calendar
A year of My Neighbour Totoro plus 22 other movies, and you get to choose when to display them.
With different characters on the front and the back, these little stands will steal your heart.
Because just one year is way too short a time to spend with Totoro, No-Face, and Kiki, right?
A sneak peek at the hottest thing to come out of Japan this winter!
Perhaps even stranger still, this particular person has achieved an almost cult-like status among some Japanese women.
As with the beginning of any new year, there comes the chore of getting a new calendar for your wall or fridge. Sure one usually arrives in the mail from your friendly neighborhood real estate agency, or you could always shell out for the motif of your choosing from a local calendar boutique.
But the really lucky years are when the perfect calendar just falls right into your lap, as it did with our Japanese writer Ponkotsu the other day. From an associate in Shanghai, he received something in the mail with the words Chinese Dream printed on its front; a calendar that he knew in an instant would become the one of his own dreams too.
Boy, have we ever got a treat coming up for all of you loyal Rocketeers!
To help ring in the new year, our staff is busy putting the finishing touches on a 2015 calendar featuring the classy men of our sister site, the Japanese language edition of RocketNews24. Not wanting to be outdone by all the other “eye candy calendars” out there, our team of Japanese writers have truly gone all out to show their appreciation for all the love and support they’ve received from our readers over the past year.
Get ready to feast your eyes on a sneak preview of what’s about to become the sexiest 2015 calendar ever to grace the internet!
As the internet implodes with the news that Kim Kardashian’s naked posterior is on the front of Paper magazine, we thought we’d jump right on the nudity bandwagon and bring you this exciting missive from the clothes-free front line.
That’s right, Taiwan’s rugby union players are releasing a naked calendar, and we’ve got the pics to prove it!
Have you ever been in a situation where you could have sworn you left an object in a certain place, yet couldn’t find it when you needed it, but it pops up at some unexpected place some time later? Have you ever thought that, perhaps there are tiny people hiding in your room, mischievously fiddling with your things?
That’s probably what fills the mind of Japanese designer and photographer, Tatsuya Tanaka, as he shows in his imaginative portfolio of miniature people having fun among everyday items around us!
Want to go to the least popular prefecture in all of Japan? Of course you do! Pack your bags, you’re going to Shimane!
Though Shimane is home to Izumo Shrine, one of the most significant shrines in all of Japan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the indescribably beautiful Oki Islands, this particular area of the Chugoku Region gets overlooked by most of Japan. In fact, year after year Shimane is ranked as Japan’s most forgotten and least identifiable prefecture.
But not to worry, that’s where Yoshida-kun, Shimane’s brutally honest mascot, comes in. We’ve seen this fellow before, pointing out Shimane’s shortcomings and proclaiming the area to be the the 47th most famous prefecture in a country that only has 47. Well, he’s back at it again with the Shimane x Takanotsume Super Deluxe Masochism Calendar 2014! Now with 20% more snark.
I recently took a few days off to visit my hometown in California. In keeping with Japanese norms, I spent most of my time there eating and loafing around my parents’ house (in my defense they have a really nice couch, and the soba noodles my wife makes at New Year’s are amazing).
Reenergized from a week of rest and relaxation, I arrived back in Japan and went to sleep, fully intending to jump out of bed at the crack of dawn and get right to work. But when I woke up around 5:30 a.m., I stopped to reconsider my plan. Given the near-freezing temperature, was crawling out from under my warm blankets really the best choice, health-wise? Shouldn’t I take it easy for a day and make sure I was over my jet-lag? I could always get serious about work the next day, right?
It turns out that not only is New Year’s procrastination common, there’s even a calendar for it, with solid excuses for nothing doing anything printed right there on it.














Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Yoshinoya invites you to give the gift of beef bowls this Mother’s Day
New interactive Pokémon attraction coming to Universal Studios Japan
This overlooked neighborhood east of Tokyo is awesome in many ways, left us with just one regret
Cosplay ideals vs. cosplay reality, a.k.a. cool vs. funny 【Photos】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
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 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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Yoshinoya invites you to give the gift of beef bowls this Mother’s Day
New interactive Pokémon attraction coming to Universal Studios Japan
This overlooked neighborhood east of Tokyo is awesome in many ways, left us with just one regret
Cosplay ideals vs. cosplay reality, a.k.a. cool vs. funny 【Photos】
We try the new Dom Dom Burger with a whole fried crab — best fast food near Sensoji temple
Pringles Chocolate, but with a Japanese twist, is the snack hack you should be trying right now
Japan to release Gundam and Char’s Zaku into space to orbit Earth, ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
Studio Ghibli releases new anime tea and mugs in Japan
Drink vending machines disappearing in Japan as number drops to lowest in 30 years
McDonald’s Japan is now adding to my giant pile of home delivery junk mail