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Our Reporter Accepted as Special Resident to “Cute Ward,” Welcomed by Mayor Mariko Shinoda of AKB48

Our Reporter Accepted as Special Resident to “Cute Ward,” Welcomed by Mayor Mariko Shinoda of AKB48

Our correspondent Kuzo has been extra busy recently eating single noodle udon, disgusting ramen, and encountering thousands eerie of dolls. However, when he returned home, he was welcomed by a large envelope with the return address: Kawaii (Cute) Ward, Fukuoka.

Could it be? Earlier he had applied for special resident status of the Japanese administrative district of all that is cute.  Now it looks like he has his answer.

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Whole Lotta Fish 【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

Whole Lotta Fish 【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

You, Me, And a Tanuki is a weekly featured blog run by Michelle, a Californian who is currently one of only two foreigners living in Chibu, a tiny fishing village on one of the Oki islands in Japan. Check back every Saturday for a new post or read more on her website here!

If I ever have a craving for fish, I just have to stand out in front of my house and wait for a fisherman to drive by (which won’t take too long since I live on an island).  Last Monday I was waiting outside with my husband to be picked up for a work party when the taxi driver (who is also a fisherman) drove by.  He stopped his little K-truck and asked if we wanted some fish.  I said yes and he proceeded to fill a plastic grocery bag with around 20 flying fish, 4 long scary looking fish, 3 or so pokey fish, and a weird purple/blue crab (sorry, he said the names in Japanese so quickly that I didn’t manage to remember them all.  Any fish experts, please tell me what they are in the comments section below).

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Tokyo Board of Education to Offer “Insect Touching Classes” to Teachers Who Are Afraid of Bugs

 

Earlier this week, we ran an article featuring the most hated insects in Japan.  This article revealed that 40.4% of those surveyed dislike all bugs, no matter what kind.

In addition, an article from Karapaia discloses that an overwhelming amount of teachers in Tokyo admit they are afraid of insects.  In order to encourage these teachers to successfully incorporate nature observation and science experiments in the classroom, the Tokyo Municipal Board of Education will begin offering lectures featuring simple science experiments and animal care classes next spring, including a lecture on how to touch insects.  These classes will be held at universities and zoos and are aimed at elementary school teachers who have limited knowledge in the field of science.

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Adorable Evangelion x Hello Kitty Crossover Comes to Crotches Everywhere

Longtime readers of our site, or anyone who follows Japanese pop culture at all, has probably noticed that two of the country’s most heavily exploited media franchises are Evangelion and Hello Kitty.

In May, the inevitable finally happened when respective branding companies Groundworks and Sanrio teamed up to launch a line of crossover products to commemorate this fall’s release of the newest Evangelion movie, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. 

Now, with the long-awaited film only a few weeks away, Japanese underwear maker 3RDWARE has joined the fray to outfit your First Child with adorable Eva x Hello Kitty boxer briefs.

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16 Things I Learned From Dressing in Drag: Confessions of a One-night Crossdresser

There are all kinds of men in the world, but I have arbitrarily decided that the kind of man that wants to try wearing women’s clothes at least once in his life are in the majority. I’m not talking about becoming a cross-dresser for life, but most guys would like to see what it’s like to go around in a dress at least for a little bit, right?

I am one of those men! In my 33 years on this earth, I have long thought that just once, I would like to proudly declare my desire to dress like a woman, and at long last, I seized my opportunity this Halloween to girl it up, and as a result I learned 16 things that men would never know unless they walked a mile in a woman’s shoes. Read More

How’s It Hangin’ Japan? “To the Left,” Say About 40% of Guys

Here’s your Japanese vocabulary lesson for the day:

■   Chinpoji   –    Cheenpojee   –   [noun]
The perfect position for a man’s junk to rest in his underwear, pants, etc.

For men worldwide, to function normally we have to have our gear oriented in the correct position.  If through moving or sitting we fall out of chinpoji, then our minds become clouded with neuroses.

According to a survey by Japanese underwear maker Wacoal, 75% of men “are anxious about the positioning of their ‘front parts.’”  Not just the discomfort going on inside the pants; many men feel that their packages can be seen by people on the outside too when they’re out of place. This causes us to perform emergency public adjustments, which makes any woman within eyeshot go “ugghhh.”  In the end no one wins.

