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turtles

Could this island actually be the real setting of the legend of Urashima Taro?

There’s a mysticism to this place that really makes it feel like a turtle could guide you to the Dragon King’s Palace.

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Flight out of Narita Airport delayed because of a turtle on the runway

I’m really liking this Die Hard II remake.

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JR West comes up with brilliant plan to save turtles and prevent train delays, touches netizens

Good for the humans, and good for the turtles, too!

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Crushed turtle on tracks delays train in Japan, problem “not uncommon”

The turtle wasn’t hit by a train, but was still too slow to get out of the way of another source of danger.

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Witness regrets letting “destiny” slip through his fingers after the unexpected meeting.

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Instead of eating the eggs, owner parlays annual circle-of-life phenomenon into expansion of his social circle.

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Japan Railways implements new innovation to make train tracks safer… for turtles?

Japan is already one of the safest countries in the world for humans, and now it seems it’s about to get a lot safer for turtles too…

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While dogs remain one of Japan’s favorite pet choices, you can actually get much of the same enjoyment from a pet turtle or tortoise. For example, we’ve seen that with enough patience, you and your shelled friend can enjoy going for walks together. And just like dog owners might one day experience the joy of coming home and finding a litter of puppies, so too can those with a turtle feel blessed when it lays a bunch of adorable little eggs.

As a matter of fact, the latter might even be the better of the two, since turtle eggs are far easier to cook than puppies. What’s that? You say you wouldn’t eat your animal companions’ eggs? Then you’re clearly operating under different thinking than this pet owner in Japan.

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Turtles have a lot of upsides as pets, such as being quiet and low-maintenance. Of course, they’re not perfect animal companions. For example, just think of how much fun dog-owners have taking their pooches for a walk. You can’t do that with a turtle, can you?

Sure you can, as long as you’re not in a hurry, like this resident of Tokyo out for a stroll with his gigantic pet turtle.

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Badass art: Ono Gaf and his giant metal turtle

There is no doubt that life as an artist is difficult. From struggling to hone your craft to fighting for the respect of your peers and the attention of an audience, it’s often seen as a career only pursued by the obsessed. While we’re certain that you don’t need to be insane to be a successful artist, we’re also pretty sure that it doesn’t hurt to be at least a little compulsive in your dedication.

When it comes to driven art, Ono Gaf may fit the archetype to perfection. And if you disagree, you can take it up with that giant, hand-built turtle standing over him! Read More

Bandai Japan unveils bizarre new turtle launcher capsule toys, curiously epic promo video

Capsule toy-dispensing machines like those dotted all over Japan were something of a rarity back when I was growing up in the UK. Instead, we had to make do with Kinder Surprise, the tiny chocolate eggs that came with a small plastic toy inside (which, weirdly, were banned in the US). Some of the trinkets that came in those little eggs were actually quite cool, and the build-it-yourself element was genuinely appealing to our curious young minds.

But none of those toys came even close to being as exciting – or incredibly random – as the latest release from Bandai Japan: swimsuit-wearing turtles that can be fired out of their shells.

Join us after the jump to meet the whole shell-less turtle gang and watch their needlessly dramatic promotional video.

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