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Meg Murphy

Born in the southwest United States, Meg exchanged eternal summers for eternal rain when she relocated to Seattle in 2007. After finishing school, she decided to try and put her degree to good use- coming to Japan in April 2011 with no solid plans, and has been here ever since. An avid traveler and adventurer, always up for a challenge. A vegetarian for most of her life, on a quest to find delicious, non-meaty eats. She'd like to think she's creative and artistic, but that's up for debate. She also enjoys normal people things too, like music, movies, and cats. Because there can never be too many cats in one's life.

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Posted by Meg Murphy (Page 20)

4 freezer tips for beating the summer stink from everything from sweaty shoes to rotting garbage

Meg Murphy
Jul 23, 2015
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Are Japan’s strict trash collection days getting you down this summer? Are you plugging your nose and counting down the days until the next burnables collection because your garbage is rotting away in the summer heat?

If you’re like me, you hate Japanese summers for a slew of reasons, one of which being all the putrid smells that come with the increased heat and humidity of the sticky summer months. You may also often rush out the door on the morning of burnables collection day and forget to take out your bag of raw and rotting garbage, leaving you to deal with the stench until the next trash collection day rolls around.

But there is a really simple solution to this problem, as well as quick tricks for dealing with other stinky situations like funky-shoe smells and unpleasant, grimy sinks. Find out how after the jump!

Global
(freezer tricks • life hacks • summer • surviving summer • tips)

Japan is bracing itself against the typhoon, finding strange underwear on their porches

Meg Murphy
Jul 19, 2015

Those in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions of Japan have already been hit with the brunt of Typhoon 11, and the rest of us in western Japan are sitting out the torrential rains and winds inside. Typhoons are a yearly happening here, and bring with them flooded streets, mudslides, toppled street signs, and apparently very interesting underwear…

Japan
(funny • funny twitter post • random • typhoon • underwear)

Who needs bread when you have fried chicken? Try all of your comfort foods revamped by KFC

Meg Murphy
Jul 15, 2015

Does anyone out there still adhere to the low-carb diet? You know, the one where you have to give up all sorts of bread-y goodness under the presumption that carbohydrates make you fat, and that upping the protein in your diet would somehow help you to lose weight? Well, if you’re in to that sort of torture, fast food chain KFC may have something for you, as stores worldwide have put out various twists on old favorites by replacing burger and hot dog buns with chicken, and now KFCs in the Philippines are upping the game with their new, extremely limited crustless chicken pizza.

And sorry, low-carbers, we lied. As breaded, deep-fried chicken isn’t exactly a proper alternative, you may want to turn away now to avoid temptation. Everyone else, you may proceed to the wonder that is the “Chizza“.

Japan, Korea, SE Asia
(chicken crust pizza • Chizza • crazy • fast food • food • KFC • pizza)

And the award for saddest Star Festival wish goes to…

Meg Murphy
Jul 10, 2015

Around the beginning of July in Japan, you’ll start to see shops, stations, streets, and homes being decorated for the Tanabata festival (in English often referred to as the Star Festival), which happens on the seventh of July (or, depending on who you ask, the around the seventh of August)each year. Most typically you’ll find large branches of bamboo leaves, called sasa, hung with colorful origami decorations, and wishes written on strips of paper by people hopeful that they will be granted when star-crossed lovers Altair and Vega meet.

Generally you’ll find typical wishes for happiness, good health, getting into a good school or finding a good job… At times, you’ll also see some witty ones that will give you a good chuckle. Or, you know, ones that invoke pity for the wisher whose parents named them Elmo.

Japan
(Elmo • Kirakira names • sad wishes • Tanabata)

Ministop and Koikeya bring six new eats to a conbini near you, but can you handle the heat?

Meg Murphy
Jul 9, 2015

The Japanese are known for not being able to handle spicy food. While it is true that traditional Japanese cuisine tends to have rather mild flavors and limit the use of spices, and there are still many who don’t have the tongue to tough out a bit of heat, times are a-changin’. Now, many Japanese people are more than happy to sit down to a hot plate of Indian curry, a fiery bowl of Korean tteokbokki, or enjoy a kick from a spicy snack like Karamucho (カラムーチョ).

These popular hot chili-flavored chips have been around for years, but they’re now being revamped into six new, unique meal items, from bento to fiery chicken, to be sold at the Ministop convenience store chain throughout Japan. So fire up your taste buds, foodies, and come take a look at the hot, new lineup!

Japan
(conbini • food & drink • Kara Mucho • Karamucho • Ministop • snacks)

Do you see what I see? A short tale of unfortunately-shaped chopstick rests

Meg Murphy
Jul 9, 2015

Chopstick rests, called hashi-oki in Japanese, serve the simple task of keeping the tips of your chopsticks off the table and stopping them from rolling away. They’re not always used in Japanese homes, but you’ll often see them in nicer restaurants, and they also make unique, inexpensive souvenirs as you can find ones made from a number of different materials, and in an endless number of shapes and colors.

