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Explosion in China Claims the Life of Down Jacket, Washing Machine Left in Critical Condition

Master Blaster
Nov 8, 2012
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As this autumn is just flying by, we’ll all have to break out our winter gear soon, if not already. For one woman in China it was time to buy a new winter coat to cope with the lowering temperatures.

Little did she know, that new fluffy down jacket was a ticking time bomb that went off right inside of her home washing machine.

China
(down jacket • explosion • washing machine)

Instant Ramen Maker Sets up Tiny Restaurant in Shibuya Station: Three Dollar Lunch, Anyone?

Philip Kendall
Nov 8, 2012

Japanese food manufacturer Nissin, maker of incredibly popular “like fresh” instant noodle brand Raō, has taken the unusual step of opening a tiny restaurant of its own in Shibuya station, Tokyo. The restaurant opened just yesterday and is situated, of all places, in the very centre of the busy Yamanote line platform.

The miniature restaurant’s menu consists of just two items: two flavours of regular, shop-bought instant ramen, each costing just 250 yen (US$3).

Always eager to try out new food and discover interesting new locations, our intrepid RocketNews24 reporters headed down to see the restaurant for themselves.

Japan
(food • Noodles • original • ramen • Restaurant • Shibuya • station)

Sushi: The Fragrance Released, Brad Pitt Hard at Work on New Poetry

Master Blaster
Nov 8, 2012

*For maximum enjoyment please read this article in the husky hushed voice of Brad Pitt. Thank you.*

It’s not a journey, it’s Sushi, a scent developed by Demeter Fragrance Library. The scent maker is hoping to catch the freshness of Japan’s signature dish so you have it with you all day.

But does it smell like raw fish? Does it have the eye-watering aroma of wasabi? Demeter says of course not, but what it does smell like is the source of some controversy.

Internet, USA
(cologne • Demeter • fragrance • sushi)

Send Your Message With a Smash! Smartphone App, Smash Message, Allows You to Vent Your Feelings

Karen Bremer Masuda
Nov 8, 2012

Have you ever been frustrated at not being able to get your anger across in a text? Maybe you were agitated enough to feel like sending a smash that would shatter the receiver’s screen to bits. Now, with this application, there is a place for those feelings, an outlet so that you don’t have to swallow that anger leaving it to fester under your skin! Smash Message is for you! Read More

Japan
(emote • New smart phone application • smash • stress release)

Edible iPhone 5 Case Made From Rice Cracker Protects Your Life but not Your iPhone

Steven
Nov 7, 2012

On the eve of a large-scale natural disaster, preparedness is everything. Sure smartphones can keep us in contact with the rest of world when traditional communication networks are down, but Twitter won’t help you much when food supplies start running low.

That’s where the “Survival Senbei iPhone 5 Case” comes in. This special case is made entirely from Japanese brown rice and salt, baked into a crispy golden-brown senbei rice cracker that fits snugly around your iPhone 5.

An iPhone that you can eat in times of crisis: this must be the future that Steve Jobs envisioned for the device! You just might want to avoid walking around with it your pocket…

Japan
(Apple • food • gadgets • iPhone • iPhone case • senbei)

Softbank CEO Donates US$500,000 to Hurricane Sandy Relief, Becomes Embroiled in Twitter War with Some Guy

Master Blaster
Nov 7, 2012

Who doesn’t love a Twitter war? This wonderful modern age we live in lets celebrities make snide comments to and about each other as we all read along. And with the unprecedented interactivity social networks you too could be arguing with Ashton Kutcher about something!

Last week mobile phone mogul Masayoshi Son, who has a history of large donations, offered US$500,000 through Softbank to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy in North America and then tweeted about it. This act of philanthropy irked a twitter user by the name of o44o. Feeling that this was an act of blatant advertising through the use of a good deed he decided to voice his opinion to Mr. Son.

