The village of Inakadate, Aomori Prefecture is hoping to drive tourism with a Star Wars-themed rice paddy. The image of R2-D2, C-3PO, and the newly introduced BB-8 take up a 1-hectare field. The varying colors are created using 11 varieties of rice.
Anime News Network
A Franco-German artist is tasked reinterpreting an iconic symbol of Japanese culture. The torii gate is usually seen outside of Shinto shrines as a marker designating an entrance into a sacred space. Benoît Maubrey is creating a more interactive version than the traditional red ones found throughout Japan.
Meriken Park in Kobe will be the site of a torii made entirely out of 300 recycled speakers. The sculpture is functional and includes a four-way channel so visitors can speak to one another through the gate using a microphone or their smartphones. When it’s not in use, the gate will emit varying kinds of white noise.
Ōwaku Valley, a part of Mount Hakone with high volcanic activity, has been showing more signs of an impending eruption recently.
A specific trio of buff Pokémon cosplayers have popped up at anime conventions around North America, including Fanime, Anime North, and Anime Expo. Originally the group were based solely off a viral fanart image of Dugtrio but were soon joined by Chikorita and Sudowoodo.
DC-based cosplayer Sevcosplay got in on the trend, proving that franchise‘s long-lauded uselessPokémon has more to him than just splashing about. He posed for a series of photos with photographers John Jiao and Dave Yang at ColossalCon in Ohio last month.
Mamoru Hosoda‘s The Boy and The Beast film debut at #1 during the July 11-12 weekend, topping the Japanese debut of Terminator Genisys. The Boy and The Beast opened on 457 screens, and earned 667,035,100 yen (about US$5.4 million) in its first two days. The film sold 494,170 tickets over the weekend.
The August issue of Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine is announcing on Thursday that Ryōsuke Fuji will adapt Hiroshi Seko’s Attack on Titan: Lost Girls novel into a manga series. The manga will debut in the magazine’s next issue, which Kodansha will publish on August 9. The manga will have a color opening page.
Bandai Namco Entertainment posted an English-language video to preview Tekken Project’s technology demonstration “Summer Lesson,” which Sony will showcase at its E3 booth this week. The video includes a cameo at the end.
Professional kickboxer and model Hitomi Nogata is looking to boost her internet fame by offering a literal kick in the pants to anyone willing, for absolutely free. Willing participants have their “kick ass” videos uploaded to Nogata’s YouTube channel. So far, at least a dozen people have signed up.
Nana Mizuki (Hinata in Naruto, Fate in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Cure Blossom in Heartcatch Precure!) is now the “image girl” (celebrity spokeswoman) for Nakau, a Japanese restaurant chain specializing in donburi (rice bowls) and noodles.
A new commercial featuring Mizuki in a kimono advertises Nakau’s eel set meal, Unamabushi, and explains that there are three proper ways of eating the grilled eel: 1) by itself; 2) with the provided toppings; and 3) with the rice, toppings, and dashi (Japanese fish broth) in the bowl. (This is similar to a Japanese dish called ochazuke, essentially rice in tea.)
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan took a trip to Yamanashi to try out Japan’s record-breaking Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) bullet train. Travelling with him were executives from the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC (BWRR), who, after enjoying a 27-mile-long ride, headed back to Baltimore with the intention of bringing the technology stateside.
Ahoy, landlubbers! The Thousand Sunny, the preferred vessel of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, is paying a call at the port of Laguna Ten Bosch, a theme park in Gamagori, southeast of Nagoya. Interested fans are invited to board the ship for a few hours to partake in a cruise. They will be treated to a stage show, music and a toast to the Straw Hat crew. Commemorative mugs and certificates will be given as souvenirs.
The new wave of Eevee merchandise continues with a series of necklaces. There are nine necklaces for each of the evolutions represented on a silver, gold, or rose gold pendant with a semi-precious or precious stone. The price varies depending on which metal the buyer chooses. The jewelry is being made in a collaboration with K Uno.
YouTuber Aura Puffs assigned themselves a seemingly impossible task: using only one SNES controller simultaneously play through Megaman X and Megaman X2. The limitations also include no save states, pausing one game while playing another, or anything else that would take most of the challenge out of the process.
The Mitsukoshi department store brought on Toshiba’s Chihara Aico as a temporary receptionist last month to test out her in-development voice recognition software. While she isn’t as advanced as some of her other employed robot peers, Toshiba is taking Aico on the road to promote her capabilities to businesses.
When the mobile game Flappy Bird was taken off the market last year, sales of mobile phones with the game installed were quickly put on auction sites to the tune of US$300 to US$90,000. The sales on eBay technically violated the site’s Terms of Service, which required smartphones and tablets to be restored to their factory settings. Many were pulled by eBay before anyone was able to drop cash on the listings.
CineFix’s 8-Bit Cinema feature has turned plenty of popular films into video game-style videos likeTitanic, The Fast and the Furious, and The Walking Dead. On Tuesday, the group uploaded a version of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli‘s award-winning film Spirited Away, with a MIDI-version of Joe Hisaishi‘s score to boot. Much of the film’s story is condensed into a quick five minutes and is transformed into 8-bit and “a little bit of 16-bit” art.
