swimming (Page 2)
And there was much rejoicing.
Fans of Free! and its High Speed! feature film adaptation can now visit all the places their favorite swimming boys would have frequented.
Add some major socks appeal to your swim sessions with these waterproof over-the-knee socks available from wacky goods menagerie Village Vanguard!
Hot on the heels of its Project Morpheus virtual reality headset, Sony has announced a series of brand new gaming accessories that are sure to make a splash. Say hello to PlayStation Flow, a set of swimming goggles, arm and leg sensors, and even a full-body dryer.
These things almost seem too bizarre to be true…
From whacking watermelons with sticks to burying your friends in the sand or holding sweltering Japanese style BBQs, Japan has a very specific beach culture. We’ve introduced some of these activities before on our site, but this time, we’ve supersized the experience by adding more activities–and extra cheese!
We’ll introduce 13 beach scenes that you’re bound to experience on any trip to a Japanese beach, and present most of them in a six-second Vine video. We picked one of our favorite places to Vine from: Shiraishi Island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea where one of our writers happens to live. This tiny island of 560 people in Okayama Prefecture, is one of Japan’s best kept secrets: the beach is never crowded, the sea is tranquil, the sunsets superb, and the beer never stops flowing.
Get ready to take the plunge into the sea of Japanese beach culture with a local to show you la plage–Japanese style!
While there’s nothing quite like a dip in the ocean on a hot summer day, this man’s quick swim-turned missing person’s case will serve as a great reminder why you should always be careful in Mother Nature’s swimming pool.
Earlier this week, a 29-year-old man from the city of Kobe was enjoying some sea-side bathing with his friends when a strong wind came, sweeping him far from the coast. His friends acted quickly, called the local police and a search ensued for 20 hours until the missing man turned up on a beach 40 kilometers to the south thanks to an incredibly lucky discovery.
As comedian and noted lover of cinnamon rolls and burritos Jim Gaffigan famously said, going whale watching is kind of boring. It’s a handful of hours of waiting around, a brief glimpse of “something I wouldn’t even watch on television,” and then your most likely drunk tour captain whisking you back to shore in time for happy hour.
And maybe Jim’s right. Sure, whales are the most majestic of creatures, but is it really all that fun to spend all day on a swaying deck for a half-second glimpse of a tail or something? Scuba diving with whales would be much more exciting, but that’s sort of dangerous and you need a license. If only there were a place where whales would come right up to you on the beach and hang out for a while…
Oh, that’s right! That’s exactly what happens at Wakayama’s easy-to-read-and-pronounce Higashimuroguntaijichou Whale Beach.
September 26 of this year marked the end of the series finale of the popular swimming anime, Free!, though fans of the series remain highly active on the Internet and at doujinshi (fan comic) events.
Recently, there’s been a real flurry of excitement within the Free! fandom on Asian blogs and online gossip columns over one fan’s genius idea to get the series’ token sweetheart to lie between her sheets. Because who wouldn’t want to sleep next to such beautiful 2-D biceps, right?
Summer in Asia is hot. Like, really, really hot. Seeing mirages hot. Cooking whole English breakfasts on the sidewalk hot. But no matter how hellish the summer heat gets, we will never, ever, ever set foot in this Chinese lake.
The above is the Hieronymus Bosch-esque hellscape of what is quite possibly the world’s most crowded summertime attraction: a lake in Suining City, China.
If you’re of the sporty persuasion and wish that you could take your tunes to the pool without having a funny-looking contraption strapped to your goggles or having your earphones fall out every other stroke, Sony’s newest addition to the Walkman series will definitely be of interest.
Scheduled for a February 16 release in Japan, the new NWD-W270 series features a compact, lightweight design and boasts 4GB of onboard storage space. Plenty of delicious images and details after the break.










Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Foreign hiker on Mt. Fuji loses consciousness and dies, becoming climbing season’s second fatality
Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
Hiker needs to be rescued from Mt. Fuji two times in two days, but system is working as intended
KFC Japan unveils new Tsukimi collection that takes moon-viewing to extreme levels
Ninja theme park suddenly closes in Japan, shadow warriors undone by shady real estate deals
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
The Japanese government is ending its Cool Japan Fund program
German woman rescued from Mt. Fuji after suffering altitude sickness symptoms, hiking to peak anyway
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
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]
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】
KFC Japan unveils new Tsukimi collection that takes moon-viewing to extreme levels
Ninja theme park suddenly closes in Japan, shadow warriors undone by shady real estate deals
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
The Japanese government is ending its Cool Japan Fund program
German woman rescued from Mt. Fuji after suffering altitude sickness symptoms, hiking to peak anyway
Masturbatory aid maker Tenga releases officially licensed anime versions in Japan and U.S.
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Why do foreign tourists queue up to eat at Tokyo Little House?
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Pokémon and Polaroid reveal collaboration with adorable Pikachu and Eeveelution camera and film
Kyoto’s Meiji-era mansion opens a private tearoom with stained glass for just one day
Japanese man arrested after pretending to be foreigner while trying to rob convenience store