When a teenage girl from a band with “baby” in its name does a better job of acting like an adult than you do, you might want to work on your manners.
controversy (Page 9)
Producer of When Marnie Was There pontificates on psychological differences between men and women.
We comb Japanese comments and interview some native Japanese to see what The Incident That Exploded The Internet has people here saying.
Pikachu and Nintendo find themselves in the middle of a cultural controversy in Hong Kong.
Qiaobi detergent promises to fight stains and wash away any faith in humanity you might be feeling at the moment.
Backlash is swift for plan which offered in-flight companionship from one of five young, intelligent women.
Once again, boobs block the path between Japan and the West.
Food fight! Are these foods cultural adaptations, or abominations? Students take up issue with their university’s menu.
Tourism association makes change in response to complaints that original poster was inappropriate.
A retailer in Singapore swung and completely missed with their advertisement that was trying to catch some of the Black Friday shopping buzz.
The city of Dazaifu, located in Fukuoka Prefecture, has a couple of nice cultural sites, such as the Tenmangu Shinto shrine and Komyozenji Buddhist temple. It’s pretty short on modern, youth-oriented attractions, though, so many of the city’s younger residents were probably thrilled when they heard that Momoiro Clover Z, one of Japan’s most popular idol units, would be holding a concert in their relatively sleepy town.
Many of them were less thrilled, though, when it was announced that the concert would be held only for male fans, a decision that’s drawn complaints from a local women’s group.
If you hail from one of the many developed nations that comprehensively frowns on the practice of whaling, you may have the image that an appalling number of people in Japan eat whale meat. And while that may be true in relative terms compared to extremely low number of people who regularly eat whale meat in several parts of North America and Europe, whaling can be a divisive topic even within Japan. Some Japanese have no problem with dining on whale from time to time, treating it like just a meatier, gamier fish. Others think eating whale is a custom that’s long past its time and needs to be rethought.
To get a preliminary understanding of some of the many different opinions on the issue that exist in the country, we interviewed a number of Japanese people and asked them whether they were in favor of or opposed to whaling and eating whale meat.
So, a little while back there was a bit of a kerfuffle about the official 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo being at least partially plagiarized by designer Kenjiro Sano.
It appears the logo bears more than a passing resemblance to a Belgian theater’s logo design, with the centerpiece typeface structure of the 2020 Olympics logo definitely looking like it was lifted wholesale from the Belgian firm’s design.
With the fate of Sano’s logo in question, a western designer has submitted his own version for consideration by the Olympic Committee and it is, uh… eccentric.
Remember that manga we talked about a while back which was a thinly veiled erotic retelling of beloved children’s story Doraemon? Or, perhaps more specifically, have you been unable to completely repress the memory and knowledge that it exists?
Nozoemon, which prominently featured an android of the same name that looked like an elementary school girl and whose moniker and design were clearly inspired by robot cat, was sure to be a decisive work. But while controversy can help generate attention and sales, it’s generally a good idea to keep the publisher on your side. Nozoemon, though, wasn’t able to do that, and it looks like the “Slightly Fakkin’” (the manga’s words, not ours) tale has come to an abrupt end.
Last Friday the logo was revealed for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was received with mixed reviews, with many of the opinion that the aesthetic thought that went into the logo wasn’t quite as deep as the message behind it.
As if there wasn’t already enough debate about the execution of the logo design itself, now there are rumors that the design could possibly be a plagiarization of the work of French designer Oliver Debie.
Japan’s always had a soft spot for the dashing, regal couple of the U.K.’s Prince William and wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. The warmhearted admiration got kicked up a notch when the prince (who’s also a duke, just for good measure) made his first trip to Japan this spring, and the infatuation went into overdrive this week with the news of the birth of the couple’s second child.
That exuberance has manifested itself in many ways, including visitors to an animal park in Oita Prefecture deciding that the facility’s newborn baby should share the infant princess’ name, Charlotte.
Not everyone agrees that’s such an honor, though.
Angelina Jolie’s latest war movie, Unbroken, has been facing criticism recently from Japanese conservatives for its portrayals of brutality in World War II prisoner of war camps. While the film hasn’t even been released yet, there are some people who want to make sure it never sees the light of day in Japan.
Readers in the West may not have heard much about it, but the 17th Asian Games were held between September 19 and October 4 in Incheon, South Korea. As the largest multi-sporting event after the Olympics, the Asian Games bring together athletes from all across the Asian continent only once every four years. By the end of this year’s competition, China had racked up the highest medal count, followed by host South Korea and Japan. However, this year’s Games were also plagued by rampant rumors of suspicious refereeing, fixed matches, and host country favoritism, leaving many nations with a bitter aftertaste upon their conclusion.
In response to the multiple stories of alleged corruption, one irate Thai viewer created a parody video to vent his frustrations. As of this writing, the video, with its scornful lyrics yet surprisingly bubbly nature, has been replayed over 2 million times on YouTube, despite having been published less than a week ago. Judging by the comments, it seems the rest of the world seems to sympathize with its message…
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Monthly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
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New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
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Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
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Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
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French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
How to fix damaged trading cards quickly and easily
Starbucks Japan adds a Motto Frappuccino to the menu for a limited time
Expensive Japanese nail clippers: Are they worth it?
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Starbucks releases a special sparkly tumbler in Japan to support diversity
Akihabara pop-up shop sells goods made by Japanese prison inmates
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Haku is…Chihiro’s dead brother? Studio Ghibli fans blown away by Spirited Away theory
Not so fast! Japan’s super-high-speed maglev Shinkansen line opening has been officially delayed
Japan’s most-wanted manga pirate forcibly repatriated, arrested as he enters Japanese airspace【Vid】
What it’s like to spend the night in a Pokémon hotel room
Infographic shows how working culture differs across the globe
Our Osaka native taste-tests the extra-expensive, extra-large Bikkuri Takoyaki octopus balls
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