Pokémon Centers have announced that a new line of merch based on the infinitely adorable Eevee will be unveiled soon.
The slightly sinister line of children’s clothing crossing Evangelion and Rody from Premium Bandai just got updated with more colors. The original included Unit 01 and Unit 00 with matching bibs. The new onesies are based on Asuka’s Unit 02, Mari’s Unit 05, Kaworu’s Unit 06, and the Yuru-Shito mascot.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Sony’s wearable air conditioners selling like cold cakes in heat-stricken Japan
We visit izakaya in Thailand billed as “Middle Aged Man’s Paradise”, try food that’s illegal in Japan
Making spicy instant ramen fried rice, Korea’s latest viral food trend【SoraKitchen】
This plastic wrap is supposed to turn supermarket sashimi into great sashimi, but does it work?
Our Japanese writer goes all out to get her cats an expensive exercise wheel from the U.S.
Tokyo man arrested for putting brother’s skull out for recycling collection
Weiner Onigiri: Japanese convenience store rice ball has a surprise in store for Mr Sato
Japanese convenience store teriyaki donut hamburgers are definitely weird, but are they good?
Japanese city makes list of world’s top 10 most livable cities, but not one most people expected
“Whiteday” – A Korean virtual reality horror game that’s sure to get your heart racing【Video】
Weekly
- Sony’s wearable air conditioners selling like cold cakes in heat-stricken Japan
- Japanese city makes list of world’s top 10 most livable cities, but not one most people expected
- We visit izakaya in Thailand billed as “Middle Aged Man’s Paradise”, try food that’s illegal in Japan
Nephew receives SD card after his uncle passes away, finds treasure trove of gems from the past
One Piece Red T-shirt line from Uniqlo will make fellow fans green with envy【Photos】
Receipt from Japanese kid’s first shopping trip is a heart-melting symbol of his love for his mom
Japanese travel agency reveals summer 2022’s most popular destinations domestically and abroad
Awesome-looking Japanese whiskey maker’s snack recipe requires no booze, almost no effort【Photos】
Ruling reached in lawsuit between 7-Eleven Japan, rogue owner who didn’t stay open 24 hours a day
Tokyo’s Imperial Palace to hold Floating Lantern Ceremony for first time in three years
Monthly
- Sony’s wearable air conditioners selling like cold cakes in heat-stricken Japan
Survey suggests about half of Japanese companies has an “old guy who does nothing”- Japanese city makes list of world’s top 10 most livable cities, but not one most people expected
- We visit izakaya in Thailand billed as “Middle Aged Man’s Paradise”, try food that’s illegal in Japan
Roughly 40 percent of single Japanese men in their 20s have never been on a date, survey says
This unstaffed Japanese train station is like a Ghibli anime come to life- Nephew receives SD card after his uncle passes away, finds treasure trove of gems from the past
Four (actually five) important manners tips for attending anime stage shows in Japan
Is Daiso’s 500-yen grilling plate good enough for at-home yakiniku dinners? We find out!
Real-world forest that inspired Hayao Miyazaki to create Totoro will become a nature preserve
Yearly
Mandarin orange peels aren’t trash, they’re treasure! Three chimpi tips to reuse your mikan skins
Move over grilled cheese — we’ve discovered the tastiest toasted sandwich yet【Recipe】
One Punch Man manga artist’s amazing “practice” drawing is so good we think he might not be human
How to use the new floating hologram registers at 7-Eleven
Liev Schreiber’s son deemed “too beautiful” in Japan
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Japanese woman finds better way to make potato salad, we may not be able to go back to old style
Miss Universe 2021 Japan entry slammed for wearing “dead person’s kimono”
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
Japanese company develops a door within a door, and it’s a great idea
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Tokyo man arrested for putting brother’s skull out for recycling collection
Weiner Onigiri: Japanese convenience store rice ball has a surprise in store for Mr Sato
Japanese convenience store teriyaki donut hamburgers are definitely weird, but are they good?
Japanese city makes list of world’s top 10 most livable cities, but not one most people expected
“Whiteday” – A Korean virtual reality horror game that’s sure to get your heart racing【Video】
New custom-made Sony earphones come with a price tag so high you won’t believe your ears
Nephew receives SD card after his uncle passes away, finds treasure trove of gems from the past
Literal breastplate will give you a cosplay-ready, anime-class bust in seconds 【Photos】
Japan’s first-ever capybara cat cafe opens in Tokyo
Check out these amazing Ghibli-inspired tattoos
History’s worst job? Japanese noblewomen used to hire servants to take the blame for their farts
Believe it! Naruto live-action stage play returns, shows off huge new cast and costumes【Photos】
10 vegetarian foods you can order at almost any Japanese restaurant
Social distancing ideals vs reality: Beautiful Thai woman reveals the difference【Photos】
-
