Category: Global (Page 6)

Global

【RocketRoundup】 Saturday Nights in Kabuki-cho, Sexy Propositions and Home Delivery Girls

Nov 12, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Sex is big business in Japan.

We’ve all heard stories about Japan’s bath houses, booby bars, massage parlours, peep shows and roleplay clubs. We all know they exist, and very few of us are even shocked any more; but for some reason it’s taken me more than six years of living the country to realise just how much a part of everyday life Japan’s sex industry really is…

Nov 11, 2012 by Steven
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Nothing livens up a salad or a roast chicken breast like a bit of fresh lemon, but isn’t it a pain to have to do all that cutting and squeezing? Don’t you just wish you could grab a lemon off the tree and pump it dry on the spot?

Well, now you can with Citrus Sprayer, a clever little utensil that turns fresh citrus fruit into a natural spray bottle!

Nov 5, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Happy Sunday, boys and girls!

We trust you had a pleasant week?

We’ve been busy as ever here at RocketNews24 and, as well as enjoying the Halloween festivities, we’ve seen everything from black Big Macs and cross-dressing confessions to old-school Super Mario and genital pixelization. Not all together, of course; that would be horrific…

Despite the mercilessly hot Japanese summer seemingly having ended just a few weeks ago, the temperature has suddenly dropped here in Tokyo and everyone is already starting to wrap up warm and flip their air conditioning from chill to toasty. And no sooner had those coats and jackets come out of the closet than those nasty old cold germs came back to bite us.

Which can only mean one thing: face masks are back!

Nov 3, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Here’s your Japanese vocabulary lesson for the day:

■ Chinpoji – Cheenpojee – [noun]
The perfect position for a man’s junk to rest in his underwear, pants, etc.

For men worldwide, to function normally we have to have our gear oriented in the correct position. If through moving or sitting we fall out of chinpoji, then our minds become clouded with neuroses.

According to a survey by Japanese underwear maker Wacoal, 75% of men “are anxious about the positioning of their ‘front parts.’” Not just the discomfort going on inside the pants; many men feel that their packages can be seen by people on the outside too when they’re out of place. This causes us to perform emergency public adjustments, which makes any woman within eyeshot go “ugghhh.” In the end no one wins.

Yahoo Japan’s R25 explored this issue deeper, seeking to discover if all men’s chinpoji are the same and, if so, ask a medical professional why. Here’s what they found.

Nov 1, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Regular RocketNews24 readers may recall an article we did back in March this year that introduced us to Furiko (Pendulum), the flip-book animation hand-drawn by eccentric Japanese comedian Tekken that had us all welling up with tears.

The video, set to English band Muse’s symphonic track Exogenesis, told the story of a young couple’s life together, following them from the moment that they first met through middle-aged marital hiccups before they meet their inevitable mortal end. The video received deservedly high praise, not just because every one of the 1,038 pages that make up the animation were hand-drawn, but because the video managed to pack as much genuine feeling and emotion into three minutes as most hollywood blockbusters in two hours.

Months later, Furiko has caught the attention of none other than Muse themselves, who were so moved that they decided to make it the official music video for their beautiful track.

Oct 29, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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If you’re reading this, it means you’ve survived another week.

And what a week it’s been!

We’ve seen the arrival of a device that lets us share smells via mobile phone, members of the public quite literally caught with their hands down their pants, an invaluable list of turn-offs for girls to watch out for, and photos that reveal smoking-hot Japanese porn stars to be perfectly ordinary women and not from space after all.

Oct 27, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Have children who keep misbehaving? Want to terrify them? We’ve got just the thing!

What the motivation behind these haircuts was, we don’t know. Perhaps, in an act of compassion, the animals were being helped to cool off? Perhaps the animals were worried about blending into the pack and were simply seeking a sweet new style to call their own?

Whatever the reason, as we see in the following photo gallery, creatively trimming an animal’s fur can result in sometimes hilarious, sometimes terrifying, sights…

Oct 26, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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A woman from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina has sold her virginity online, with a Japanese national winning the auction.

The sale has caused outrage online, with many arguing that the the deal amounts to little more than prostitution, but the woman, who has grand plans for the money, thinks otherwise…

Oct 25, 2012 by Master Blaster
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At this year’s CEATEC Japan, Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd. unveiled the first ever speaker made entirely of rubber – or should I say “smart rubber.” With this technology what appears to be an ordinary strip of latex can be wired into a speaker.

There already is a range of modern products such smartphones using miniature speakers to produce decent quality sound. However, smart rubber speakers stand above with one thing they don’t have – good bass.

Oct 25, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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You know something’s a hit when people all over the world are taking to their keyboards to express their amazement and tweeting the links like the internet’s about to be switched off.

Created by music group Ongaku Unit and featuring the vocal talents of hugely-popular voice actor and singer Megumi Nakajima, the video, titled “Transfer”, has already found much love abroad, with many claiming that the video is nothing short of “a revolution” and “the future of music videos”.

