SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

animals (Page 42)

We can’t stop watching this cute cat put together a packing box【Video】

Meg Murphy
Sep 11, 2015
Tweet

Yamato Un’yu (Yamato Transport), is Japan’s largest delivery company. Their beige-and-teal trucks, as well as their kuroneko (black cat) logo, are as familiar to the Japanese as the Golden Arches or the Starbucks mermaid. Their logo has also resulted in them being referred to colloquially as Kuroneko (black cat) Yamato.

Now, to advertise their compact delivery boxes, they’ve enlisted the help of a real black cat to show just how easy it is to put together. And we all know that cats plus boxes make a mesmerizingly adorable combination!

Japan
(animals • cats • cats and boxes • cute • Kuroneko Yamato • video • Yamato Un'yu)

【Monday Kickstart】Adorable dog’s frustrated attempts to get a shower are too cute to ignore!

Preston Phro
Sep 7, 2015

Summer in Japan can be brutal if you’re not used to the humidity. At least one of the writers here at the RocketNew24 office has melted into a puddle of and had to be reconstituted in a meat locker last month. Fortunately, the heat is starting to abate and autumn is in sight!

But while we’re happy we won’t have to worry about being liquefied anymore, there is one thing we’ll miss: Playing in the pool. We can’t do that once winter has set in and we’re missing the summer sun, but at least we’ll have this insanely adorable video of a dog whose owner steals its every attempt to get a shower.

Internet, Japan
(animals • cute • dogs • Monday Kickstart • pets • summer • video)

Japanese town’s Cat Street View lets you virtually tour its backstreets, meet feline residents

Casey Baseel
Sep 3, 2015

It’s an amazing age we live in, where you can fire up Google Street View and virtually walk the boulevards of many of the world’s cities. But it turns out Google Street View has a bit of a rival in Japan. Granted, its scope is far smaller than Google’s, given that it only covers part of one town, but it shows up the Internet giant by letting you wander its walkways from the perspective of an alley cat, and even provides profiles of all the neighborhood kitties you’ll meet along the way!

Internet, Japan
(animals • cats • cute • Hiroshima • Onomichi • pets • Street View • travel)

Tanuki magically disguises self as cat to get food

Master Blaster
Sep 3, 2015

Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanuki as they’re known over here, are animals with great significance in Japanese folk-lore. Among their many supernatural attributes such as giant scrota and swift speeds, the tanuki are also known for their purported shapeshifting abilities.

And though the above picture clearly dispels the size of their manhood, there appears to be some truth to their art of disguise. As the Twitter user who posted the photo explains, this little guy is actually pretending to be a stray cat so he can get some of the food laid out for him.

Internet, Japan
(animals • cats • cute • Tanuki • twitter)

Cosplay for pets! Dog fashion retailer selling Attack on Titan capes, uniforms

Casey Baseel
Sep 1, 2015

In recent years, it’s become increasingly popular for doting dog-owners in Japan to dress up their pets in little outfits when they head out for a walk. But since their canine companions are already equipped with a natural coat, all doggy fashion is really doggy cosplay, so why not dress your dog up like a member of the cast of smash-hit anime Attack on Titan?

Japan
(animals • anime • Attack on Titan • cosplay • cute • dogs • manga • pet clothes • pets)

Thousands of adorable chicks cover Chinese road after delivery truck overturns

Casey Baseel
Aug 26, 2015

Imagine you’re driving down a country road, when you see an overturned truck up ahead. Thankfully, no one appears to have been hurt in the accident, but the damaged vehicle is blocking the lane, and since it’s spilled its cargo all over the road, you’re probably in for a frustrating wait before you can continue on to your destination.

Not the most pleasant scenario, is it? Unless, of course, that cargo happens to be thousands of adorable baby chicks.

China
(accident • animals • birds • chicks • cute)

The perfect place for a Tokyo catnap? Under the statue of Japan’s most famous dog, of course!

Casey Baseel
Aug 18, 2015

Tokyo’s Shibuya is one of the busiest parts of one of the world’s busiest cities. Ginza is filled with high-class cafes, Harajuku is bordered by the tranquil Meiji Shrine, and Shinjuku’s Shinjuku Gyoen is a sprawling green space in the center of the city, but Shibuya is all glitzy entertainment, fashionable boutiques, and trendy restaurants.

