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Japan’s award-winning crab gadget saves you from soggy noodles

This new kitchen helper has claws, a growling stomach, and some serious charm.

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Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro

Because the gift of corn is a special one for lovers of Ghibli.

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This bath bomb looks and feels like an Edo gold bar, is great for gifts or bathing like a shogun

And it makes for a very nice bath!

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How much money should you give children for New Year’s otoshidama? Adults weigh in

Grown-ups dish on the appropriate amounts of New Year’s money to gift depending on the age of a child.

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New Pokémon PON name stamp collection lets you stamp your name on anything

Choose from one of the original 151 Pokémon, and customize it however you like!

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Now you can be one step closer to the very best with your very own life-size, realistic Poké Ball

Preorder now to start your journey to collect ’em all!

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We attempt to achieve a Zen mindset by making candy rock gardens

These gardens were popular on social media last year…but do they work?

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Nifty Japanese rice wine kit lets you brew your own tasty sake in the comfort of your own home

Now you can make awesome sake like a pro, too.

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Entire Internet bonds over a “smashing” gesture of kindness from Japanese online game seller

An unexpected gift causes one online buyer to joyfully relive Christmas Day of ’99 again.

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  • Oct 20, 2016

Get your beer in artistic cans featuring work by ukiyoe master Hiroshige!

This winter season, enjoy some fine Japanese art along with your beer!

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Send your city-dwelling friends the gift of a starry night sky…in an envelope!

This “Star Filled Envelope” is a gift in itself for those yearning for the twinkling lights of a nighttime starry sky.

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These cute character matches will really “catch on” and “start a fire” in your heart

Most people reach for a lighter when they need to start a fire. It’s rare to see someone pull out a box of good old-fashioned matches, though collecting matchboxes and matchbooks was once a hobby for some! Nowadays, though, the opportunities to use a match and get that satisfaction of striking it against the side of a box are few and far between.

However, these incredibly cute match head character may just be enough to change trends! We definitely hope this is something that catches on.
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Udon wanna make a mistake – be my Valentine!

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and shops around Japan are already getting out their red and pink goods. Not white though, those are saved for a whole other day. Candy and flowers are usually the items of choice for this romantic day, but if your Valentine has less of a sweet tooth and finds flowers uneventful, we have the perfect substitution for you: LOVE Kitsune udon!

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Transform your cat into DJ Scratchalot this holiday season

If the thought of a cat spinning tracks fills your heart with immense joy, then this will be the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season.

With a rotating turntable and a deck covered in trash-talking stickers, even demure felines can try their paw at scratching tracks, thanks to this hilarious cat DJ deck. Now any cat can be the cool cat who makes all the humans smile and all the kittens bounce.

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Vinyl flower vases are all the rage right now in Japan

You’ve probably never heard of vinyl flower vases before, but what’s not to love about them? They provide a practical, inexpensive alternative to traditional glass vases while still looking stylish at the same time. Even better, you can send them easily within a sealed envelope to a friend.

Japan is currently going nuts for these things. Join us after the jump to find out why.

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Return of the 3-D figure! It’s cheaper and easier than ever before!

Back in 2012, we brought you news about Omote 3D Shashin Kan creating extremely detailed figures of yourself! We brought you the story from the store opening, to our intrepid Mr. Sato’s visit, and the final unveiling of the mini-Sato! For those who were interested in getting their own figure, but didn’t live in Japan, or couldn’t book a reservation in time, or thought it was too expensive, we’ve got some great news for you! And believe us when we say, it might be your wildest dreams come true!

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Japanese company invents “Spring Santa” – We love the concept, but it’s actually a little creepy…

Japanese coffee company, AGF, has just launched what they call a “social gift campaign” where you can send a thank you gift to the Facebook or Twitter friend of your choice, even if you don’t know the recipient’s email address. It’s an endearing concept, encouraging people to give thanks to those who have helped them, but somewhere along the line things took a strange turn. Robotic voice iPhone man and jerky green Santa coming after the jump!

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Tohoku tsunami survivor’s $12K camera: heart-felt gift or PR stunt?

Three years ago, Japan’s northeastern region was devastated by a triple disaster of a Magnitude 9.0 earthquake, an ensuing tsunami that wiped away whole towns and caused the meltdown of a nuclear power plant. Affected deeply by the tragedy, Japan has since rallied together as a country to support those who lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes.

Last week, as a part of remembering the three years that have passed since the disaster, famed German camera maker Leica gave a high-end camera worth 1,200,000 yen (US$12,000) to a high school student whose community was devastated by the tsunami. Initially touched by the show of support, Japanese netizens began a heated conversation online about whether the very generous gift was a heart-felt present or just a PR stunt for the well-known camera maker.

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Krispy Kreme Japan to release special White Day Box just for the ladies

Just as people in Japan have finally recovered from the horror that is Valentine’s Day, with chocolate given purely out of obligation and sweets with an added “personal” ingredient, here comes White Day to stress everyone out again. And as the custom goes, all men who received chocolate from a lady in February must give even more chocolate or other gifts come March 14th.

Luckily, Krispy Kreme Japan seems to be a fountain of White Day gift ideas, starting off with their handy guide to turning a doughnut into a beautiful piece of edible jewelry. The company has also unveiled a limited edition “White Day Box” that comes with two doughnuts. Krispy Kreme has even chosen the most popular flavors amongst women, so even if you don’t know the intended recipient, your gift will most likely be a hit…and come on, who doesn’t like sweet circles of fried dough?

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The act of gift giving is a special sort of science. Between all of the holidays, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and special moments in between, we get a lot of practice with presents, and yet sometimes it’s still so hard to pick out the perfect gift for any certain someone. Still, we’ve all heard horror stories about well-intentioned presents having the complete opposite effect. Now, not to increase your anxiety over gift giving, but did you know that many everyday items carry rude connotations when given as gifts, at least in certain cultures?

You’d like to think that anyone would be happy to receive something useful as a present, but then remember how it feels when your friend offers you a piece of gum. Perhaps it’s their favorite flavor and they just really want to share, but nonetheless you’re left with a nagging worry about how badly your breath must stink. These misunderstandings can happen on a much larger scale when cultural differences come into play. So, to help you all out, here’s a little guide to gift-giving manners.

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