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“Can you help meow-t here?” Twitter user discovers why his bread clock was constantly wrong

Scott Wilson
Jan 29, 2015
Tweet

Even in the era of having the sum of human knowledge to date in your pocket, there’s something to be said about using a sweet novelty clock. If you’re in Japan, you have lots of options. There’s Zelda clocks, beautiful-women clocks, clocks that come for free in magazines. But that’s just scraping the surface, because apparently there’s such a thing as bread clocks too.

One Twitter user recently posted that he’d been having problems with his bread clock constantly telling the wrong time – until he found out the reason why. And no, it’s not because the clock is a piece of bread – the real reason is far more adorable than that.

Japan
(bread • cat • cats • clock • cute • twitter)

World’s largest internet hub in Aomori?

Jessica
Jan 29, 2015

Twitter user @rairacp_62 spotted this building in Aomori and something about it seemed very familiar…

Japan
(funny • photos • twitter)

Hamsters in sleeves are all the rage in Japan this winter 【Photos】

Meg Murphy
Jan 27, 2015

Japanese homes are notorious for being poorly insulated, in the wintertime often leaving you feeling just as cold indoors as you do outside.

Despite having permanent fur coats (lucky them!) our pets can still feel the chill and will do what they can to stay cozy. We’ve already shown you cats and space heaters, and dogs in kotatsu, but now we bring you some adorable hamsters in sleeves.

Japan
(cute • hamsters • hamsters in sleeves • sodehamu • twitter • winter)

Indonesian Muslim cleric declares selfies a sin, youths reciprocate with new selfie trend

Audrey Akcasu
Jan 27, 2015

While Islam is practiced worldwide, many of us tend to only think of the Muslims in the Middle East, looking past those in Southeast Asia. However, with over 87% of its people identifying as Muslim, Indonesia actually has the largest population of Muslims in the world.

The young adult Muslim culture in Indonesia is not that much different from youth culture anywhere else in the world these days: everyone has smartphones and, like them or not, selfies are the norm. A previously celebrated young Muslim cleric, however, has recently proclaimed that the act of taking a selfie is a sin – a claim which many young Muslims in Indonesia have taken great offense to.

How did they respond to the condemnation of their smartphone snaps? By taking even more selfies than ever before.

SE Asia
(Indonesia • islam • religion • selfie • sin • twitter)

Man attempts to create ancient moss-covered Gundam ruins: “It’ll only take a few years.”

Scott Wilson
Jan 22, 2015

Japan has an interesting relationship with moss. From the “Moss Covered Forest” that inspired Princess Mononoke, to the marimo “moss balls” found in Hokkaido, to MOS Burger that has tragically deterred foreigners for decades by its name alone.

But it’s one man’s quest to use moss in a new way that has recently piqued the interest of the internet. In the hopes of creating realistic figurines that look like they’ve been abandoned for centuries, he wants to get them covered in moss the old fashioned way: by waiting for years.

Japan
(figures • Gundam • models • moss • plastic model • twitter)

The Japan Self-Defense Forces have their own kind of Coming-of-Age ceremony and it’s pretty cool

Audrey Akcasu
Jan 22, 2015

If you haven’t heard yet, last week 20-year-olds all over Japan dressed up and gathered together on January 12 for their government official Coming-of-Age ceremonies. The event takes place every year for any young adult who turned 20 in the previous year. It’s an event that signifies their entry into adulthood and ability to legally drink alcohol.

However, there are some 20-year-olds who don’t get to celebrate the same way as their peers: those who joined the Japan Self-Defense Forces after high school and are off on duty somewhere. The forgotten few were not so forgotten this year, as some pictures of them were posted on Twitter. And you thought the guys in Okinawa were badass? Check out these soldiers.

Global, Japan
(army • coming of age • Navy • seijin shiki • twitter)

“There’s a cat in the window”: A giant compilation of the cutest peeping Toms you’ll ever see

Krista Rogers
Jan 21, 2015

Have you ever had the experience of pulling back your curtains, only to be met by a pair of luminous, unblinking eyes from the outside?