Yahoo Japan’s R25 explored this issue deeper, seeking to discover if all men’s chinpoji are the same and, if so, ask a medical professional why.  Here’s what they found.

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We Made a Big Black BigMac

Aside from their yearly Big America burgers, McDonald’s Japan is usually mild-mannered when it comes to gimmicky burgers. Burger King Japan, however, is the flashy, too-much-making-wearing stepsister of the far more popular McDonald’s. From the Pumpkin Bomb Burger, filled with deep-fried pieces of kabocha to the BK RiNGO Burger filled with grilled slices of apples and cinnamon, BK Japan has produced their fair share of shocking burgers.

Arguably the most shocking burger to grace the “BK Lounge” was the completely black Kuro Burger, released in September.

Since McDonald’s doesn’t have a black version of their signature sandwich, our resident foodie, Kuzo, decided to make his own Black BigMac…a BigBlack if you will.
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Sadako 3D Box Set Offers a Glimpse at the Daily Life of a Japanese Horror Icon

The special edition DVD/Blu-Ray box set of Sadako 3D, the fifth in the series of Japanese horror films originating from Ring, went on sale in Japan on October 31. The film brings back the series antagonist, Sadako Yamamura, for another round of video-induced murder.

While a creepy, supernatural killer in the movies and books, Sadako has become popular as a sort of quirky character in Japan, even making a clumsy appearance at a baseball game to throw the ceremonial first pitch earlier this year.

The Sadako 3D special edition box set, also known as “Sadako’s Cursed Box,” indulges in this goofy parallel with the inclusion of a sizable cut of Sadako’s iconic black hair and 32-page photo book titled Sadako’s Holiday.Sadako’s Holiday offers a closer look at what the long-haired ghost girl does on her days off:

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Nara Noodle Shop’s Revolutionary and Fun Way to Eat Udon From a Draw String Bag!

As fall turns into winter, Japanese people look to food such as hot noodle dishes as a tasty way to warm up.  Udon noodles, in particular, are great during the winter, and nothing beats slurping up a steaming bowl of udon on a cold day.

We discovered a unique way to eat hot udon noodles at Mentouan, a noodle shop in Nara.  When you order a bowl of udon at Mentouan, you are presented with what appears to be a small pouch floating in broth…but you can’t see the noodles!

Following his report of Kyoto’s gigantic one-noodle udon, our resident foodie Kuzo went to Mentouan to try this “invisible udon” for himself. Read More

Eating on Trains in Japan: Survey Asks “How Much is Too Much?”

 

Public transport in Japan has been featured numerous times this week here on RocketNews24. We’ve seen hilarious photos of people crashed out in awkward positions, cats, pigeons and teddy bears taking up seats, and we’ve heard young people– for a change– complaining about the older generation’s bad manners and poor social conduct.

With some of the busiest stations in the world and a population that increases by more than 2 million during the daytime as people pour into the city, Tokyo relies heavily on its bus and rail networks. Crammed into those little metal tubes, sometimes for hours each day, commuters soon learn to cope with being pushed, shoved and having their personal space reduced to the few inches of space around their face.

People soon learn what is and is not acceptable on public transport, and while socially-aware conduct like switching mobile phones to silent mode and giving up seats to elderly or disabled passengers are stipulated by in-train notices or audio announcements, there remains a handful of other, often unspoken, rules that people must adhere to or else incurr the wrath of irritated passengers as they glare, tut and grumble in their direction.

Listening to music too loudly through headphones; reading sexually explicit manga; not removing a backpack during the rush hours; all are considered rude on-board trains. But there’s a special rung in commuter Hell reserved for those who eat and drink during their journey…

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Sadistic Super Mario World is Back with New Levels, Made by Friends for Friends…

If you’re anything like me, you spent tens, if not hundreds of hours during the 1990s in front of a TV set playing Super Nintendo games like Super Mario World.

The game is often heralded as the greatest 2-D Mario game ever made, and is still played even 22 years (feel old yet!?) after its original launch.

You’d be wrong, though, if you thought that people were still playing just the levels that Nintendo crafted for its consumers decades ago; throughout the world there are entire groups of people with ROM files and hacked versions of the original game code who are regularly creating new levels, sometimes entire worlds, of their very own.

