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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 9)
Wakayama senior uses AI to identify wild mushrooms, gets poisoned shortly after
- Master Blaster
Nov 26, 2025 - Tweet
There’s mushroom for improvement.
- Japan
- (AI • crazy • health • mushrooms • Nara • oyster mushrooms • shiitake • Shimokitayama • technology • tsukiyotake • Wakayama)
Chiba man arrested for putting urine-filled tea bottle on convenience store shelf
- Master Blaster
Nov 24, 2025
Suspect said he did it as a prank while stressed.
- Japan
- (Chiba • convenience stores • crime • gross • obstruction of business • tea • urine)
Amazon Japan’s lowest-rated toy train is the perfect gift for kids who like to be confused
- Master Blaster
Nov 17, 2025
What is a train really?
- Japan
- (Amazon lowest-rated • Christmas shopping • educational toys • Masanuki Sunakoma • online shopping • toys • Transparent Gear Train)
7-Eleven selling half-off fried food for Black Friday alongside regular-priced black food
- Master Blaster
Nov 16, 2025
It’s more like a Golden Brown Fryday.
- Japan
- (7-Eleven • black food • Black Friday • chicken • convenience stores • corquettes • fried food • shopping • spring rolls)
Meet the eerie police statues of Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture
- Master Blaster
Nov 14, 2025
Goth cops!
- Japan
- (COK • crazy • funny • Mamoru Miyakojima • Maruko Miyakojima • Mascots • Miyakojima • Okinawa • SNJO • tourism • traffic safety • travel • weird)
Package delivery in Japan may be delayed due to bear risks
- Master Blaster
Nov 10, 2025
The bears are disrupting our national infrastructure now.
- Japan
- (animals • bear attacks • bears • delays • Japan Post • Yu-Pack)
Japanese military called in to deal with increasing bear attacks in rural prefectures
- Master Blaster
Nov 6, 2025
Military is only there to provide logistic support and not take part in any hunting.
- Japan
- (Akita Prefecture • bear attacks • bears • JGSDF • military • Ministry of Defense • shinjiro koizumi)
Dodger Stadium takoyaki comes to 7-Eleven for a limited time【Taste Test】
- Master Blaster
Nov 4, 2025
Six balls and they’re out.
- Japan
- (7-Eleven • baseball • Dodger Stadium • Dodgers • food • Gindaco • sports • takoyaki • Umami Takoyaki)
Super Sentai Series to end after this season
- Master Blaster
Oct 31, 2025
Who are the Power Rangers going to get content from now?
- Japan
- (Bandai Namco • business • Pretty Cure • Super Sentai • tokusatsu • toys • TV Asahi • TV shows)
Posthumous “Gwegh, I’m deadngo” tweet sparks nationwide cancer awareness movement in Japan
- Master Blaster
Oct 28, 2025
Rest in peace, Clemens.
- Japan
- (cancer • cancer research • charity • COK • epithelioid sarcoma • health • Japanese language • japanese slang • Kanaru Nakayama • moving • social media • touching)
Family Mart makes new anti-food-waste stickers, free for other stores and restaurants to use too
- Master Blaster
Oct 27, 2025
Help the crying food and save money too!
- Japan
- (business • characters • convenience stores • copyright • Family mart • food waste • stickers)
Autumn is a great time to visit Uonuma, a gem of Japan’s heartland
- Master Blaster
Oct 24, 2025
And this year, Uonuma is celebrating its own coming of age!
- Japan
- (culture • events • festivals • food • koshihikari • Niigata • rice • travel • Uonuma • Uonumarche)
Cherry blossoms appearing early in Nagano… about half a year early
- Master Blaster
Oct 20, 2025
Better early than never.
- Japan
- (autumn • biology • cherry blossoms • Garyu Park • Nagano • sakura • science • Suzaka • weather)
Kunchi: The major Japanese festival most Japanese people don’t know about
- Master Blaster
Oct 20, 2025
Dance Towns & Dragons.
- Japan
- (COK • culture • dance • dragons • events • festivals • Kunchi • mikoshi • Nagasaki • Nagasaki City • Nagasaki Prefecture • Niwasaki Mawari • Okunchi • SNJO • Suwa Shrine • torimono)
Japan’s choco mushroom snacks hold fashion show with designer Junko Koshino【Video】
- Master Blaster
Oct 16, 2025
Mushrooms are in, bamboo is out this season.
- Japan
- (chocolate • cocoa husk • ecology • environment • environmentally friendly • fashion • food • Junko Kinoko • Junko Koshino • kinoko no yama • Meiji • mushrooms • sweets • takenoko no sato • video • weird)
Get your cakes in about a minute with Tokyo Station’s unmanned Tokyo Banana shop
- Master Blaster
Oct 15, 2025
No fuss, no muss, no people.
- Japan
- (COK • cool • shinkansen • shopping • snacks • SNJO • souvenirs • stations • Tokyo • Tokyo Banana • Tokyo Station • train platforms • trains • unmanned shop • unmanned store)
JR Hokkaido train driver in trouble for reading book about trains on stopped train
- Master Blaster
Oct 14, 2025
Employee accused of not being devoted enough to his work.
- Japan
- (books • Hokkaido • JR Hokkaido • Otaru Station • reading • train drivers • trains)
Osaka Expo expected to turn an operating profit of over 23 billion yen
- Master Blaster
Oct 9, 2025
But is that still enough to call it a success?
- Japan
- (2025 Osaka World Expo • business • costs • expo • Myaku-Myaku • Osaka • profit)
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba wins award for politician who wears glasses the best
- Master Blaster
Oct 7, 2025
What better note is there for a Japanese PM to go out on?
- Japan
- (fashion • glasses • Japan Glasses Best Dresser Award • politics • prime minister • Shigeru Ishiba • sunglasses)
Family Mart’s tsukimi burger threatens to drown you in cheese
- Master Blaster
Oct 7, 2025
Well, if I had to drown in something…
- Japan
- (burgers • cheese • Drown in Cheese! Tsukimi Cheeseburger • egg • Family mart • fast food • food • tsukimi burgers)
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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
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]
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
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]
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
“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
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]
Historical-themed illumination display returns to Osaka Castle this winter
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
Tokyo neighborhood adds new “smart trash cans” to deal with increasing amounts of tourist litter
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