If you have, you’ll be able to sympathize with the following Japanese Twitter users who glanced up at their windows and happened to see one or more furry feline visitors staring back. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy this compilation of (the good kind of) peeping Toms!

Internet, Japan
(cats • cute • peeping • photos • twitter)

You’ll be surprised when you see who draws these adorable moe characters

Audrey Akcasu
Jan 19, 2015

Do you know what the creator of Naruto, Masahi Kishimoto, looks like? How about Hello Kitty‘s artist, Yuko Shimizu? Despite their drawings being prevalent all over the world, most people have probably never seen the true faces of these famous artists. With this in mind, amateur artists around Japan have been tweeting #イラストと描いた人 (an illustration and the artist who drew it), including their own picture beside a work of their art.

Unfortunately, a lot of people choose to hide their faces behind cosplay masks, editing techniques or just facing away from the camera. Some don’t even post a real photo! However, the artist behind the really cute drawings above decided to post a real, unhindered picture, but it might not be what you’re expecting…

Japan
(art • cute • hashtag • manga • tough guy • twitter)

10 quirky sights at ramen outlets in Japan

Joan Coello
Jan 16, 2015

Apart from cats, girls and geeky stuff, food is another aspect we often cover on RocketNews24, and among the many snacks and delicacies we write about, ramen is definitely one of the more popular recurring topics that has made a presence in our archives. Yes, we’ve seen quite a portion of the endless possibilities the noodle dish has; from canned ramen to black ramen to ramen in donuts, sushi and even yarn, but we seldom zoom in on the many characteristic establishments that provide the delectable noodles we enjoy.

Sure, you might have seen a ramen shop even in your local neighborhood, but they’re probably not as amusing without these quirky sights some Japanese Twitter users have spotted at ramen shops in Japan!

Japan
(funny • ramen • twitter)

Great deal on “thing that lets you make a USB into a plug,” ask for it by name!

Master Blaster
Jan 15, 2015

The other day while out shopping for computer parts like that-thing-that-connects-an-old-type-iPod-to-a-PC, one Twitter user stumbled upon a truly great deal. For only 200 yen (US$1.70) you can get…um, you know…one of those “things-that-let-you-make-a-USB-into-a-plug.”

Internet, Japan
(computers • funny • technology • twitter • USB)

Japanese Twitter trend of the week: Outfitting your cat with a regal boot-cover mane

Krista Rogers
Jan 13, 2015

What could be a better way to stave off boredom the cold than by dressing your kitty up with a regal lion-like mane?

That’s exactly how Japanese Twitter users have been entertaining themselves this past week–only the “mane” is actually made from the fluffy material of a boot covering purchased at one of Japan’s favorite 100 yen stores, Daiso. Whether the cats themselves are amused or not is a different story…

Japan
(boots cover • cat • Daiso • fashion • LION • mane • twitter)

How do Japanese cats stay warm and accessorize during winter? With tail scarves, of course!

Preston Phro
Jan 12, 2015

Though spring is only a few months away, Tokyo is still downright cold these days. Of course, if you’re from a colder climate, you probably annoy your friends by running around in shorts asking why they’re shivering, but for many people here, it’s still pretty cold. Whether it’s the sea breeze zipping through the streets or some sort of reverse heat island effect, we’re not sure, but it is enough to make mornings downright brutal.

And people aren’t the only ones cursing the cold–our furry feline friends are none too fond of winter either! But unlike humans, they come with built-in scarves. Check out some of Japan’s cutest cats wrapping themselves up nice and warm with their tails.

Internet, Japan
(cats • cute • fashion • Japan • twitter • winter)

That moment when you realize you forgot to take your dog out of your handbag

Cara Clegg
Jan 10, 2015

People are always forgetting to take stuff out of their bags. Sometimes you’ll hear your phone ringing and have to rush to unzip all your rucksacks, or you’ll have to scrabble through endless purses to find the one you left that receipt in. Or sometimes you’ll hear your dog barking and… huh?

