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Merry Christmas from the RocketNews24 team!

ロケットニュース24
Dec 25, 2013
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s Christmas Day! And while that may not mean much to the majority of Japan and people go about their day like it’s any other Wednesday in December, we at RocketNews24 are taking it easy and spending some quality time with our friends, families, and of course lots and lots of food – be it traditional roast turkey or fried chicken courtesy of Japan’s most beloved Christmas cook, Colonel Sanders.

Although things will be slowing down here a little over the next few days, you can rest assured that we’ll still be around to bring you enough weird and wonderful news from Asia to keep you going until the new year – we wouldn’t want you to go hungry!

So have a great day, thanks for stopping by our humble site, and merry Christmas from the entire RocketNews24 team!

Photo via Stripes

Global

All I want for Christmas… is this awesome backlit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES

Philip Kendall
Dec 24, 2013

Dear Santa,

I know it’s December 24, but is it too late to change my Christmas wish-list?

Let’s forget about the Power Rangers pyjamas I originally asked for, and we can put the Super Sonico hug pillow on hold this year. *This* is what I really want, and there’s only one of them in the whole world: a backlit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES and four amazing controllers.

Global
(eBay • NES • tech • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles • video games)

Five fun facts from our favorite articles this week

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 22, 2013

1) You can propose with a Pokemon engagement ring.

2) The cutest hiragana character is あ.

3) In Japan, you can pee while inside a glass box.

4) Curry made from a 1,300-year-old recipe is pretty tasty.

5) It’s improper to mix your wasabi with soy sauce as a dip for sushi.

Global, Internet, Japan
(Five Facts • news • weird)

Heartbreaking video game remembers the victims of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami, raises money for survivors

Philip Kendall
Dec 18, 2013

Compared to older forms of media such as books and movies, the video game industry is still somewhat wet behind the ears. But as technology advances and developers become increasingly able to realise their creative visions without having to rein in their imaginations due to hardware limitations, we are finally reaching the point where games are able to not just entertain but challenge us both intellectually and viscerally, creating emotive experiences and acting as vehicles for genuinely engaging tales.

9.03m does precisely that. Developed by independent Scottish game studio Space Budgie, the game, whose proceeds go towards those affected by the disaster, stands as a memorial to the victims of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami, questing players with gathering the possessions of those lost in the tsunami, which have been carried across the ocean from Japan to America, with each object telling the story of a lost soul.

At once heartrending and beautiful, this is a title that deserves the attention of not just every gamer but every person with access to a PC.

Global, Japan
(9.03m • charity • march 11 • Space Budgie • Tohoku • tsunami • video games)

You won’t believe how easy it is to make this delicious ice cream pudding!【Recipe】

Kay
Dec 18, 2013

It’s been over 80 years since the words “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” were made famous by the 1920s song of the same name. Well, here we are in the 21st century, and it looks like we’re still screaming for ice cream, because who doesn’t love the sweet, cold stuff, right?

Even in the middle of winter, frozen treats like yukimi daifuku and other ice cream products in tantalizing seasonal flavors (seriously, why do they have to come up with ice cream flavors like pumpkin, apple pie and french toast?) can be incredibly tempting. Among our favorites, of course, is Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and today, one of our reporters from the Japanese RocketNews24 site shares with us his very own quick and easy recipe for creating a yummy dessert using store-bought Häagen-Dazs ice creams cups. And what makes it interesting is that although it involves ice cream, it isn’t a frozen dessert!

Global, Japan
(desserts • Häagen-Dazs • ice cream • pudding)

“This is embarrassing” – Japan named number one market for smartphone apps

Master Blaster
Dec 16, 2013

Generally it’s nice to have your country or town be number one in something. Even if it’s for something as despicable as bag snatching, you can at least gain a slightly twisted sense of pride for toughing it out in such a rough-and-tumble locale.

However, when a recent study reported by Bloomberg Japan declared that Japan had overtaken the U.S. in smartphone and tablet app purchases, people we less than enthused leaving comments such as “Japan’s screwed,” and, “This is sad news indeed.”

