Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
crazy (Page 104)
The English and Japanese-language teams at RocketNews24 have entered into a strange sort of competition, as they try to one-up each other with foods that don’t look anything like they should. The English side fired the opening salvo in this war of the eyes vs. the taste buds with a sneaky pink soy sauce taste test, and now our intrepid Japanese reporter Mr. Sato has decided that revenge is a dish best served sweet with this cake from a Tokyo bakery that looks exactly like a pizza.
Anyone who has ever been on board a commercial flight would have probably noticed that aircraft lavatories tend to be smaller than regular public restrooms. Compact as they may be, though, the toilets on most commercial airlines provide enough room for an adult to get their business done. In fact, we’ve even heard of all those “mile high club” stories, so it’s probably all right to assume that those minimalistic restrooms are spacious enough for even two adults to slip in.
However, one Chinese mom on board a Shenzhen Airlines domestic flight felt that the toilet was too small, and made her son defecate on the floor of the rear cabin.
For reasons we will never fully appreciate or ever be able to fathom, wearing plastic convenience store bags as clothing is inexplicably trending in Taiwan right now. It appears the trend is being spurred partially by the convenience and life-hacky money-saving of cutting two leg holes in a 7-Eleven bag and wearing it around like pajamas, and partially by the fact that a lot of objectively good-looking women are posting their plastic bag-clothing photos on social media.
But until now, it seems no one really thought to actually take the style for a spin outside, until one crazed Taiwanese Netizen dared himself to ride around on a motorcycle wearing nothing but a plastic bag outfit if 10,000 people “liked” his initial comment.
Spoiler: They did.
It stands to reason that you shouldn’t be moving around outdoors during a typhoon. At best you’re going to get soaking wet, and potentially injury-causing flying debris are be a legitimate safety concern.
As if to serve as a reminder, the typhoon currently battering Japan decided to remind everyone to stay put by using its 255-kilometer per hour (158.8 miles per hour) winds to dramatically wreck some Okinawan drivers’ cars.
In Japan, accessories are a big part of fashion for both women and men. Some stores even try to take the guesswork out of choosing what to pair with what by offering a shirt and necklace as a set.
But while that’s handy for guys who don’t have an eye for putting together an entire outfit from scratch, this pre-set bundle that’s got people in Japan talking seems to have gotten so wrapped up in trying to look cool that it forgot about simple things like world history or cultural sensitivity, as one Japaese clothing chain is selling a combo of a tank top and a necklace with a Nazi swastika on it.
It’s not uncommon to describe a meaty dish by listing how much beef it contains. McDonald’s has had plenty of success with the Quarter Pounder, and some American restaurants will tout their steaks as being 10 ounces or more.
But have you ever stopped to think about how much rice is on your plate? We recently sent one of our reporters to a restaurant in Tokyo to take on a rice omelet, one of Japan’s favorite comfort foods, made with a staggering 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of rice.
“Gotta catch ‘em all!” isn’t just the advertising copy for Pokémon, it’s also the personal motto of the legions of hardcore fans of the series’ video game installments. But how does one find the time to track down, battle, and capture hundreds of Pocket Monsters, especially when you’ve only got so long until Nintendo releases a sequel that renders all of your old Pokémon obsolete?
Easy: you multitask by playing four copies of the game simultaneously, as this video shows.
For any guy with a romantic streak, the highlight of summer is no doubt a weekend getaway with the girl he loves. What could be better than a little sightseeing, a stroll on the beach, and a night spent together in a hotel?
But what if the girl you love happens to be a video game character? No problem! All you need is a life-size costume of your digital sweetheart and you’re all set, as this dedicated fan shows with his series of vacation photos starring one of the characters from dating simulator LovePlus.
A few days ago, we heard that Nissin, maker of Cup Noodle, was now selling ice cream topped with meat, chives, and all the other fixings that are found in instant ramen at the Cup Noodles Museum. One of my coworkers, who lives not far from the Osaka Cup Noodles Museum, bravely volunteered to try it out, and I was all set to let him be our guinea pig, since I’ve already taken one for the RocketNews24 team as far as strange desserts go.
