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Master Blaster

Writer / Translator

Master Blaster is the two-man translating team of Canada’s Steven Le Blanc and Japan’s Masami M, a pair who in addition to writing work are in English education and created the StudyNow app for Japanese students of English.

Together they have written somewhere around 1,500 articles for RocketNews24 covering such diverse topics as Chinese men selling sanitary napkins to each other and a Japanese guy dragging an ear of corn around the Tokyo train system. A few of these were actually good, but don’t take our word for it! Here’s what our beloved readers had to say:

“One isn't always in the mood for bold tastes. But when I'm in the mood for bold flavor I turn to you.”
“Stupid article. Who cares what the Japanese think it's cool. You don't call a monkey, "gorilla".”
“You know, this is about the most cogent explanation of how a turbocharger works that I have ever seen in the non-motorsports world.”
“Thanks for the article peter!”
“It's people like you who make exploitation possible.”
“It looks yummy and the story was great. Thank you for the smile.”

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Posted by Master Blaster (Page 147)

Struggling with Japanese? Let Tako lend you a hand…or five

Master Blaster
Jan 22, 2015
Tweet

Yes, I know octopi have eight tentacles not six, but Tako of Takos Japanese has five. It’s the same cartoon logic that makes the Simpson family all have eight fingers. And yes, I know the name should probably read “Tako’s Japanese.” Really though, let’s not get bogged down in talk of appendages and apostrophes right now.

Today we’re here to look at a new Japanese study app released by Spain-based Giant Soul Interactive. A lot of Japanese study apps found online are either fun but limited in content or deep but boring and stodgy. Learn Japanese with Tako (recently changed from “Takos Japanese”) aims to strike a happy balance of a fun way to learn the language that’s also rich in content. Let’s find out if they succeed.

Global
(app • Japanese • language • study • Takos Japanese)

Edo era Samurai were pretty gay

Master Blaster
Jan 21, 2015

Recently a Japanese TV program highlighted an interesting bit of historical trivia: The most common type of revenge killing in the Edo period was between gay lovers. It’s a statistic that shocked many viewers in modern Japan, but there is ample evidence to support that a whole lot of gay sex was going on in the country from between 1400 and 1900.

It was at first a playful fancy of the ruling classes but then grew into a cold yet efficiently run military system of battlefield man-pleasuring. However, as we can see from the previously mentioned little factoid, once guys start letting emotions get involved, the whole thing starts to fall apart.

Japan
(gay • history • LGBT • samurai • shudo)

RocketNews24 reporting from America…n World shopping complex in Iwate Prefecture

Master Blaster
Jan 20, 2015

Tired of being called “uncultured” by those around them, our reporters Mr. Sato and Yoshio made a road trip to Iwate Prefecture and all of its historical sites such as the Chusonji Golden Hall and Kenji Miyazawa Fairy Tale Village. It was the perfect place to learn more about Japan’s rich cultural heritage.

However, as they drove along Route 4 heading for the over-900-year-old Morioka Hachiman Shrine, something unusual caught Mr. Sato’s eye. “It’s a big red Ferris wheel!” he shouted, immediately forgetting about the site where Emperor Ojin’s spirit is enshrined.

Grabbing Yoshio’s arm, he forced the car to an off ramp and closer to the Ferris wheel, which they would soon learn was not just any old wheel, it was the American World Ferris wheel!

Japan, USA
(American World • Iwate • Mr. Sato • sightseeing • Yoshio)

Mystery in Shinjuku as woman plunges to death on visiting restroom

Master Blaster
Jan 19, 2015

A bizarre death occurred in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku, Tokyo recently as a 22-year-old woman died after falling nine stories during a visit to the restroom. Although suicide hasn’t been entirely ruled out, this appears to be a case of highly unusual building practices as a door opening onto a sheer drop was also present in the room.

Japan
(accident • fall • Kabukicho • shinjuku • toilet)

Ginger ale flavored soy milk coming to Japanese stores, buckets sold separately

Master Blaster
Jan 16, 2015

Sure we all love the great taste of ginger ale. Its sugary and spicy flavor, which also helps ease tummy aches, is second to none. But I know some of you must be wondering: “Why can’t I get that fantastic ginger taste in a milky substance which has no saturated fat or lactose and was not produced in a way that directly exploits animals?”

Your highly specific prayers have been answered! Kikkoman will be bringing Ginger Ale Flavored Soy Milk to stores across Japan in February.