Internet, Japan, USA
(donation • Hurricane Sandy • Masayoshi Son • Softbank)

【Cheapskate News】 McDonald’s Japan Giving Away Free Hamburgers (Again)

Philip Kendall
Nov 7, 2012

Is there no end to the Golden Arches’ generosity?

Just as the restaurant’s french fry offer comes to an end– but not before some teenagers took full advantage– McDonald’s Japan has announced that it’s about to give away free hamburgers.

That’s right- even to degenerates like you and me!

Full details after the jump>>>

Japan
(campaign • food • free • hamburger • McDonald's • promotion)

Nine Expectations That Japanese Women Have In Their Men, if They Are Men

Karen Bremer Masuda
Nov 7, 2012

We all have our expectations of the opposite sex, the ideal of how we would like them to be. Even though we can’t say it to their faces, in our hearts, we know that a man/woman should be able to be or do this or that precisely because he/she is a man/woman.

With that in mind, Otomesugorn surveyed their female readers to find out their expectations of men, of what is naturally expected of them, by their women. All the young women who were asked what they naturally expected of their male counterparts were in their 20’s. Here are their expectations, one through nine, and the comments they gave about them. Read More

Japan
(dating • expectations • love • survey)

Under 50% of Workers in Japan Received Full Payment for Overtime According to Labor Survey

Master Blaster
Nov 7, 2012

As the world continues to change, countries like China have been experiencing overall improvements to their quality of life while traditionally more developed countries seem to be slipping in terms of job security and benefits.

According to a yearly study conducted by labor research groups and think tanks, only 46.9% of workers in Japan receive their overtime in full. This is a significant 8.9% lower from just a year before.

Japan
(labor law • overtime • payment • survey)

Sh*t Japanese Girls Say and Other Hilarious Truths From an American Living in Japan

Steven
Nov 6, 2012

Shit Girls Say is a comedy web series that pokes fun at the cliches and stereotypes associated with young female speech.

Of course, there’s a good chance you probably knew this; the videos have racked up more than 32 million combined views to date and spawned countless parodies exploring the quirky verbal mannerisms of black girls, single girls, Asian moms and more.

Well now Japan is finally in on the joke with “Sh*t Japanese Girls Say.”

Internet, Japan
(Japanese women • medamasensei • video • YouTube)

Curry Hamburger: Delicious! Nutritious!! Contains Cesium!!! Our Brave Reporter Investigates

Philip Kendall
Nov 6, 2012

It’s not every day that you hear of a dish whose ingredients include a chemical element.

When most people hear of cesium, they probably think of either high school chemistry class or, if you happened to be glued to the TV during last year’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the element’s association with radiation…

So when a restaurant in central Tokyo openly advertising a lunch-time curry featuring a “cesium burger” came to our attention, we had to check it out.

Our brave food reporter Kuzo headed into town to find out whether the rumours were true and, if they were, to see what on earth a meal featuring a potentially hazardous chemical substance could taste like…

Japan
(Burger • caesium • Cesium • food • Kuzo • Restaurant)

New Touch Panel Technology Provides Intelligent Feedback, “Like pushing real buttons!”

Philip Kendall
Nov 6, 2012

At last week’s Digital Contents Expo 2012 held in Tokyo, cutting edge technology company Kyocera unveiled something that will no doubt appeal to tablet and smartphone users the world over, potentially changing the way we use our modern-day gadgets forever.

The company has produced an intelligent touch screen that mimics a variety of sensations, from soft and squidy jelly, to rigid, clicky buttons. What does this mean for handsome folk you and me? It means all the speed and convenience of touch screens, but with fewer inaccuracies and silly– albeit amusing- typing mistakes. It could also mean that our beloved touch screens will become far more versatile in the future, not to mention becoming accessible to a much larger audience.

