Have you ever had one of those days in the middle of summer where just the 100-yard walk to the nearest convenience store and back has you panting and so parched you’d drink right out of the toilet bowl if it was closer than the sink? Well, we haven’t, cause that’s just gross and you should probably seek help if you’re drinking toilet water. Unless, that is, you’re drinking it out of this cute candy toilet!
toys (Page 25)
There are plenty of reasons to visit San Diego, California. Aside from beautiful beaches, visitors to the Golden State’s southernmost metropolitan area can watch professional baseball and football, see killer whales and other marine life at Sea World, and dine on authentic Mexican cuisine.
And of course, there’s also Legoland California, North America’s first theme park dedicated to the Danish blocks that have captivated generations of kids. Since its opening in 1999, Legoland California has gone through numerous renovations, and as of April even has its own Legoland Hotel, one of only three in the world.
Needless to say, we booked our reservation as soon as possible.
With kids wanting to get their hands on tablets and smartphones rather than tops and jack-in-the-boxes, traditional toy makers are beginning to feel the heat. Although, it’s hard to imagine a perennial favorite like Lego go under, they aren’t taking any chances as indicated by a display at Sony Computer Science Labs in Tokyo during a recent open house.
The building block maker is partnering with the tech giant to implant some video game magic such as AI and DualShock control into their timeless colored cubes. But that’s not all. Sony Computer Science Labs are cooking up some wild stuff for the young and young at heart.
Recently, one of our correspondents was strolling through a shopping mall in Mandaue City on Cebu Island in the Philippines. As he passed an arcade, one of the attendants flagged him down, asking if he wanted to try to win a stuffed doll in one of their crane games.
Intrigued by the offer, our reporter peered into the machine’s glass case, at first thinking he saw popular Japanese anime characters Doraemon and Testuwan Atom (also know as Astro Boy internationally). Closer investigation though, revealed that the arcade was filled with cheap, yet somehow incredibly endearing, knock-offs.
Okayama Prefecture lies in west Japan, three and a half hours from Tokyo by bullet train. Known for its castle, 17th century garden, and folktale of Momotaro the Peach Boy, it’s a laid-back, slow-paced kind of place, so we can understand the difficulties local bus operator Ryobi Group faces in trying to promote the region as a travel destination for young people.
So Ryobi has made the cornerstone of its newest marketing campaign something young Japanese males will enjoy: a bus tour guide who’s also a cute anime idol. Read More
As any professional road racer or weekend canyon carver can tell you, nothing gives a bigger boost to a car’s performance than a great set of tires. Taking that idea to its illogical conclusion, toy manufacturer Takara Tomy figured the hottest ride must be an eraser car. And one styled like a Mario kart, no less. Read More
The UFO catcher, also known in the West as the crane game, is a stalwart of Japanese arcades. The rules are simple: drop in your coin, then operate the mechanical claw to try to pick up your prize, whether it’s a stuffed Pikachu, giant box of Pocky, or a live prawn. No, we are not making that last one up. Of course, this is easier said than done. More often than not the prizes slip out of the claw’s grasp (especially the prawns).
In a way, the UFO catcher is the perfect metaphor for the long-running, psychologically heavy-hitting anime series Evangelion, known to fans simply as Eva. Like Eva’s protagonist Shinji with his giant robot, at first the technology seems fun and exciting. Then, following soul-crushing failure after failure, you find yourself void of the strength to go on, staring at the machine through your tears of frustration, finally understanding that a part of you has hated it all along, even as the realization sinks in that it may house the soul of your dead mother (OK, the last bit is strictly Eva).
But with a new Eva UFO catcher promotion, Sega is making sure no one has to go home empty-handed. Read More
Opened on 3 April, Shuminova is a new kind of drinking and eating establishment. It’s named is derived from the Japanese word shumi which means hobby, and the nova refers to the explosion of nostalgia for middle-aged men contained within.
Among the guitars, laptops and game consoles are the main attraction of Shuminova: Tamiya Mini 4WD’s. You can enjoy some tasty food and drink while tinkering with your own customizable car utilizing advice from the owner, a Mini 4WD expert.