Global, Japan
(app • ranking • smartphone)

Arabic opening song for popular Japanese anime confuses Japanese netizens 【Video】

Joan Coello
Dec 16, 2013

When I was a kid, I used to watch Japanese anime that were dubbed in English or Mandarin because the original versions were not broadcast on the local TV channels. Most of the time, the theme songs of these anime remained in Japanese, and I had fun singing along to the catchy tunes even though I had absolutely no idea what the lyrics meant. However, it isn’t entirely uncommon for international versions of anime series to have theme songs localized to the audience’s native language and tastes for music.

Recently, a clip of the Arabic version of the popular anime series, Arupusu no Shojo Haiji (Heidi, Girl of the Alps) has been making waves among Japanese netizens due to its localized opening song, which was starkly different from the Japanese original. Videos after the jump!

Global, Japan
(anime • culture • entertainment • international • language)

RocketNews24 office left in disarray at startling Apple iOS discovery

Master Blaster
Dec 16, 2013

On December 13… RocketNew… I’m sorry.

It’s just I can’t stop staring at it. None of us can. How many times have we looked at the menu screens of our iPhones or iPads? Too many times to count, but we could never see what was going on right in front of us all this time.

Global
(Apple • Clock app • ipad • iPhone)

The top 10 Japanese restaurants outside of Japan

Rachel Tackett
Dec 13, 2013

Last month, the outspoken Japanese blogger Madame Riri gave us all a lesson in how to tell whether or not a restaurant abroad serves authentic Japanese food. But let’s be honest, it takes more than tradition to make a dish delicious, and there’s something to be said for adjusting the menu to match local preferences. We’ve certainly experienced this phenomenon in the wide world of sushi!

And so, to celebrate the creation of successful Japanese eateries across the globe, here are the top 10 restaurants that serve Japanese food in foreign countries!

Global, Japan
(food • Japanese cuisine • ranking • sushi)

American chef perfectly captures the scrumptious soul of Japanese cuisine 【Video】

Rachel Tackett
Dec 12, 2013

A lot can be learned about a culture by investigating what it eats. Japanese cuisine is full of tradition in terms of preparation and presentation, thoughtfulness in regards to portion sizes, and an overall sense of resourcefulness. There are many things on the menu that may not sound appetizing to people with a Western palate when given a detailed description, but with good visual presentation, even the most obscure sounding dishes can become mouth-watering morsels.

The video From Japan with Love (and Dashi) produced by foodie and filmmaker Daniel Klein gives us all an amazing glance at some of Japan’s most iconic dishes. It gives a fine glimpse into the soul of Japan and is guaranteed to leave you hungry for Japanese cuisine!

Global, Japan
(food • Japanese cuisine • the perennial plate • travel • video)

Godzilla remake trailer released! Aims to stay true to the original movie【Video】

Master Blaster
Dec 11, 2013

On 10 December, the trailer for next year’s much-needed Godzilla remake came out online along with a new poster for the film. The somewhat campy 1998 American remake of the tokusatsu classic was more of a whimsical adventure featuring baby Godzillas and the cast of The Simpsons.

However, this new attempt helmed by Gareth Edwards looks to be a much darker and grittier portrayal of the carnage that a giant monster such as Godzilla would create in the real world. One of the stars, Hollywood-go-to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe also insists that this film keeps true to the original 1954 version. Let’s take a look:

Global
(Godzilla • movie • remake)

Cute The Legend of Zelda plushies could be yours in time for Valentine’s Day

Philip Kendall
Dec 10, 2013

Is your cuddly toy collection lacking a little heroism? Is your troupe of Hello Kitties, freaky mushrooms and squeezable squid in need of a genuine princess? Well you’re in luck: a series of plushies featuring Princess Zelda, sword-brandishing Link and creepy wannabe elf Tingle from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series is due to go on sale early next year.

Global
(cute • merch • plushies • toys • video games • Zelda)

13 surprising Japanese translations of American movie titles

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 10, 2013

Hollywood films are popular around the world and Japan gets its fair share of dubbed and subtitled blockbusters. But sometimes things get a little mixed up when changing words from English to Japanese. This gives rise to translated titles that come in a wide range of strange from unintended sexual innuendos to spoilertastic summaries.