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

【RocketRoundup】 This Week’s Best Bits

Oct 21, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Hello and good morning/afternoon/evening to you!

Welcome to the very first Rocket Roundup; your guide to the biggest stories of the week here at RocketNews24, all in one snug little post.

I don’t know about you good people, but it’s been a pretty busy week here at RocketNews24- I can’t remember the last time I saw as many crazy stories go up in the space of seven short days. That said, I think I speak for the entire team when I say that it’s been a pleasure as always, and we love discrovering new, fun, quirky and downright weird news stories almost as much as we do sharing it with you guys.

Oct 18, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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This is art. Women aren’t buying this book to get excited over glimpses of male genitalia. And both men and women are buying it. “SENTO”, a book of photography put together by renown photographer Yoshinaga Masayuki, has not gone without a certain amount of sensational reaction due to its subject matter, stark naked men. The question seems to be, how much is it OK to show? Read More

Turn the Ocean into a Pool: 12 Products That Are Perfect for Opposite Day

Oct 17, 2012 by Michelle
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A collection of 12 products from around the world that were created by reversing the product’s original concept. From an upside-down phone to a jacket to chill your wine, all twelve items are available for purchase, but many will make you wonder, do I really need that?

Oct 16, 2012 by Steven
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Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these internets to join RocketNews24 readers and a whole bunch of pictures of weddings from around the world in matrimony.

In all seriousness, marriage is celebrated in unique ways all over the globe. Here’s 45 snapshots of weddings from around the world that provide a heartwarming glimpse at the traditional— and sometime unconventional—ways different countries unite husband and wife.

Oct 16, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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We all love new technology, but when the arrival of a new generation of hardware signals the end of another, it can be kind of sad.

Vinyl will always be considered classic, but VHS and audio cassettes have sadly gone the way of the dinosaurs, with MiniDiscs (remember them?), and maybe one day CDs, soon to follow.

While CD quality sound is universally recognised as being superior to MP3 music, and despite MiniDiscs still hanging on in Japan years after the west turned its back on them, highly compressed MP3 is fast becoming the format of choice for millions of people, meaning that more and more of our once-loved possessions are relegated to sitting on the shelf or in a desk drawer somewhere.

So what are we to do with those Backstreet Boys cassettes? What fate awaits forgotten Bon Jovi tapes that rattle around the glove-box of a car whose stereo no longer has a tape deck? Are we destined never again to hear their muffled warbles and grainy beats?

Help is at hand!

Oct 16, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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Bonsai Farmer Mr. Yamachi explains the art of bonsai to eager listener Mr. Remo a Swiss man and his family in Takamatsu’s Kokubunji cho.

The word “Bonsai” needs no translation. It is renowned internationally as a beautiful form of art which condenses nature into enjoyable little plants.

Recently, exports around the world of these little trees have increased by leaps and bounds. Hugely popular across Asia, Europe, and America, Bonsai exports to these areas have hit a record high, 10 times what they were only ten years ago. With the onset of autumn, as exports reach full-scale, people who work in the bonsai business hope that bonsai can regain some of its popularity domestically as well.

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Why Japanese Girls Are a Better Catch Than Japanese Men: The Thoughts of a Japanese Cabin Attendant

Oct 15, 2012 by Kay
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In this age of global travel and internet communication, meeting and even getting seriously involved with someone from outside your country is a very real possibility. For that matter, how do Japanese women and men rate as romantic interests? Takako Matsushita, a Japanese cabin attendant who has also appeared on T.V. and in magazines, offers her perspective on how Japanese women may get higher marks than Japanese men in the international dating market. And her message? Japanese men need to watch out, or all the nice ladies in Japan may be snatched up by foreign men! Read More

Japanese Tourists Ill-Mannered? A Simple Request to Japanese Travelers that May Do Wonders for Their Reputation

Oct 12, 2012 by Kay
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Those of you familiar with our Japanese site are probably aware that our reporters often travel overseas to bring interesting stories from around the world to our Japanese readers. Recently, one reporter shared with us an eye-opening realization he had while traveling, one that could have serious bearing on the reputation of Japanese tourists abroad.

Being Japanese and also very fond of traveling myself, this was a story I couldn’t take lightly! Read More

Chinese Super Mario: Wonderful Things Can Happen When Martial Arts Meet Mushrooms

Oct 7, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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OK, Rocketeers, the first person who can count the number of times I’ve mentioned Super Mario in my articles since joining the RocketNews24 crew gets a prize!*

Maybe it’s because I grew up with the games; maybe it’s because I wanted an NES for so, so long but had to be content with occasional two-minute stints on my friend’s console until my parents finally caved in and bought me one years later…

Whatever the reason, Super Mario is kinda my thing. So when my editor mentioned that someone had made “a Chinese Mario movie”, I was on it in a flash.

This movie is immensely silly, and it’s not Super Mario Bros. But even so, it is kind of wonderful…