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This week in convenience store bento: Our top 5 new releases
- Master Blaster
Jan 15, 2014 - Tweet
Tuesday is known as New Bento Day at major convenience stores across Japan. As we’ve highlighted before, convenience stores in the country put a lot of effort into their ready-to-eat creations. What’s more is they cycle through new flavors on a weekly basis. This can be a double-edged sword as your favorite dish can disappear tragically fast, but you can also count on something equally good coming along as well.
As regular consumers of convenience store bento, the editorial department of RocketNews24 Japan has come together and ranked the top 5 new additions to 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart for the week of 14 January, 2014. Please refer to it for your own convenient dining pleasure.
- Japan
- (bento • convenience store • ranking)
“Family name researcher” discovers the most common full name in Japan
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Jan 10, 2014
What’s in a name? In Japan, those with a strong understanding of kanji, those pesky Chinese characters that are always tripping up language learners, can immediately understand the significance of anyone’s appellation.
Although the most common surname in Japan is “Sato,” it turns out that there’s a far more popular name combination that doesn’t include our quirkiest reporter‘s last name. Let’s take a look at the most common given and family names in Japan and the meanings behind them.
The top 10 manga to live-action adaptations【Ranking】
- Krista Rogers
Jan 4, 2014
Sometimes fans groan when they hear that their beloved book is going to be made into a movie. Manga fans often have the same reaction when they learn that their favorite manga will be turned into a live-action film or drama adaptation. But not all of these adaptations turn out to be cringeworthy. Readers on one Japanese website chose the best live-action adaptations of popular manga. Do you agree with their ranking?
- Japan
- (Death Note • dramas • Hana Yori Dango • Live action • manga • movies • Nodame Cantabile • ranking)
Survey suggests the top sounds of 2013 in Japan
- Master Blaster
Jan 1, 2014
Let’s see… We got Amazon sales, YouTube videos, pet breeds, video games, and search terms. What else can we rank up for this newest of new years?
How about something a little less quantifiable like sounds? Rion Co. asked 1,000 Japanese people what sounds linger most in their minds when looking back at 2013. Two years ago, the sounds of the Olympics were stuck in people’s heads. A year before that it was the Tohoku Earthquake. Now, here are the 10 most resonant sounds of 2013.
Japan’s top 10 video games of 2013
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 26, 2013
Amazon Japan announced the top 10 games bought on their site from December 1, 2012 to November 30, 2013. Let’s take a look at Japan’s favorite games!
- Japan
- (ranking • video games)
Top 5 dog and cat breeds in Japan 2013
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 24, 2013
Even though most apartments in Japan are fairly small, many animal lovers still find room to house a dog or cat. Many pet owners choose to dress up their precious pooch or upload hundreds of videos of their beloved cat. That’s why thousands of cat and dog owners visit online pet photo site, “Pacha and my pet” (pacha is the sound a camera makes) to show off their furry friends. The site has just revealed the most popular dog and cat breeds in Japan for 2013. Let’s take a look at the results!
“This is embarrassing” – Japan named number one market for smartphone apps
- Master Blaster
Dec 16, 2013
Generally it’s nice to have your country or town be number one in something. Even if it’s for something as despicable as bag snatching, you can at least gain a slightly twisted sense of pride for toughing it out in such a rough-and-tumble locale.
However, when a recent study reported by Bloomberg Japan declared that Japan had overtaken the U.S. in smartphone and tablet app purchases, people we less than enthused leaving comments such as “Japan’s screwed,” and, “This is sad news indeed.”
- Global, Japan
- (app • ranking • smartphone)
From Cardigans to Carjackings: The best sellers of Amazon Japan in 2013
- Master Blaster
Dec 14, 2013
With the end of this year fast approaching, we now enter the season of reflection for 2013 via ranking lists. In these last fleeting days let’s take a moment to see which albums, apps, shoes, books, and cockroach traps Japanese shoppers flocked to buy online in the largest numbers. Perhaps then we can form a clearer picture of what life in Japan was like for this two-thousand thirteenth year of our lord.
The top 10 Japanese restaurants outside of Japan
- Rachel Tackett
Dec 13, 2013
Last month, the outspoken Japanese blogger Madame Riri gave us all a lesson in how to tell whether or not a restaurant abroad serves authentic Japanese food. But let’s be honest, it takes more than tradition to make a dish delicious, and there’s something to be said for adjusting the menu to match local preferences. We’ve certainly experienced this phenomenon in the wide world of sushi!
And so, to celebrate the creation of successful Japanese eateries across the globe, here are the top 10 restaurants that serve Japanese food in foreign countries!
