Audrey Akcasu

Audrey was born in Michigan, raised in Los Angeles but has felt most at home in Nagasaki, Japan. While teaching English in Omura, she discovered her love of nature, the countryside and ultimately Japan. When not working on her black belt in Ryukyu karate, or mastering her Nagasaki dialect, she wrote for and ran the English language magazine Nagazasshi. She loves traveling, frolicking all over Japan and Asia (with a few stints in Africa and Europe). But her best trip to date was her two-and-a-half weeks hitchhiking from Nagasaki to Aomori. Although she has relocated back to the States, she will probably be out the door to somewhere new in no time. Until then she’s enjoying the great outdoors and the bugs that come with it, doing anything from running to rafting, although her current "boom" is rock climbing.

Posted by Audrey Akcasu (Page 2)

KFC Japan launches multi-tiered boxes, lucky bags, (almost) everlasting coupons for New Year

Kentucky Fried Chicken may be a favorite Christmas food in Japan, but thanks to this limited-time offer, the feasting may just have to continue!

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Could the kind of coffee you drink affect your brain function? New studies say yes

What do you like to get from your coffee, relaxation or focus? Apparently, the type of beans can change the affect on your brain, but which does what?

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Newly released image of the giant in Attack on Titan: Kansai version is more glam than ever

Last week Attack on Titan Part 2: Wings of Freedom was released on DVD and with it came a special gift: An improved visual for the Kansai dialect AoT.

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Black bass tempura?!? Our skeptical reporter tastes the invasive freshwater fish

Once upon a time, American black bass were transplanted into Japanese lakes. Years later, they’re invasive and no one eats them. Or do they…

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Soon-to-be-released: Special collection book of anime-style beautiful boys

Can’t get enough of bishonen (beautiful boy) manga characters? Look out for the new book, Boy Meets…Graph, featuring work from famous illustrators.

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Do you understand Singlish? Test your knowledge with these videos【Video】

Chiong. Heng. Gostun. Don’t know these words? Then pay attention to these videos and learn some Singaporean English.

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We asked: “What are the hardest and best things about dating a Japanese person?”

Looking for romance in Japan? Learn from our experience! Here a few things we’ve learned from foreigners who’ve dated in Japan.

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Now you can look like a Japanese courtesan too at specialty photography studio

Show off your prettiest historical self at this Nara photo studio where you can dress like the Edo Period’s high-class courtesans!

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Cow herd gathers and mourns after fellow bull hit by a car in Hong Kong

With much of the world’s population being separated from the farming process these days, it’s easy for us to forget that the hamburger we just ate came from a living, breathing, thinking, and possibly even emotionally engaged cow.

Pictures and videos emerged in Hong Kong last week after a motorist struck a bull. While that is sad in itself, what gained media attention is that the rest of the bull’s herd gathered around to push him to safety and then mourn the tragedy. 

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Eat all of your rice! Culture connections with Japan’s favorite food

In the past few months the Japanese word mottainai, which conveys a sense of regret over waste, has begun to spread into the Western world, and the concept of mottainai can be seen most clearly in every bowl of rice.

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Famous Kuwaiti actor is “too handsome”, arrested for causing public disturbance

People may think that being beautiful has no downsides; you’re popular, you get drinks for free, you look good in all your clothes.

But believe it or not, being beautiful isn’t always easy! Just ask Kuwaiti actor Abdul Aziz Al Kassar, who was recently arrested in Saudi Arabia for upsetting public order by being “too handsome”.

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Keep your head as warm as your buns this winter with a “panty-hat”

Autumn is in full gear and day by day the weather is getting chillier. Sooner than you know, you’re going to be needing to keep your head warm, so why not grab a pair of underwear to wear on your head? Oh, your usual underwear is too breezy? Don’t worry, because now you can buy hats that look just like underwear!

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Yanmar reveals state-of-the-art tractor – You may never look at farm equipment the same

Chances are you’ve never looked at a tractor and thought, “Man, that’s cool!” But then, chaces are you haven’t seen one like Yanmar’s new limited edition tractor, currently on display at the Tokyo Motor Show. The tractor is stylish, functional, and looks like it might transform into a giant robot, should an enemy attack you.

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Gamer completes ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ blindfolded

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a classic game that is considered by many as the greatest video game of all time. Needless to say, it’s pretty popular and people play it over and over and over. One gamer in particular, Runnerguy2489, has played it so many times that he can, in fact, beat it with his eyes closed.

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Paris Hilton gets stuck in a crowded elevator in China, praises her savior【Video】

Paris Hilton took a trip to China last week, hosting outrageously expensive parties in both Shanghai and Beijing. Her whole trip wasn’t as glamorous as we would imagine, or she would have hoped, however, as she got stuck in a crowded elevator for nearly an hour. You can probably imagine her reactions amid the incident, but just in case, here’s a video too.

What surprised us most, though, was what happened when she finally got out…

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Shirts featuring Studio Ghibli characters bring big attention to small apparel company

If you forgot to stop by your local Hot Topic store to check out their very cute Studio Ghibli collection, go soon, because it’s all on sale now! However, keep in mind that those pieces are so last season.

If you’re more of a fashion-forward Ghibli fan, you’ll be happy to hear that a Toronto-based apparel company, Wizards of the West, will soon be releasing a line of subtle, yet stylish, Studio Ghibli-themed shirts.

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The future is here! Celebrate Back to the Future: Part II’s historic day at theme cafes

Do you know what day October 21, 2015 is? It’s the day that Marty and Doc come to the future from 1985! But, sorry Marty, hover boards aren’t quite what they were supposed to be, and we barely made it to five Jaws movies, let alone Jaws 19. One of the only prophecies that may still come true is the Cubs winning the World Series, but even that seems doubtful.

Okay, so Marty might not be overly thrilled with this real version of 2015, but hey, at least he’ll get to go to the limited time “Back to the Future” Cafe if he stops by Hill Valley Ikebukuro in Tokyo.

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French journalist’s photos of 1930s Shanghai take us back in time【Photos】

While much of the world is celebrating Marty McFly coming back to the future on October 21, 2015, some of us are taking a look back to the past. A Chinese newspaper recently republished a batch of famous photos by French photographer Louis-Philippe Messelier depicting 1930s Shanghai, bringing them back into the limelight.

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New study suggests Japanese people born in late winter at higher risk of suicide

While Japan is famous for its animationfood, pop-culture, it’s also infamous for its extremely high suicide rates. Many Japanese students and salarymen succumb to the pressures of school and work by taking their own lives. There is little knowledge about what factors increase the risk of suicide, but recent research has found that people, namely adolescents, born between January 1 and April 1, are 30 percent more likely to commit suicide

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Nobel Prize for Literature eludes Japan’s Haruki Murakami yet again, and he couldn’t care less

Winning a Nobel Prize is a pretty big deal, to put it lightly. Many people would even say that it is the most prestigious award out there. Knowing that, no one would ever call a Nobel Prize a nuisance, right? Well…

Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous authors to come out of Japan, is not really interested in winning a Nobel Prize and actually kind of wishes people would stop nominating him.

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