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Fran W

Fran grew up on a farm in Northumberland, England’s most northern and least populated county. She relocated to Nagoya in 2011 to teach English and find better edamame beans. On arriving in Japan, she enthusiastically abandoned a lifetime of vegetarianism and now spends her weekends on the trail of the perfect miso katsu. When not attempting to sing k-pop at karaoke, Fran can often be found loitering in old camera shops, or on a hike wishing the manual camera in her backpack wasn’t so heavy.

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Posted by Fran W (Page 2)

“Where are all the laser beams?” Our reporter heads to Nevada’s Area 51 on a top-secret mission

Fran W
May 26, 2015
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For conspiracy theorists, Area 51 is a location of high intrigue. Often called the most secret place on earth (well…the United States, anyway), this government base in Nevada is thought to be used for weapons testing and experimental aircraft – although very little is known about what really goes on there. Some of the more out-there theories include meetings with aliens, development of weather control, and even time travel.

Our Japanese reporter Go Hatori is a seasoned traveller and, when he’s not trolling would-be scammers online for his own amusement, loves nothing more than to take a solo trip somewhere mysterious. So Go headed into the Nevada desert – with a secret mission of his own!

Japan, USA
(aliens • America • Area 51 • Go Hatori • Ichiro • Nevada • UFOs)

Yokohama Baystars get a shojo manga makeover in a bid to wow female fans

Fran W
May 21, 2015

There’s only one thing better than a life-size replica of your favourite Japanese baseball player, and that’s a manga-style life-size replica.

A large-scale illustration of eight players from Yokohama DeNa Baystars goes on show this week in the run-up to a special festival for the Baystars’ female fans.

Japan
(baseball • fans • girls • sport • Yokohama DeNa Baystars)

In pictures: Everyday life in China and Hong Kong, 1868-1872【Photos】

Fran W
May 20, 2015

Scottish travel writer and photographer John Thomson was one of the first western photographers to travel to the Far East. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, he travelled extensively in China, recording what he saw for posterity.

From elaborately dressed brides to working fishermen, Thomson captured landscapes and city scenes, people and places. The result is a captivating insight into the everyday lives of Chinese people almost 150 years ago.

China
(black and white • China • Hong Kong • John Thomson • old • photos)

Nintendo DS on the menu as Japanese prisons get creative to keep ageing prisoners’ brains active

Fran W
May 20, 2015

As Japan’s penal system struggles to cope with a rising number of older inmates, a number of prisons are taking unusual steps to help inmates stay healthy in mind as well as body.

The number of prisoners in Japan aged 65 or over increased almost five-fold in the twenty years up to 2013. This ageing prison population means institutions are bringing in innovative programmes to slow the onset of dementia in inmates, from yoga to hand-held video games.

Japan
(crime • health • Nintendo DS • prisons • seniors • social issues • video games)

This “revolutionary” Japanese compression bottle is our 100-yen shop find of the week【Video】

Fran W
May 6, 2015

Like many people, our reporter Go Hatori likes to decant his lotions and potions into portable mini-bottles for travel. It saves space in his luggage for other items, looks neater, and shows the world that you are a well-organised, fully-functioning member of society. The problem with those little bottles which have a spray or pump attachment, though, is they can be wasteful. Once you’re down to the last centimetre or so of product, it just refuses to come out.

So when Go discovered this tiny straw-less pump bottle in the 100-yen shop (“where everything’s 83 cents approx!”), he was over the moon!

Japan
(100 yen shop • products • revolution • travel)

Rescued dog becomes rescue dog as Hiroshima stray joins search for survivors in Nepal

Fran W
May 5, 2015

In the wake of the massive earthquake that struck central Nepal last week, non-profit organisation Peace Winds Japan sent a small team of six rescuers and two specially trained dogs to help with the search for survivors.

Remarkably, one of the search dogs who was dispatched to Kathmandu is himself a former rescue: Yumenosuke, a stray dog saved from euthanasia in Hiroshima.

Japan, S Asia
(animals • disaster • earthquake • Hiroshima • Nepal • rescue dog • search and rescue • Yumenosuke)

Our Japanese reporter’s US trip goes horribly wrong when his luggage somehow ends up in Ecuador

Fran W
May 4, 2015

Today, we’d like to share with you the experience of one of our reporters on a domestic flight in the United States. Hailing from Japan, home of the airport that hasn’t lost a piece of luggage in 20 years, our reporter Yoshio wasn’t expecting the unthinkable to happen on his brief 45-minute flight – but somehow, his bag went missing. And ended up in Ecuador!

