Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
fashion (Page 78)
Gadgets purveyor Apparestore is hoping that pretending your ears are so unclean that fungus has actually started to grow out of them will become the new fashion trend with these “crazy headphones” featuring weird objects that jut out from the earbuds. Samurai swords and sushi are just some of the things you could have seemingly growing out of your ears with a pair of these cheeky earphones.
Who says the office is no place for scantily-clad girls with blue hair? Now you can look smart and professional while staying true to your animé roots with the latest in clothing for discerning otaku- the itasuit!
Shorter businesswomen wishing to appear taller can experiment with vertical lines, fashion styles and, of course, pop on a pair of enormous high-heeled shoes in order to gain a few inches, but short of wearing platform shoes and styling their hair into ridiculous quiffs, the shorter male office worker is at something of a loss.
Although the average height of both males and females in Japan is on the rise due to increasingly western-style diets, Japan’s men are still a little on the short side. And that dents their confidence. Thankfully, though, a footwear designer in Japan has recently launched a special line of business shoes that, through a slightly elevated heel and a discreet inner-sole, reportedly add an extra 7 cm to any man’s total height.
North Korea isn’t exactly renown for its footwear industry, but the recent appearance of a new pair of sneakers on North Korean television has caused quite a stir in the Asian media.
Featuring an “extra-supportive heel section” and a red design with a series of white stripes, the North Korean design bears a striking resemblance to Japanese company Asics’ own model.
Is this a simple coincidence or are we looking at an all-out rip-off?
Why should girls be the only ones allowed to stay toasty warm in winter?
Fed up with getting the chills and knowing that winter was only just beginning, RocketNews24‘s resident adventurer and male model Mr. Sato was feeling rather down in the dumps this week. But when news arrived that nearby Ikebukuro Tobu department store had begun selling a new range of stockings and ultra-warm underwear just for men, his face lit up with the warmth of a thousand suns and he was out the door in mere seconds.
Barely an hour later, he arrived back at RocketNews Towers ready to try his latest purchases on for us.
As you can see from the photo above, it was quite the show.
As great as touchscreen-operated mobile devices are, they’re a real pain in the neck when it comes to winter and you have to pull off your gloves to operate them.
It’s fine if you stop in a cafe or restaurant where you can slip your gloves off and type a quick message or check an email, but when an unexpected phonecall comes in and you’re left swiping at the unlock screen like a cat pawing at the TV during a nature show, you soon grow to hate using a smartphone in winter.
Gloves with special metal fibres in the tips have been on the market for a couple of years now, but they’re not always of the greatest quality. And even if you do find a decent pair, what if you already have a pair of gloves that you’re attached to and would rather use instead?
Japanese company Onsight might just have the perfect solution…
Longtime readers of our site, or anyone who follows Japanese pop culture at all, has probably noticed that two of the country’s most heavily exploited media franchises are Evangelion and Hello Kitty.
In May, the inevitable finally happened when respective branding companies Groundworks and Sanrio teamed up to launch a line of crossover products to commemorate this fall’s release of the newest Evangelion movie, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
Now, with the long-awaited film only a few weeks away, Japanese underwear maker 3RDWARE has joined the fray to outfit your First Child with adorable Eva x Hello Kitty boxer briefs.
While browsing online store Amazon, you’ve no doubt stumbled upon a few interesting or downright strange reviews of products written by fellow shoppers. Some of the reviews are both well written and informative, helping us make the best purchasing decisions possible; others, meanwhile, might cause us to wonder how the human race has survived this long, or make us consider contacting the authorities.
One review on Amazon Japan, however, has caught the attention of hundreds of shoppers and has become something of a talking point online.
The review, written by a self-professed middle-aged man, is of a videogame that sees gamers select clothes for, dress and style young women as fashionably as possible, and is intended mainly for the younger female audience.
This male reviewer, however, was incredibly taken with the title, going so far as to say that it has changed the way he sees the world…
Starbucks Japan has teamed up with Spanish luxury leather designer Loewe to produce a range of sexy leather sleeves for its paper coffee cups, it was announced yesterday.
The limited-edition sleeves are part of a programme designed to provide financial support to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that stuck north-eastern Japan in March last year.
I’m sure all of you ladies out there have at one point or another been through the experience of being tortured by a pair of high-heels that pinch and scrape and leave you with blisters but look absolutely gorgeous. Ah, the sacrifices we make for fashion!
Well, one of our Japanese reporters from Pouch went to KiBera in Shinjuku for a pair of affordable, custom-made shoes that both look great and feel comfortable, a combination that can be hard to find in stylish shoes.
