SoraNews24 —Japan News—

A Japanese hobbyist spent six months drawing a massive and complex maze on a wall-sized sheet of paper. Thankfully, he filmed the whole thing and set it to some catchy J-Pop for our viewing pleasure.

Internet, Japan
(art • drawing • mazes • niconico • time-lapse • videos)

Splatoon dominates Japanese video site, makes us wonder if everyone is eating properly

Preston Phro
Jun 2, 2015

While the Wii U hasn’t exactly been the biggest success in Nintendo’s history, we can’t help wondering if newly released game Splatoon is going to help turn things around. The game currently has a score of 81 on Metacritic (and an 8.3 out of 10 from users), so it’s certainly getting some appreciation from gamers and game critics alike overseas. Someone in Europe even stole a truck full of copies of the game and Amiibo!

But how about in Japan? We already know that there seems to be a lot of younger people excited about it, but it’s not just kids who are loving the game…

Internet, Japan
(niconico • Niconico Douga • nintendo • Splatoon)

Dedicated fan recreates video play-through of Super Mario Bros… in Minecraft

Preston Phro
May 26, 2015

Minecraft is certainly one of the most talked-about games on the scene today, and one of the most played. Even if you haven’t tried it or have no idea why there seem to be so many sheep in the game, you have probably seen some of the amazing things built inside it.

Today, we bring you an incredibly accurate recreation of a video play-through of the first level of the Nintendo classic Super Mario Bros. made in Minecraft*.* With sheep, apparently.

Internet, Japan
(Minecraft • niconico • nintendo • Super Mario Bros. • video • video games)

Nintendo and Niconico are looking to pay you to use their copyrighted material

Master Blaster
Nov 19, 2014

People who post game demonstrations such as walkthroughs and speed runs on video websites certainly put in a fair bit of effort in them. And for some part they’re acknowledged by those who view the videos. Heck, thanks to them I could find every pigeon in GTA:IV and finally get back to my busy life of eating pudding.

As such it’s not unreasonable to say they deserve some compensation for their efforts – just as long as it doesn’t come out of my pudding budget. But because they are working with copyrighted source material, it’s not always easy for these creative game enthusiasts to get paid.

Now, game-maker Nintendo and video site Niconico Douga are working together in the Creators Incentive Program in which rather than punish those who infringe on copyrights from holders like Nintendo, they will be given incentives based on the number of views they can rake in with their works.

Internet, Japan
(copyright • niconico • nintendo • video games)

Nicocafe dishes up a serving of surreal with manga meat, half an umaibo, and rice teishoku

Fran W
Oct 25, 2014

Niconico is Japan’s biggest video sharing website – apart from that other one – and this week sees their unique café and creative space re-open in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

The new nicocafe aims to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds with its online interactive ordering system, which allows viewers watching at home to order items to be delivered to the guests at the bar!

We’re not sure how happy you’d be to actually receive some of these menu items, though…

Japan
(cafe • Ikebukuro • menu • nicocafe • niconico • Tokyo • weird)

Sailor Moon Crystal gets one million views on Niconico in two days

Anime News Network
Jul 10, 2014

Niconico‘s stream of the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal has been viewed more than 1 million times in two days, and has approximately 250,000 comments. The Japanese simulcast stream on Niconico had approximately 140,000 viewers alone. Niconico is streaming the series in 12 countries.

Internet, Japan
(anime • Anime News Network • niconico • Sailor Moon Crystal)

Nagano man questioned by police for broadcasting himself drowning a cat in the river

Master Blaster
Jul 8, 2014

On 29 June, Nagano police were inundated with demands for an investigation after live footage broadcast over Japan’s Niconico Video showed a caged cat being left to drown in a river.

Warning: some readers may find the content of this report upsetting.

Internet, Japan
(cat • crime • niconico)

Mr. Sato takes on Family Mart’s “All-You-Can-Eat Convenience Store Challenge!”

Master Blaster
May 3, 2014

Imagine if you had ten minutes to run amuck in a convenience store and could eat whatever you wanted and as much of it as you could. Now imagine it’s a Japanese convenience store where the unwritten rule is: If you can’t find something you want to eat, you aren’t hungry.

Our well-seasoned convenience store correspondent Mr. Sato had just gotten such an experience recently in the FamilyMart booth at Niconico Super Party III, but discovered that an all-you-can-eat convenience store experience isn’t without its difficulties.

Japan
(Family mart • Mr. Sato • niconico)

Live otter-cam to be broadcast for 33 hours — will otters’ secret lives be revealed?

Kay
Apr 29, 2014

Okay, we’ve already shown you in the past how utterly adorable otters can be. Now, Miyajima Public Aquarium in Hiroshima Prefecture is offering the public a chance to learn more about their oriental small-clawed otters by giving us a unique, 33-hour live feed look into the otter exhibit. That’s right, it’s a live internet otter-cam that will let you see how the critters spend their days and nights, and we’re sure it will be a total delight for otter fans!

Internet, Japan
(cute • live feed • Miyajima Public Aquarium • niconico • Otters)

Japanese Twitter user displays the awesome power of her makeup kit, men gasp in horror

Philip Kendall
Sep 13, 2013

At first we weren’t entirely convinced that this was the same girl in both pictures. They’re just so… different. Look closely though, and beneath those layers (and layers) of makeup and the fake eyelashes, you’ll see that it really is the the selfsame young lady. Her little mole is there; her duck-face smile curls in the exact same way; the shape of her jaw and cheeks are the same. But, just, wow. Welcome to the world of “power makeup”.

