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Tokyo’s Bread Eating Race to return with a whole new challenge

Speed and snacking go hand in hand in this deliciously competitive sport.

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New Godzilla mobile game lets you raise your own Godzilla, race it against other monsters

Run Godzilla is a bizarre game full of spirit and good fun.

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Family Mart recalls “skin-coloured” women’s underwear

Inappropriate branding sees Convenience Wear products pulled from shelves nationwide. 

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Half-Japanese woman hands card to people who ask tiresome questions about her race

Japanese people ask the same old questions but this card causes them to have very different reactions.

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“Smooth Hair” poster sparks controversy in Japan

Company pulls haircare ad after receiving complaints from the public. 

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Naomi Osaka stirs up debate about what it means to be Japanese following U.S. Open victory

She’s the first Japanese citizen to ever win a Grand Slam singles tournament, but in Japan it’s her race that’s been taking the spotlight.

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Here’s what Japanese people think of Hollywood’s recent “whitewashing”【Video】

What do Japanese people think of Caucasian—not Asian—actors being cast in Hollywood adaptations of Japanese anime?

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Friezas continue their yearly tradition of cheering on runners in Japan’s New Year’s relay race

It seems we just can’t ring in the new year anymore without this cheering squad of Friezas! Is the Dragon Ball Z overlord actually…benevolent!?

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“If you are eating chocolate, how do you know where to stop?” – Being Black in China 【Video】

The folks from YouTube channel TMD Shanghai are back with yet another quirky observational video about life in China. After nailing the differences between girls in the north and those in the south and mercilessly sending up both single white and Chinese men, this time they’re here to talk about what it’s like to be black in China with a video titled, well, Being Black in China.

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Japanese drifting experts use public road in hair-raising “hill climb” up Hakone mountains 【Video】

While the Hakone Turnpike is usually enjoyed by slow-driving families catching a glimpse of the natural beauty of the area’s mountainous landscape, some Japanese drifting enthusiasts last month turned a portion of the public toll road into a white-knuckle race to the top.

Shutting down the two-lane road, the drivers zoomed through the windy (and thankfully empty) roads, reaching speeds that would land normal citizens a pretty hefty fine. It may not be the first time a high-performance car has been seen on Japanese roads, but it’s pretty amazing that the Ministry of Transportation would approve this flashy display of speed, horsepower and roaring engines.

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Hafu: Telling the story of Japan’s mixed-race minority and changing attitudes in society【Q&A】

For such a small word, “half” carries an awful lot of weight here in Japan. Adapted to fit the syllabary, the word is pronounced “hafu” in Japanese, and describes a person who has one Japanese – and of course one non-Japanese – parent. More often than not, the word carries certain connotations, and many Japanese have preconceived, often erroneous, notions that hafus have natural English ability, have spent time abroad, and possess many of the physical characteristics Japanese associate with Westerners. At the same time, the word is immediately indicative of something very un-Japanese, and many hafu – even those who have never set foot outside of Japan and speak no other language – are never truly accepted by society as a result.

The Hafu Project was begun in 2009 as an initiative aiming to promote awareness of racial diversity in Japan and the issues facing those of mixed heritage. It was after becoming involved with the project that two filmmakers, Megumi Nishikura and Lara Perez Takagi, began a collaborative work that would eventually become a full-length feature film titled, simply, Hafu.

Three years in the making, Hafu was completed in April this year, and has been screened at independent cinemas everywhere from Madrid to Tokyo. After checking out the film for ourselves when it came to Shibuya recently, RocketNews24 talked with Megumi and Lara to learn a little more about the making of the film and how in their opinion attitudes in Japan are evolving.

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