Love lollipops? Love ice-cream? You can now make your own Chupa Chups flavored ice candy! Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy A.R.T.S will be releasing an ice candy making kit this coming 18 April.With the candy kit, making the lollipop flavored ice candy is simple and fun.
Fans of the manga and animé smash JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and its notoriously ill-mannered dog Iggy will be pleased to know that they can now get their hands on a doorstop modeled on the pooch.
Being in management is difficult. Sometimes you have to make lightning-quick decisions that you later regret. However, the most valuable members of an organization are the ones that take a risk, fail, and then make success from that very same failure.
The pioneering entrepreneurs at Omocoro are just such business men and would like to share their techniques with you on how to make gold out of 100,000 errantly purchased toy blocks in the following handy guide.
Fukubukuro, lit. “lucky bag”, are a wonderful way for stores to shift merchandise at the start of the year, not unlike western stores’ New Year’s sales but with far more mystery and intrigue involved. Shoppers take a gamble when they purchase these gift bags as they are completely sealed and their contents unlisted, and they don’t always contain products that we desperately need, but fukubukuro usually contain items whose cash value far exceeds the bag’s asking price.
So when our reporter Kuzo heard that the fast food chain and home of 30-patty cheeseburgers Lotteria was offering up special collaborative Evangelion bags for just 2,000 yen each, he powered down his Wii U, stepped out into the sunlight and sprinted – well, sort of jogged while wheezing quietly – to his nearest store to grab one for himself.
Was it worth the US$22 purchase, or was Kuzo lumbered with a cooking-oil-scented bag of tat? Find out after the jump.
This might be what Toy Story would look like if it were made by Japanese nerds: amazing, fluid animation, incomprehensible story line. There’s even an appearance by Hentai Woody
Check the video, called “The Worst Thing”, below:
One fun way to see what anime or game series are currently popular with kids and otaku in Japan is to visit an arcade and take a look at the prizes up for grabs in the crane machines, or UFO catchers, as they’re often called in Japanese.
Unlike North America, arcade culture is still going strong in Japan and UFO catchers are one of the main attractions. Always found on the first floor of arcades, these machines are stocked with the latest limited-edition figurines and plushies of popular characters, many of which can only be acquired as UFO catcher prizes (or on Amazon at obscene prices).
Japanese toy company Banpresto has announced their newest lineup of CRANEKING arcade-exclusive prizes, available this October. Check what toys are hot on the Japanese arcade scene below!
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We found possibly the quietest Japanese-style hotel in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district
Japanese thug wear from Birth Japan perfect for those breaking bad next year
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Survey finds more than 70 percent of Japanese children have an online friend
Start saving room now – Japanese grocery store’s biggest sushi roll yet is coming for Setsubun
Final Fantasy and KFC team up for new collaboration meal, Colonel Sanders/Chocobo figure
We try eating nothing but emergency food rations for three progressively tougher days
We tried super spicy wasabi ramen and yakisoba that’s rumored to make anyone cry【Taste Test】
Japanese restaurant serves up the biggest sushi we’ve ever seen!
It’s like the samurai era never ended at this beautiful Japanese mountain town
Weekly
- Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
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
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
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】
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Monthly
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- Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
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
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
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Final Fantasy and KFC team up for new collaboration meal, Colonel Sanders/Chocobo figure
We try eating nothing but emergency food rations for three progressively tougher days
We tried super spicy wasabi ramen and yakisoba that’s rumored to make anyone cry【Taste Test】
Japanese restaurant serves up the biggest sushi we’ve ever seen!
It’s like the samurai era never ended at this beautiful Japanese mountain town
100-year-old brush shop in Tokyo sells a Japanese body brush that’s painfully good
Japan’s oldest largetooth sawfish in captivity back on display in Mie Prefecture
Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain is now closed
7-Eleven Japan introduces extra large size coffees at stores… but how big are they?
Attack of the Clones: Finalists in this year’s Miss Korea contest once again looking eerily alike
We get our hands on a coveted Yodobashi lucky bag, this time the beauty and health gadget box
Have you ever noticed how much Totoro looks like New Year’s mochi? This plushie’s designers did, and the result is adorable!
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