Internet, Japan
(before and after • makeup • niconico • video • wtf)

Best job ever? Japanese man makes 1 million yen for three months of gaming

Rachel Tackett
Sep 10, 2013

For all you fellow gamers out there, both hardcore and casual, how many hours have you wasted away powering up the pixels on your computer screens and game consoles? How many paychecks have disappeared into the latest expansion packs? How many hours of sleep have been lost to an addiction to online multi-players? Society doesn’t always understand, but we know it’s worth the time and the money when we get the fierce gratification of overcoming an in-game challenge. If we could, I’m sure many of us would love to make a living off of the lives we lead in the virtual world.

For one Japanese man, referred to by his handle name, Moru-chan, that dream is a reality. Moru-chan spends approximately 12 hours a day doing nothing but gaming for a paycheck of one million yen (US$10,043)! He’s earning this money by basically living out three months of his life in the online world of fantasy role-playing game, ArcheAge. RocketNews24 has the scoop here in an exclusive interview with this very lucky man at the one-room apartment provided to him by his company.

Japan
(ArcheAge • cool • gamer • MMORPG • niconico • video games • wow)

Press conference about Miyazaki’s retirement streaming live on Niconico

Rachel Tackett
Sep 6, 2013

For those who haven’t heard the news, Hayao Miyazaki, often referred to as “the Walt Disney of Japan,” is formally retiring from the feature film industry. To address the countless questions and concerns of disappointed fans, Miyazaki will be attending a press conference on Friday, September 6, to discuss the details of his retirement. This meeting will be streamed live on website, Niconico, for the whole world to watch.

Japan
(Hayao Miyazaki • live streaming • niconico • retirement • Studio Ghibli)

Kitty-vision: Hello Kitty and Niconico Video Get Together for a Sweet Collaboration

Philip Kendall
Mar 7, 2013

If you’re a Hello Kitty fan, here’s something that you won’t want to miss. In one of the coolest collaborations we’ve seen in a long time, Kitty-chan’s parent company Sanrio has joined paws (sorry) with quirky Japanese video site Niconico to produce a series of limited edition chocolate boxes.

Japan
(chocolate • cute • Hello Kitty • niconico)

How to Make the Geekiest Drink Ever: #c0ffee. No, not coffee, #c0ffee!

Master Blaster
Nov 27, 2012

Have you ever heard that stoner question: “What does like, yellow taste like man?”

Recently a group of guys in Tokyo developed a recipe for a color called #c0ffee. Those who don’t use computers heavily may assume it’s a brownish color but…

It’s actually a light turquoise, like this.

“#c0ffee” is a hexadecimal color code, which is basically a combination of letters from a to f and numbers that web pages interpret as a specific color. Hexadecimal color codes are denoted by a hash tag so the little magic elves running the internet know that it’s not a string of nonsense. For example: #FFFFFF indicates black, #FF0000 indicated red, and #c0ffee indicates that light turquoise color above.

So how did they create a beverage the same color as #c0ffee? Is there even any real coffee involved?

Not in the least! The recipe for #c0ffee consists of sardines, cabbage and milk. What’s surprising is that after crating the recipe and putting on Cook Pad, Japan’s most popular recipe-sharing website, a couple of people actually tried it and said it was “delicious.”

Finding it hard to believe a bluish-green drink made from fish could be delicious, I set out to whip up a batch and try it myself!

Internet, Japan
(#c0ffee • color • drink • hexadecimal • niconico)

Japanese Plastic Figure Stop Motion Videos Look Amazing, Make Little Sense

Steven
Nov 26, 2012

This might be what Toy Story would look like if it were made by Japanese nerds: amazing, fluid animation, incomprehensible story line. There’s even an appearance by Hentai Woody

Check the video, called “The Worst Thing”, below:

Internet, Japan
(anime • figures • Hentai Woody • niconico • toys • YouTube)

Tokyo University Makes Calculator Using Robot, What It Lacks in Usefulness It Makes Up for in Cuteness

Master Blaster
Nov 18, 2012

Japan is well known for both its love and skill of robots. Free of the terminator-induced prejudices of western cultures, they have blazed the way for robotic tour guides, waitresses, fish, singers, hairdressers, waste baskets, cyclists, rock-paper-scissors players, cockroaches, butts…

With so many robots, it’s hard to come up with an original one. But they are still out there. Tokyo University’s Center for the Study of Robotics came up with Denta-kun, the calculator using robot. Just to make it clear, the robot does not calculate. It just uses a calculator.

Internet, Japan
(calculator • math • niconico • robot • technology)

【Video Magic】 Hatsune Miku in 3-D, Minus Glasses or Fancy Screens!!!

Philip Kendall
Nov 15, 2012

A video released on NicoNico Video by a group going by the name of Shichoukaku iinkai “The Audiovisual committee” has wowed Japanese internet users this week by managing to create a pseudo 3-D effect on 2-D monitors.

The video has since gone viral and, as of this afternoon, has reached more than 100,000 views.

Of course, it probably helps that digital idol Hatsune Miku is the star of the video, which sees the character dancing around while surrounded by thousands of (3-D!) shards of glass.

With a little concentration, the video’s 3-D effect actually works, even if it does require the user to look faintly ridiculous to see it…