Japan
(ginger ale • Kikkoman • soy milk)

Japan weirded out by new range of Disney shower heads

Master Blaster
Jan 16, 2015

Late last year shower specialists Oxygenics released sets of shower heads featuring the faces of Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse. They were warmly received by moms in America, who immediately saw them as a way to get kids motivated for bath-time and praised their easy water-pressure controls.

People in Japan saw the character shower heads quite differently, however, with some even going as far to call them “demeaning” and saying that “I don’t know if this is appropriate for children.”

Japan, USA
(Disney • Mickey Mouse • shower head • weird)

Great deal on “thing that lets you make a USB into a plug,” ask for it by name!

Master Blaster
Jan 15, 2015

The other day while out shopping for computer parts like that-thing-that-connects-an-old-type-iPod-to-a-PC, one Twitter user stumbled upon a truly great deal. For only 200 yen (US$1.70) you can get…um, you know…one of those “things-that-let-you-make-a-USB-into-a-plug.”

Internet, Japan
(computers • funny • technology • twitter • USB)

Aw snap yo! JR Kyushu’s really cheap “Gachi Ticket” is in the hizzouse!

Master Blaster
Jan 11, 2015

Wassup young people, I’m speaking your language today to tell you about to totally tubular deal from JR Kyushu! They’re offering some super-rad discounts of up to 40% off on train fares around the island of Kyushu for a seriously limited time.

It’s called the Gachi Ticket, where “gachi” is a new word the kids in Japan are using that’s hard to translate to English but somewhere along the lines of “for realz!” and “aww psssht it’s on!”

Japan
(JR • Kyushu • train • travel)

“Emissary of Hell” Spider-Man and his giant robot appear in American comic for first time!

Master Blaster
Jan 10, 2015

Some of you may recall us looking back on Japan’s version of Spider-Man from the late 1970s that was so over-the-top it made the old Adam West Batman series look like brooding British melodrama set atop a dew-soaked Northumberland farm.

It kept pretty close to the original storyline of Spider-Man, like how a motorcycle racer got his spider powers from an alien along with a spaceship that transforms into a giant robot to battle the evil Professor Monster, and shouting out, “I’m the emissary of Hell!” in Japanese before doing so.

It’s been a while since those good times but now the Japanese fans that still remember the series are tickled to see Spidey’s old war machine Leopardon has returned in the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man!

Japan, USA
(Comics • Leopardon • Spiderman • television)

And now, here’s Dragon Ball’s Freeza playing the One Piece theme perfectly on the drums

Master Blaster
Jan 9, 2015

Tired of RocketNews24 items that are coherent and have some semblance of order? Me too, so here’s a video of Dragon Ball Z villain Freeza playing an excellent rendition of the One Piece theme song “We Are!” on the drums. Well, it’s nearly Friday, isn’t it?

Internet, Japan
(drums • Freeza • music • One Piece • The Wasted • Zack)

Small Hokkaido bookshop’s unique service is getting business from all over Japan

Master Blaster
Jan 8, 2015

Iwata Bookstore is a modest little shop in Sunagawa City way up in the Northeastern part of Hokkaido. It also the site of an unlikely success story as it has recently been receiving orders from all over Japan by people wanting its one-of-a-kind offer of 10,000 yen (US$84) worth of books.

They’re not just any books though; these books are recommended by the shop’s owner Toru Iwata and hand-picked for every customer who orders.

Japan
(book store • books • business • Iwata Shoten)

We play little-known instrument the Udar, which does a killer Final Fantasy Prelude

Master Blaster
Jan 7, 2015

The world is full of musical instruments with varying degrees of notoriety. Many instruments, like the guitar and piano, have legions of followers, while others like the sheng only get picked up by a select few. The Udar falls into that latter category with Mr. Sato having just become one of the very few people who have ever picked one up.

Join us as we listen to the musical stylings of the Udar as played by its inventor Michinobu Uda and learn a little about how it works.

Japan
(instrument • Mr. Sato • music • Udar)

Next time you eat an orange, why not make it into an orange caterpillar first?

Master Blaster
Jan 7, 2015

During the winter months Japanese people often like to relax under their heated tables (kotatsu) and enjoy a nice mikan tangerine. Its juicy sweetness and vitamin C is a great compliment to these chilly nights. But really, anywhere in the world, anytime is a good time to enjoy some variation of orange, isn’t it?