Japan
(button • new • smart phone • technology • touch screen)

New York’s Famous Restaurant Sarabeth’s Opens a Branch in Shinjuku, May Not Have What it Takes to be Popular in Japan

Karen Bremer Masuda
Nov 6, 2012

Sarabeth’s is a popular New York bakery restaurant chain featuring a breakfast menu loved by the locals since 1981, and has become such a huge part of New York food culture that it has influenced movies, TV, and publishing. And now Sarabeth’s has finally arrived in Japan, opening a branch in Shinjuku at the beginning of this month.

Rocketnews24 correspondent/foodie extraordinaire Kuzo went to check it out!

Japan
(breakfast • food • Kuzo • Restaurant • Sarabeths)

Confessions of Snow White in Tokyo on a Weekday

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Nov 5, 2012

Earlier this week, we heard the confessions of a crossdressing man in Tokyo (the beauty in the middle of the above photo). As it turns out, this one-night crossdresser works with our next costume-wearing confessor (and they all work at our Japanese sister site, Pouch).

Snow White, pictured above, was hesitant to walk the streets of Japan in costume on a weekday. However, she swallowed her fear and spent the entire day as a Disney princess. The following is her account of a day as Snow White in Tokyo on a weekday.

Japan
(cosplay • Costume • Halloween in Japan • Snow White • Snow White costume)

A Month After Japan’s Strict New Download Law Comes into Effect, Survey Suggests that Consumers are Spending Less Than Ever on Music

Philip Kendall
Nov 5, 2012

As of 1 October this year, knowingly downloading copyrighted music and video in Japan became punishable by up to two years in prison and a 2 million yen (US$25,000) penalty.

The law was passed in June after the Japanese music industry, the second largest in the world after the US, reported continued financial losses, with analysts suggesting that just one in 10 downloads were legal.

Since the law came into effect, there have certainly been some changes, and many internet users have become reluctant to click that download button for fear of receiving a hefty fine, meaning that the law has been a success in a way.

According to a recent statistical survey, however, since the law was passed, sales of music in Japan have continued to fall and consumers are actually showing less interest in music than ever before…

Internet, Japan
(download • illegal • law • music • statistics • survey)

Gangnam Style as Performed by an Adorable 4-Year-Old Japanese Girl

Steven
Nov 5, 2012

Some of you may remember Kazuki, the adorable Japanese 4-year-old diva who’s cosplay habits are encouraged by her mother and posted to YouTube via her channel, Kazuki’s Room.

In her latest performance, Kazuki has finally jumped on the internet fad bandwagon and covered Gangnam Style. Her moves may not be accurate and her costumes may only be vaguely similar to Psy’s, but it doesn’t matter because she’s just so darn cute.

Check the video after the jump!

Internet, Japan
(cosplay • cute • GANGNAM STYLE • YouTube)

Most Patient Bank Robber Ever Arrested in Fukuoka, Foiled by Courteous Staff

Master Blaster
Nov 5, 2012

On the morning of 2 November a man armed with a kitchen knife entered a bank in Munakata city, Fukuoka Prefecture. Upon seeing the man, the clerk asked “What can I do for you?”

“Hand over the money.” he said quietly.

Then the clerk summoned all her years of training and experience as a bank employee and dealt with the intruder the best way she knew how.

Japan
(bank robbery • crime • doing it wrong • waiting area)

Control Your Computer With a Flick of The Wrist Using “Gesture Glove Mouse”

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Nov 5, 2012

Thanko, Japan’s self-proclaimed “rare things shop,” is now selling a glove that allows users to control a computer or Android device using hand gestures.

Japan
(electronics • Gesture Glove Mouse • Minority Report • Wireless mouse)

【Survey】When do Japanese People Have Their First Kiss? When Did You Have Yours?

Steven
Nov 5, 2012

Japanese men aren’t known for being the most romantically aggressive bunch. Many young Japanese women lament over having to take the lead just to get out of the dugout and onto first base.

If Japanese guys are so reluctant to get touchy-feely, you’ve got to wonder: at what age do Japanese people have their first kiss?