SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Police departments in Osaka, Fukuoka, Oita, and Tokyo are reminding potential recruits that a career in law enforcement promises drama, power, mystery and yes, monkeys.

Japan
(Fukuoka • Oita • Osaka • police • recruitment posters)

Promo for Yanagawa City is filled with the beauty of Japan, adorable dancing girls【Video】

KK Miller
Feb 12, 2016

The Sagemon Girls are here to introduce their wonderful, little-known city to you!

Japan
(Fukuoka • hina matsuri • Idols • sagemon • travel • video • Yanagawa)

Three reasons why you should definitely visit Taiho Ramen in Fukuoka Prefecture

Krista Rogers
Jan 14, 2016

Our Japanese reporter shares three excellent reasons why you should stop by this ramen joint the next time you’re in Fukuoka. No excuses!

Japan
(food • Fukuoka • ramen • restaurants • Taiho Ramen)

We visit “world’s largest” Buddha in Fukuoka, puts Sagat’s to shame

Master Blaster
Oct 23, 2015

Fukuoka Prefecture is a major tourist destination in Japan, drawing people form all over the country all year round. But what’s unusual about the prefecture is that, despite its great many visitors, it doesn’t have any particularly famous sightseeing spots. Most people come for the food alone—a fact which should give you an indication of how good it is.

That’s why our reporter, Takashi Harada went in search of something worth gawking at in the otherwise wonderful land of Fukuoka and came across something that every visitor ought to see: the “World’s Largest Buddha statue” nestled deep in its mountains.

Japan
(Buddha • copper • Fukuoka • statue • Street Fighter II • temple • travel)

Roadside Station Ranking for 2015 is in, find out where you will be driving to in Japan

KK Miller
Sep 17, 2015

When traveling in Japan, there are a number of quick and easy ways to see the whole country. You can take the Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train that excels at speed and comfort. There are also a number of budget airlines including Peach, Air Asia, and Skymark Airlines that can make your trip quicker, but force you to sacrifice some amenities for a lower cost.

But if you have the time, there is no better way to travel around Japan than by hitting the open roads. Just like the US, there are many quirky best-kept secrets accessible only by car that are worth visiting. Some of the best places that really connect you with the locals are the roadside rest stops called Michi no Eki (literally “roadside stations“) that are perfect for taking a toilet or sleeping break, but are also hubs for local food, crafts and history.

Want to find the best roadside stations to visit? The travel website Trip Advisor has assembled a list of the best Michi no Eki for 2015, so gas up the car, it’s time for a road trip.

Japan
(Aomori • Fukuoka • Hyogo • michi no eki • Okinawa • ranking • roadside stations • Tochigi • travel)

We explore the evolution of the toilet at Kitakyushu’s newly opened TOTO Museum

Krista Rogers
Aug 31, 2015

What would modern life be like without the humble toilet? Actually, we’d rather not think about that.

Many of us around the world should direct our thanks to TOTO Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of toilets and the very company that invented the washlet. In fact, Friday, August 28 marked the grand opening of the new TOTO Museum in Fukuoka Prefecture, where the company was originally founded in 1917.

Takashi Harada, our Japanese reporter who proclaims that he couldn’t survive a day without a washlet, immediately made a bee line to the new sanctuary to give thanks to the toilet gods and to learn a bit about the historical evolution of the toilet.

Global, Japan
(Fukuoka • history • Kitakyushu • Toilets • TOTO Museum)

Guinness World Record-breaking strawberry found in Fukuoka and it’s delicious

Audrey Akcasu
May 20, 2015

Everyone loves strawberries, right? Not only are they pretty hard to beat on the deliciousness scale, but they have the ability to ward off allergy symptoms and can even occasionally taste like peaches. Not bad for a little red fruit–or big red fruit if we’re talking about the Guinness World Record-breaking strawberry recently harvested in Fukuoka.

Japan
(food • fruit • Fukuoka • Guinness Word Record • strawberry)

Kitakyushu’s spectacular wisteria tunnel is blooming! You don’t want to miss it!

Audrey Akcasu
May 7, 2015

You guys, it’s May, so that means you can finally go see the beautiful wisteria tunnel that we told you about last October! If you find yourself anywhere near northern Kyushu or have time for a weekend getaway, head to Fukuoka Prefecture’s Kitakyushu City. If you think we’re exaggerating or doctoring the pictures to make them more beautiful (we’re not), at least trust the opinion of the Japanese Twitter users gushing over the wisteria’s beauty!