An account of her shoe ordering experience follows: Read More
From baked goods to blue hedgehogs, there’s nothing international superstar Hello Kitty won’t do to make a quick buck.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, our beloved “Kitty of All Trades,” the face of untainted feline innocence herself, has gone full-frontal.
If the cosplay typically seen at anime conventions is a little too extreme for you, take a look at these toned down cosplay alternates. The clothing and style of beloved anime and cartoon characters from all over the world have been transformed into fashionable clothing for everyday wear. Who knew Lisa Simpson’s orange paper bag dress could look sexy and that taking a fashion cue from Papa Smurf would result in a decent getup?
In the midst of present day globalization, and with international marriages on the rise, how do Japanese people fare on the ‘international stage’ of dating?
We decided to find out by sending our reporter to Comiket 82 earlier this month and asking REAL LIVE foreign visitors if they would like to date a Japanese person.
Glasses maker JINS have announced that on 2 July they will sell a limited release of 1,500 pairs of their confusingly named JINS PC for Hackers, which are glasses tailored to meet the needs of hackers.
JINS makes it clear on their website that they are referring to hackers in the traditional sense of someone with a lot of experience and skill using computers and networks, rather than the criminal sense often used in the media.
As you probably are already aware, Hello Kitty is definitely one very busy cat! In some of our past posts, we’ve seen her being baked into golden brown treats, or collaborating with Sadako from the “Ring” series. This time, Ms. Kitty will help make your shopping experience at the supermarket more environment-friendly and hassle free (on top of adding an element of cute, of course), with the new “Hello Kitty Premium Basket Cooler Tote Bag“. Read More
I can’t recall how many times mobile phones and mp3 players have slipped out of the front pocket of my shirt. Always ending with that cringe inducing thud as my precious device hits the cold hard ground. There was even one incident involving a turtle pond and now-gone iPod Classic that I can’t bear to go into.
If someone was videotaping all these moments in my life it would have made an excellent opening to a commercial for K-Pocke (pronounced like pokemon), a pocket designed so that nothing slips out.
The staff of an umbrella shop in Tokyo recently must have their work cut out for them these days as they explain to confused customers why boxes of lettuce are sitting in their displays. The answer, of course, is Vegetabrella; a fusion of two completely ordinary yet completely unrelated objects, an umbrella and a head of lettuce.
Xenon has just started selling a futuristic USB recharging cable for iPad, iPhone, and iPod, which not only lights up, but you can see how fast your device is recharging by how fast the light pulses along the cable. And when your charge is full, the light turns off. Read More
Ladies, are you looking for something to liven up your wardrobe but not go overboard? Are you tired of the man in your life not paying attention to your new shoes that you spent hours choosing?
If so, then visit etsy.com for your next pair. Here you can find sparkly and eye-catching designs that are too far over the edge of good-taste. I guarantee your husband or boyfriend will compliment you on your 1-UP designed shoes faster than you could imagine.
Read More
Around the world women often turn to bizarre-looking contraptions in the quest to look more beautiful and Japan is perhaps home to some of the strangest. Sometimes it even seems like beauty product makers are playing a huge joke on their customers by making them look more ridiculous than beautiful.
The latest of such products is Hana-Tsun (Pointy Nose), produced by Glim Inc., who are no strangers to thinking outside the box when it comes to beauty products.
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Cute coffins now available at Tokyo’s coffin relaxation salon[Photos]
Playing Switch 2 games with just one hand is possible thanks to Japanese peripheral maker
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Poop is in full bloom at the Unko Museums for cherry blossom season
Shizuoka hot springs town invites you to see one of the longest hina doll displays in Japan
Sakura Totoro is here to get spring started early with adorable pouches and plushies
Now is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardens
Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on EarthNow is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardensNaruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen?Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamedStarbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourismTake a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning looks to be affecting tourist crowds on Miyajima
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your homeJapan’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】Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Shizuoka hot springs town invites you to see one of the longest hina doll displays in Japan
Sakura Totoro is here to get spring started early with adorable pouches and plushies
Now is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardens
Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
“Keep your paws off ’em!” This cute Thai cat is very protective over its owner’s watermelons
We investigate Sendagaya Tunnel and get a message from beyond【Haunted Tokyo】
Himakajima: The Japanese island with one traffic light that only turns green once a year
Say hello to Japan’s new generation of adults, fresh from Kitakyushu’s 2023 seijinshiki ceremony
Can you eat lunch in Tokyo for less than 500 yen?
Pompompurin and his cute little butt take over Shinjuku’s famous 3-D billboard
Starbucks Japan releases new popcorn Frappuccino at one special location
Act of Japanese kindness touches one man’s heart, provides hope for elevator etiquette