Some shapes might be a little TOO unique, however, as demonstrated by a Japanese Twitter user who innocently posted a photo of the cute, pink chopstick rests she found in Okinawa. She was quickly made aware of their unfortunate shape by a number of commentors, though. Or, maybe, she was made aware of how many people really have their minds in the gutter…

Japan
(chopstick rests • chopsticks • unfortunately-shaped items • weird)

Deer overpopulation in Shiga Prefecture brings special-edition venison curry to restaurant chain

Meg Murphy
Jul 8, 2015

When people think of Japan, they often think of towering buildings, tons of traffic, and commuters being packed in trains like sardines into cans. But you’ll find that if you travel outside of the city center, Japan also has a plenty of nature and wildlife to be enjoyed as well.

One of the more well-known sights to be seen are herds of wild deer found in areas like Nara Park and Miyajima. Without any predators or hunters to worry about, the deer can breed freely and herd numbers can get quite high. Overpopulation can become a problem, not just for farmers and people living in the area, but for the surrounding wildlife as well. So what can be done when wild deer numbers get out of hand? Well one solution could be to do as Shiga Prefecture did, and cook up some special venison curry.

Japan
(coco ichibanya • curry • deer • food & drink • Shiga Prefecture • venison)

Bacon soda’s new contender is here – Say hello to unagi cola!

Meg Murphy
Jul 4, 2015

Japan, thanks to its obsession with limited-edition and seasonal foods, has come to be known for its unusual drinks and snacks that come out throughout the year – matcha-flavored Kit Kats, purple sweet potato milkshakes, and sakura flavored hamburgers to name but a few.

Soda is no exception in the world of weird flavors, what with shiso and salted watermelon flavors having graced store shelves in the past. But here’s an even crazier one for all of you adventurous eaters out there: grilled eel flavor soda.

Japan
(Cola • eel • eel soda • food & drink • unagi • weird)

Thailand’s biggest Batman fan opens a museum with his own 50,000-piece collection

Meg Murphy
Jul 3, 2015

There are some people out there who aren’t afraid to take their fandom to a whole new level. Take Somchai Nitimongkolchai from Thailand, for example, who opened up a museum dedicated to his most favorite superhero of all time – the one and only Batman.

The unique thing about this exhibit, though, is that everything in the museum is part of Somchai’s very own private collection of over 50,000 pieces, including one-of-a-kind figures, posters, a LEGO-replica of Gotham City, and yes, of course, even the Batmobile.

SE Asia
(Batman • Batman museum • collectors • fans • Superheroes • Thailand)

Swiss hotel fights food wastefulness with photos of starving children

Meg Murphy
Jun 22, 2015

As a child, did your parents ever try to get you to finish everything on your plate by telling you how there are starving children in the world who aren’t lucky enough to have the luxury of a decent meal? As a kid, it probably just seemed like an unfair guilt-trip, but as adults hopefully we have all now realized the truth behind those words and the importance of not being wasteful.

A particular Swiss hotel has taken similar tactics to curb the wastefulness of its guests at the breakfast buffet, after shameful amounts of food have been left partially or wholly uneaten and then thrown away. But the hotel took it a step further by including shocking photos to help drive the message home.

Europe
(food • hotels • Monopol Hotel • Switzerland • travel • waste)

If anyone understands your short people problems, it’s this bunny

Meg Murphy
Jun 19, 2015

I always hear of these so-called “short people problems“. Things like never being able to reach the top shelf; having to jog to keep up when walking with people who are taller; people using your head as an arm rest…

While I can’t personally sympathize, maybe this rabbit can, as he tries so hard to get a good view out the window, but just can’t quite reach.

Japan
(bunny • cute animals • rabbit • short people problems)

Driving just became so much more thrilling with this katana-handle shift knob

Meg Murphy
Jun 17, 2015

A while back, we introduced a realistic ninja throwing star origami template for all of you ninjas-in-training, but if you’re more of a sword-wielding samurai-type (and you happen to drive a truck), you can now turn your shift knob into a samurai sword! Or, well, at least half of one…

Japan
(cars • Katana • samurai • shift knobs • swords)

It’s naked time: An American’s first onsen experience 【Video】

Meg Murphy
Jun 9, 2015

Going to an onsen hot spring is one of those quintessentially Japanese experiences that every visitor to the country should have. But is, sadly, an activity many westerners choose to skip for a number of reasons. Coming from a culture where taking a bath with another person is something you really don’t do beyond early childhood, the thought of walking around naked and sitting in a huge bath with a bunch of naked strangers can seem a bit unappealing. I myself was in Japan for two years before I finally decided to take the plunge, but once I did, I was hooked.