But as it turns out, the Cup Noodle Ice Cream is available exclusively at the second Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama. Hey, wait a second! That’s where I live!
Uh oh…
Okay class, who’s ever tried aburi sushi, or seared sushi before? Sushi prepared in this manner has its own unique savoriness that’s different from that of the raw kind.
Our Japanese reporters recently got it in their heads that they wanted to try preparing some roasted sushi for themselves…and when they do something, they go all out. In other words, forget regular kitchen tools–a flamethrower was obviously called for in this situation! Would they find that bigger flames equal bigger flavor?
Earlier this month, we decided to find out just how many hard-boiled eggs you can fit into a bowl of ramen/human stomach, and found out that 10 was a doable and delicious number. But while an egg is a nice accent to a bowl of Japan’s favorite kind of noodles, the king of ramen toppings is chashu, the slice of roast pork that adds some heft and protein to the meal.
Most ramen in Japan comes with a solitary slice of chashu, but some places allow you to pile on more pork. Since we’d already gone with ten times the normal amount of toppings with eggs, we decided to raise the scale to the second power and chow down on a bowl of ramen with 100 slices of chashu.
After a long, tiring week at work, most people don’t feel like jumping out of bed to be somewhere by 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The prospect usually doesn’t get any sweeter if the reason for dragging themselves out from under the sheets is as mundane as going shopping for diapers with their spouse and mother-in-law.
Nonetheless, that what not one, but two families living in Hyogo Prefecture did last weekend. Still, the trip wasn’t as dull as it could have been. As a matter of fact, if anything there was too much excitement, as the two families ended up getting into a seven-person brawl, since they appear to be rival factions competing for riches in the wild speculative trade sector of reselling Japanese diapers in China.
So, you like eggs, but with all the conflicting research about the little balls of protein, it’s hard to decide if you should be eating zero eggs, an egg a day, or as many as you can stuff in you face. Sadly, we’re not entirely certain either, but if you simply don’t care about what’s good for you or not, we’d like you to meet your comrade-in-shells, P.K.
Our clothes-hating Japanese reporter P.K. is a huge fan of the unfertilized bird babies, and he recently read that all that research saying you shouldn’t eat too many eggs is bunk. So he decided to make up for lost time and headed down to Ramen Kagetsu Arashi to get a bowl of noodles with more eggs than a chicken coop. Egg lovers, get ready to hear your stomachs growl!
Even among otaku, those with a fondness for anime series Love Live! are known for being particularly obsessive. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that the Love Livers, as the franchise’s fans are known, worship the show’s central characters.
And if that’s the case, one arcade figured, why not give fans a place where they can kneel down and make offerings to their anime idols?
Here at RocketNews24, we like to think our Japanese-language reporter Mr. Sato doesn’t just belong to us, but that he belongs to the world. After all, the value of panning for nuggets of wisdom in his stream of craziness transcends any mere national boundaries.
And now it seems Mr. Sato belongs to history as well, as we recently found out he was featured on American TV as part of the History Channel’s family of programing. It’s a great honor…except for the part where they mistakenly introduce him as a college student who’ll eat anything for five bucks!
There are some food and beverage pairings pretty much everyone finds complementary. Wine and red meat. Milk and cookies. Draft beer and edamame soybeans.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are certain combinations we’ve learned to stay away from. Soda and Mentos, for example, are well-known to produce a volatile reaction if consumed together. But just where exactly is the human body’s threshold for these two incompatible mouth-mates?
Or, more specifically, where is RocketNews24 reporter P.K.’s body’s threshold?
While everyone has his or her own preference on what ingredients make for a great burger, we can all pretty much agree on the proper construction method, right? Bread on the top and bottom, meat, vegetables, and condiments in between has pretty much been the standard for as long as anyone can remember.
Japanese hamburger outfit Mos Burger has been shaking up the burger blueprint this summer, though. This month, the chain released a burger that replaces its bun with two thick slices of tomato, and next month Mos is set to launch something equally unusual: a burger covered entirely in sauce, even on the outside!
