SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Japan is really putting on a show for the upcoming release of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie. From cute, bite-sized character sweets to samurai figurines and even a special train, welcome celebrations in the Land of the Rising sun are proving to be the best this side of the galaxy.

Fortunately for us, the special releases just keep on coming. And now, Takara Tomy Arts have joined the party by metamorphosing our favourite characters into adorable plush toys that are small enough to sit in the palm of your hand!

Japan
(Darth Vader • plushies • Star Wars • Takara Tomy Arts • toys • yoda)

Sleeping Bag Pikachu wants to snuggle up with you under the stars on your next camping trip

Scott Wilson
Aug 26, 2015

Ah, summer. In Japan that means festivals, barbecuing on the beach, and smashing watermelons while blindfolded. It also means going on exciting camping trips in the wilderness with your friends… or maybe with Pokémon friends instead!

Camping with Pokémon is now totally possible, thanks to a new line of adorable sleeping bag plushies. Want to roast some marshmallows and tell ghost stories with Pikachu? Find out how after the jump!

Japan
(cute • Pikachu • plushies • Pokemon • Pokemon Center • sleeping bag)

Eyelashes run amok as folks in Japan have too much fun with their falsies【Photos】

Megumi Matsuki
Jan 21, 2015

Whether you love ‘em or hate ’em, false eyelashes have become a mainstay of the Japanese makeup arsenal and are readily available in a fluttery profusion of designs at every drugstore and hundred-yen shop. One survey from 2012 revealed that 58 percent of teenage girls and 74 percent of women in their twenties have used them, some relying on their magic daily rather than reserving them for special occasions.

They became the sole subject of a chart-topping single by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, have been turned into alluring decorations that anthropomorphize your car, and even became a way to have harmless fun with your pet! But what do you do when you have so many falsies that you run out of storage space or are just too darn lazy to put them away properly? Attach them to cute plushies and manly figurines, of course! So even if your Sasuke isn’t asking to channel Elvis and his fringes, this chuckle-inducing photo collection may give you some ideas for the next time you party too hard and can’t be bothered with those pesky plastic cases.

Internet, Japan
(fake eyelashes • false eyelashes • figures • figurines • funny photos • makeup • plushies)

Disney welcomes 2015 with special edition sheep Tsum Tsum soft toys!

Hayashi 'Fang' Hougi
Dec 14, 2014

For those who are unfamiliar with the Chinese zodiac, 2015 will be the Year of the Sheep, which means that as the new year draws near, we can expect Japan to shower us with tons of fluffy sheep-motif products. Disney is quick to hop on the bandwagon with their new Tsum Tsum zodiac series. Just look at those adorable characters!

Japan
(Disney • plushies • tsum tsum)

McDonald’s Korea now serving up Hello Kitty in cute Sanrio costumes

Joan Coello
Dec 4, 2014

Hello Kitty has been quite the busy cat celebrating her 40th birthday. Earlier this year, she was making rounds at theatres in Japan dressed as characters from Rurouni Kenshin, and now she has crossed the ocean to make an appearance at McDonald’s in Korea. This time, she’s cosplaying as some of her fellow Sanrio mates. Check out the cute kitty after the jump!

Korea
(cute • Hello Kitty • McDonald's • plushies • Sanrio)

Disney fans go crazy for new character at Tokyo DisneySea

Cara Clegg
Jul 9, 2014

Tokyo DisneySea mascot Duffy the Bear has a brand new friend! And that means new character goods now on sale at the park, and of course hundreds of Disney fans eager to get their paws on them.

Japan
(character goods • Disney • Disneyland • plushies • Tokyo Disney Sea • toys)

See what 13 stuffed toys look like after a wash at the home spa

Oona McGee
Apr 14, 2014

People in Japan love their soft toys. And with so many cute characters to choose from, it’s easy to understand why. But with love comes a sense of responsibility, which means there will eventually come a time when your favourite stuffed character will have to face the wash. The only thing is, with their adorable, life-like expressions, a wash-and-dry for a stuffed toy ends up looking like a day at the spa followed by a visit to the amusement park!

Check out the adventures of some crazy Japanese plushies, as documented by their owners, after the jump.

Japan
(anime • characters • cute • manga • plushies • toys)

Cute The Legend of Zelda plushies could be yours in time for Valentine’s Day

Philip Kendall
Dec 10, 2013

Is your cuddly toy collection lacking a little heroism? Is your troupe of Hello Kitties, freaky mushrooms and squeezable squid in need of a genuine princess? Well you’re in luck: a series of plushies featuring Princess Zelda, sword-brandishing Link and creepy wannabe elf Tingle from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series is due to go on sale early next year.