Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
cute (Page 132)
Although Hello Kitty is its most recognizable icon, she’s not the only star in the Sanrio lineup of cute mascot characters. Pink-hooded rabbit My Melody also has a loyal fanbase since her debut in 1975, and starting this month, she’ll be getting her own cafe in Tokyo, complete with palate-pleasing pink parfaits, curry, and special My Melody merchandise you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
If you were fighting the temptation to dig into confectioner Cozy Corner’s selection of cakes inspired by the leading ladies of the Disney animated canon, congratulations. Your struggle is over, since as of March 4, they’re no longer available.
If, on the other hand, you were hoping to try the stylish sweets for yourself but just couldn’t find the time, you have our sincere sympathies. Don’t feel too bad, though, because no sooner has one set of Cozy Corner Disney desserts bowed out than another has appeared on the scene, this time featuring the studio’s beloved characters cosplaying as Easter bunnies.
Japan is home to hundreds of animal cafes where guests are able to hang out with cats, rabbits, and even owls as they sip lattes and cups of herbal tea. These establishments give their patrons, often people who live in rented accommodation in urban areas, a chance to interact with animals that they would not be able to keep at home due to a lack of space or strict “no pets” clauses in tenancy agreements.
In Korea, however, one particular cafe has upscaled the experience with something much bigger and fluffier than the common bunny, cat or pup. Check out this unique cafe which houses a pair of beautiful, friendly sheep!
PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) is something many women and men are familiar with. Women bear the brunt of it on a monthly basis, while some men are indirect victims due to the mood swings of the “PMS-ing” females around them.
I doubt anyone would disagree that PMS is in no way enjoyable, but for once, the monstrosity that messes up our lives on a regular basis is starting to look interesting as Korean pop idol Lizzy teams up with comedian Park Myeong-Su to sing about it. Check out the music video after the break!
Cat lovers in New York City have rejoiced since mid-December, when Meow Parlour, the city’s first cat cafe, opened its doors.
For the uninitiated, lets explain what a cat cafe is. It’s not a place where you take your own cat to hang out and have coffee. It’s not a restaurant that has cats on the menu. It is a place where you can enjoy the companionship of cats while sipping on coffee and munching on a cat-shaped macaron.
One of the best parts of traveling to other countries are all the new and exciting (and sometimes even gag-inducing) food experiences that come with it. While some may turn up their nose at something like fermented cabbage, fish eggs, or animal innards – something which is strange and exotic to one culture but a completely normal food to another – these likes and dislikes really have little to do with personal tastes, and everything to do with upbringing.
I believe that it is very important for kids to be introduced to many different cultures from a young age, to help give them a better understanding of and respect for the world around them, and what better way to do that than by introducing foods from other countries? That is what the people over at YouTube channel Cut Video did, when they created their video “American Kids Try Breakfasts From Around the World”.
As we all know, kids can tend to be picky eaters, so introducing them to unknown foods is sure to bring a few sour faces, as you can see in the video after the jump!
With just one month of winter left, it’s time to start looking ahead for all the great things spring promises. And while we’re all happy about getting some extra daylight and the prospect of being able to wear fewer than three layers of clothes whenever we step out our front door, we’re even more excited that Krispy Kreme Japan is once again whipping up a special group of Easter donuts, which promise to be just as adorable as they were last year and possibly even more delicious.
If you’re a Pokémon fan who’s feeling blue over missing your chance to eat at the limited-time restaurants based on the series that previously appeared in Yokohama and Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood, cheer up. Until the end of February, the Pokémon Cafe is back again, this time in the trendy part of Tokyo called Shibuya, and looks to be cuter than ever.
Unfortunately, when you combine food and cuteness in one of the busiest cities on earth, you also get long lines. Helping to make the wait worth it, though, is the possibility of having a meal while sharing your table with a very special dining companion, Pikachu.
Earlier in the week, we reported that the phenomenon of putting weird stuff on your pet and taking a photo of it was having a revival on Twitter in Japan. Today, we’re delighted to bring you even more pictures of a range of fuzzy animals with stuff precariously balanced on them!
A few months ago, we took a look at a collection of truly unique socks that took their styling cues from shirts by providing cute and quirky collars for your ankles. The offbeat idea seems to have found a market, as manufacturer Erimaki Sox is back again with three new designs that add extra femininity, button-down class, and even some sailor suit-style playfulness.
Even in the era of having the sum of human knowledge to date in your pocket, there’s something to be said about using a sweet novelty clock. If you’re in Japan, you have lots of options. There’s Zelda clocks, beautiful-women clocks, clocks that come for free in magazines. But that’s just scraping the surface, because apparently there’s such a thing as bread clocks too.