But even in Shibuya, every now and then something happens that makes people stop in their tracks and take a moment to smile, like the sight of this adorable kitty taking a nap under the statue of Japan’s most famous pooch.

Japan
(animals • cats • cute • Hachiko • Tokyo)

The Maasai people teach us how to kill a lion, demonstrate on our writer

Mike
Aug 10, 2015

Sure, you may have killed, like, 230 lions in Skyrim and traded in their pelts for a sweet dagger and maybe a cool tricorn hat, but it’s safe to say that, in real life, you probably wouldn’t fare so well against one of nature’s most efficient predators. First, where are you going to get a sweet set of gold armor and a giant warhammer? Secondly, humankind’s fight or flight response being what it is, you’re probably far more likely to projectile urinate onto your attacker while fleeing at top speed like the damn Roadrunner or something.

No, outside of Skyrim, there is only really one group of people (that don’t routinely use high-powered, modern weapons like they’re hunting the Predator) that can actually boast of taking on lions and walking away not only alive but victorious. Lucky for us, we’re tight with these folks – the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania – and they graciously taught us their technique, using one of our most unfortunate Japanese writing staff to demonstrate.

Africa, Japan
(animals • culture • lions • Maasai • travel)

World’s smallest “hopping mouse” could fit into your pocket’s pocket

KK Miller
Aug 1, 2015

What would you do if you suddenly saw a tiny little fur ball jump across the road in front of your car in the middle of a country road? Could you stop in time? We’re not talking about some normal rodent either, but an adorably cute fuzzy critter only as big as a plastic bottle cap.

Learn all about this adorable creature that narrowly avoided being hit by a car in China with pictures and more, after the jump!

China, Internet
(adorable • animals • cute • Hotan • jerboa • Xinjiang)

Japanese cat and dog clocks with swishing tails make clock-watching more adorable than ever

Casey Baseel
Jul 17, 2015

Honestly, I’ve never really seen the point in hanging a clock on the wall in your home. Between the time displays on my PC, phone, TV, DVD player, PlayStation, and microwave, I’ve got plenty of ways to tell the current hour and minute without a dedicated timepiece taking up space where I could hang other things, like the California license plate in my living room that simultaneously makes me miss my home state and driving whenever I look at it.

I’m just not convinced that having a wall clock makes your home that much more convenient. However, it can make it a lot cuter, if it’s one of these adorable Japanese dog or cat-shaped clocks with an amazingly lifelike wagging tail.

Japan
(animals • art • cats • clocks • cute • dogs • interior)

Tokuyama Zoo celebrates summer with Cockroach Fest!

Jessica
Jul 17, 2015

The Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture has come up with a novel way to attract visitors this summer. And by novel, I mean probably insane. Would you buy tickets for a Cockroach Fest?

Japan
(animals • cockroaches • weird • wtf)

Clock in with a kitty at this shared workspace in Japan where you can play with the resident cat

Casey Baseel
Jul 15, 2015

As information technology continues to evolve, telecommuting is becoming increasingly feasible and popular in Japan. Still, sometimes mobile workers find themselves in need of more business-oriented facilities than their home office has, and make use of shared workspaces like the ones we previously looked at.

But while all of those communal offices have amenities such as Wi-Fi, power outlets, and meeting areas, only this one has a resident cat that you can play with when you need a stress-relieving break from work.

Japan
(animals • business • cats • cool • pets • shared offices)

Hilarious house cat meets its match as it gets snuck up on by…a cucumber?!? 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Jul 9, 2015

While cats are definitely cute, I’m not sure I really buy into the whole idea that they’re still skilled predators. Sure, house cats are much more likely to bag game than many other popular pets, such as hamsters or goldfish, but I think centuries of domestication have bred out a lot of the instincts that came from their shared ancestry with lions and tigers.

As proof, I offer this video of a cat in Japan, in which the “hunter” becomes the hunted and meets its match when, defying all logic, a cucumber sneaks up on it.

