Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
weird (Page 183)
Looking for a fresh pair of undies for your smartphone? We thought so! Bandai has just announced a new line up of their hugely popular SmartPants brand smartphone underwear. This time, SmartPants2 come in eight new designs, a pixelized home button sticker, and a exceptionally weird promotional video.
Tired of the same old plastic model kits? Have you built more Gundam than your wife is comfortable with? Put together enough miniature planes, trains, and automobiles than you care to admit? Well you’re in luck! We’ve found a totally bizarre but somehow completely awesome plastic model kit that you’ve probably never built before.
Apparently, if you could taste fear, it would taste like cool lemonade.
Starting July 27, Japanese burger chain Lotteria will offer a limited-time lemonade shake flavor themed after classic Japanese horror icon Sadako – the unmistakable and absolutely horrifying long-haired ghost girl from The Ring.
In Japan, there are roughly 450 national highways wandering their way through the country, connecting the various cities and prefectures.
Their sizes and conditions obviously vary widely depending on location and usage, but for the most-part they all share one thing in common: cars can drive on them. But on 338.2 meters (about 425 yards) of National Highway 339 in Aomori Prefecture, not a single car, truck, scooter, or motorcycle is allowed.
Why? Because it’s actually a staircase!
Beauty — they say it’s only skin deep. Regardless, we all know there are plenty of people out there who would go to great lengths for what they believe to be a chance to look even just the slightest bit more beautiful. Yes, obsession with beauty can run deep and strong. But just how far would you be willing to go to look prettier or younger? Would you be willing to actually go under a plastic surgeon’s knife? Or if that’s too much, would you be comfortable with receiving botox shots once in a while? What if it was a completely non-invasive procedure that may do wonders for your skin, but one that involves having certain living organisms crawl over your face? Well, some people may be prepared to endure great hardships in the name of beauty, but this is one treatment you have to be pretty brave to try!
There are certain trappings to the ideal vision of high school in Japan. A schoolhouse with surprisingly lenient rooftop access policies is one. A bevy of beautiful, earnest coed equipment managers cheering you on in the big game is another. And no set of rose-colored school days is complete without a kind, patient, nurturing school nurse.
If you’re past your teens, most of these are now out of reach. Contrary to what anime and TV dramas have shown us, Japanese educational institutes don’t even let their own students eat lunch on the roof, much less some random guy trying to turn back the clock. Putting your grown-man strength to use in youth athletics is similarly out of the question.
Thanks to a new website that launched this month, though, it’s not too late to have another chat with that school nurse.
Sometimes, it’s only after the fact that you realize just how close you came to dying.
After eating dinner a few nights ago, my wife was flipping through the channels on TV. “Oh, that’s right, Whisper of the Heart is on. Do you want to watch it?” she asked.
Now ordinarily a cute girl asking me if I’d like to watch anime with her gets an automatic “Why yes, I would.” But at that point there were just 20 minutes left before the end, and I said I’d rather just rent it from the video store down the street some other time, so we could watch it from the beginning.
That decision may have saved our lives.
Just over an hour south of downtown Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture’s Enoshima Island and the nearby coastline are a prime summer destination. There’s a little something for everyone, whether you want to frolic in the water or on the sandy beach, visit a shrine hidden deep inside a cave and learn about the legend of the fearsome dragon who fell in love with a beautiful local girl, or just try out your pick-up lines at the numerous oceanfront bars.
This spring, the Aloha Beach Café opened up on Enoshima island. The restaurant specializes in the Hawaiian-style pancakes that are all the rage in Japan right now, but also offers one menu item you could only find on the Kanagawa coast.
Since 1999, Konami’s Silent Hill horror series has been spooking gamers with its mysterious, reality-bending setting and plotlines, not to mention its collection of grotesque, otherworldly creatures like the appropriately-named Pyramid Head, a giant with a large, triangular head who stalks the game’s protagonist while carrying an enormous blade.
Konami has recently formed a partnership with a number of ramen restaurants across Japan to serve Silent Hill ramen. But just what exactly happens when you use a horror story that’s dripping with gore as the inspiration for food? We headed to Hajime, a Tokyo restaurant that offers the terrifying noodles, to find out.
Oh, dear heavens! What’s this?
Is Tokyo having freak, concentrated snowfall in the middle of summer? Have Mr. Freeze and Iceman been duking it out in Ginza? Is it a cotton candy terrorist attack??
There have been plenty of largely portioned bowls of ramen with so much stuff piled on top that you can’t see the noodles beneath. But this one is probably the weirdest mountain-like ramen we’ve ever seen. It appears to be topped with white foam and is closer to looking like a snowy mountain peak than a steaming hot bowl of soup.
Tokyo police released a statement earlier this week asking the public for any information they may have regarding an incident that occurred on June 15 at approximately 9:20 a.m. wherein a man called out to a child playing in a local park.
As it transpires, though, all the man is believed to have said to the boy was, “You’ll never play for your country doing it like that!” leaving netizens wondering exactly why there should be any cause for concern.
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!
Many couples strive to plan a perfectly unique wedding. From nonconventional backyard ceremonies to destination weddings in far off places, there is no limit to the delightfully strange and creative ways people tie the knot. However, JR East is giving one lucky couple the chance at a wedding most people have probably never dreamed of.