One Twitter user recently posted that he’d been having problems with his bread clock constantly telling the wrong time – until he found out the reason why. And no, it’s not because the clock is a piece of bread – the real reason is far more adorable than that.
When lying in bed at night, have you ever heard a weird noise — a creaking floorboard or the rustling of a piece of paper? Has food ever mysteriously disappeared? While it very well could have been a ghost, it could have just as easily been a ninja-cat hiding in the nooks and crannies of your home!
Some ninja-cats are more skilled than others, living in apartments and stealing food completely undetected by the owners. Others, however, are not so stealthy and occasionally get caught on camera. Observe!
If you’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time on the internet over the past few years (haha, who are we kidding, of course you have), then you’ll probably be familiar with the trend of balancing stuff on your pets. It’s practically an old meme now, but for some reason it seems to be having a revival on Twitter in Japan. Two doting pet owners tweeted some choice snaps of their fuzzy buddies practically buried under a mountain of… stuff, and it’s totally squee-worthy! Join us after the jump for some very unamused but amusing pets!
Japanese homes are notorious for being poorly insulated, in the wintertime often leaving you feeling just as cold indoors as you do outside.
Despite having permanent fur coats (lucky them!) our pets can still feel the chill and will do what they can to stay cozy. We’ve already shown you cats and space heaters, and dogs in kotatsu, but now we bring you some adorable hamsters in sleeves.
Whether our parents like it or not, food is an art form. Playing with food is awesome, and we’ve seen some spectacular examples of shaved-ice masterpieces, printed designs onto food, or corgi omelets.
But if you’ve been looking for a quick, easy artistic recipe you can do at home, look no further. Get ready to make the cutest little appetizers you’ve ever seen: fried poodles.
If you’ve been captivated by a bizarre breed of sushi cats or fallen in love with a cup-clinging girl called Fuchiko, chances are you’ll soon be swooning over a young lady who likes to hang out inside pieces of sushi.
Japan is no stranger to weird and wonderful product collaborations between companies. We’ve seen Mos burger x Mister Donut creations, a Hello Kitty invasion of The Very Hungry Caterpillar books and even Sailor Moon girls teeing up with sanitary pads.
So when the ten-year anniversary of the Tetsudou Musume (Railway Girls) anime rolled around this year, their new collaboration could have taken them anywhere. Thankfully, the girls have gone the more conventional route – by tying up with an actual train and riding together with you in 2-D form inside the carriages.
Are you a Barbie girl in a Barbie world? If your answer is yes, you’ve probably been dreaming of this day your whole life. Finally, you can look like your Barbie doll!
We’re not talking about getting thousands of dollars worth of cosmetic surgery to look like Real Barbie or wearing Barbie heads in your shoes. But we are talking about wearing undergarments that match those of your Barbie doll. You’ll be like twins!
The Japanese lingerie and apparel shopping website Peach John, has a lingerie line called Yummy Mart. Yummy Mart is teaming up with Barbie and LAFORET, a lingerie shop in Harajuku, to bring you a limited edition collection of Barbies and underwear to match!
Have you ever had the experience of pulling back your curtains, only to be met by a pair of luminous, unblinking eyes from the outside?
If you have, you’ll be able to sympathize with the following Japanese Twitter users who glanced up at their windows and happened to see one or more furry feline visitors staring back. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy this compilation of (the good kind of) peeping Toms!
Krispy Kreme releases new limited-edition fox doughnuts at only four stores in Japan
Two new Sailor Moon art manhole covers are coming to Usagi’s real-world Tokyo neighborhood
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Gundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]
KFC Japan’s “The American Burgers” include a pile of guilt
Japanese government to allow desecration of flags on kids’ meals
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat loversTokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoyJapanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the countryJapan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summerGundam teams up with 300-year-old daruma maker for wood-carved anime mecha figures[Photos]Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and SakuraKanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurinesJapan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
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
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
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japanese government to allow desecration of flags on kids’ meals
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Used chopsticks upgraded from “waste” to “valuable material” by Kawasaki City thanks to ChopValue
Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoy
Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”
Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases
Man in Japan calls in bomb threat because he doesn’t want to go to his own work farewell party
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
You’ll never win cash or prizes or cash at this Tokyo pachinko parlor, and that’s why it’s so cool
McDonald’s Japan adds curry French fry flavor, regional-taste burgers to its menu with Gotochi Mac
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
