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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 6)

Japan’s ministry of economy reminds us to “use sound judgment” before buying toilet paper

• Master Blaster
  Mar 26, 2026
• Tweet

Just take a beat and really think about it calmly.

Read More

• Japan
• (1973 • economy • Iran • Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry • oil crisis • oil shock • panic buying • shopping • toilet paper • way)

How much is Amazon Japan’s lowest-rated currency calculator worth in yen?

• Master Blaster
  Mar 20, 2026

Some things have an incalculable value.

Read More

• Japan
• (Amazon Japan • Amazon lowest-rated • calculators • COK • foreign currency • funny • Masanuki Sunakoma • shopping • SNJO • technology • traveling • weird)

Expo 2025 mascot Myaku-Myaku to release tastefully erotic photo book

• Master Blaster
  Mar 19, 2026

Myaku-Myaku, you’re such a tease.

Read More

• Japan
• (2025 Osaka World Expo • books • COK • cute • Felissimo • funny • gravure • Mascots • Myaku-Myaku • photography • weird)

Eastern Japan high school graduating class’s wallets robbed during ceremony

• Master Blaster
  Mar 17, 2026

When the grads are up, the guard is down.

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• Japan
• (ceremonies • crime • graduation • hare no hi goto • high school • robbery • theft • utsunomiya)

Every Japanese pro baseball team to play with Mario question block bases once this year

• Master Blaster
  Mar 13, 2026

Players should get power-ups each time they pass one, too.

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• Japan
• (baseball • Mario • nintendo • Nippon Professional Baseball • NPB • sports • Super Mario Bros. • video games)

Tokyo bus line praised for handling of driver’s mental health

• Master Blaster
  Mar 9, 2026

Driver driven to not drive by customer complaint.

Read More

• Japan
• (buses • customer harassment • mental health • public transportation • society • Toei Bus • Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation)

Japan asked to vote on what to officially call insanely hot days

• Master Blaster
  Mar 6, 2026

Good idea to hold the election before it’s too hot to think.

Read More

• Japan
• (COK • heat • Japan Meteorological Agency • Japanese language • JMA • linguistics • meteorology • science • weather)

Chance to play Tetris on a massive staircase in Kyoto Station coming in March

• Master Blaster
  Mar 3, 2026

The one time you won’t get in trouble for playing on the stairs.

Read More

• Japan
• (awesome • cool • crazy • Daikaidan • Grand Staircase • Kyoto • Kyoto Station • Tetris • video games)

Can we be just like Shohei Ohtani on a budget with a Hello Kitty cap?

• Master Blaster
  Feb 28, 2026

Hello Ohtani.

Read More

• Japan
• (100-yen stores • baseball • cosplay • Daiso • DIY • fashion • Go Hatori • Shimamura • Shohei Ohtani • shopping • sports • WBC)

Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring

• Master Blaster
  Feb 26, 2026

Goku’s putting the “kame” into Marugame Seimen.

Read More

• Japan
• (anime • Dragon Ball • food • manga • Marugame Seimen • Marukame Seimen • Senzu Beans • udon • Udonuts)

Development of Puyo Puyo puzzle game for use in nursing homes underway

• Master Blaster
  Feb 24, 2026

Make your golden years your red, green, and blue years.

Read More

• Japan
• (aging population • elderly • nursing home • Puyo Puyo • Puyo Puyo Trainer • video games)

Saitama is home to the best strawberries in Japan that you’ve probably never even heard of

• Master Blaster
  Feb 24, 2026

Central prefecture quietly becomes the strawberry capital of Japan.

Read More

• Japan
• (Amaou • Amarin • Benihoppe • food • fruit • Saitama • strawberries • Tochiotome)

Japanese potato chip Rubik’s Cubes coming soon

• Master Blaster
  Feb 18, 2026

Delicious difficulty added to the classic puzzle.

Read More

• Japan
• (Calbee • games • Mega House • potato chips • puzzles • rubik's cube • snacks)

Poop is in full bloom at the Unko Museums for cherry blossom season

• Master Blaster
  Feb 17, 2026

Spring is in the air.

Read More

• Japan
• (cherry blossoms • COK • events • funny • gross • Nagoya • Okinawa • poop • sakura • Tokyo • Unko Museum • weird)

Our reporter is willing to die on the pseudo-Italian restaurant Olive Hill

• Master Blaster
  Feb 11, 2026

Saizeriwhatnow?

Read More

• Japan
• (cheap eats • dining • food • Italian food • Olive Hill • Olive No Oka • restaurants • Saizeriya)

Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth

• Master Blaster
  Feb 7, 2026

Have fun and feel annoyed at the same time!

Read More

• Japan
• (anger • annoying • COK • crazy • Dododo Land • events • exhibits • funny • museums • psychology • Shibuya • SNJO • social media • society • Tokyo • weird)

Ramen shop manager arrested for punching self in the face and pretending he was robbed

• Master Blaster
  Feb 6, 2026

He should have punched harder and knocked some sense into himself.

Read More

• Japan
• (crazy • crime • fraud • obstruction of business • ramen • robbery • Saitama • scam artists • scams • weird)

Ghost in the Sheel goes traditional with Japanese porcelain Tachikoma robots, only 50 to be made

• Master Blaster
  Feb 3, 2026

Perfect with your other ornaments or as a stand-alone complex.

Read More

• Japan
• (anime • art • ceramic • COK • cool • culture • Ghost in the Shell • Hataman • manga • Nabeshima ware • porcelain • tachikoma)

Trouble making friends? Sticker collecting works surprisingly well

• Master Blaster
  Feb 2, 2026

Good friends stick together.

Read More

• Japan
• (COK • friendship • haruka takagi • hobbies • making friends • SNJO • sticker collecting • sticker trading • stickers)

Japanese movie theater chain’s popcorn earns highest Grand Prix quality certification

• Master Blaster
  Jan 31, 2026

Star-studded popcorn for star-studded movies.

Read More

• Japan
• (109 Cinemas • Grand Prix • Japan Food Selection • movie theaters • movies • Nuchi Masu • popcorn • Popcorn (Salted) M Size • Preferred Popcorn)

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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

• MOST POPULAR

  • Today
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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. Ichiran Japan is giving away free 2027 desk calendars, and here’s how to get them
  5. Tokyo police arrest the Ame-zing Spider-Man
  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. Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
  9. KFC now sells takikomi gohan rice boxes in Japan, if you know where to look for them [Taste test]
  10. Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan

  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

  • 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
  • Starbucks Japan reveals new Joyful Capsule gacha toy release date
  • KFC now sells takikomi gohan rice boxes in Japan, if you know where to look for them [Taste test]
  • Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
  • Japan’s upcoming Romancecar train seeks to end intimacy with its super-wide seats
  • Why people in Japan hardly ever say “sayonara,” and what they say instead
  • “Sweet sake” with yuzu is coming to Japan’s wonderful world of hot canned drinks this winter
  • Historical-themed illumination display returns to Osaka Castle this winter
  • Yakuza boss sues expressway owners for discrimination against criminals
  • 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
  • Tokyo neighborhood adds new “smart trash cans” to deal with increasing amounts of tourist litter
  • Japanese viewers of Godzilla Minus Zero angered by unusual number of restroom goers

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