RocketNews24 / Bringing You Yesterday's News From Japan and Asia, Today (Page 2)

Advice Corner: ‘My Wife Won’t Stop Saying “Boobs”‘

2 days ago by Master Blaster
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Navigating the sometimes choppy waters of marriage and relationships can be tough. Misunderstandings occur and tempers flare giving us occasional feelings of helplessness and despair.

That’s why it’s nice to be able to turn to the anonymous masses that haunt the internet for help regarding marital problems. Take, for example, a 33-year-old man whose wife refuses to say anything other than the word “boobs” to him.

That’s a problem you may be reluctant to bring to your family’s attention. Your friends, as helpful as they may be, would be honor-bound to bust your balls about it. This looks like a job for the internet!

2 days ago by Oona McGee
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This collection of culturally important buildings, moved from their original locations in Japan and preserved in a park in Tokyo, gives us a glimpse into time periods from the Edo era (1603-1868) through to the early Showa era (1926-1945). Thirty buildings have taken up residence here over the past two decades, and each one is like a giant treasure box, filled with trinkets, memories and undiscovered gems. If their walls could talk, we can only imagine the stories they would tell. Come with us as we take you through the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Musuem and stop by some of the most interesting buildings Japan has ever seen.

3 days ago by Master Blaster
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A 25-year-old man was arrested for theft in Iwakuni City on 14 May after taking a new Lexus for a test drive from a dealership in Kurashiki City, two prefectures and 180 km (112 mi) away.

According to the police investigation, the suspect Shota Ishibashi wanted to visit his grandmother in Fukuoka, 422 km (262 mi) away. However, being unemployed he was unable to afford the trip. Then he got a brilliant idea and headed down to his local Toyota dealer.

3 days ago by Mike
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Minority Report it is not, but Masatoshi Ishikawa – namesake of Tokyo University’s renowned Ishikawa Lab – brought us one step closer to the future when he recently invited Japanese press to witness the lab’s newest creation: a projection system that can track and display an image on a moving object.

3 days ago by Preston Phro
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It’s just been one of those weeks. You have to rent a boyfriend, we’re under attack by marshmallow goo, and all that salt you dumped in while cooking your spaghetti was a total waste.

It’s times like these that you just wish the Internet would give you what you really want: pictures of adorable cats.

Well, you’re in luck, because we got ‘em! Read More

The Secret Slang of Japanese Cabbies

3 days ago by Casey Baseel
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Like many people who moved to Tokyo in their youth, most of the time I’ve spent in Japanese taxi cabs has been directly preceded by heavy drinking. In the country’s urban centers, people primarily get around by train and subway. However, both of them stop running around midnight (for now?), at which time you can see a mass of people stumbling towards the station like Cinderella if she’d spent less time on the dance floor with the prince and more at the ball’s open bar. Once the trains stop, they don’t start again until about five in the morning, and since staying out all night drinking only seems like a good idea until your buzz wears off at around 2:30 a.m., if you missed the last train the only way you’re getting home is by taking a taxi.

Like taking a cab ride anywhere else in the world, the drivers use radios to communicate with the dispatcher and other cars in the fleet. I could never understand what Japanese taxi drivers were saying to each other, but the reason why isn’t because I was liquored up (OK, so it wasn’t only because I was liquored up). It turns out cab drivers in Japan have a whole set of jargon and code words that you won’t find in any textbooks. Read More

Shield Your Rocket: Waterproofing a Smartphone with a Condom

3 days ago by Preston Phro
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I’m sure that there are those of you out there who use their smartphones in the tub. Soaking while you surf the Net and watch movies is just pure bliss, ain’t it? The bathtub smartphone is simply awesome! And slightly dangerous…

What you really need to pay attention to is waterproofing. Certainly there are special accessories and ziplock bags, but recently there’s been one…unique method running around the Internet rumor mills. What the hell am I talking about? Using condoms for waterproofing! Read More

‘Give me your panties!!’ Taiwan Goes Wild for Panty-masked Japanese Superhero

3 days ago by Cara Clegg
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Since opening on May 3, Hentai Kamen has been a huge hit in Taiwan. Within three days of opening, it was off to a fantastic start with box-office takings of 4,680,000 Taiwan dollars (US$155,974). Not bad for a film whose hero derives his power from…wearing panties on his head?

The Hentai Kamen (English title: Ultimate!! Pervert Mask) movie, based on a short-lived comedy manga published in Shōnen Jump magazine, revolves around an unlikely hero whose superpowers are awakened when he puts a pair of panties on his head. I’m serious – I could not make this stuff up.

3 days ago by Master Blaster
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On 13 May, JR Central released station design plans for their upcoming Chuo Shinkansen running from Tokyo to Nagoya and later Osaka. In the words of JR, these stations were designed “not to rely on traditional styles” and “to boldly pursue functionality and efficiency.”

However, when the details emerged to a train station loving public, the reaction was less than enthusiastic with comments along the line of “too bold.”

3 days ago by Oona McGee
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It’s amazing what a good haircut can do. It can change the way people see you and bring out features you never knew you had. That’s certainly what happened to Moru the Pomeranian, who went in for a short cut and came out looking like a whole new breed. Now he’s the Shibaranian, fooling us all with his cute Shiba Inu disguise. And it seems we’ll be seeing more pups like Moru soon, with many owners giving the cut to their Pomeranians to help them cope with the summer heat.

