We’ll show you how to order off the menu at Starbucks to create a mind-blowingly delicious frappucino that tastes like a cheesecake-based Tiramisu.
summer (Page 12)
These are some literally cool cats.
Samurai warrior designs get a warm-weather overhaul with colourful patterns and unique sheer fabrics.
An online retailer offers stylish new coil stands to keep insects out of your barbecue and impress friends at the same time.
Say hello to summer with the sweet tang of a new cheesecake McFlurry made with a very special Japanese citrus fruit.
Seattle-based chain adapts to Kyoto style with summertime seats that offer a taste of traditional culture as you sip your coffee.
With lanterns, cocktails and one thousand unusual goldfish, this is the coolest place to hang out in your yukata this summer.
And there was much rejoicing.
Summer in Japan can be brutal if you’re not used to the humidity. At least one of the writers here at the RocketNew24 office has melted into a puddle of and had to be reconstituted in a meat locker last month. Fortunately, the heat is starting to abate and autumn is in sight!
But while we’re happy we won’t have to worry about being liquefied anymore, there is one thing we’ll miss: Playing in the pool. We can’t do that once winter has set in and we’re missing the summer sun, but at least we’ll have this insanely adorable video of a dog whose owner steals its every attempt to get a shower.
Oh summer vacation. For little kids (and big kids too!) it’s a time to finally throw off those backpacks, forget about homework, and have fun all day long running around outside or playing video games. If you’re the mom or dad of one of those kids, though, you’re often left to clean up in their wake.
And the same is true in Japan too. For the most part it’s moms who’re left to run after kids giddy with the freedom of no school. They’ve even started a Twitter hashtag for it: #SummerVacationStupidKids.
What kind of things do Japanese kids do to drive their parents crazy? Are they the same as the rest of the world or completely different? Read on to find out!
Recently, our Japanese reporter Aya Ayabe went out to an izakaya [Japanese pub] and finished her revelries with an order of sudachi rice, sudachi being a type of sour Japanese citrus fruit. The slightly bitter flavor really hit the spot in the midst of the nighttime summer heat, and it got her thinking: “What would happen if I cooked rice with some ponzu sauce [a citrus-based sauce which mixes sudachi with other citrus fruits and soy sauce]?” Still curious, the next day she tried making a batch for herself, and the results were apparently quite epic: “This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me all summer! I’ll never forget this day as long as I live.”
In any case, Ayabe would like to share her extremely simple recipe for creating ponzu rice with you–a delightfully refreshing treat for the dog days of summer which can be enjoyed either hot or cold.
So, mint is an extraordinarily versatile, exceedingly summer-appropriate ingredient. It can add a refreshing bite to savory dishes, is the essential main ingredient in basically all of the world’s best ice cream flavors, and is the star of the show in that most refreshing of summer beverages, the mojito (without which would basically just be watery rum).
Mint is the miracle substance that makes Asia’s hellish, your-buddy-just-spontaneously-combusted-hot summers just the slightest bit tolerable; a fact that beverage and snack makers in Japan are finally catching onto, with each passing year seeing better and more diverse mint-infused offerings.
But lemon and mint? That’s the new flavor combo Pepsi is banking on to be the next big thing with its new “Pepsi Special Lemon Mint” drink offering, and we’re just the slightest bit wary.
There’s been a lot of hoo-haa recently over nip-nips, hasn’t there? On the western internets, ladies are in a huff that their female nubbins are being covered up by the online censors, but in Japan it’s male nurples that are getting on everyone’s nerves.
Turns out that Japanese ladies can’t stand the sight of male chesty-buds, and in this hot weather, lots of businessmen are going out and about without undershirts on. The result? A barrage of constant eye-trauma for the ladies who say that the men who are flaunting their areolas at them are committing sexual harassment! Oh my!
Are Japan’s strict trash collection days getting you down this summer? Are you plugging your nose and counting down the days until the next burnables collection because your garbage is rotting away in the summer heat?
If you’re like me, you hate Japanese summers for a slew of reasons, one of which being all the putrid smells that come with the increased heat and humidity of the sticky summer months. You may also often rush out the door on the morning of burnables collection day and forget to take out your bag of raw and rotting garbage, leaving you to deal with the stench until the next trash collection day rolls around.
But there is a really simple solution to this problem, as well as quick tricks for dealing with other stinky situations like funky-shoe smells and unpleasant, grimy sinks. Find out how after the jump!
We’re not even halfway through summer here in Japan yet, and already we’ve seen a number of strange collaboration combinations, including barley and eel soda and soft-serve sushi.
This time we’d like to introduce another curious combination, in the form of a new Mercedes-Benz x Ice Monster shop that recently popped up in Roppongi, Tokyo. But what do luxury car makers know about making the perfect frozen ice treat? Our ever-popular reporter Mr. Sato heads out to investigate.
Japan may have an image as an all-work and no-play sort of place, but you’ve got to give the country credit for coming up with Umi no Hi. Observed on the third Monday of July, Umi no Hi literally means “Ocean Day,” but “Marine Day” and “Beach Day” would also be acceptable translations. It’s a national holiday expressly created to give everyone a day off to go have fun at the beach, and it just might be the greatest socially accepted reason ever for blowing off work.
This year, Japan got so into the spirit of the holiday that even people in prefectures with no coastline swore they could smell the sea. But was this just a summery olfactory hallucination, or a legitimate Umi no Hi miracle?
Kids in Japan only have about one more week left of school until summer vacation starts, while working adults are counting down the days until Obon vacation. It’s also the season where many Japanese snack makers start putting out limited summer edition flavors of your favorite snacks.
In fact, just today Glico launched a limited edition summer line of their popular Pretz series in Japan, so for those with no time or no money to travel abroad this summer vacation, you still have a chance to experience some exotic and not-so-exotic food flavors from across the ocean in the comfort of your very own home.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
We found possibly the quietest Japanese-style hotel in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Nagoya’s dark-red miso has continued to capture tastebuds for generations
New Japanese menstrual product seeks to help women spot unidentified iron deficiencies
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Eat a mountain of chicken katsu at this restaurant in Nara【Photos】
Japanese thug wear from Birth Japan perfect for those breaking bad next year
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
The best Japanese cosplayers from Day 4 of Winter Comiket 2019【Photos】
Weekly
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026- 7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Cyberpunk anime meets traditional culture in Ghost in the Shell gold leaf Japanese changing screens
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Hello Kitty Choco Egg figures are an adorable trip through three periods of Japanese pop culture【Pics】- Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
- Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Monthly
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo- 7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
- Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
Yearly
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
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
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 home
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】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Eat a mountain of chicken katsu at this restaurant in Nara【Photos】
Japanese thug wear from Birth Japan perfect for those breaking bad next year
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
The best Japanese cosplayers from Day 4 of Winter Comiket 2019【Photos】
Starbucks Japan unveils New Year’s drinkware range for 2021
Utada Hikaru explains “why getting over someone is so painful”
Mister Donut’s new green tea doughnuts serve up matcha and hojicha from a Kyoto specialist
The mystery destination of the SoraNews24 end-of-year party left us speechless
Modern samurai coats from Japan are back for winter with new colors, fabrics, and paired pants
Tempura Black Thunder chocolate bars on sale in Shinjuku from now till Valentine’s Day
Mr. Sato accosts award-winning actor Hideaki Ito【Interview】
-