Japan
(beautiful • flowers • Fukuoka • gardens • nature • wisteria)

Unsettling softball-playing scarecrows keep Japanese town entertained, creeped out

Scott R Dixon
Nov 26, 2014

Living in the Japanese countryside has many advantages, from access to the freshest produce to breathing clean air, but for many who love the big city, the slow-paced lifestyle and lack of attractions can make rural life quite boring.

But one Japanese man living in a town outside of Fukuoka in southern Japan is showing us life doesn’t have to be boring when you have access to several dozen scarecrows, old softball uniforms and an open rice field. Every November after the rice is harvested, he dresses scarecrows up as softball players and has them “play” a month-long game, keeping score the entire time.

Japan
(countryside • Fukuoka • funny • iizuka city • scarecrow • softball • sports • weird)

Which foods define Fukuoka’s amazing culinary scene? The Internet votes 【Poll】

Scott R Dixon
Oct 27, 2014

If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka, you probably know about its amazing food that has people from all over the country booking trips there just to stuff themselves silly. Between the rich, pork broth and firm noodles of the famous Hakata Ramen and the spicy delight that is mentaiko (marinated cod and pollack roe), Fukuoka is a place visitors leave having to loosen their belt a few notches.

With so many delicious things to come out of the city, an online poll set out to see which dishes people think are the epitome of the Fukuoka food scene. Click below to see the results and vote on what you think is the best food to come out of Fukuoka!

Japan
(food • Fukuoka • gyoza • hakata • mentaiko • poll • ramen)

When a goddess speaks, you listen…unless she’s telling you to kill someone

KK Miller
Oct 25, 2014

Criminals have to come up with some pretty extravagant excuses for why they commit crimes. Sometimes, their reasons are really out there. Take the Oscar Pistorius case, for example. He acknowledges that he fired the shots that killed his girlfriend, but claims that he thought he was protecting her from a possible intruder. It’s then up to the courts to determine whether or not the defense’s theory holds any water. But what do you do when the working theory is, “Amaterasu, the sun goddess, told me to kill my mother.”

Japan
(crime • Fukuoka • innocent • insanity • verdict)

Fukuoka’s “Wisteria Tunnel” delights visitors with pretty pastel petals

Evie Nyan
Oct 18, 2014

Anyone who has visited Japan during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season will definitely agree – they’ve got some really gorgeous flowers over there. But Japan’s not all sakura, you know! In fact, there’s a veritable cornucopia of beautiful blooms to appreciate at different times of the year. If you’re too impatient for the springtime sakura, you can get a head start by checking out the plum blossoms that start to peek out during the tail-end of winter. And if you’re still not satisfied after feasting your eyes on the sakura itself (or feasting on snacks during hanami, as the case may be), why not plan a summer visit to the “Wisteria Tunnel” located in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture?

Japan
(Fukuoka • nature • tourism • wisteria)

Japanese high schooler fails driver’s license test 20 times, tries to hire someone else to take it for him

KK Miller
Sep 17, 2014

How far would you go to pass a test? At all points in our life, tests determine whether we succeed or fail with little remorse for how much grueling effort actually went into studying for it. One test in Japan is extremely taxing and foreigners and Japanese alike shudder at even the thought of taking it. We are talking about the Japanese driver’s license test and one first year high school student from Fukuoka who had failed the written portion 20 times, finally resorted to cheating in order to try and pass it.

Japan
(crime • fail • Fukuoka • license • motorized bike • police)

Smash & Eat: We try a playful Korean sweet you have to hit with a hammer to enjoy

KK Miller
Sep 2, 2014

They say girls love sweets because the endorphins released when eating them help to get rid of bad moods and make everything better. But if we’re being honest, most people of any gender want their foul moods to be whisked away by the delightful taste of sugary sweets! However, sometimes your problems can’t be solved with just cakes and ice cream and you still have so much pent-up frustration that can only be released by DESTROYING something. If you run into this kind of situation, we have the perfect solution for you: a popular sweet from Korea that must first be smashed with a hammer before you can enjoy it.

Japan
(Fukuoka • hammer • Korea • pastry • schneeballen • Shibuya Hikarie • sweets • Tokyo)

Digital-age robber epically owned by analog granny at convenience store in Fukuoka

Krista Rogers
Aug 2, 2014

What started off as a basic robbery attempt turned into a mortifying experience for one wannabe robber in Fukuoka Prefecture. Seriously, either the konbini gods were conspiring against him or he met his ultimate match in an old woman, but either way, his attempt at crime was completely foiled thanks to an unusual series of events.