Let’s take a look at 13 weird Japanese movie titles that make you wonder what the translators were thinking.

Global, Japan, USA
(Japanese • movies • translation)

【Partner applications now open】Want to publish your site’s content on RocketNews24?

Yoshio
Dec 9, 2013

RocketNews24, the home of all things weird and wonderful from Asia, is currently looking for partners to join our expanding network. If you’d like to share your site’s Asia-related content on RocketNews24, get in touch today!

We are currently working with sites such as America’s Business Insider to provide our readers with the best in fun and entertaining news content from Asia, and our network is growing fast.

For more information about partnering, contact us at: info[at]en.rocketnews24.com

Global
(Asia • business • contact • content • partner)

Fast and easy toilet break health check that might save your life

Joan Coello
Dec 8, 2013

This is totally random, but if anyone ever told you that their pee is purple, they’re outright liars. According to the medical experts at the Cleveland Clinic, it’s possible to have reddish, brownish or even green pee (though neither of these are healthy pee colors), but nope, definitely not purple.

Also, did we mention that the hue of your piddle actually gives you a hint on your current health condition? Here’s a super easy health check that will cost you no money, and barely any time. So go ahead and empty your bladder, then check against the color guide after the jump!

Global, USA
(health • Healthcare • pee • science)

Samsung’s naughty ad: When autocorrect strikes back

Scott R Dixon
Nov 30, 2013

Typographers and moral crusader beware! A risqué Samsung billboard promoting their Galaxy 3 notepad has been, ahem, erected in four countries, leaving the South Korean company with a potentially embarrassing public relations mess. The offending ad must have been designed by someone who forgot to turn off the autocorrect feature before editing, making for an unintentionally hilarious billboard. Click below to find out what the racy sign says!

Global
(advertising • autocorrect • funny • Kenya • mistake • prank • Samsung)

Cute little gamer knows the score【Video】

Philip Kendall
Nov 29, 2013

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the weekend has finally arrived! We know exactly how we’ll be spending ours, and we have a feeling that gamers in Australia, Europe, Central and South America will also be spending theirs much the same way following the arrival of Microsoft’s Xbox One and, finally hitting stores outside of the US this very day, Sony’s PlayStation 4.

Of course, one little gamer already knows exactly what’s up, and despite being barely 22 months old and the PS4 having only been released a week or two ago, is already more than familiar with the hardware if this video is any indication.

Global
(cute • playstation • PS4 • video • video games)

7 things you should know before moving abroad

Jessica
Nov 29, 2013

I’ve lived abroad three times in my life. Once was a homestay in France, once was a semester studying in Germany, and now I live and work in Japan. I don’t expect that I will ever move back to the States. I love Japan and have wanted to live abroad almost as long as I can remember. Even so, it has sometimes been challenging for a girl from suburban Arizona who didn’t even get a passport until she was 18, and lately I’ve been wondering what I would tell my younger self to better prepare her for this crazy expat life.

With the help of our globetrotting friends, we’ve come up with this list of seven things you should know before moving abroad.

Global
(advice • expat life • travel)

We try swapping out the hard drive of a PS4, let the Xbox One hold the beer

Master Blaster
Nov 29, 2013

Our resident food writer Kuzo loves travelling the world in search of new and exotic McDonald’s food. However, he’s also been known to experiment with game consoles in between meals.

When the Nintendo Wii U came out he tested its online capability while riding nearly 300 km/h on the Shinkansen. Now with his newly acquired PS4, he’s going to attempt to upgrade the built-in hard disc drive (HDD) with a faster solid state drive (SSD). The following is his report.

Global
(hard drive • how to • PS4 • SSD • video games)

Tamagotchi is back!!! My 8-year-old self rejoices!

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Nov 29, 2013

I remember the days of Tamagotchi (and the far less cool NanoPet) and how our teachers always struggled to keep us from feeding or picking up after our little digital creatures during class. The Japanese gadget was a hit with us 90s kids and will forever be one of the coolest toys of our childhood. And now, Bandai is back with a new version of Tamagotchi. But this new installment of the portable digital pet, called Tamagotchi Friends, has a new social media twist.