Japan
(animals • cats • funny • pets • video)

Want to shake hands with an adorable otter? You can right now at this Tokyo aquarium

Casey Baseel
Jun 25, 2015

Tokyo’s Ikebukuro is an archetypical part of the concrete jungle of Japan’s capital. The neighborhood is even home to Sunshine 60, one of the tallest buildings in a city that’s already packed with massive skyscrapers.

With so much space to work with, Sunshine 60 houses a shopping center, restaurants, planetarium, museum, and even a parlor for playing the Japanese board game go. But what convinced us to visit recently was the complex’s aquarium, which right now is offering a chance to shake hands with its adorable river otters!

Japan
(animals • aquariums • cute • events • Ikebukuro • Otters • Tokyo)

Rest in peace, Tama – Japan’s stationmaster cat passes away at 16, company funeral to be held

Casey Baseel
Jun 25, 2015

It wasn’t long ago that we were wishing a happy birthday to Tama, the adorable feline that was given the title of Ultra Stationmaster by Wakayama Electric Railway. Having just turned 16 in April, Tama, who lived at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture and delighted travelers on a daily basis, was incredibly young for a stationmaster.

16 is a fairly advanced age for a cat, though, and the sad news has just come that Stationmaster Tama has passed away.

Japan
(animals • cats • cute • pets • sad • Stationmaster Tama • Tama • trains • Wakayama)

Is any “fowl” play involved? Nope, Morioka Zoo’s animals just like to sleep in weird positions

Krista Rogers
Jun 16, 2015

Morioka Zoo in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture has a host of both fierce and cuddly animals on its premises. Among the zoo’s current highlights are opportunities to see a baby giraffe, make dinner for the elephants, and feed raw meat to a lion. Oh, and did we mention that the animals there seem to have a penchant for looking dead while simply taking a snooze?

Japan
(animals • ducks • Iwate • Morioka • Morioka Zoo • zoos)

Korean man arrested for boiling 600 cats alive, selling the meat for use in soup

Mike
May 28, 2015

Cat lovers may want to sit down for this.

South Korean police arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of catching up to 600 stray cats around his neighborhood, boiling them alive, skinning and gutting the carcasses and then selling the meat to locals for use in a special medicinal soup.

Korea
(animals • cats • crime • pets)

Australia mulls koala cull, Japan’s whaling advocates eat up the irony like delicious whale meat

Casey Baseel
May 28, 2015

Japan and most of the rest of the developed world don’t exactly see eye to eye on whaling. Sure, Japan has a couple of mammal-fishing buddies in Norway and Iceland, but most other nations with a comparable scientific and economic footing take a dim view of Japan’s professedly research-based whaling expeditions, especially in light of how you’re much more likely to come across a restaurant in Japan serving whale meat than a significant biological discovery about whales coming from one of the country’s scientists.

One of the most outspoken opponents has been Australia, which is particularly upset about Japanese whalers hunting the creatures in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica, an area much closer to Australia than Japan. Now, though, some Japanese Internet commenters are launching snide jabs right back at their critics from Down Under in regards to the Australian government’s consideration of a plan to kill off a portion of its koala population.

Australia, Japan
(animals • conservation • koalas • nature • whales • whaling)

Tiny gachapon hamsters are here to cling to your glass and make your drink extra cute!

Evie Nyan
May 22, 2015

Here at RocketNews24 we like to think of ourselves as experts in taste and style (hey, stop laughing!). We like to add little personal touches to our cutlery drawers and drinks cabinets (gotta love those panty glasses!). So you can imagine how excited we were when we found out about these little hamsters you can clip onto the edge of your glass or mug to up the cuteness factor of everything you drink by 150%.

Internet, Japan
(animals • cute • glass • hamsters • Kawaii • kitchenware)

The Steeds of the Gods: The Shinto horses that no mortal may ride

Jessica
May 19, 2015

Somewhere around the 500th step on the long approach to Kompira-san shrine in Kagawa Prefecture, you’ll find a small stable housing two special horses. They are pretty as a picture, but don’t get any ideas about hopping on for a ride, feeding them a little carrot, or even giving them a friendly pat.

These thoroughbreds are shinme, the steeds of the gods, and they are not for mere mortals like us.