Join us after the jump to hear his story, featuring insurance claims, flight changes, and at least one trip to buy new underwear.

Japan, USA
(airline • baggage • Japan • lost luggage • USA)

Kansai International: The airport that’s never lost a passenger’s bag

Fran W
Apr 14, 2015

One of the many things we love about Japan is its amazing customer service, from intelligent packing to omnipresent station attendants who pop out of the walls to help you.

So we weren’t too surprised to hear that an airport in Japan has been judged to be the best airport in the world for baggage handling. And the details of the top-notch service that helped Kansai International Airport clinch the title are really quite impressive. For starters, the Osaka airport hasn’t lost a single item of luggage in over 20 years.

Japan
(airports • customer service • Kansai International Airport • Osaka • travel)

Forget Tokyo’s giant Gundam statue, we wanna visit this plastic-bottle Gundam in Tochigi!

Fran W
Apr 10, 2015

We’re pretty big fans of Odaiba’s full-scale Gundam statue, which towers over Tokyo Bay at an incredible 18 metres tall. But there’s nothing quite like homespun charm, and we’re equally delighted to discover the existence of a plastic bottle version, built single-handedly by one enthusiastic sake shop owner in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

Our friends over at off-the-beaten-track Japan travel site Another Tokyo went to check it out last month, and this is what they found.

Japan
(Another Tokyo • attraction • Gundam • interesting • photos • Tochigi Pre • tourism • travel)

There’s something fishy about that catch! People in Chinese city urged not to eat floating carp

Fran W
Apr 8, 2015

In a city in China’s southwestern Shichuan Province during the early hours of April 2, a man walking alongside the river suddenly noticed what appeared to be huge quantities of pale fish floating in the water.

He quickly rushed home and returned with fishing equipment, and was soon joined by crowds of amateur fishers – and local officials, who subsequently hauled 300 kilograms of fish from the river to be destroyed.

China
(China • contamination • fishing • news • pollution)

Narita Airport attempts to woo international travellers with ‘Omotenashi’ welcome program

Fran W
Apr 1, 2015

‘Omotenashi’, the spirit of Japanese hospitality, became something of a buzzword at home and abroad when Christel Takigawa used the phrase in her speech to the International Olympic Committee in 2013.

And it’s in this spirit that Tokyo’s Narita airport plans to extend an especially warm welcome to international visitors this year, as it renews its Omotenashi Program of special offers and cultural events for transferring passengers.

Japan
(calligraphy • cultural events • geisha • Japan • kimono • lounge • maiko • Narita Airport • tourists • travel)

We go to Kanazawa to meet Bao, the miniature pig who works in a pork restaurant【Video】

Fran W
Mar 5, 2015

Kanazawa City in central Japan is famous for fresh fish and seafood, kaga yasai (15 types of vegetables, officially ordained as “local”), and delicious rice and sake. But it’s not all fancy shellfish and obscure vegetables. The aptly named restaurant TABOO in Kanazawa has a real live miniature pig as its manager!

“But, surely the pig’s not actually there in the restaurant?” wondered our reporter Yoshio. “If so, he probably just works weekends.” What’s more, isn’t working in a pork restaurant something of a dangerous endeavour for a pig? “What if he’s already been eaten?” There was nothing for it – Yoshio’s mind was made up! He must head to Kanazawa for himself and attempt to secure an interview with this most unusual of restaurant managers.

Japan
(pig • Restaurant • review • taboo • video)

Narita Airport shuttle buses – Cheaper than the train, but which bus is best?

Fran W
Feb 28, 2015

Most tourists to Japan will come in and out through Tokyo’s Narita Airport. But like many international airports, Narita is not exactly on the doorstep of a major destination city, and travellers headed for Tokyo will usually make the 60-kilometer (36-mile) journey to the metropolis via the Narita Express, a high-speed rail service with a single-trip fare of 3020 yen (US $25.34).

What’s perhaps less well-known is there are two budget bus services that take you from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station for as little as 900 yen. Tokyo Shuttle and The Access Narita seem to offer similar airport shuttle services, but which is the better option? And can they match the Narita Express in comfort and convenience? We sent one of our Japanese reporters to test out both services and find out!

Japan
(Narita Airport • service • shuttle bus • Test • transportation)

Fan film ‘Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope’ – two years in the making, but well worth the wait【Video】

Fran W
Feb 28, 2015

A fan-made sequel to Dragon Ball Z has racked up 3 million views on YouTube, and sent fans into a frenzy of anticipation for the following episodes – if the rest of the series gets funded. The pilot episode of Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope is based on animated special ‘The History of Trunks’, a DBZ sequel that tells the story of (you guessed it!) the young warrior Trunks.

