croquet
2014 has not been a stellar year for McDonald’s Japan. The tainted chicken scandal of midyear rocked the fast-food chain so much that it’s core audience of netizens decried every offering since. It wasn’t for lack of trying as they hauled out some alternative tofu nuggets only to float back to chicken nuggets offered for free. The company then tried offering the sophisticated taste of mushroom risotto balls and a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) burger with sauce selected by a nationwide search.
However, all of these efforts fell on deaf ears and itchy typing fingers hammering out comments such as “Never again” and “It’s too easy to see they’re fine with using dodgy meat.” It had gotten to the point that you might think Japan had turned its collective back on McDonald’s forever, but as the New Year’s song goes: Should old acquaintance be forgot?
Maybe so as McDonald’s Japan’s latest offering has been getting a relatively warm response, and all it took was a little crabbiness.
The body of a man was discovered earlier today on a gate-ball (a game similar to croquet) lawn in the city of Urayasu, Chiba prefecture, just miles from the Tokyo Disneyland resort.
At 7:05 a.m. local time, police received a phone call saying that a man believed to be in his 50s had been found lying face-up on the ground near a storage shed at the gate-ball field.
In an even more dramatic twist to this sad tale, the man is reported to have been holding a handgun in his right hand.



Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Totoro carabiner pouches are ready to clip/tag along with you on all your adventures[Photos]
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Japanese-style afternoon tea in this Japanese manor house outside downtown Tokyo is something special
Haikyu fan event lets you step onto the court, see what it’s like to play with the anime athletes
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
Ponyo-catching game comes to Ghibli Park anime theme park this summer
Cup Noodle’s Nissin develops space ramen, space curry rice for astronauts to eat among the stars
Suit up for video conference calls with new business pyjamas from Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
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
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
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
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
Ponyo-catching game comes to Ghibli Park anime theme park this summer
Cup Noodle’s Nissin develops space ramen, space curry rice for astronauts to eat among the stars
Suit up for video conference calls with new business pyjamas from Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Dance group World Order rocks the world with “Let’s start WW3” music video【Video】
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Turn a rainy forecast into a blast at the Naruto & Boruto Ninja Village May Rain Festival 2026
Evangelion original anime studio Gainax is now completely dissolved, Eva’s creator mourns ruined friendships
Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make
Beautiful Ghibli earrings allow you to finally reunite two of the studio’s star-crossed lovers
New sakura Kit Kat range celebrates cherry blossom season in Japan