Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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Here’s a striking example of how strained the relationship is between South Korea and Japan: The latest survey from Asian Institute for Policy found that among South Koreans, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un scored higher in favorability ratings than Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Toyota’s FV2 concept has made its European debut, and it doesn’t look like anything else at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. It comes with lots of fancy technology, three wheels, and no steering wheel.
Samsung made a few product announcements today, including a new water-resistant phone, the Galaxy S5. But the coolest announcement of all may be its new fitness tracker, the Gear Fit.
The Gear Fit is entering a crowded market. Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone have been innovating on wearable fitness tech for years.
But the Gear Fit’s sleek design, curved glass, robust set of features and multi-color screen make it more alluring than any fitness device that’s currently available. The battery lasts 3 – 4 days.
We got our hands on the Gear Fit at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona. It won’t be available until April 2014, but you can check out big beautiful pictures of it now.
Warner Bros. and Legendary just released the second trailer for “Godzilla” and it’s absolutely amazing — but not for the reason you think.
An unidentified Chinese man in his thirties or forties stole an alligator coat valued at approximately $128,000 from a Hong Kong Burberry store by putting it on and just walking out the front door on Wednesday, authorities told South China Morning Post.
The South Korean Olympic Committee has filed an official protest of the result of the women’s figure skating event at the Olympics over ‘biased judging,’ according to the Associated Press.
A CCTV security camera in Haikou, China captured what looks like a man shoving a woman down a manhole then covering up the spot with cardboard. The incident happened in mid-December but the video is making its way around the Internet right now.
The pair reportedly had a relationship and the man owed her $20,000.
The woman was rescued 60 hours later when she was heard crying for help. The manhole was three meters deep, according to TomoNews. The woman tried to make a ladder out of clothes but it didn’t work.
“I did not sleep at all the first night I fell in the manhole,” the woman, Guo, was quoted as saying. “I could see the darkness around me. I thought that I would not be choked to death if I looked up.”
Here’s the video of what appears to be attempted murder and of the rescue.
“Pump torture. After sitting, you stand about a hundred times.”
A United Nations panel has accused North Korea of crimes against humanity, including systematic extermination, “murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence … and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation.”
The report is based on a year of public hearings with about 80 witnesses as well as confidential interviews with another 240 victims, including people who’d spent time in North Korean prison camps and experts.
Kim Kwang-il, a 48-year-old man who spent two years in a prison in North Korea, defected to South Korea in February 2009 and subsequently had professional artists draw sketches based on his recollections of torture and the conditions of prisoner life. Some of these were included in the report.
Twelve years ago, South Korea’s Ahn Hyun-soo crashed into Apolo Ohno a few feet from the finish line in the men’s short track 1000m at the Olympics.
It sparked an intense rivalry between the two skaters that peaked at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, where Hyun-soo won three gold medals to Ohno’s one.
On Saturday night in Sochi, the Hyun-soo won gold again. But now his name is Viktor Ahn, and he skates for Russia.
A volcanic eruption is terrifying on its own, but we just learned that, even more terrifyingly, the avalanche of hot rocks, ash, and gas that volcanoes spew can spawn giant tornado-like twisters.
This was caught on video after a pyroclastic flow from Mount Sinabung, a volcano in Indonesia that’s recently started spewing again after more than 400 years of dormancy.
Single women in China are under such intense pressure to find a mate that some are resorting to renting “boyfriends” online to accompany them on dates and trips to see their families.
On Taobao, China’s biggest online marketplace, women can choose from hundreds of temporary companions and reserve them for hours or days at a time by paying a deposit.
Melanie Lee, a news blogger for Alibaba — which owns Taobao — recently decided to give the service a try, and she shared her experience via email with Business Insider.
The opening of McDonald’s first restaurant in Vietnam on Saturday drew massive crowds, as well as a live DJ, face painting and various performers.
Hundreds of people began camping out at the new location in Ho Chi Minh City hours before its 8 a.m. opening to get their first taste of a Big Mac and fries made in their own hometown, according to Liberty Voice.
Bookstores can be a destination upon themselves. From Venice to Mexico City, check out some of the most interesting book retailers out there.
January 31st marked the Lunar New Year, and this is a time when many flock to temples and light incense and pray for the new year.
China News, cited by Chinascope, reported that a temple in Zhejiang Province used this opportunity to jack up prices for the chance to light the first incense. The temple reportedly charged $19,470 to light the first incense.
The Chinese language is widely regarded as one of the most difficult languages to learn.
There are more than 80,000 Chinese characters in existence, although a non-native speaker can get by with 1,000 of the most frequently used.
To make matters more complicated, the characters that make up each word or phrase individually carry different meanings based on the context in which they’re used. For example, the Chinese character 吃 could mean “eat,” “drink,” “bear,” or “take,” depending on the phrase that surrounds it.
As hard as the language is, it can also be incredibly poetic when translated character by character into English, and sometimes hilarious.
China’s smog — which routinely engulfs major cities like Beijing and Shanghai — is notorious, and it’s recently reached “danger levels.” But the the smog in New Delhi, The New York Times reports, is actually worse.
The air in New Delhi “is more laden with dangerous small particles of pollution, more often, than Beijing’s,” Gardiner Harris writes, and “a very bad air day in Beijing is about an average one in New Delhi.”
China has some interesting matchmaking and dating practices. There are love hunters who track down potential wives for China’s richest bachelors and there are “leftover women,” who are criticized for being older than 27 and unmarried.
In some cases, when a male dies too young, families have “ghost marriages,” exhuming female corpses and marrying the pair.
So, it’s natural for many young Chinese to want to allay their parents’ anxiety over their single-dom. And now they can take to Alibaba-owned online retailer Taobao, tweets George Chen at South China Morning Post. That’s the equivalent of shopping for a date on Amazon or eBay.
Chen Guangbiao is an audacious man, and not just because he wants to buy the New York Times for $1 billion (or $2 billion or $3 billion).
One of China’s top 400 richest people, he was estimated to have a personal fortune of worth $740 million in 2012, but how he’s really made his name is by high-profile charity donations — something he brands “flashy philanthropy.”
Wal-Mart just recalled donkey meat in China because it contained meat from other animals, including fox.
Despite the recent scandal, the mega-retailer has become wildly popular in China. Wal-Mart plans to open 110 additional stores there in the next few years.
Shopping at a Chinese Wal-Mart is totally different from shopping in one in the U.S.
We highlighted some notable contrasts.
Did you know that the ice cream emoji is just the poop emoji re-purposed?
In honor of the Emoji Art Show in New York City, creative agency 5Loom created a timeline of emoji development that points out this and other pivotal moments in emoji history.
Check it out:
Gundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoy
Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue
Krispy Kreme releases new limited-edition fox doughnuts at only four stores in Japan
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Two new Sailor Moon art manhole covers are coming to Usagi’s real-world Tokyo neighborhood
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in JapanKanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat loversTokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on itJapan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoyJapanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summerGundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and SakuraKanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurinesJapan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks 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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Two new Sailor Moon art manhole covers are coming to Usagi’s real-world Tokyo neighborhood
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
Man in Japan calls in bomb threat because he doesn’t want to go to his own work farewell party
McDonald’s Japan adds curry French fry flavor, regional-taste burgers to its menu with Gotochi Mac
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Memorial bell inside Hiroshima’s Peace Park has been silenced, but for a sweet reason
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Japanese vending machine find introduces us to a new drink you can’t get anywhere else