Puberty is a rough age. With your hormones insisting that you’re ready to start making some babies right now, yet your mind, parents, and teachers saying you’re really not, courtship can be difficult. In particular, figuring out an appropriate way to clearly show affection, while still respecting proper boundaries, can be a real quandary. Learning to find the proper middle ground, though, is an important part of growing up.
Or you could just do the like the kids at one Japanese elementary school who said the heck with it and went to town licking each other’s eyeballs.
Mention Honda to most people, and they’ll think of a successful car company, if still a few rungs below giants Toyota, GM, and Volkswagen in sheer size. But Honda just happens to be the biggest engine manufacturer in the world, providing power for not just for passenger cars, but also motorcycles, scooters, boats, jet aircraft, and even lawnmowers.
Honda’s most die-hard fans point to the company’s racing pedigree and ease with which its engines can be tuned to make more power, both of which factor into its current project of building the world’s fastest riding mower.
Typified by the saccharine songs of AKB48, the Japanese idol world is largely the province of the young. One rarely expects to see a singer over the age of 25 among the mini-skirt-clad ranks of the ultra-kawaii groups.
Usually.
A group from Osaka—called Obachaaan—are ready to change that up.
The spider crab is the largest living crab on the planet and, as its name suggests, looks like the terrifying offspring of the unholy mating of a coconut crab and a Goliath tarantula. So it’s no wonder that watching one of these monstrosities shed its entire exoskeleton is nightmare-inducing, as this video shows.
There are plenty of difficulties in learning Japanese, from the thousands of kanji characters you have to memorize to the fact that the language doesn’t have a future tense. Pronunciation, though, isn’t that big of a hurdle. Japanese contains only 47 syllables to master, which may sound like a lot, but is in actuality pretty paltry compared to most other languages.
One of the biggest effects this limited pronunciation repertoire has is that Japanese is filled with homonyms. For example, kyoushi could mean either “a teacher” or “death by way of insanity.” Where there are words that sound alike, there are puns, and now where there are puns, there’s the president of Domino’s Pizza Japan.
Among the extensive pantheon of ramen varieties is tsukemen, in which the noodles are served on a dish with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side. My first experience with the dish was in college, when a buddy took me to a tsukemen place that had opened up near our campus in Tokyo that was famous for their sauce made with fish stock. At the time it seemed like a wildly exotic concoction, but little did I know that years later my hometown of Los Angeles would produce an even more outlandish version of the dish: marshmallow ramen.
Starbucks Japan adds new Sweet Potato Frappuccino and Latte to the menu, but do they deliver the taste of autumn?
Japan’s first fall color forecast for 2026 is here!
German woman rescued from Mt. Fuji after suffering altitude sickness symptoms, hiking to peak anyway
A real-world Pokémon Poké Ball hotel is opening in Japan at a still-secret location [Video]
Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimono
American tourist in Japan arrested on charges of attempted murder and arson
Starbucks Japan reveals new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing drinkware and gifts for autumn 2026
Solo travel in Japan: $3 all-you-can-drink deal at this conveyor belt restaurant is a fun time for one
Japan’s revolving sushi restaurant king Sushiro coming to U.S. this fall with high prices, no tipping
Mini CRT-lookalike Final Fantasy figurines are awesome pixel art music boxes [Video]
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Solo travel in Japan: Hidden beer garden in Tokyo is a haven for single visitors
Hobonichi unveils new 2027 planners, diaries and stationery with One Piece, Suica Penguin, Hello Kitty and a must-buy Mini Techo
Farewell Final Ceremony announced for Tokyo’s life-size Gundam statue, will stream live
Family Mart releases new Human Made Cup Noodle in Japan, with freebies for Nigo fansA real-world Pokémon Poké Ball hotel is opening in Japan at a still-secret location [Video]
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
One Piece Day 2026 brings new art, music, and new cast announcements
Hikaru Utada sings new song in Shinkansen commercial for Japan’s Supreme Class cabins
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dadJapan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buyStudio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime starsJapan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
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]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
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】
American tourist in Japan arrested on charges of attempted murder and arson
Starbucks Japan reveals new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing drinkware and gifts for autumn 2026
Solo travel in Japan: $3 all-you-can-drink deal at this conveyor belt restaurant is a fun time for one
Japan’s revolving sushi restaurant king Sushiro coming to U.S. this fall with high prices, no tipping
Mini CRT-lookalike Final Fantasy figurines are awesome pixel art music boxes [Video]
Japan Railways announces unlimited-ride train pass for fall travel
The mystery of Port Store, the Japanese convenience store that looks like a Lawson rip-off
Tamagotchi evolves into a ring for its 30th anniversary, preorders now open
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Elderly couple donates 400 million yen to erect Myaku-Myaku statue in Osaka
Hobonichi unveils new 2027 planners, diaries and stationery with One Piece, Suica Penguin, Hello Kitty and a must-buy Mini Techo
Family Mart releases Famima convenience store products nationwide, but which ones are worth buying?
Onsen Egg Bukkake Udon Ice Cream makes us rethink everything we thought we knew about sweets
Finally! Japan’s big three convenience store chains announce rice ball price reductions