In Japanese high schools, it’s customary for the band to accompany the baseball team to important games. Saitama’s Namegawa Sogo High even mixes in some modern musical stylings, as Queen’s “We Will Rock You” showed up on their set list for a recent contest in the prefectural championship tournament.
Of course, such a bombastic tune coming from the stands requires equal flamboyance from the players, and one student athlete responded with the craziest batter’s box warmup we’ve ever seen.
While some may find the idea of locking themselves in their room for months or even years at a time horrifying, for some that’s just their daily life. And if you’re one of those people who much prefer their bed to the sun, this special competition sponsored by DMM may be just what you’re looking for. If you’re chosen, you’ll get free room-and-board for a week, along with all-you-can-play games — but you won’t be allowed to go outside even once.
If that sounds like a great summer vacation to you, read on to find out more.
Does anyone out there still adhere to the low-carb diet? You know, the one where you have to give up all sorts of bread-y goodness under the presumption that carbohydrates make you fat, and that upping the protein in your diet would somehow help you to lose weight? Well, if you’re in to that sort of torture, fast food chain KFC may have something for you, as stores worldwide have put out various twists on old favorites by replacing burger and hot dog buns with chicken, and now KFCs in the Philippines are upping the game with their new, extremely limited crustless chicken pizza.
And sorry, low-carbers, we lied. As breaded, deep-fried chicken isn’t exactly a proper alternative, you may want to turn away now to avoid temptation. Everyone else, you may proceed to the wonder that is the “Chizza“.
Practical Zelda Tears of the Kingdom merch is here to be Hyrule-helpful in your daily life【Pics】
Starbucks releases an official green tea chai latte with special Japanese ingredients
Ultra-cheap, convenient Tokyo hotel is a great place to stay…if you pay extra for earplugs
We check out Otaru’s real-life locales that inspired scenes in hit anime Golden Kamuy
McDonald’s Happy Meals in Japan now come with Shinkansen robots
Starbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the year
Kyoto study finds nearly 500 translation errors for foreign tourists, new guidelines released
Hidden history, retro cafes, and a shoe shrine on Asakusa bus loop【Tokyo Loop Buses】
Krispy Kreme Japan unveils new doughnuts filled with…cheese?
Tokyo’s beckoning cat temple asks foreign tourists to stop writing on the beckoning cats they buy
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says
2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!Starbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the year
Japanese man tells friend to wear suit to wedding party, so he comes as Mobile Suit Gundam
Mt. Fuji-blocking screen installed as response to bad tourist manners to be in place by next weekPractical Zelda Tears of the Kingdom merch is here to be Hyrule-helpful in your daily life【Pics】
Studio Ghibli releases new mug and tumbler collection featuring Jiji and Totoro
Cool capsule toys recreate how Japan navigated trains in pre-smartphone days【Photos】
Fried Pokémon: Tokyo restaurant serves up an unusual dish【Taste Test】
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of societyLife-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】Yes, our new smartphone looks like at least two Studio Ghibli anime characters, Sharp says
New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals
“Mt. Fuji convenience store” issues apology for bad tourist manners, adds multilingual signs2nd line of Casio watch rings hits Japanese capsule machines and we got the secret one!
Tokyo’s famous Lost in Translation hotel is closed
Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
Bad tourist manners at Mt Fuji Lawson photo spot prompts Japanese town to block view with screensMcDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950sForeigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Starbucks releases special matcha Frappuccino made with Japan’s first matcha leaves of the year
Kyoto study finds nearly 500 translation errors for foreign tourists, new guidelines released
Hidden history, retro cafes, and a shoe shrine on Asakusa bus loop【Tokyo Loop Buses】
Krispy Kreme Japan unveils new doughnuts filled with…cheese?
Tokyo’s beckoning cat temple asks foreign tourists to stop writing on the beckoning cats they buy
How to write “sakura” in Japanese (and why it’s written that way)
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
Gacha machine backpack is Japan’s hottest new fashion statement
The 2023 Sanrio character popularity ranking results revealed
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Fried sandwiches arrive in Tokyo, become hot topic on social media