Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Pokemon (Page 65)
Just image hundreds of tiny Pikachu leaves raining down on a breezy fall afternoon. Wouldn’t it be awesome? Although science hasn’t come anywhere close to bringing us the tree of our dreams, we can still admire the work of user jakeacarter who posted six different “natural Pokemon” made out of leaves.
One day while I was playing Pokémon in my parent’s basement, my uncle Sam came down and asked me to help him. He handed me a Womédex (a smartphone loaded with online dating apps) and a set of Woméballs (tennis balls painted red and white) and told me it was time to catch one of these magical creatures for my very own.
Luckily, Trisha was kind enough not to press charges after I threw a tennis ball at her head inside a Starbucks during our first date, but my quest has so far still been left unfulfilled. Thankfully, I found something more suitable for catching high-level Womémon like Trish being sold online by a talented jeweler named Paul Michael.
Legos make everything better. And when those little plastic bricks are used to make some of our favorite Pokemon, the coolness goes well over 9,000. Let’s take a closer look at this awesome engineering, including a peek inside the boardable mecha-type lego Pokemon!
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Pikachu in a Christmas tree. At the Pokémon Center in Tokyo!
This amazing tree was recently spotted on Japanese site Pokésoku, with the question: “I thought I’d buy my nephew a Pokemon for Christmas, but can a six-year-old child handle it?”
When you stop and think about it, the Pokémon series of video games ought to be terrifying. Sure, on the one hand, most of the pocket monsters the player controls are drawn with chubby cheeks and eyes whose size is equaled only by their cuteness. But at the same time, those rolly polly creatures do battle with each other by unleashing lightning storms, fireballs, and tornadoes. From a design standpoint, they shouldn’t look like Bambi’s woodland friends. Pokémon should look like something that could take on Godzilla.
In other words, they should look something like the frightening CG image here.
If you’re one of the few million people currently eating, sleeping and dreaming about Pikachu and pals following the launch of Pokémon X & Y on Nintendo 3DS, you’ll very likely be wanting something equally poké-themed to listen to while commuting, taking a shower or during especially dull lectures when you can’t get away with playing the game itself.
Well good news! Nintendo, seemingly not content with releasing a special edition album of its 8-bit retro theme songs, has just made the soundtrack to its insanely successful Pokémon X & Y available on iTunes.
In a recent article from Famitsu, the weekly video game magazine considered by many Japanese gamers to be the authority when it comes to their medium of choice for entertainment, a list showing the current total video game sales for all platforms in Japan between January 1, 2001 and September this year caught the attention of gamers both at home and abroad. Aside from the fact that the number of games sold in Japan over the last decade or so is simply staggering, Nintendo’s dominance in its home territory when it comes to total software sales is quite remarkable.
Join us after the jump as we see Japan’s 10 most popular video games of this century so far, and how, with a little help from some clever pocket monsters, Nintendo is absolutely raking the cash in.
Ah, Japan. Just when I thought you couldn’t be any sillier, you throw me a gem like this. Apparently, Meiji University, a very well-known and well-respected educational institution is Japan, has announced that it will host a National Pokémon Summit next month.
We here at RocketNews24 are big fans of Pikachu and pals, and can think of no other way to celebrate the release of the newest Pokémon games than snuggling up in a fleece blanket featuring everyone’s favorite lightning mouse or toting around groceries in a bag with the adorable critter’s face. Luckily for us, these two items will be available October 31 as a part of a special commemorative magazine set to celebrate the recent release of the newest Pokémon X and Y.
We were all skeptical when Apple announced the low-cost iPhone 5c. Nothing from Apple had ever been relatively affordable and there had never been a cheaper version of any of their products; it was a totally new turn for the tech giant. But now we get it, these phones were made for Pokemon.
This fall has people across the globe down with a case of Pokémon fever, ever since the release of Nintendo’s first 3-D Pokémon game set, X and Y. Thanks to one of the game’s brand-new features, Pokémon Amie, it’s possible to build greater bonds with our battling monsters than ever before, by petting, feeding, and playing games with them. Still, not even that comes close to the adorable magic of having an actual creature to cuddle.
Niconico Douga user, Tatsuno’otoshigo (meaning seahorse), filled that hole in her heart by crafting her own Pokémon plushies with needle felting! Her ever-expanding pokédex of wooly little monsters is the envy of many collectors. But it’s hard to say if she’d be willing to trade. Her videos reveal exactly how much love she puts into each and every pokémon.
Being human, there are times when we lose control of ourselves in a state of extreme excitement. Some people scream, some dance, some cry, some may even wet their pants. On 12 October, Pokémon fans of the world rejoiced over the global release of two new titles, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Popular seiyuu voice actor and otaku idol Shoko Nakagawa (or more affectionately known as Shokotan) expressed her ecstasy by going on a Pokémon binge, literally.
In case you’ve been trapped under a giant boulder for the last few weeks, Japan – nay, the world – is currently once again gripped by Pokémon fever. Along with the new Pokémon X & Y titles for Nintendo 3DS, the new animated TV series is currently being lapped up by fans.
But one eagle-eyed viewer in Japan has spotted something both cute and a little odd in the show’s opening credits. In typically adorable fashion, a few seconds after the show’s opening song begins, everyone’s favourite pocket monster, Pikachu, gives the camera a friendly little kiss. But what on earth is going on inside his mouth!?
After years of living in Japan, I’ve noticed that the island nation has quite a few merry misconceptions about what it means to have a Western Christmas celebration. Replacing Santa’s cookies with a strawberry-topped Christmas cake is just one of their many mix-ups, though at least they have the gift-giving part right.