So next time you get ready to peel a mandarin or clementine how about making it into a caterpillar first like many Twitter users in Japan have been doing in recent years? It’s super easy and we’re going to show you how.

Internet, Japan
(caterpillar • mikan • orange)

Enjoy a platter of Youkai Sashimi while we explain that cat’s name

Master Blaster
Jan 7, 2015

As we’ve been constantly reminding you over the past year or so, Youkai Watch is really big in Japan now, and yet some of you out there still don’t seem to believe us. We’ve watched them rip the annual McDonald’s calendar endorsement deal out of the cuddly clutches of Pokemon. We’ve seen fans carve their graven images into pumpkins. We’ve tasted of their milk. Still, there are those who think that it’s just a flash in the pan.

For those people, we present the highest honor a character in Japan can receive: a sashimi platter in their likeness.

Internet, Japan
(anime • food • sashimi • Youkai Watch)

2015 Chinese Dream Calendar comes true! 12 whole months of Xi Jinping and his wife waving

Master Blaster
Jan 6, 2015

As with the beginning of any new year, there comes the chore of getting a new calendar for your wall or fridge. Sure one usually arrives in the mail from your friendly neighborhood real estate agency, or you could always shell out for the motif of your choosing from a local calendar boutique.

But the really lucky years are when the perfect calendar just falls right into your lap, as it did with our Japanese writer Ponkotsu the other day. From an associate in Shanghai, he received something in the mail with the words Chinese Dream printed on its front; a calendar that he knew in an instant would become the one of his own dreams too.

China
(calendar • Chinese Dream • wtf • Xi Jinping)

Indian man still insists on driving backwards at full speed after eleven years

Master Blaster
Jan 6, 2015

There’s a particular type of male who when in possession of a vehicle strives to make it the most outstanding machine on the road for better or for worse. This generally involves painting obnoxiously loud colors onto their cars, which have been fitted with even more obnoxiously loud speakers. The result is a visual and audible horror show only appreciated by those with a similar mindset.

And then we have Harpeet Devi of India who has reached new heights of annoying car customization. He had his transmission customized to have four speeds in reverse and only one speed forward so he can drive backwards everywhere he goes.

S Asia
(cars • driving • Punjab • wtf)

We try Youkai Watch Pretz “our milk flavored” snacks, now with 6% milk!

Master Blaster
Jan 5, 2015

Although they often live in the shadow of their cousin Pocky, Glico’s Pretz brand of cracker sticks are also usually quite tasty. They certainly have enough taste power to stand on their own, but now after joining forces with the children’s money magnet that is Youkai Watch they certainly are a snack force to be reckoned with. The result of this power coupling is Our Milk Flavored Youkai Watch Pretz.

The concept of youkai (traditional Japanese monsters) milk is kind of disgusting in the first place but fun for the kids so we’ll let that slide. However, one sharp-eyed Twitter user spotted in the fine print below: “milk solids 6 percent” leading many online to wonder if “our milk” might actually be something far more heinous. So, I grabbed a pack to take a gander at the actual ingredients and find out if Our Milk Flavored Youkai Watch Pretz actually taste like milk – youkai or otherwise – despite apparently hardly having any milk inside.

Japan
(food • Pretz • Yokai Watch • Youkai Watch)

Japan’s hydrogen fuel cell stations begin to open, but are they worth the switch?

Master Blaster
Jan 5, 2015

With Toyota’s first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV), Mirai, now available, many wait to see if this revolutionary car with take off or fall flat in Japan. On 25 December, JX Nippon Oil & Energy began selling hydrogen for these new vehicles at a cost of 1,000 yen per kilogram (US$8/kg – $3.60/lb).

So is that worth giving up the pumps for…whatever hydrogen comes out of?

Japan
(cars • FCV • hydrogen fuel cell • Mirai • TOYOTA)

Lotteria’s lucky bag opened: even if you’re not a Naruto fan you’ll come out ahead!

Master Blaster
Jan 3, 2015

As you’ve probably already gathered by browsing our front page today, fukubukuro season again! And for the 99.999999999 percent of us who couldn’t get the robot suit, every other store in Japan has something up for grabs.

This time we’re going to take a peek inside a lucky bag from leading fast food chain Lotteria as purchased by our own Hattori GO. Even though he’s not particularly a Naruto fan, he found himself very satisfied with his 2,000-yen (US$17) paper bag, so let’s take a look inside and see why!