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Autopsy of deer in a Chinese zoo reveals startling cause of death

Krista Rogers
Feb 24, 2014
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While the silly news last year about a Chinese zoo trying to pass a dog for a lion made headlines around the world, the story this time is a lot more disturbing. A zoo in Xiamen (also known as Amoy) on the southeast coast of China reported earlier this week that one of its male fallow deer had suddenly died. As if its death wasn’t already tragic enough, upon conducting an autopsy, workers were surprised to discover the unexpected cause of death, something that could easily have been prevented. Keep reading to learn the unfortunate details.

China
(China • deer • garbage • sad • zoo)

Intel’s surprising new commercial hits us right in the feels – we dare you not to cry

Cara Clegg
Feb 20, 2014

For a company that deals solely with all things cold, technical and inorganic, it turns out that computer chip maker Intel actually has a surprisingly soft, feeling heart. In what we can only describe as a genuine tear-jerker of a commercial, Intel Japan tells the tale of a young boy dealing with the loss not of his favourite laptop, tablet or gaming rig, but of his best friend–to cancer.

You might want to get the tissues ready for this one!

Japan
(cancer • intel • sad • TV commercial)

A mother’s cell phone: Probably the most moving story you’ll read today

Preston Phro
Jan 27, 2014

Filial piety isn’t just an empty phrase–it’s a very important cultural concept throughout Asia and, if we’re being honest with ourselves, the rest of the world. While not all of us have the best relationships with our parents, most of us would probably admit, under pain of torture if nothing else, that we do love them. Even with all the embarrassment they put us through in our teens!

While most of our readers are still young enough that your parents are likely still healthy and spry, it’s never too early to take some time to stop and appreciate them and everything they do. If you’re thinking we’re being melodramatic, then we’d challenge you to take a look at this incredibly moving story…

Internet, Japan
(cell phone • daughter • mother • relationships • sad)

Behold: the saddest Christmas tree in all of Japan

Philip Kendall
Dec 7, 2013

Lonely this Christmas? Shiga Prefecture’s Pieri Moriyama shopping mall most certainly is.

Although technically still operating, the once thriving shopping centre is now home to just 14 stores after the local economy took a nosedive and businesses started pulling out in their droves. In the spirit of Christmas, however, the mall’s operators evidently decided to pop a tree up for visitors to enjoy. But as this Twitter user’s photo shows, when surrounded by naught but vast expanses of nice shiny floor, this tiny tree is possibly the loneliest Christmas ornament we’ve ever seen.

Internet, Japan
(Christmas • culture • funny • sad)

Here’s your heart-breaking short story of the day, written on a 1,000 yen bill

Preston Phro
Nov 7, 2013

Perhaps one of the saddest things ever written is Hemingway’s famous six-word story: “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” Though short in the extreme, it’s amazing how much emotion and information can be packed into six small words. Of course, Hemingway isn’t the only writer known for brevity, and the last 1,300 years of Japanese poetry have been full of brief but beautiful and poignant verses. But when it comes to terse (some might say inelegant) narrative, Hemingway was certainly a master.

However, we may have found someone who’s outdone the old drunkard! Too bad this one seems inspired by utterly real events…

Internet, Japan
(gambling • games • pachinko • Pinball • sad)

Google Maps Offers Rare Look Inside Abandoned Fukushima Town

Philip Kendall
Mar 28, 2013

Google Japan has announced that it is now possible for Google Maps users to access street view images of Namie, a coastal town in Fukushima that was severely affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami before being completely evacuated when the nearby Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant went critical.

Internet, Japan
(Fukushima • ghost town • Google Maps • Namie • sad • Street View • town)

Pensioner Dies After Being Denied Treatment at 25 Different Hospitals

Philip Kendall
Mar 6, 2013

A 75-year-old man from Saitama Prefecture, Japan, has died after being refused treatment as many as 36 times at 25 different hospitals in an around the prefecture, Japanese website The Mainichi has revealed.

Japan
(ambulance • news • real life • sad)

Woman Despairs Over the Size of Her Son’s Penis, Drowns Him in the Bath

Philip Kendall
Mar 1, 2013

In by far the saddest news story of the day so far, a 38-year-old Indonesian woman has been arrested after drowning her son in the family bathtub, giving the reason that his penis was “too small” for him to possibly enjoy a happy life.

Oceania, SE Asia
(bathtub • crime • sad • weird)

Sad Tweet from Sharp Galapagos Touches Japanese Twitterverse

Master Blaster
Dec 15, 2012

Official corporate Twitter feeds are generally boring affairs. Unless you’re really into the product or service mentioned and need to know immediately when something new happens there’s not much entertainment in them – certainly not anything that would move you.

So Japanese Twitter users were taken aback by a surprisingly heartfelt and candid tweet from the official account of Sharp’s line of computer tablets Galapagos. The tweet was a lament over recent downsizing in part due to the poor sales and economy.

Internet, Japan
(Galapagos • sad • Sharp • twitter)

Modern-Day Hachikō: Dog Waits Over a Week for Its Owner in the Snow and Rain

Philip Kendall
Dec 14, 2012

Japan
(abandoned • dog • Hachiko • sad • waiting for master)

【Sad News】 Hiroshima Elementary School Girl Killed by Own Abusive Mother

Philip Kendall
Oct 27, 2012

A 28-year-old single mother from the town of Fuchu, Hiroshima was arrested earlier this month after causing the death of her 10-year-old daughter, exposing a long history of abuse and neglect in the family.

Over at NicoNico News, a heart-rending story reveals the broken family’s background and details the sad details of the girl’s early years. Perhaps even more tragically, though, we learn that the girl– who spent much of her life in care– once sent her abusive mother a letter in which she states how much she loves her.