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We take a trip to Tokyo’s Islam Alley and find a world of sweets we never knew existed

Mr. Sato broadens his palate and his perspective at the same time.

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What do Indian people think of Japanese curry? We investigate with the power of Pikachu

How will this instant curry fare in India, the country with some of the best curry in the world?

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Japanese curry chain Coco Ichibanya to open a branch in India next year

Can Japan’s version of an Indian dish survive in Delhi, the curry metropolis?

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Teen born and raised in Japan faces deportation to a country he’s never been 【Video】

Unfortunately, his case is not unique either.

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Indian dance group creates amazing original cover of PPAP

This is one of the most hypnotizing covers we’ve seen yet.

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A curry a day keeps hair on your head: Japanese nutritionist claims curry helps prevent baldness

Add spice to your life – and hair – at the same time!

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Necklace thief in India swallows stolen goods, police feed him 40 bananas to make him poop it out

Talk about dirty money.

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Young limbo-skating prodigy has moves like Spider-Man, smashes world record【Video】

An insanely flexible young Indian athlete breaks the Guinness World record for limbo skating.

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And now, a transgender Indian version of Pharrell’s “Happy” 【Video】

Dubbed “India’s first transgender band,” the Brooke Bond Red Label 6 Pack Band’s first single shows just how happy the hijra community can get with an Indian-flavored take on the Pharrell Williams hit of 2014.

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Japan’s newest and greatest export will be a bullet train built for India

Amidst talks that strengthened the ties between the two countries comes news that you will soon be able to ride a Shinkansen in India.

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Japanese PM Abe accidentally thanks the inventor of the retweet while trying to reach Indian PM

Some of you may have noticed during the royal rumble that ensued in the Japanese Parliament late last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe quietly slipped out while members of his party continued to fight back a horde of angry legislators so that they could usher in changes to the way the constitution is understood. At first, I wondered why he would duck out at such a moment, but then I remembered: it’s his biiirthdaaay♪

Yes, on 21 September, Japan’s fearless leader turned 61. Unfortunately his age is really starting to show in his lack computer savvy. We already know the PM has his own Twitter account after Abe revealed that he pays his Twitter fees just like the rest of us. But apparently he still hasn’t grasped how to use the “@” symbol properly when a message of thanks to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accidentally went to the wrong guy, who also just happened to help develop Twitter.

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Strange Indian airport sign cautions visitors not to consume carpet

Every country has its own set of rules and customs that visitors may not initially be aware of. To meet the demands of the growing tourism industry, many governments have opted to implement multi-lingual signs and websites. Sometimes, however, the translations cause much more confusion than they prevent, like with this list of jobs foreigners aren’t allowed to do in Thailand.

Recently a similar goof occurred in India, this time due to some curiously mistranslated signage posted inside the Chennai International Airport, leaving visitors both amused and confused.

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If you haven’t seen this Indian film you should: A true story of a man whose love moved mountains

On August 21, a film was released based on the true story of Dashrath Manjhi. His heartbreaking yet inspiring tale begins when his wife was injured in an accident, and the only medical help available was in the next village over…on the other side of the mountain. By the time Manjhi had made the trek around the  mountains and back with the doctor, it was too late, and his beloved wife had died.

Most people would mourn their loss and curse their circumstances, but Manjhi literally took matters into his own hands, in the form of a chisel and a hammer, and set to work digging at the mountain which kept his beloved wife from the help that would have saved her.

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Businessman ‘wins’ 4-year battle with Singapore Airlines after being downgraded to economy class

Anyone who is a frequent traveler has probably had their share of ups and downs when flying. But just how far would you go to make an airline pay for a minor inconvenience?

One Mr. GRK Reddy, an Indian businessmen, felt that he was so damaged by Singapore Airlines’ sudden decision to downgrade him from business to economy class back in 2011 that he decided to take legal action against the airline, demanding compensation of approximately US$83,000.

