Category: Europe (Page 2)

Europe

Our Reporter Heads to Barcelona, Eats Delicious Dragon Quest Bubble Slime

Dec 4, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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During her recent trip to the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain, RocketNews24 Japan writer Megumi stumbled upon something that, to her videogame-tuned eyes, could look like only one thing.

The above image is one taken by Megumi when she visited the fantastic Brunells patisserie, or Pastisseria i salode te Brunells to be more exact, showing what is known as a “melonmelon” sweet. Although you and I see little more than a piece of rich, sugary confection, when Megumi first laid eyes on this delightful little green tongue pleaser, she could only think of one thing: a Bubble Slime from the hugely popular Dragon Quest role-playing games.

Dec 4, 2012 by Master Blaster
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As the world waits for the release of the new Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie next March, one series of videos posted on YouTube has been helping to keep eager fans satiated.

They feature the incredible skills of a French artist going by the YouTube handle of Etoilec1, who recreated three of the franchise’s greatest matchups in flipbook animation.

Three mind-blowing videos after the jump!

Nov 20, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Mercedes-Benz seems to be pulling out all the stops to advertise their 2013 model of A-Class car, the A 180. In fact they have created a six-minute animated feature starring the A 180, in a rollicking race for the ultimate prize titled Next A Class.

Luckily, I grew up in the era of advertisements thinly veiled as cartoons. All the Noids or Cavity Creeps in the world couldn’t sway my purchasing preferences. Years of Chester Cheetah and Fido Dido have hardened my mind to the subliminal messages animations can carry.

So although this anime short was well made and entertaining, it in no way swayed my opinion of this sleek new A 180 that perfectly combines the high performance of a sports car with the economic sensibility of a compact.

Nov 1, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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Hallstatt (above) is a beautiful village in upper Austria lying along the shores of the Hallstatter Lake, a World Heritage site which Austrians are proud of.

A Chinese company built a replica of Hallstatt’s architecture, subdividing the building into luxury apartments and putting them on the market. Needless to say, Austrians were astonished by their homeland architecture suddenly cropping up in China.

Oct 31, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Paris: city of love, romance, food and… mental anguish?

In an article over on Gold Rush, writer Senya talks about the devastating psychological condition that has come to be known as “Paris Syndrome”; a condition that, bizarrely, seems to affect Japanese people in particular, with many visiting the city suffering from symptoms similar to depression that, in rarer cases, results in suicide.

What is it about Paris that has such a debilitating effect on Japanese? What could they do to avoid it or lessen the symptoms?

We delve a little deeper to find out…

Oct 28, 2012 by Master Blaster
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If you liked our guide to making simple 3D sketches or stories about dimension defying stationery and a surreal body artist then you’ll love these pictures!

Ramon Bruin (31) is a Dutch artist who has taken simple pencil drawing and magically brought them to new life in the third dimension. His quest for more realism led his to start learning the airbrush 10 years ago as it “is a great technique for making paintings with depth and realism.”

Applying the lessons he learnt, he put down the airbrush for a standard pencil and paper since 2010 to try and make the same effect.

Oct 24, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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An exchange student goes abroad to study. That’s why they call it “study abroad,” right? But there may be numerous other motivations besides study that send someone to live in foreign lands, and, for some, the title of ‘exchange student’ becomes the front for what they are really in search of.

In Paris, a city where people from around the world gather to eat, drink and study, Excite News investigated a different kind of exchange student with a different set of circumstances… Read More

Knife Resistant Shirt Presented at Anti-Terrorist Convention

Oct 21, 2012 by Master Blaster
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As a high ranking anti-terrorist agent in my fantasies off-time I’m often attacked by knife wielding maniacs. This is why when I read Gigazine’s coverage of the recent Special Equipment Exhibition & Conference for Anti-Terrorism (SEECAT) 2012 in Tokyo I saw something that really piqued my interest.

On display at the Tanizawa Corp. booth was a sporty looking sweater that also prevents damage from knife slashes. It could be the most comfy looking piece of armor I’ve seen.

Oct 19, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Following Japan’s 1-0 victory over France in the friendly football (soccer to our North American readers) match last week, a French variety show host made a joke that has touched a nerve here in Japan.

Alluding to Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima’s impressive skills on the field, the show presented an edited image of the player, showing him with four arms.

The show’s presenter then suggested that Kawashima’s additional limbs might be the result of “the Fukushima effect” and that they had grown after exposure to radiation leaked from the nuclear plant damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. While the joke went down well during the show, many Japanese are understandably very upset…

Oct 17, 2012 by Master Blaster
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What do you think of when you hear the word Zen? For most people, “organized religion” probably isn’t a phrase that pops up immediately. This can be a bit of a predicament for Zen Buddhist missionaries working in places like Europe and North America.

The word, which comes from a Japanese translation of the Chinese word chán, literally means meditation, and has developed a romantic sense of being purely in the moment and devoid of all thought. This concept has been focused on by various artists in Western culture like Jack Kerouac, with a diminished emphasis on the less sexy doctrines and worshiping of Buddha that are very much a part of the whole religion.

This image dichotomy is something that the Headquarters of Missionary Work for the Soto School of Buddhism in Europe has to deal with all the time.

Excite News Japan recently went to interview them on the state of modern Soto Zen Buddhism abroad. Check our rundown of their findings below!

