting new level
Naruto jerseys coming to Major Leage Baseball theme nights, Hello Kitty to take over a field
And now, we eat a bear paw we bought in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture【Taste test】
We take a trip to the adorable Doraemon station and soak up the adorable kitty robot anime decor
10 beautiful packaging designs from Japan
New live-action Sailor Moon stage musical cast revealed
Ghost in the Sheel goes traditional with Japanese porcelain Tachikoma robots, only 50 to be made
Act of Japanese kindness touches one man’s heart, provides hope for elevator etiquette
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Fan Creates Anime Intro For Power Rangers: Shattered Grid
Flex and pose your way to fitness with the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure exercise program!【Video】
Japanese women sound off on their minimum height requirements for a husband【Survey】