Our Japanese writers here at RocketNews24 decided to take a their American pal along for his first onsen experience at the famous Kusatsu Onsen. Find out what he thought of his first ever hot spring soak after the jump.

Japan
(Gunma • hot springs • Humor • Ike • onsen)

May all your fairy tale dreams come true, with these real wearable glass slippers!

Meg Murphy
Jun 2, 2015

For any of you who have ever wished for your own fairy tale ending, for your Prince Charming to come and sweep you off your feet and carry you away to his kingdom, or if you ever simply wondered what it would be like to wear shoes made of a material that could potentially shatter and cut your feet to bits, well then these real blown-glass, Cinderella-inspired slippers are just what you’ve been looking for!

Japan
(Cinderella • fairy tales • glass slippers)

All-you-can-eat buffet for 500 yen?! Mr. Sato investigates

Meg Murphy
May 31, 2015

Swedish furniture store Ikea has made a name for itself worldwide, not only for the size of its stores and decently priced, assemble-it-yourself furnishings, but also for the extremely cheap fare found in their food courts.

Now, they’re really putting the icing on the cake: For a limited time, Ikeas across Japan are having an hour-long all-you-can-eat “Oriental Buffet” for the insane price of only 500 yen (US$4)! But what will only 500 yen get you, you ask? Actually quite the spread, it seems!

Japan
(buffet • crazy cheap • food • ikea • Mr. Sato • Sato-san)

Cat cuddles for a cause: New rescue cat cafe plans to open soon in Tokyo

Meg Murphy
May 29, 2015

Last month, we introduced you to Save Cat Cafe, one of Osaka’s first rescue cat cafes, which is run similarly to another cafe which opened recently in New York City.

Cat cafes are all over Japan, and allow petless cat lovers to spend some quality time with the furry felines they so adore. We’re particularly happy to see this recent boom of rescue cat cafes take off, as cafe chain Neco Republic, which already has locations in Osaka and Gifu Prefectures, is ready to open up a third branch, this time in Tokyo.

Japan
(cats • Neco Republic • rescue cat cafe • Save Cat Cafe)

This squirrel is sub-par! More nonsense Japanese hits the fashion market

Meg Murphy
May 28, 2015

It’s already a well-known fact that terrible, nonsensical English (or Engrish, as the phenomenon is known) is found everywhere in Japan. For the most part, Engrish happens because many people just like the look that English print gives to their outfit and accessories, and really don’t give a second thought as to what it means.

But those from western countries are really not much better, choosing clothes or tattoos with kanji characters simply because they look cool, without really giving thought to what the characters themselves might mean. This unfortunately ends with poor souls who forever have the word “kitchen” inked on their arm, or a t-shirt that proudly proclaims the wearer is a beautiful fish.

Now, another western brand is stepping up to add to garbled Japanese to their threads with a fall line apparently dedicated to “bad squirrels”…

Europe, Japan
(bad Japanese • bad squirrel • Engrish • Superdry)

Want to tell which generation a person grew up in? Hand them an N64 controller!

Meg Murphy
May 22, 2015

Released in 1996, the Nintendo 64 game console not only eventually gave us such hit titles as Mario Party and Super Smash Bros., but it also had one of the most unusual controllers of all time. You know the one: that three-pronged contraption with the d-pad on the left, A, B, and C buttons on the right, and the joystick in the middle.

Many of us grew up with those classics, and with many consoles still alive and kicking, even the younger generations are able to enjoy them today. But, did you know that you can tell who grew up in the N64 generation and who didn’t by the way they hold the controller?

Japan
(game controllers • generation gap • Nintendo 64 • video games)

Now you can be the coolest ninja on the block with these awesome origami shuriken

Meg Murphy
May 20, 2015

Origami is known worldwide as the art of paper-folding, and while most people associate it with Japanese culture, it also has history in China and Europe as well. We’re not sure what it is, but there is something strangely satisfying about turning a flat piece of paper into a three-dimensional model resembling anything from flowers to animals to vehicles.

One particularly fun shape to make are ninja throwing-stars, like the ones you see above. If you’re in the mood for some crafts and would like to give it a try, follow us after the jump to get started!

Japan
(crafts • Ninja • origami • shuriken • throwing stars)

Kanpai! Japanese sweet sake found to have beauty benefits

Meg Murphy
May 18, 2015

It seems like every time you look, there’s some sort of new fad diet or superfood, all purported to be the best thing you can do for your health or to improve your natural beauty. But the good news is, this one’s actually fun to partake in.

Researchers at a university in Japan have now put sweet Japanese sake to the test, and have found it to have a number of positive beauty benefits, including improvement to under-eye health!