People in Japan are turning to the mysterious Amabie to help us through the coronavirus pandemic.
yokai
Japan’s most terrifying ghouls, monsters and demons come out to frighten the public on a street believed to border the spirit world.
The granddaddy of yokai anime, Gegege no Kitaro, gets an unexpected salute as it reaches the half-century milestone.
Why DO kappa flip their lids for cucumber? No better time to investigate that than June 14, recognized around the globe as Cucumber Day.
The Kappa is generally known as a clownish, mostly friendly water spirit in Japanese mythology, but a cursory web search recently revealed the creature’s darker nature.
Haunted by demanding ghosts but can’t afford to look like a dweeb? These tights are just what you need!
What could be scarier than looking in a mirror and seeing a demon staring back at you? How about being too engrossed in your smartphone to even notice…
Even the pets of Japan want to show their respects to the recently passed yokai author Shigeru Mizuki.
See this tanuki? Aren’t his balls cute? Welcome to Japan, where raccoon-dog genitals are universally admired.
The zashikiwarashi is a Japanese child spirit that’s supposed to bring good luck, and it’s supposedly been caught on video!
We’ve been telling our fine readers for literally years now about Yo-kai Watch, the Pokémon-esque game/manga/anime series that’s full of adorable yet mischievous collectible yokai monsters. And now that the series has been newly localised and adapted for the West, you’re finally going to see for yourselves what’s been driving Japanese kids to ritually torch bonfires of old Pokémon goods in favour of worshipping the new yokai overlords. Okay, we’re exaggerating, but only a little bit.
Of course, the success of any Japanese import into the Western market hinges on a heartfelt and thorough localisation process. It happened to Pokémon—Satoshi became Ash Ketchum, and many Pokémon were entirely renamed—and now it’s happening to Yo-kai Watch, too.
But is the very Japanese charm of the new franchise about to be seriously lost in translation?
MOST POPULAR
Now
Parenting while teleworking — a day in the life of a Japanese father in the midst of COVID-19
Anime voice actors need loans, face “dangerous levels of poverty” during pandemic, union says
Embassy employee pulls April Fools’ Day prank, gets admired for Photoshop skills instead
Nara’s deer continue their summertime tradition of commandeering one of the city’s streets
Where’d the time go?! Top anime series that finished ten years ago, ranked by Japanese netizens
Japanese baby flashes peace sign from the womb, lets mom know everything is going to be all right
Crocodile Who Dies in 100 Days Cafe dies in 3 days
Harajuku looks eerily quiet during the coronavirus outbreak 【Photos】
These apartments are crazy-small even by Tokyo standards, and super-popular with young people
The SoraNews24 Work from Home Health Guide: Stretching with Mr. Sato!【Photos】
Weekly
One Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask scene is less zany, much sadder to adults, salaryman learns
Private: Nude Polish beauties posing with coffins (not a Halloween prank)【NSFW】
The sad story of the Japanese vending machine set to disappear at the end of the year
WARNING! The Civic hatchback can’t drive through Evangelion AT fields, Honda’s lawyers say【Vids】
Here’s how to be a Shiba Inu’s favorite person
Learn how to cook staple Japanese dishes with actor Hiro Mizushima【Videos】
Net user proposes clever changes to 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo in light of one-year delay
Using Japan’s ancient recipe for homemade instant rice that lasts at least two years, possibly 20
Japanese men rank their favorite female Studio Ghibli characters
Snow falls on sakura cherry blossoms in full bloom around Tokyo 【Photos & Videos】
Monthly
Jason calls off Friday the 13th activities due to coronavirus
Japanese students hold graduation ceremony in Minecraft amid school cancellation
Thanks to the coronavirus over 450 manga volumes are now free to read online
Nara deer leave park, head to station for food as tourist numbers tumble due to coronavirus
What if One Piece was a girls’ comic? Shojo manga artist produces character redesign【Pics】
We order all four burgers from McDonald’s Japan’s Big Mac line and compare their…sizes
Japanese cosplayer unveils the truth behind girl gamers with these photos
Why did Hayao Miyazaki agree to release Studio Ghibli anime films on Netflix?
Shakey’s Japan releases Mojo Potato recipe to keep home cooks happy during coronavirus outbreak
Funny Shiba dog had a silly reaction to eating natto, frightened its owners, made the vet laugh
Yearly
Adult Cream Pie coming to McDonald’s Japan- Jason calls off Friday the 13th activities due to coronavirus
Japan goes beyond rice cookers with new curry rice cooker, the kitchen gadget we need right now
Japanese cosplay model shows off thighs, but fans’ eyes are on her Nintendo 64 controller grip- Japanese students hold graduation ceremony in Minecraft amid school cancellation
Free “Language Learning with Netflix” extension makes studying Japanese almost too easy
Japan’s one-person bento box-sized rice cooker can give you freshly cooked rice at the office
Studio Ghibli suddenly makes 38 albums of anime music available on Spotify, Apple Music, and more
My Hero Academia creator, publisher make official apologies for controversial character name
Can you solve this crazy difficult, super satisfying math puzzle from a Japanese middle schooler?
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Japanese baby flashes peace sign from the womb, lets mom know everything is going to be all right
Crocodile Who Dies in 100 Days Cafe dies in 3 days
Harajuku looks eerily quiet during the coronavirus outbreak 【Photos】
These apartments are crazy-small even by Tokyo standards, and super-popular with young people
The SoraNews24 Work from Home Health Guide: Stretching with Mr. Sato!【Photos】
100-yen store Daiso teaches us how to make our own cloth face masks
Studio Ghibli producer kills theory of death subtext in My Neighbor Totoro
Empty Akihabara – Tokyo’s otaku district hit hard by coronavirus outbreak【Photos】
Domino’s offers sakura videos, free second pizzas to get Japan to do cherry blossom parties at home
Japan’s number-one cosplayer appears nude on cover of first major physical photo album
Home invasion robber makes Japanese granny feed him, gives her 10 masks in return
What does “Konnichiwa” really mean? Understanding Japanese greetings
-