Now, you might be wondering why it is that we’re posting about Christmas when it’s barely even October! As it turns out, Japanese parents hoping to surprise their kids with a sweet treat from Bandai have to start planning for the holidays NOW. The Premium Bandai online store has just opened up reservations for their 2013 line of character-themed Christmas cakes called Chara Deco Christmas. These cakes come with toys and other neat treats suited to young fans of everything from Kamen Rider to Pokemon.
If you haven’t been lucky enough to be inside a Pokemon jumbo jet, just imagine yourself immersed in a world of Pokemon while flying in the sky. The interior, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, souvenirs and in-flight entertainment all feature everyone’s favorite pocket monsters. But sadly, ANA, Japan’s largest airline, has just retired one of its Pikachu jumbo jets. As sad of an occasion as this is, ANA made sure to send the craft on its final voyage with a special presentation and an appearance from the Pokemon franchise’s most popular character.
The West Japan Railway Company, also known as JR West, is celebrating 10 years since the launch of its ICOCA smartcard passes. And they’re doing it in style!
Introducing the JR West and Pokémon Center Osaka limited-edition collaboration railway card! Now you can ride all over Western Japan with your Pikachu train pass, which comes complete with a pop-up stand of the cute critter’s head, for just 2,000 yen (US$20)!
As you’re surely aware, Pokémon is serious business in Japan, with tournaments and competitions for the myriad playable variations so viciously competitive that many resort to illegally acquiring and modifying Pokémon.
In that sense, it’s odd that one of the most valuable pieces of Pokémon memorabilia, the Pokémon Illustrator card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game, serves absolutely no in-game purpose. It is, however, considered to be one of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
Wednesday, September 4 will always be remembered as a big day for Pokémon fans. Not only did Nintendo just lift the lid on two swanky Pokémon X & Y-themed 3DSXL portables, but it has become clear that for the first time since the series launched way back in 1996, players will be able to trade their pocket monsters without having to link their consoles together. That’s right, Nintendo will soon be rolling out Pokémon Bank, a cloud-based storage service that allows players to drop and pick up their pokémon whenever they like, wherever they like.
You can find pretty much anything on self-styled “front page of the Internet” Reddit, which means from time to time you’ll probably stumble across something you’d rather un-see. One poster in a Pokémon subreddit uploaded this gem, sharing a cake her boyfriend had made for her. Make sure you have a strong stomach before reading on…
Were you one of the millions playing the battery life out of Pokémon Red, Green, or Blue back in the late ’90s? If so, your days fishing for magicarp have probably taken a backseat to a 9-5 job and changing diapers. Perhaps you feel a little disconnected after the several iterations that followed the original games over nearly two decades and feel that the poké balls have been passed to younger generations?
If any of this applies to you, the people behind Pokémon want to say they understand and have prepared a special treat in store. Coming 2 October to TV Tokyo a new anime series will begin titled Pokémon the Origin and follows the storyline of the original set of games.
Shinto shrine gate parfaits that tell your fortune now being served in Tokyo
New Transforming Business Card case brings anime mecha to Japanese work meetings
Studio Ghibli adds new finger puppets to its anime merchandise collection in Japan
Go to hell! …at a limited time historical art exhibit coming to Osaka
Lego PlayStation recreates Sony’s original console, makes unusual choice for games to salute
Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimono
New Japanese ice cream is Ballin, in more ways than one
New Pokémon anniversary song is 22 minutes long, features all 1,025 Pokémon species [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new coffee table book featuring 18 of the most unique stores around the country
Kobe middle schools begin abolishing extracurricular activities, shift to community programs
Solo travel in Japan: Hidden beer garden in Tokyo is a haven for single visitorsKyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimono
A real-world Pokémon Poké Ball hotel is opening in Japan at a still-secret location [Video]Lego PlayStation recreates Sony’s original console, makes unusual choice for games to salute
Japan’s first fall color forecast for 2026 is here!
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
One Piece Day 2026 brings new art, music, and new cast announcements
Tamagotchi evolves into a ring for its 30th anniversary, preorders now open
Starbucks Japan reveals new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing drinkware and gifts for autumn 2026
Family Mart releases Famima convenience store products nationwide, but which ones are worth buying?
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around TokyoStudio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
Japan tripled its departure tax to fund tourism but is using the money on cherry blossoms and bears
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimono
New Japanese ice cream is Ballin, in more ways than one
New Pokémon anniversary song is 22 minutes long, features all 1,025 Pokémon species [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new coffee table book featuring 18 of the most unique stores around the country
Kobe middle schools begin abolishing extracurricular activities, shift to community programs
Starbucks Japan adds new Sweet Potato Frappuccino and Latte to the menu, but do they deliver the taste of autumn?
New Japanese convenience store rice balls taste like instant noodles [Taste test]
7-Eleven Japan releases new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing range for autumn, with a must-try daifuku and teriyaki burger
Onsen Egg Bukkake Udon Ice Cream makes us rethink everything we thought we knew about sweets
Starbucks Japan reveals new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing drinkware and gifts for autumn 2026
Join Naked in the Niwa garden: Kyoto Station’s newest spot to craft traditional art
Is Tokyo’s Odaiba, once one of its trendiest neighborhoods, becoming a ghost town? [Photos]
Japan’s Tsukimi One-hand Bento’s name is all wrong, but it still looks entirely delicious
Japan’s revolving sushi restaurant king Sushiro coming to U.S. this fall with high prices, no tipping