The top 10 baby names in Japan 2013
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 1, 2013
The name you give to your child will stay with them for the rest of their life, so parents are always careful to choose one that will stand the test of time and carry them through to adulthood. In the United States, Sophia and Jacob took the top spots for baby names in 2013, while Ava and Noah took first place in the UK (depending on which site you consult). Let’s take a look at this year’s top 10 baby names in Japan as reported by Japanese pregnancy and parenting site, Tamahiyo.
- Japan
- (baby names • popular • ranking)
Japan’s 10 best-selling video games this century so far
- Philip Kendall
Nov 11, 2013
In a recent article from Famitsu, the weekly video game magazine considered by many Japanese gamers to be the authority when it comes to their medium of choice for entertainment, a list showing the current total video game sales for all platforms in Japan between January 1, 2001 and September this year caught the attention of gamers both at home and abroad. Aside from the fact that the number of games sold in Japan over the last decade or so is simply staggering, Nintendo’s dominance in its home territory when it comes to total software sales is quite remarkable.
Join us after the jump as we see Japan’s 10 most popular video games of this century so far, and how, with a little help from some clever pocket monsters, Nintendo is absolutely raking the cash in.
The 10 best places in Japan for autumn leaves
- Master Blaster
Oct 27, 2013
Autumn and spring are arguably the best seasons in Japan. Although mercilessly short, these seasons both offer visually beautiful natural treats. Springtime in Japan brings us the pink and white clouds of cherry blossoms, and autumn presents us with the rich contrasting colors of its changing leaves.
We recently showed you the best places in Kyoto to catch an eyeful of autumn tranquility, but for those who might not make it there this year we’d like to share the ten best places in all of Japan to enjoy the fall.
Japan votes on the musical act they most want to see in the Olympic opening ceremony
- Master Blaster
Oct 14, 2013
With the Olympic Games slated to return to Tokyo in 2020 a lot of prep work needs to be done. And as facilities are being planned and developed there’s also the difficult task of providing entertainment, particularly in the opening ceremony. China’s powerful and impressive ceremony raised the bar for what’s expected of a country in terms of presenting their culture in a fun and meaningful way.
To get the ball rolling, the Japanese Olympic Committee held a survey asking everyone which musicians they would most like to see appear at the opening ceremony. A total of 143,394 people responded and the following top twenty artists were recently announced.
For all chip lovers around the world! This is the ultimate ranking of potato chips in Japan
- Yoshio
Oct 3, 2013
*** The following was written by our chip-loving Japanese reporter equipped with a fighting spirit and an English dictionary. Please enjoy her top ten ranking of the best potato chips in Japan. ***
What is your favorite potato chips? Lay’s classic? Ruffles BBQ? Or Pringles hot & spicy? You might stick to your favorite one for refreshment, but when you get a little tired of it and feel like to have something Japanese you can try our recommendation.
Here is the ultimate ranking of potato chips in Japan (on RocketNews24 English’s own judgment). We tried to choose unique and Japanese flavors as much as we can. Therefore, the ranking does not include something standard like just salt, classic…etc. We hope you have a chance to try all the snacks here and put some of them on your favorite chips list!
- Japan
- (potato chips • ranking)
Japanese children surveyed to find the most popular characters
- Master Blaster
Sep 23, 2013
Japan is a country with a lot of cute characters. Starting with the obvious ones from anime and manga like Totoro and Doraemon, there’s also ones featured in video games like Pikachu or Sonic, and corporate symbols like Hello Kitty. Going further we can delve into the deep ecosystem of costumed mascots that can be found everywhere throughout Japan. Finally we can pile on all of the imported characters from North America and Europe.
All these cuddly animals and monsters running around beg the question: Which one is the most popular amongst children? To answer that, we have the semiannual Characters and Children Marketing Survey results which were recently published in Japan. Let’s take a look.
- Japan
- (characters • ranking • survey)
Hold on tight: 10 unmissable roller coasters in Japan
- Philip Kendall
Sep 5, 2013
When people think of Japan, they usually think of sushi, girls in kimono, otaku types camping outside electronics stores, and maybe this guy. But did you know that Japan is home to some seriously intense roller coasters? Yup, there are more corkscrews, loops and positive Gs in Japan than you can shake a paper fan at, so we decided it was about time we introduced you to 10 of the best roller coasters the country has to offer. We hope you had a light lunch!
