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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 17)

Eel that looks like a banana caught in Shimane Prefecture

• Master Blaster
  Jun 6, 2025
• Tweet

Come, Mister tally man, tally me eel.

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• Japan
• (bananas • eels • fish • fishing • Izumo City • rare animals • Shimane Prefecture)

Yakko Welsh Onion Tossing World Championships held in Kochi Prefecture

• Master Blaster
  Jun 6, 2025

Don’t play with your food, unless it’s a competitive sport.

Read More

• Japan
• (garlic chives • Guinness World Record • Kami City • kochi • nira • sports • welsh onion • yakko negi • Yakko Welsh Onion Tossing World Championships)

Krispy Kreme Japan giving away free donuts for National Donut Day

• Master Blaster
  Jun 5, 2025

No dollars to donuts.

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• Japan
• (donut shops • donuts • free food • holidays • junk food • Krispy Kreme • National Donut Day)

“Bumping men” are a uniquely Japanese class of criminals that are hard to deal with

• Master Blaster
  Jun 4, 2025

This peculiar Japanese crime leaves its victims wondering what to do.

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• Japan
• (assault • bumping men • butsukari otoko • COK • crime • law • society)

Chiko the one-year-old beagle saves Buddhist priest from bear mauling

• Master Blaster
  Jun 4, 2025

Chiko shows it’s good to be noisy.

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• Japan
• (bear attacks • bears • dogs • Gosen • Niigata • Shinto priests • Yokoku Temple)

“Matcha crisis” emerges as the world falls in love with powdered green tea

• Master Blaster
  Jun 3, 2025

A matcha crisis isn’t fun and games like Time Crisis. It’s hard and grueling like Dino Crisis.

Read More

• Japan
• (business • exports • food • food production • green tea • international trade • matcha)

Lock that opens when Osaka dialect is spoken unveiled at Expo 2025

• Master Blaster
  Jun 3, 2025

Ore no Osakaben hetakusotte iitain? Hooooooonmaaaaaaniiiiii!

Read More

• Japan
• (2025 Osaka World Expo • Advanced Media • Key Voice • locks • Osaka • Osaka dialect • Osaka Healthcare Pavilion • Osakaben • voice recognition • West Inx)

Japanese people demand that Gackt taste the government’s old old old rice

• Master Blaster
  Jun 3, 2025

That’s where they want Gackt to go-oh-oh… Way down to kokokomai.

Read More

• Japan
• (food • Gackt • kokokomai • komai • old old old rice • rice • shinjiro koizumi • shinmai)

Bicycle gang terrorize Shibuya Scramble with lame and annoying wheelies

• Master Blaster
  Jun 3, 2025

Godspeed you beige emperors.

Read More

• Japan
• (bicycles • bikes • crime • Shibuya Scramble • Tokyo • wheelies)

Fukuoka woman arrested for drunk bicycle riding

• Master Blaster
  Jun 2, 2025

It’s a more serious crime than you may think.

Read More

• Japan
• (alcohol • bicycles • COK • crime • cycling • drunk driving • DUI • Fukuoka • law)

Plant extract that may grow hair discovered by Japan’s Rohto Pharmaceutical

• Master Blaster
  Jun 2, 2025

Plants, you gotta love ’em.

Read More

• Japan
• (baldness • baldness cures • chenpi • hair • hair growth • hair loss • PIGF • placental growth factor • Rohto • science)

VR found to restore severe short-sightedness in Japanese study

• Master Blaster
  May 31, 2025

Soon your mom might yell at you to stare at those darn video games more.

Read More

• Japan
• (COK • eyesight • health • Kwansei Gakuin University • myopia • psuedomyopia • science • short-sightedness • video games • VR)

Deep-fried mint chocolate croquettes and gnocchi gratin on sale at Tobu Department Store in Tokyo

• Master Blaster
  May 31, 2025

It’s a breath of fresh fried mint.

Read More

• Japan
• (Atsumare! Choco Minto • choco mint • cream croquettes • food • gnocchi • Ikebukuro • mint chocolate • Tobu Department Store • Tokyo)

Trying a pouch of instant curry that costs as much as a full meal at a nice restaurant

• Master Blaster
  May 30, 2025

Microwave-friendly fine dining!

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• Japan
• (beef • COK • crazy • curry • expensive • expensive food • food • instant curry • luxury food • Miyazaki wagyu • retort curry • SNJO • taste test • Wagyu)

Attendees to Expo 2025 hit record numbers despite record numbers of bugs

• Master Blaster
  May 29, 2025

Maybe everyone’s coming to see the bugs?