Four years later, Mr Reddy has finally been awarded his compensation, but it’s slightly less than the amount he originally requested…

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Video from India shows fast way to load construction equipment…or die, whichever comes first

If you were charged with the task of putting a mini excavator like to one pictured above onto a flatbed truck in under two minutes, what would you do? If you’re like most people you’d probably find a ramp of some sort.

Or, if you have just that right balance of gutsiness and lack of self-preservation instinct, you might do what these guys in India did. Luckily, they recorded it on video for our enjoyment and as evidence preventing any lawsuit against the makers of the excavator.

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‘Cows can marry’ and other fascinating bovine facts from India

You’ve heard about India’s sacred cow, the Mother of Civilization, a gift from God that has become a part of Indian iconography, religion and culture. The cow protection movement began in 1882, and ended the slaughter of the animals in what was then British India. The cow is revered because it is unique in that it offers five products to humans — milk, curds, ghee butter, urine and dung — all of which are useful to everyday life in India. In addition, the beast of burden has traditionally been used to help plow the fields and pull carts for transportation. If you’re one of those people who likes to dress up your dog, or cat, or buy them their own kotatsu, then we can only imagine what you’d do for a pet cow if you had one! You’ll have no problem understanding the high regard Indians place on the gentle bovines.

Because we at RocketNews24 love all animals, cows included (although some of us delight in their taste while others of us would rather give cow cuddles), we can totally understand the pampering, dressing up, and general all-round generosity the Indians heap upon their beloved cows. We just hope cats don’t catch on to any of this.

Just how far will Indians go to pamper their bovine friends? Glad you asked! Our bovine journalist is about to reveal some fascinating facts about cows in India.

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Monkey pulls electrocuted buddy from train tracks, revives him as onlookers cheer【Video】

Tales of animals exhibiting unusual behaviour are too often the result of being kept in unnatural conditions in captivity – like that poor “headbanging” bear that was doing the rounds last summer. So we’re pleased to bring you today an interesting video of an animal being a total badass hero and rescuing his friend from a dangerous situation.

After a monkey was electrocuted and fell onto train tracks at a railway station in Northern India, another monkey spent 20 minutes resuscitating him, to the delight of cheering onlookers.

Join us after the jump for video of the dramatic rescue.

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Now, that’s spatial visualization! Indian barber cuts own hair with greatest of ease

I used to cut my own hair before becoming a big-shot RocketNews24 writer who can now go to the local value cuts for a 1,000 yen (US$9) cut every few months. I’m glad those days are behind me, though, because it was a royal pain.

Generally, I’m not a total klutz when it comes to working a pair of scissors. However, every time I got in front of the mirror and raised the blades to my hair, my coordination would suddenly devolve to that of a one-year-old who forgot which way up was.

I’m sure more experience working in a mirror would fix that, and with enough time I might even get as good as this guy from Kerala who is able to give himself a complete lightning-fast haircut. It’s all here in the video Kerala Got Talent; Indian Barbar Cutting His Own Hair recently posted on YouTube.

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Living tree bridges and other breathtaking scenery at the rainiest place on Earth

Now that we’re well into the sweltering, cicada-droning final days of summer in Japan, can you even remember what it felt like during the rainy season earlier this summer? If you complained nonstop about having to leave the house day after day with an umbrella in tow at the time, you may actually be thankful for those comparatively ‘dry’ rainy days after seeing these pictures from the rainiest place on Earth.

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A tree in India is bigger than the average Wal-Mart

It may sound hard to believe, but the world’s widest tree, located near Kolkata, India, is bigger than the average Wal-Mart.

The gigantic Banyan tree may look like a forest from far away, but it’s actually comprised of a myriad of aerial roots that cover 3.5 square acres of land, which equals roughly 156,000 square feet, or 14,400 square meters.

Compare that to data from the most recent unit count and square footage report from Wal-Mart, which says that the average store size (that’s not a Supercenter) is just under 105,000 square feet or 9,750 square meters.

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