- Japan
- (Amusement Parks • cool • leisure • ranking • rides • roller coaster • theme parks • travel)
Top 25 travel destinations in Japan, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on top for second year in a row
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Aug 23, 2013
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum claimed the top spot for the second consecutive year on Trip Advisor Japan’s list of the most popular sightseeing spots for foreign tourists. It’s a touching memorial that has moved countless visitors to tears and reminds the world to never let such an atrocity happen again, prompting one Trip Advisor user to describe it as “sad, informative and a must-see.” Let’s take a look at the other sightseeing spots on Trip Advisor Japan’s list for 2013.
What’s in a name? The 10 most common surnames in Japan (and their meanings)
- Philip Kendall
Aug 21, 2013
It’s a little-known fact that until the Meiji era (1868-1912), the ordinary men and women of Japan did not have surnames. Rather, those names were reserved for people in positions of power, nobility, or those of noted artistic ability.
There are an estimated 100,000 family names in Japan — much more than in many Western countries, and vastly more than in neighbouring Korea and China — however what’s curious is that of these surnames 10 are incredibly common, with millions of people sharing the exact same moniker. If you’re on your way to Japan or learning the language, knowing how to read and pronounce at least a few of these will almost certainly get you out of a jam at some point or other, so allow us to introduce Japan’s 10 most common surnames, their meanings, and a few fun facts on top, just because we’re nice like that and we like your face.
Are these the five weirdest video games of all time?
- Philip Kendall
Aug 14, 2013
Observed by those who don’t play them, video games may all seem a little bit peculiar. Mushroom-eating plumbers stomping hammer-throwing turtles, ultra-violent military shooters whose protagonists bound across battlefields shouldering rocket launchers while hurling grenades and taking bullet after bullet to the chest, and of course the hordes of zombie titles that, like their lumbering stars, simply won’t die. For those accustomed to the rules of these digital worlds, though, this all makes perfect sense.
There are occasionally, however, a few titles that even the gaming elite would recoil from wearing an expression somewhere between “ermahgerd” and “turd sandwich”, and YouTube-based ZoominGames believes they’ve identified the cream of said crop. So let’s take a look at the channel’s “Top 5 Weird Games” one by one and see if they’re really they freaky affairs they’re made out to be. Oh, and did we mention that all five happen to have been made in Japan…?
- Internet, Japan
- (cool • Dreamcast • playstation • ranking • video games • weird • wtf)
Ranking of Taxi Fares Around the World – Japanese Passengers Getting Hosed, Even More So Next Year
- Master Blaster
May 20, 2013
Countries of the world have a lot of different features and services that make them unique to each other, but one of the things you can always find from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe is the humble taxi cab.
Of course not all taxis are equal; the cars used and more importantly the fares charged can vary greatly. If you’re interested in where your country stands or if you’re planning a trip abroad, Trip Advisor Japan has whipped up a quick and handy infographic ranking 25 places around the world by the rates of their taxis.
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Recent Posts
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Today
Pokémon card game’s expansion features art from Fist of the North Star creator
Amazing Japanese yogurt spoon scoops up every last drop of dairy effortlessly
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New Era celebrates three decades of Pokémon with new 30th anniversary cap line [Photos]
Kenshi Yonezu’s Lemon hits 1 billion views on YouTube and he’s still not quite sure why
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Starbucks Japan unveils new Potato Soupuccino that’s said to be more than just soup
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Japanese convenience store offering chance to have your shopping be effectively free for one day
Weekly
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
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Pachinko parlor operator arrested for not obscuring the act of gambling well enough
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Two Tokyo neighborhoods to gather on bridge and shift their recognized border through tug-of-war
Liquid croissant coffee is coming to Japanese stores this month
Pokémon doughnuts pop up at Mister Donut, with a new gathering that’s bigger than ever
Japan’s new matcha vending machines serve freshly prepared matcha in five different strengths
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New Era celebrates three decades of Pokémon with new 30th anniversary cap line [Photos]
Monthly
Pokémon Company announces first-ever permanent Pokémon store to open outside Asia
Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
Japan’s TeamLab digital art group is opening a permanent museum in America
Family Mart releases 47 convenience store socks and stickers, one for every prefecture in Japan
What’s it like to stay in a Japanese container hotel?
Beautiful Ghibli diorama kits lets you build anime characters’ homes inside yours [Photos]
Chainsaw robots helping keep trains running safely in east Japan [Video]
New Studio Ghibli anime gets extended run at the only cinema in Japan where it’s being shown
Osaka’s famous Glico Running Man will be removed and replaced with a new-look sign
Studio Ghibli creates illustrated Kyoto sightseeing map, available at any 7-Eleven Japan store
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
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Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
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