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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.”
Posted by Master Blaster (Page 22)
Osaka woman causes 8 separate traffic accidents in 35 minutes
- Master Blaster
Jan 23, 2025 - Tweet
Suspect claims she wasn’t driving dangerously and wasn’t driving.
- Japan
- (crazy • crime • hit-and-run • Osaka • police • Shin-Midosuji • traffic accidents • weird)
Wish your loved ones great success this year with a slab of breaded beef in a sushi roll
- Master Blaster
Jan 21, 2025
I love the smell of beef sushi in the morning – it smells like victory.
- Japan
- (beef • Ehomaki • food • gyukatsu • Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu • Katsumaki • setsubun • sushi • sushi rolls)
Our writer of Korean descent weighs in on using Korean names in Japan
- Master Blaster
Jan 14, 2025
Does the name make the person or the person make the name?
- Japan, Korea
- (aliases • Koreans in Japan • names • nationality • P.K. Sanjun • Park Sang-jun • tsumei • Zainichi Koreans)
Sushiro and Black Thunder fall in love with each other again for Valentine’s Day
- Master Blaster
Jan 14, 2025
Love is a many-synergistic thing.
- Japan
- (Black Thunder • chocolate bars • Conveyor belt sushi • dessert • food • parfaits • romance • sushi • Sushiro • Valentine's Day)
Let’s go open a Lego Japan lucky bag…o
- Master Blaster
Jan 4, 2025
Lots of assembly required.
- Japan
- (fukubukuro 2025 • Fukubukuro Roundup 2025 • holidays • LEGO • lucky bag 2025 • Lucky Bag Roundup 2025 • shopping)
Why are there so many Hokkaido food fairs in Japanese department stores these days?
- Master Blaster
Dec 31, 2024
Holy cow, Hokkaido!
Man who stole two packs of ground beef tracked by police for about 1,000 kilometers across Japan
- Master Blaster
Dec 30, 2024
The law’s arm really is long!
- Japan
- (Aichi • beef • Chita • crime • Hokkaido • investigation • police • Sapporo • shoplifting)
Police called out to investigate suspicious Santa in Wakayama
- Master Blaster
Dec 23, 2024
Santa Claus came to town and police are called in to find or if he’s naughty of nice.
Makers of Dassai to brew sake in space and sell 100 milliliters for 100 million yen
- Master Blaster
Dec 22, 2024
To boldly brew where no one has brewed before…
- Japan
- (Asahi Shuzo • Dassai • International Space Station • ISS • Japanese Experiment Module • nihonshu • sake • sake brewing • science • space)
Our Japanese writers dress up as Winter Shogun
- Master Blaster
Dec 17, 2024
What better way to wait out the cold than with some interpretive cosplay?
- Japan
- (cosplay • fashion • Fuyu Shogun • General Winter • Hiroyuki Sanada • winter • Winter Shogun)
Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
- Master Blaster
Dec 15, 2024
It’s like a T-shirt for your face.
- Japan
- (COK • cool • crazy • eyeglasses • eyewear • fashion • glasses • heavy metal • Iron Maiden • Judas Priest • Loud Eyewear • music • Slayer • weird)
Toyota gets second Guinness World Record for basketball playing humanoid robot
- Master Blaster
Dec 12, 2024
Yeah, but his D is weak if you ask me.
- Japan
- (awesome • basketball • cool • CUE • Guinness world records • robots • sports • technology • TOYOTA • video • world record)
DJ Police called in to help prevent bear attacks in northern Japan
- Master Blaster
Dec 7, 2024
Last night a DJ saved my life… from a bear.
- Japan
- (Akita • bears • crowd control • DJ Police • Japanese culture • police)
Sagami Railway and Adobe hope AI can help stop Japanese train photographers from being jerks
- Master Blaster
Dec 2, 2024
Finally, a use of AI we can all get behind.
- Japan
- (Adobe • Adobe Express • AI • Kanagawa • otaku • photography • Sagami Railway • toritetsu • trains)
Furikake rice seasoning sales are soaring, which is bad news for Japan as a whole
- Master Blaster
Dec 2, 2024
Bad news for everyone over 10 in Japan at least.
Yakuza family speaks out against rise in organized crime
- Master Blaster
Nov 28, 2024
Not their kind of organized crime, the bad kind.
- Japan
- (COK • crime • fraud • Organized crime • social media • society • weird • yakuza • yami baito • yamibaito)
Man with snake face tattoo arrested for assault, neighbors shocked he would do such a thing【Vid】
- Master Blaster
Nov 26, 2024
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… unless a snake is tattooed on it.
Black Thunder has a luxurious cousin few have ever heard of【Taste test】
- Master Blaster
Nov 25, 2024
Delux Milk Chocolate has stood in Black Thunder’s shadow for 30 years.
- Japan
- (Black Thunder • candy • chocolate • Delux Milk Chocolate • food • milk chocolate • snacks • taste test • Yuraku Confectionery)
Nara man arrested for burying mother in his cemetery plot by himself
- Master Blaster
Nov 22, 2024
You don’t have to abandon a body to legally abandon it.
- Japan
- (abandoning a corpse • cemeteries • cremation • crime • death • graves • law • Nara)
Sazae-san breaks own Guinness World Records again for 55 years on television
- Master Blaster
Nov 19, 2024
Star voice actor is 85 going on 25.
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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
- Ichiran releases an at-home counter kit that turns your desk into a ramen restaurant
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MOST POPULAR
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Today
Ichiran releases an at-home counter kit that turns your desk into a ramen restaurant
Yesterday’s cooking oil powers 410,000 pink winter sakura lights along Tokyo’s Meguro River
Starbucks Japan releases new Bearista glass tumbler that changes character with every drink
Tokyo police arrest the Ame-zing Spider-Man
Ichiran Japan is giving away free 2027 desk calendars, and here’s how to get them
Life-size Gundam head going on display in Osaka, hopefully will find permanent home
Move aside, Asahi Super Dry – Asahi Spice Beer is in town, and it’s hotter than you think
KFC now sells takikomi gohan rice boxes in Japan, if you know where to look for them [Taste test]
Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
Japan’s upcoming Romancecar train seeks to end intimacy with its super-wide seats
Weekly
Tokyo cracks down on Airbnb-style rentals with new laws limiting operator days and more
Ichiran releases an at-home counter kit that turns your desk into a ramen restaurant
America’s first-ever permanent One Piece store is now open [Photos]
Tokyo neighborhood adds new “smart trash cans” to deal with increasing amounts of tourist litter
Two Tokyo neighborhoods to gather on bridge and shift their recognized border through tug-of-war
Starbucks Japan unveils new winter drinkware collection with limited-edition Stanley cups
New Era celebrates three decades of Pokémon with new 30th anniversary cap line [Photos]
Pokémon card game’s expansion features art from Fist of the North Star creator
Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
Japanese hoodie for cat-loving gamers will keep you and your feline friend warm and fuzzy [Pics]
Monthly
Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
Tokyo cracks down on Airbnb-style rentals with new laws limiting operator days and more
Studio Ghibli creates illustrated Kyoto sightseeing map, available at any 7-Eleven Japan store
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
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RECOMMENDED STORIES
Life-size Gundam head going on display in Osaka, hopefully will find permanent home
Move aside, Asahi Super Dry – Asahi Spice Beer is in town, and it’s hotter than you think
KFC now sells takikomi gohan rice boxes in Japan, if you know where to look for them [Taste test]
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
Amazing Japanese yogurt spoon scoops up every last drop of dairy effortlessly
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