Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
cute (Page 110)
We’ve all got that song that really moves us, gets us caught up in its beats and has us tapping our feet or nodding our head. But are the pleasures of music limited only to the human species? Most would argue that yes, music is an art unfortunately lost on animals. Or, at least, that they can’t enjoy it on the same level as us Homo-sapiens.
To you nay-sayers, hold that thought, because we found one groovy cool cat who begs to differ!
Japan may not be cold enough for a three-dog night yet, but the season is just right for a one-cat nap, as these heartwarming photos prove.
People all over the world have heard of Okunoshima, popularly known as “Rabbit Island.” It’s a tiny island off the coast of Hiroshima overflowing with adorable little bunnies who want nothing more than to smother you with love and eat your food.
But on our latest trip to Okunoshima, we wanted to go one step further: we wanted to be covered in as many fluffy bunnies as humanly possible. And what better way to do that than by becoming a bunny ourselves? Read on to see more of our pink, furry excursion.
Let’s say you’re producing a music video. A tried-and-true method is to simply splice together some clips of the artist’s last concert tour. Or, if the song hasn’t been performed live yet, you could do a “behind-the-scenes” sort of thing with footage of the singer in the studio.
But here’s what happens when you take a third option: Making a music video starring Japan’s most amazing nine-year-old karate expert.
Earlier this year, we saw that Chanrio Maker is the easiest way to reimagine yourself as a Sanrio character. Now that the end of the year is approaching, it turns out you can use your own Chanrio to make the cutest New Year’s cards ever!
Looking up into the vastness of space, it’s only natural for one to wonder if we’re really all alone here. There are reports of contact with alien life all the time, sometimes even with photographic material to support them. Some of them are undoubtedly hokey, but others make you pause and wonder…
Like this photo, of a martian living on a lone street in a Japanese neighborhood. A young five-year-old had seen the martian many times before she took her mother along to see. The mother then snapped a photo of the encounter and posted it on Twitter for the world to see…
Depending on where you grew up, prairie dogs might be nothing more than hated, pesky varmints you just wish would go away. But in Japan, they are adorable little creatures deserving all your squeals of “kawaiiiii” — especially when they end up in a traffic jam!
Halloween may be over, but that hasn’t put a stop to the internet being flooded with pictures of all the amazing and not-really-amazing-but-still-popular costumes that people wore.
One costume that was especially popular this year was the Inklings from the Wii U game Splatoon, but the ones who pulled it off the best have to be this pair of Japanese kids. Not only are their costumes homemade, but they look absolutely adorable while running around covering everything in pretend ink.
Doing school or office work can be a real drag. Taking notes? Completing worksheets? Writing reports? You’ve got more pressing matters to attend to, like checking all of your social media sites for the fifth time in five minutes.
But in the end those things just have to be done, so why not mix it up a bit? Let your “latte” sharpen your pencils, your bottle of mayo white-out your mistakes, and your naan hold all of your writing utensils together. Take a look below to see all the nifty stationery goods that don’t even look like stationery at all!
When you’re looking for cute inspiration, you don’t have to look much further than Japan. As the birthplace of the world’s beloved wide-eyed, chubby-faced anime characters, the nation is full to overflowing with commercials, posters, sweets and goods that are so adorable even self-respecting adults can’t help but squeal like delighted children when they catch sight of them.
Now Japan’s cast of cute characters have found a home for themselves across the seas in a gorgeous little Airstream trailer in California, where they continue to pop up in limited numbers in the best way ever: as deliciously sweet macarons. Come with us as we take a look at some of the cute critters and adorable edibles in the collection after the break.
During these crisp, cool days of autumn, the leaves are changing color to vibrant reds and yellows. Along with that change in the scenery comes a shift in fashion, as people step out in sweaters, coats, and other cold-weather attire.
But while you or I can put on a heavy jacket to help ward off the chill, that’s not an option for Japan’s woodland animals. Don’t worry, though because while these tanuki can’t put on additional layers of clothing to keep warm, they can add additional layers of tanuki by sleeping in an adorable bunch.
The anime series Gintama has been having a great season, starting off with a hilarious parody in which main character Gintoki re-enacted shamed Japanese politician Ryutaro Nonomura’s very public bawling session from last year. Then, mid-way through this season, there were a couple of genderbent episodes in which members of the cast were suddenly transformed into the opposite sex, including the cool and masculine Gintoki who became the cute and busty Ginko!
To celebrate the fun of that mini-arc, Premium Bandai is selling 1,000 limited-edition figures of Ginko-chan and we can’t get over how adorable she is!
Though it may not seem like it, Japan is actually a fairly sizable country, with a lot of ground for sightseers to cover. It’s so big, in fact, we imagine it’d be difficult to a regular tourist to see all of it.
But what if you grew up in Japan and spent all your free time traveling around the country? Well, in that case, we bet you’d get to see a whole lot more of it, and for one Japanese Internet user, that exactly describes their life—but with one very cool addition. It turns out this anonymous traveler loves to take photos of cats at their various destinations.