But why create nice, gentle levels filled with dancing flowers and 1-up mushrooms when you could create the most sadistic, mind-bending stages ever conceived of and force your friends to play through them?

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Kyoto Noodle House Serves One Big, Long Noodle

Udon is one of Japan’s most well-loved noodles dishes, ranking in line with soba and ramen. Everyone has an opinion over which is the tastiest, but those who like a bit of girth in their noodles will probably go for udon, which are traditionally rolled thicker than other Japanese noodles.

If you really want something to chew on, Tawaraya, an established noodle house in Kyoto, makes udon noodles so thick that only one fits inside the bowl.

Our resident foodie, Kuzo, recently took a train out to the ancient capital to try Tawaraya’s udon for himself. Check out his report below!

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We Visit the Shrine of the Dolls, Where Creepiness Turns to Inspiration and a Doll Has Hair that Grows

Awashima Shrine is known as the shrine of “memorial dolls” (dolls given as offerings to the shrine) because of the countless dolls and figures that surround the main building and the grounds.  It stands apart from the other shrines of Japan in the otherworldly atmosphere it gives off.  Some say it has a psychic energy to it.

At the shrine there is said to be a doll with hair that grows.  Who knows if there are really ghosts in the world, but you certainly get the sense there is something “present” when confronted with these eerie yet peaceful guardians.

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World’s First Adult Disney Store Designed and Opened in Japan

Starting from 1 November, a completely new kind of Disney Store opened in the Takayashima Station Mall in Kashiwa city, Chiba.  Until now all Disney Stores around the world followed the strict design specifications of the originals in America.

However, for the first time ever a Disney Store with a totally different look has opened in an effort to target adult female Disney fans.  Rather than stickers, school supplies and stuffed animals, shoppers will be able to buy leather bags, cosmetics and smartphone accessories.

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Japanese Person Given Earth as a Present from God, Sells it on Yahoo Auction

Strange and interesting items often pop up on the Japanese Yahoo Auction page. Human billboards, human skulls, inhumanly overpriced electronics, and a private pop idol performance, could all be found in the past.

This time, however, it looks like the Earth itself is going under the hammer at a starting price of 69 yen (hehe) (US$0.86).

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Last Samurai Caught on Video on a Train in Arizona, Rescues Passenger Being Beaten

On a late night light rail train in Phoenix, Arizona on what authorities believe to have been October 6, a man rescued another passenger from a fight by wielding his samurai sword towards the assailants.

The incident was caught on video and uploaded to YouTube.  None of the parties involved have been identified and the police are currently investigating.

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【Fail】World’s Tallest Broadcast Tower Tokyo Sky Tree Experiences Unexpected Radio Interference, Tokyo Tower Still Chugging On

Tokyo’s Skytree was to be the answer to radio interference for broadcasting companies. Up until Skytree’s completion in May,  Tokyo Tower was the tallest tower around, standing at 333 meters.  Skytree, nearly double that height, stands at 634 meters.

The transfer of radio wave transmission from Tokyo Tower to Tokyo Skytree was originally planned for January of next year, but has been delayed due to an unexpected level of radio interference that will take time-consuming measures to be dealt with.  Read More

Ueno Zoo’s Panda Enclosure Goes Big Brother, Installs Real-Time Cameras for All to See

Okay, who likes pandas?

Of course you do! How could you not? They’re fuzzy and cute, they walk around eating bamboo all day, they rarely maul people to death when they bump into them in the woods like their bigger brown relatives… That said, with fewer than 3,000 pandas estimated to be in existence across the globe, the chances of running into one while out for a morning stroll are pretty slim…

So thank goodness that Ueno Zoo in Tokyo– home to two of just 11 pandas in the country– has installed a set of cameras in its panda enclosure, allowing the public to take a sneaky peek at the pair from the comfort of their own home.

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Cute Anime Girls Driving Sales of Windows 8 in Japan

 

On October 29, Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said that since its release on Friday, Windows 8 has been selling at a higher rate than Windows 7, the best-selling version of Windows to date.

Despite confusion over alleged magic touch screen-imbuing capabilities, Windows 8 seems to be doing well in Japan as well— so well, in fact, that limited-quantity DSP editions of the operating system, which feature two unofficial Windows 8-themed “moe” mascots, are already beginning to sell out, proving once again that the Japanese will buy anything with a cute anime girl on it (not that there was a lack evidence).

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