Love Kit Kats? Wish you could get your hands on the amazing varieties available only in Japan? How about a whole box of them?
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Heading to Kyoto soon? Simply want to know more about Japan’s ancient capital? We have the perfect book and DVD for you—and you could win them by answering one easy question!
Calling all anime enthusiasts and obsessive collectors! Today we have a very special announcement that will put a big smile on your face and have you doing flappy hands like a sugar-rushing toddler in a toy shop. Thanks to the good people at Stone Bridge Press, we have one hardback and three electronic copies of the incredible The Anime Encyclopedia 3rd Revised Edition to give away!
Join us after the jump to find out how to make this book your own.
Rock-paper-scissors. Scissors-paper-stone. Roshambo. Elephant-man-ant. Whatever you call it, chances are you’ve played it at some point. In Japan, the game is known as janken, and is used to settle any kind of dispute or awkward situation, from who gets the last cookie to which parents have to sit on the PTA that year.
It’s not hard to see why janken is so popular in Japan: it’s simple, and everyone knows how to play. It’s also efficient (particularly if the thing being decided is trivial anyway). Decisions made by janken are stuck to religiously: in three years teaching Japanese schoolkids I never once saw a student complain about the result or demand a rematch. It’s seen as a fair way to make decisions, because the game is based on luck.
Or is it? A group of researchers from Chinese universities has published a paper that shows sure-fire ways to win at rock-paper-scissors. Join us after the jump as we explore how to outsmart small children at their own game!
Now that was fast!
It was just 10 days ago that we were detailing our adventurous reporter’s trip to the newly opened Omote 3D Shashin Kan photography studio to be scanned and turned into an ultra-detailed model, and we were told that it’d be a month before the finished product arrived. But would you believe it’s already here! In our sweaty little hands!
And the result is spectacular.




![[3D Photo Studio] Mr. Sato’s Very Own Lifelike 3-D model has Arrived! [3D Photo Studio] Mr. Sato’s Very Own Lifelike 3-D model has Arrived!](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2012/12/mini-sato.jpg?w=580)
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
Japanese sandals dyed with real Uji matcha are here to whisk you off your feet
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Pokémon store character meet-and-greet events to resume in May
History’s largest force of Samurai Colonel Sanders deploying to KFC Japan branches
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
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
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
No, that’s not French bread, it’s Japan’s crazy-big gobo!
Pokémon store character meet-and-greet events to resume in May
History’s largest force of Samurai Colonel Sanders deploying to KFC Japan branches
KFC adds caramel macadamia frozen dessert drinks to menus in Japan to celebrate autumn
The world’s biggest Muji store opened in Hiroshima, and we went to check it out!
Energy Milk from Japan is the new way to power up your day
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
New 7-Eleven sandwich goes viral in Japan, but is it everything it’s cracked up to be?
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Where are the most appealing parts of Japan? Prefecture survey investigates
For-foreigners stamp rally begins in Akihabara, gives prizes for walking the otaku neighborhood