In the words of every fan ever: “It’s better than ‘Dragonball Evolution’!” On the one hand, that’s not saying much, as Dragon Ball Evolution got spectacularly bad reviews. But on the other hand, when a fan-made film is better than one with a Hollywood budget, that’s certainly something to be proud of.

Global
(DBZ • Dragon Ball Z • Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope • fan film • video)

Wander through the forest with Princess Mononoke in these beautiful photos from Oregon cosplayers

Fran W
Feb 24, 2015

Tesla Cosplay are an all-female group who describe themselves as “five girls from Oregon who decided to add a little ‘awesome’ to their lives”. And looking at these photos from their recent Princess Mononoke shoot on location, we think they’ve achieved that aim!

Japan
(cosplay • Ghibli • photography • photos • Princess Mononoke)

Ultimate TKG: We’ll never eat tamago kake gohan the old way again! 【Sora Kitchen】

Fran W
Feb 23, 2015

Tamago kake gohan (or TKG to the cool kids) is a wonderfully simple Japanese meal, made by beating an egg and then pouring it over cooked rice. And the staff in our Tokyo office are pretty big fans. Our writer Yoshio even goes so far as to say that eating tamago kake gohan is one of the little moments in life when he feels lucky to be Japanese.

So when we discovered this unconventional recipe for Ultimate TKG, we just knew we had to give it a try – and the results were even more ultimate than we imagined! Join us after the jump for a step-by-step guide. All you’ll need is a bowl of cooked rice, an egg, and a strong wrist.

Japan
(Japanese recipe • recipe • Rocket Kitchen • Sora Kitchen • tamago kake gohan • TKG)

“Passport confiscation robs us of rights”: Japanese journalist prevented from travelling to Syria

Fran W
Feb 13, 2015

Japan’s Foreign Ministry has come under fire for confiscating the passport of a journalist who was intending to travel to Syria. War correspondent Yuichi Sugimoto, 58, was planning to visit Syria to cover events in refugee camps later this month, but was ordered to surrender his travel documents to authorities.

Under Japanese law, the ministry can confiscate a person’s passport to protect their life, but this is the first time the law has actually been used. Critics say the action contravenes the constitutional guarantee of freedom of movement and foreign travel.

Japan
(Islamic State • journalism • news • terrorism • Yuichi Sugimoto)

Eat your beans the doubly delicious way with this mushiyaki edamame recipe 【RocketKitchen】

Fran W
Feb 6, 2015

Edamame – young, green soybeans and (in this writer’s opinion anyway) the food of the gods – are usually prepared by boiling the beans in the pods, before draining and sprinkling with salt. While some people might think of edamame as an appetiser, or a side dish to sushi, in Japan the mighty green soybean has a special purpose – edamame’s best friend and soulmate is a cold beer.

And the writing team over at our Japanese sister site Pouch have their own special method of cooking edamame that they swear is doubly delicious. All you need is edamame, salt, and a lot less water than you might think.

Japan
(cooking • edamame • food • recipe • RocketKitchen • soybeans)

‘Rassun Gorerai: English version’ is even more oddball than the original 【Video】

Fran W
Jan 30, 2015

Humour can be so dependent on the language and culture of its country of origin, that it easily gets lost in translation. But what happens when you try to translate nonsense? That’s what Satoshi Castro has tried to do with his English version of comedy duo 8.6sec Bazooka’s ‘Rassun Gorerai’, the hit chanting-dance routine that’s racked up 9 million views on YouTube so far.

If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what that title rassun gorerai means, you’re in luck – it doesn’t mean anything! So how will this catchy Japanese comedy song work in English? Join us after the jump to find out!

Japan
(8.6sec Bazooka • comedy • funny • Rassun Gorerai • Satoshi Castro • video • wtf • YouTube)

Move over, humanoid employees: Nagasaki theme park to open futuristic hotel staffed by robots

Fran W
Jan 30, 2015

Once you’ve tired yourself out playing with your rideable 4-metre tall robot from Amazon Japan and experienced the neon assault to the senses that is Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant show, you’ll also be able to visit a hotel in Japan with robot staff once the new Hen-na Hotel opens this summer.

As well as robot receptionists, porters, cleaners and waitresses, the aptly-named Hen-na Hotel (literally meaning “strange hotel”) in the Huis Ten Bosch theme park, Nagasaki, will also feature a whole host of futuristic technology aimed at reducing energy consumption and human staffing levels, therefore keeping room prices down.