3 days ago by Casey Baseel
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With nearly all of today’s graphic, comic, and animation design work being digital, any serious artist needs a graphic tablet. These are large LCD screens that can be drawn on directly with a stylus allowing for easy uploading and computer editing of the created image.

Like most electronics chains in Japan, Yodobashi Camera has sections of its stores where customers can try out the latest products, graphic tablets included. Most of us would probably be content to scribble a few lines, doodle a stick figure, or maybe add a splash of color. But like finding a novel filled with dozens of fleshed-out characters and a gripping narrative left on Word in the laptop section, seriously talented artists have been creating true works of art on Yodobashi’s graphic tablet floor samples. Read More

Posters of Underwear-Clad Man Disappearing from Osaka

3 days ago by Rachel Tackett
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There’s just something about Japan and this strange obsession with stealing underwear. In the Naniwa District of Osaka, 20 types of posters are currently on display to promote a town renewal project for the area’s old shopping district, Shin Sekai Ichiba, or the “New Global Market.” Of those advertisements, one particular version has become the object of serial theft over the past 13 days. The poster contains the image of a man in a Japanese loincloth called a fundoshi. The Osaka Police Force’s Naniwa Station has released a damage report. Read More

This Blue Beer Looks Like it Came from Alcoholic Willy Wonka’s Factory

3 days ago by Mike
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The Abashiri Brewery in Hokkaido which, judging by its website, really is some kind of beer-themed Willy Wonka side project, boasts what may be the world’s first naturally blue beer.

Always ready to get drunk for the sake of our readers, RocketNews24 took it upon ourselves to investigate this mystifying beer anomaly, appropriately named the Ryuhyou Draft (“Ice Floe Draft”), at a beachside pub. Read More

Drunk Man in Taiwan Severs Own Genitals with Pair of Scissors, Regrets It the Day After

3 days ago by Master Blaster
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Ever have one of those nights where you knock back one too many and wake up not remembering what happened the night before? Then as you fumble around for clues like a matchbook or photos on your phone, you discover that you’ve cut off your own privates with a pair of kitchen scissors?

If so, I’m terribly sorry for your loss, but, as this truly sobering tale of self-mutilation reveals, you’re not alone…

4 days ago by Rachel Tackett
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These days, cosplay functions as a 40 billion yen (US$390 million) industry and has a large impact on Japan’s economy. Now, before moving on, please allow me to clarify that ‘cosplay’ to Japan does not only refer to people dressing up as anime and video game characters, but includes all manner of live action, Western, original characters, nurses, maids, and so on. Virtually any costume worn for fun is considered cosplay over here. So what kinds of special services are available to avid cosplayers in Japan? And how are cosplayers themselves making the most out of this bountiful, infinitely tolerant environment? Read More

Korean Remote Controlled Turtle Project Making Slow But Steady Progress

4 days ago by Casey Baseel
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One year when I was in junior high school my parents gave me a radio controlled car for Christmas. It was the perfect gift for a young boy right in the middle of dealing with the most awkward, confusing psychological change that comes with puberty (no longer thinking riding a bike is cool, but still being too young to drive a car). I loved that R/C car, so much that I kept playing with it outside as it started to rain one day, eventually frying the circuits so that it never ran again.

But things would have been different if my parents had been researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST. First, everyone would have been surprised by how two Korean scientists ended up with a Caucasian son with blond hair. And next, they could have hooked me up with a controllable water-resistant reptile, like the remote controlled turtle KAIST is currently developing. Read More

Another Amazing Vending Machine From Japan! But This One’s No High-Tech Gadget

4 days ago by Kay
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Readers of our site may be aware that Japan is home to vending machines that sell a wide range of bizarre and unexpected products, from pornographic magazines to fresh eggs and even fermented soybeans (natto). Now, we’ve found yet another interesting vending machine that’s been featured in a story on Asahi Newspaper’s digital site which we thought would be interesting to share with you.

This machine in particular caught our attention because it combines the Japanese people’s fondness of vending machines with their love of a dish that is extremely popular in Japan. And what might that dish be? We’ll give you a hint — it’s golden brown in color and has a delightfully rich and spicy aroma that’s sure to make your mouth water… Read More

Iranian Murderer Pardoned Seconds After Hanging

4 days ago by Rachel Tackett
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Last Wednesday in Mashhad, Iran, a man was sentenced to hang for the crime of murdering a police officer. However, just moments after the sentence was carried out, the bereaved family cried out their forgiveness, demanding that they put a stop to the execution. Read More

Japanese Performance Artist’s Balancing Act More Nerve-Wracking Than a Game of Jenga

4 days ago by Mike
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Watching Japanese performance artist Miyoko Shida’s physics-defying balancing act is a more intense experience than your closest game of Jenga, guaranteed. At Rocketnews24, a lot of our writers have trouble just walking straight, so trying to imagine the coordination and concentration required to put on a show like this makes our heads hurt.

4 days ago by Master Blaster
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From their humble beginnings on Taiwan’s video series Weather Girls, a seven-girl idol group by the same name that specializes in bringing you the week’s weather, have been building a solid fan base in their new home of Japan.

Though a variety of theme months and a constantly improving grasp of the Japanese language, these girls have steadily shown that they are willing to work hard for their place in the spotlight. However, the next step is a doozy.

It has come to light that all seven girls (one for each day of the week) are studying hard to take the extremely strict National Weather Forecaster Exam next year. The test, which was established in 1994, reportedly has a 5 percent pass rate. However, if the girls succeed they will become full-fledged weather forecasters.