Japan
(bag • dogs • funny • twitter)

Nope, these aren’t cat-shape lights…

Hayashi 'Fang' Hougi
Jan 9, 2015

From afar, it seems like this building in Japan has given its lobby’s floor lights a fancy new makeover by adding cat statues to them. On closer inspection, however, we can see that these are actually real cats that have decided to position themselves right on top of the light sources and are being illuminated like heavenly beings.

Japan
(cats • cute • twitter • winter)

Ouch! That’s awkward: Fleeting train romance wasn’t quite as it seemed

Audrey Akcasu
Jan 7, 2015

It was a moment all romantics dream of: He’s sitting in a train stopped at a station when he locks eyes with a cute girl waiting on the platform… but then the train leaves, the girl is gone forever and he’s left with nothing but the memory. This happened to one lucky guy, but unfortunately, the other person saw the experience a little differently.

Japan
(funny • joke • train • twitter)

Devious hens have been short-changing unknowing humans with their “large eggs”

Audrey Akcasu
Jan 6, 2015

It turns out that the hens of the world have been playing a dirty trick on much of the human population, but now, thanks to one sign at a Japanese grocery store and one surprised Twitter user, the chickens’ secret is out in the open: Apparently, no matter what size an egg is, the size of the yolk never changes. We feel a bit ripped off.

Japan
(eggs • food • shock • twitter)

This month’s slightly bizarre Japanese Twitter trend is showing off overly full Subway sandwiches

Preston Phro
Dec 31, 2014

Subway may be as popular in Japan as it is in the US–which isn’t really surprising, since the company advertises itself as a healthy meal option. We’re not sure how healthy the sandwiches actually are, but that’s marketing for you. Nevertheless, it is true that a Subway sandwich certainly contains a lot more vegetables than, say, a Big Mac and fries.

And if you’re one of these Japanese Twitter users, your sandwich is literally bursting with vegetables! We’re not sure if this really a lifehack or not, but it is a way to get a sub sandwich and a salad all for price of the just the former.

Internet, Japan
(food • funny • Subway • twitter)

Rubbernecking gone too far? Net users react to crowds taking pics of train hit by suicide jumper

Meg Murphy
Dec 23, 2014

Picture the scene: You’re out late one night, waiting to catch your train home. Finally it rolls up to the platform, its front window caved in, cracks spider-webbing through the glass. That’s when you hear the announcement: due to a human-involved accident, operations have been suspended.

You know what’s happened. But how do you react? Do you gape in shock? Do you find it too upsetting to even look at and avert your eyes?

Or maybe you whip out that phone of yours to snap a picture, just like this group of onlookers at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.

Japan
(smartphone • suicide • twitter • wtf)

The scariest snow sculpture you’ll see this winter

Hayashi 'Fang' Hougi
Dec 21, 2014

The merciless snow has hit Japan and we suppose the mood would be gloomy. However, one Twitter user found his house in a rather frightening state when someone decided to take vengeance on the snowy weather with this artful sculpture of snow that can be interpreted as either a horror movie or an installation art that is awfully hard to understand. Either way, this is probably one of the most creative uses of snow we’ve see this season.

Japan
(creepy • snow • twitter)

Key keep getting stuck in the lock? Japan’s Miwa Lock has a quick fix for you!

Preston Phro
Dec 15, 2014

Lifehacking, which sadly is not the act of hacking real life with Doom‘s god code, is more like nifty little tips and tricks that can make life just a bit easier, giving you more free time to read awesome stuff on the Internet. Sometimes, though, lifehack tips aren’t quite as useful as they purport to be–but that’s not the case here! Today’s lifehackery is about keys and it comes straight from the mouth of Miwa Lock, Japan’s largest locks/key/security company.

If you have trouble sliding your key into the lock, it turns out that there’s a quick, simple way to deal with it. And you won’t even need any oil!