Check out the awesome and adorable photo album below!
Attack on Titan fans who pre-ordered the new Levi figure by Good Smile were no doubt super-excited when orders started shipping last month. But one buyer, who goes by the username @Levi_Eren_Karin on Twitter, couldn’t help but tweet about her surprise when the contents inside weren’t quite what she had been expecting…
Japanese often say that a good view makes a meal taste better, so it goes without saying that a cute-looking lunchbox would also enhance the contents inside. From meals served in Shinkansen-shaped containers or rabbit-faced boxes that can be reused as coin banks, to lunch boxes that play music or have collector’s items hidden inside, Japan’s ekiben take Japanese food to a whole new level.
Today we’d like to tell you about “Ekiben”, a little book by Aki Tomura which introduces the best and most unique train station lunch boxes in Japan. We’ve chosen just a few to highlight from this gorgeously photographed, pocket-size book. The word Ekiben is a combination of two Japanese words: eki (station) and bento (lunchbox), so make your next train trip a gourmet ride with these bento available at various JR stations—just waiting for you to buy, smile, and devour.
Let the fun begin!
Last weekend, it was like someone flipped a switch and put an end to the pleasantly mild weather Japan has been enjoying this fall. Since then, it’s been piercingly cold winds, gray skies, and as of this morning, a steady downpour on the Tokyo area.
To fight off the chill, many people fired up their halogen space heaters. Handy as they may be, though, they don’t warm the air so much as the body of whoever is sitting closest to the device. As such, everyone wants the prime spot right in front of the heater, including this cozy pet parrot.
As Halloween gets increasingly popular in Japan, “Trick or treat!” is becoming part of the country’s extensive lexicon of popular foreign phrases. After all, just saying the words instantly legitimizes your reason for cosplaying and gets you some free candy.
Of course, you don’t actually have to know the phrase to celebrate Halloween. This cute kitty, for example, is getting in on all the fun of dressing up and eating treats, even though it can’t say a single word, thanks to its clever owner.
While tiny dogs don’t mind being ferried about in designer handbags, cats would rather scratch our arms off than let us take them outside the front door. Cat owners have suffered for too long, going about their lives outside without the company of their feline companions, but now there’s a clever way for us to carry a cute kitten around in our bags and keep our arms at the same time, with the adorably realistic cat pouch from Felissimo.
If there’s one rule of the Internet, it’s that cats make everything cute: kimonos, headbands, air fresheners, and apparently even stealing things too.
Case in point: a kitty-sized lottery ticket booth was recently broken into by one greedy cat, and the owner caught the animal red-handed, posting the adorable evidence on Twitter. Stealing is bad, but these cats make being a thief look so cute!
October 24 may be seven days before Halloween to most people, but for those in Japan with a Java sparrow (called buncho in Japanese), it’s the day to celebrate your cute little buddy.
Last year the hashtag #文鳥の日2014 (#buncho no hi 2014) was trending and owners all over the country shared pictures of their pet birds. Luckily, this year we were treated to even more pictures of Java sparrows as proud owners wanted to share their joy with the Twitterverse.
Enjoy the best selection of these adorable little guys, after the jump.
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
Mt Fuji convenience store becomes “lawless zone” as tourists hurl abuse at security guards
Man with snake face tattoo arrested for assault, neighbors shocked he would do such a thing【Vid】
How often do Japanese people search for their ex online?【Survey】
Travel tip: Fukuoka has a great luggage delivery service that’s cheaper than a coin locker
An ode to Japan’s musical trucks and the wondrous things they sell
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Japan’s biggest manga magazine is raising its minimum payment rate for creators
Wazigen Shizukaya’s latest collection of modern men’s kimono make a move for high fashion
Do cold noodles from a Japanese vending machine fill us with joy or regret?
Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】
Celebrating Good Couple’s Day in Japan…by getting our significant others to dress us
7-Eleven Japan releases fukubukuro lucky bags filled with convenience store surprises
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Starbucks Japan reveals new holiday goods for the 2024 festive season
Beautiful Totoro bag returns, still requires jumping through an extra hoop to get, still worth it
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a rowStudio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’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
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
An ode to Japan’s musical trucks and the wondrous things they sell
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
Japan’s biggest manga magazine is raising its minimum payment rate for creators
Wazigen Shizukaya’s latest collection of modern men’s kimono make a move for high fashion
Do cold noodles from a Japanese vending machine fill us with joy or regret?
Sailor Moon Sanrio partnership adds pairings for Sailor Starlights in new crossover merch line【Pics】
Taste-testing 3 fast food chains’ autumn chocolate pies in Japan to find the ultimate pie
Doujinshi manga/anime chain announces moratorium on Visa/Mastercard credit card payments
Rice robot serves free refills at Japanese set meal restaurant
Taking Amazon Japan’s lowest-rated light-up nunchucks out for a spin
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Daiso opens massive new 25,392-square foot Tokyo flagship store with its two sub-brands included