Read More

• Japan
• (2025 Osaka World Expo • bugs • chironomids • COK • flies • insects • Osaka • weird)

Saitama women arrested for dueling

• Master Blaster
  May 28, 2025

They demanded satisfaction but got busted instead.

Read More

• Japan
• (COK • crazy • crime • duel • dueling • law • Saitama • teenagers • weird)

Japanese esports player removed from US tournament after joking with customs agent

• Master Blaster
  May 27, 2025

Looks like international travel is no joking matter.

Read More

• Japan, USA
• (COK • Combo Breaker • esports • gaming • Kobayan • Street Fighter • Street Fighter 6 • travel • video games)

Ginza’s Vampire Cafe offering special food and drink in honor of its 24th anniversary

• Master Blaster
  May 26, 2025

How can you kill a cafe which does not die?

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• Japan
• (anniversaries • food • full-course meals • Ginza • restaurants • theme restaurants • Tokyo • Vampire Cafe • vampires)

Kyoto man arrested for forcing appliance store clerk to shave own head in apology

• Master Blaster
  May 24, 2025

Clerks really don’t get paid enough.

Read More

• Japan
• (coercion • crime • customer harassment • electronics store • Kyoto • Organized crime • shavers)

Nagasaki police get into high speed chase with Nagasaki police

• Master Blaster
  May 24, 2025

It’s a police chase in the truest sense of the term.

Read More

• Japan
• (crime • driving • Nagasaki • Nagasaki Prefectural Police • police • police chase • speeding)

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• Recent Posts

  • Ichiran Japan is giving away free 2027 desk calendars, and here’s how to get them
  • Yesterday’s cooking oil powers 410,000 pink winter sakura lights along Tokyo’s Meguro River
  • Life-size Gundam head going on display in Osaka, hopefully will find permanent home
  • Tokyo police arrest the Ame-zing Spider-Man
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• MOST POPULAR

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  Today

  1. Ichiran releases an at-home counter kit that turns your desk into a ramen restaurant
  2. Yesterday’s cooking oil powers 410,000 pink winter sakura lights along Tokyo’s Meguro River
  3. Starbucks Japan releases new Bearista glass tumbler that changes character with every drink
  4. Tokyo police arrest the Ame-zing Spider-Man
  5. Ichiran Japan is giving away free 2027 desk calendars, and here’s how to get them
  6. Life-size Gundam head going on display in Osaka, hopefully will find permanent home
  7. Move aside, Asahi Super Dry – Asahi Spice Beer is in town, and it’s hotter than you think
  8. KFC now sells takikomi gohan rice boxes in Japan, if you know where to look for them [Taste test]
  9. Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
  10. Japan’s upcoming Romancecar train seeks to end intimacy with its super-wide seats

  Weekly

  1. Tokyo cracks down on Airbnb-style rentals with new laws limiting operator days and more
  2. Ichiran releases an at-home counter kit that turns your desk into a ramen restaurant
  3. America’s first-ever permanent One Piece store is now open [Photos]
  4. Tokyo neighborhood adds new “smart trash cans” to deal with increasing amounts of tourist litter
  5. Two Tokyo neighborhoods to gather on bridge and shift their recognized border through tug-of-war
  6. Starbucks Japan unveils new winter drinkware collection with limited-edition Stanley cups
  7. New Era celebrates three decades of Pokémon with new 30th anniversary cap line [Photos]
  8. Pokémon card game’s expansion features art from Fist of the North Star creator
  9. Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
  10. Japanese hoodie for cat-loving gamers will keep you and your feline friend warm and fuzzy [Pics]

  Monthly

  1. Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
  2. Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
  3. Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
  4. Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
  5. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  6. Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
  7. New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
  8. Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
  9. Tokyo cracks down on Airbnb-style rentals with new laws limiting operator days and more
  10. Studio Ghibli creates illustrated Kyoto sightseeing map, available at any 7-Eleven Japan store

  Yearly

  1. Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
  2. Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
  3. Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
  4. Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
  5. Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
  6. Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
  7. Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
  8. Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
  9. Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
  10. Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa

• RECOMMENDED STORIES

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  • Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
  • Japan’s upcoming Romancecar train seeks to end intimacy with its super-wide seats
  • Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  • Yakuza boss sues expressway owners for discrimination against criminals
  • “Sweet sake” with yuzu is coming to Japan’s wonderful world of hot canned drinks this winter
  • Why people in Japan hardly ever say “sayonara,” and what they say instead
  • Historical-themed illumination display returns to Osaka Castle this winter
  • KFC Japan starts selling soft-serve ice cream at select locations, and they’ve even put it in a biscuit
  • Is hamburger patty ramen a case of too many good things in one bowl? Let’s find out! [Taste test]
  • Tokyo cracks down on Airbnb-style rentals with new laws limiting operator days and more
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