Oct 14, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Two girls from the Ukraine have made a splash around the world with their unusual aesthetic choices.

First we have newcomer, 19 year-old Anastasiya Shpagina, who’s industrial strength make-up job transforms her into three dimensional warm blooded anime girl. In the other corner we have 21 year-old Valeria Lukyanova, who surprised the world with her appearance of a “Real Barbie Doll” which is rumored to be the result of extensive plastic surgery.

And now for the first time these two titans of body modification collide for a photo shoot of epic disproportions.

Oct 3, 2012 by Steven
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The girl to the far right in the photo above is Lyudmila Titchenkova, a 16-year-old living in the city of Nikolaev, Ukraine.

After she turned 10, Lyudmila’s parents noticed that their daughter’s body began developing at an accelerated growth rate. She was taller and had longer arms than other children her age, but of particular concern was the length of her neck and abnormal curvature of her spine.

As it got to the point where Lyudmila began feeling embarrassed to go out because of her appearance, her parents took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue that can affect many parts of the body, most often the heart, blood vessels, bones, joints and eyes.

Sep 20, 2012 by Master Blaster
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To the pyromaniacal factions of protesters out there,

We’re sorry you recently got caught with egg on your faces after torching a Samsung outlet. To be fair, that’s not such a crazy mistake to make. But to have us believe Swiss-based watchmaker Rolex is somehow wrapped up in the Senkaku Islands row is a little much.

Then again, far be it from us to disagree with an angry mob. Maybe you know something we don’t?

Sep 12, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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It turns out that not all passports are created equal…

International residence and citizenship experts Henley & Partners released a report earlier this month detailing for the first time the level of ease with which people of various countries are able to travel around the globe, and what restrictions they face during their time abroad.

The more fortunate among us are undoubtedly well aware that, with a valid passport, they are relatively free to travel wherever they like, and can in some cases remain in a foreign country for months at a time without acquiring any kind of paperwork or additional visa approval. But there are also many countries out there whose governments require citizens to jump through a series of hoops before allowing them to leave the country for so much as a weekend, and even then their entry to another country is not always guaranteed.

Henley & Partners’ Visa Restriction Index ranks countries based on how easy it is for their citizens to travel around the globe, essentially providing a numerical value to any given country’s passport. After comparing everything from socio-economic factors to political relations between countries, each country is awarded a score, reflecting just how free to travel and enter other countries its people are; in a word: passport power. Read More

Mamma Mia! Italians Think Japanese Eat Sushi Off of Naked Women?

Sep 2, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Recently our correspondent Kuzo was interviewing pizzerias in Sicily. As a result he found himself eating pizza all day every day. Being a gastronomic pro, our reporter was unfazed, but suddenly wondered how the sushi in Italy was. Figuring Sicily’s excellent seafood may yield some equally good sushi, he tracked down a restaurant in Palmero.

However, what he found was so shocking, he couldn’t even remember how the sushi tasted. Kuzo had stumbled on the fabled practice of nyotaimori – eating sushi off naked women.

Aug 30, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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Ukraine, known in Japan for its attractive people, is rapidly becoming a place of interest. International marriages between Ukrainians and Japanese are on the rise, making Ukraine all the more fascinating. Japan brings forth images of sushi, hot springs, Mt. Fuji, Tempura, and its service industry. But what about Ukraine? Here are some appealing images of Ukraine, sure to make you want to visit! Read More

Germans Invent Bicycle With no Pedals, Offers “Ergonomic Ride Between Running and Biking”

Aug 30, 2012 by Steven
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Since the invention of chain-driven transmission in the 1890s, the bicycle really hasn’t undergone any major structural changes.

And what could you possibly want to change? You’ve got two wheels for movement, handlebars for direction, a seat to hold your body weight and pedals to…

“Wait, pedals?”, thought the Germans. We don’t need no stinkin’ pedals.

Aug 21, 2012 by danielnishina
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Danish variety store, Tiger, had recently opened up its first store in Osaka, Japan, in the shopping area known as American Village. Little did they know about the propensities of the Japanese shopper.

Or maybe they just didn’t give them enough credit. In this case, it was the intensity of Japanese shoppers that resulted in the store having to unexpectedly shut down. Despite having the experience of managing stores in 16 different countries, Tiger underestimated the insatiable drive of Japanese people to shop, even if it meant queueing in line for hours and hours.

All this trouble for the European answer to the 100 yen shop... Read More

We Lose All Sense of Time and Space in the Magical and Beautiful Lello & Irmão Bookstore

Aug 10, 2012 by Master Blaster
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In these days of digital media the world is losing more and more brick & mortar shops, which is a shame. Take ebooks for example. Sure they’re infinitely more convenient and less space consuming. But half the fun of reading is going to the book store to find hidden gems and what could be your next favorite. No matter what book store you go to you can’t help but get filled with a sense of elegance and tranquility.

With that in mind, photographer Koach, before capturing the second most beautiful bookstore in Argentina, started his journey in Portugal at the oppositely designed but equally beautiful, Livraria Lello & Irmão (Lello for short).

Aug 7, 2012 by Master Blaster
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We recently ran a report on how the sexual drives of younger Japanese people have been plummeting in recent years. Little did we know that lady luck would swing by this nation in crisis taking the forms of Japan men and women’s Olympic soccer teams.

So what does Olympic soccer have to do with knocking boots? According to a recent study, it may be a bigger aphrodisiac than oysters.