‘Tis the season to eat Pocky! Celebrate Pocky Day with these amusing (and tantalizing) tweets from Japan!
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Wherever there are classrooms, you are sure to find class clowns. From making fart noises to intentionally giving absurd answers, these resident jokers are often the best (and worst) distraction for a hard-working teacher. But we doubt many of them have taken their hijinks to the heights of this Japanese student!
Japan does small better than pretty much any other country in the world. From intricate origami to beautiful bonsai to sushi made with barely a dozen grains of rice, the Japanese people are known for their dexterity and attention to detail.
It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that Japanese retailer Muji is now getting into the tiny house movement and recently showcased its range of prefabricated ‘Muji Hut’ minimalist homes and hangouts.
Believe it or not, our crack Japanese-language reporter, Mr. Sato, has been struggling with his self-image recently. In recognition of all his hard work, we decided to spring for a makeover for the poor guy, and not at a pet grooming salon like we did before.
No, this time, Mr. Sato is getting the full-on host bar treatment, complete with a photo session commemorating his transformation into a guy so hot women would pay money just to sit and drink with him.
On Friday night, illustrious RocketNews24 reporters Mr. Sato and P.K. Sanjun ventured out into the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo’s hub of youth culture. Both dressed as Marge Simpson, they were there to check out this year’s collection of crazy costumes. While Halloween as a holiday is still only catching on in Japan, they were thrilled by the number of like-minded, costumed revelers they found.
Join us for a photographic tour of some of the costumed people they ran into on the streets of Shibuya!
We never stop talking about the different ways that people pay tribute to Studio Ghibli. Artists and designers create some amazing work that stems from the themes and ideas that the famous Japanese animation studio put on the silver screen.
One photographer from Thailand was struck with Ghibli-fluence after watching The Secret World of Arrietty and wondered, “What would life be like from the perspective of miniature people?” Take a look after the jump to see the secret world of tiny people not named Arrietty.
October 24 may be seven days before Halloween to most people, but for those in Japan with a Java sparrow (called buncho in Japanese), it’s the day to celebrate your cute little buddy.
Last year the hashtag #文鳥の日2014 (#buncho no hi 2014) was trending and owners all over the country shared pictures of their pet birds. Luckily, this year we were treated to even more pictures of Java sparrows as proud owners wanted to share their joy with the Twitterverse.
Enjoy the best selection of these adorable little guys, after the jump.
Beauty pageants for boys dressed up as girls are kind of a thing in Japan now. Whether you think they’re awesome or kind of confusing, you can’t help but admit that the entrants usually manage to pull off the cute girl look surprisingly well.
This month marks the annual Miss Komaba High School Pageant, a contest that has been going on for several years now and which invites young men to dress like their female peers . Last year’s contestants were pretty good, but can this year’s pretty boys give them a run for their money? Let’s find out!
When we wrote about Samurai Studio earlier this month, we have to admit we were more than a little excited to head down and try it out ourselves. Hey, who doesn’t occasionally (or constantly) wish they could run around dressed in Japanese armor with a couple of swords strapped to their side?
Samurai Studio opened for its 10-day limited run today, and we were literally the first in line! In case you’re on the fence about going or just want to see what the process is like, you’ll want to check out our full report, complete with lots and lots of photos.
The votes are in! Approximately 4,500 night-view enthusiasts submitted their votes for what they think are the best areas to take in Japan’s sprawling, twinkling cityscapes after dark, and the results were revealed at the Night View Summit 2015, held on October 9 in Kobe.
Which cities do you think made it to the top three? Click to find out, and enjoy some of the stunning photographs that prove each city’s worthiness of the honor!
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.
Barring the most delusional individuals, cosplayers don’t really think they’re becoming their favorite anime or video game characters by putting on a costume. Cosplay is all about playing make-believe, and recently more and more cosplayers are willing to share the “make” portion by revealing the silly process by which they create a cool photo, including all the embarrassing slouching and off-camera assistance they get from their friends.
Handmade goods have a certain appeal that seems to transcend time. As much as we love our precisely designed and machine-crafted products, it’s hard to deny the draw of individually crafted items. Whether its watches or high fashion, knowing something was put together by a dedicated worker just makes it that much better.
So while these cat bags are nothing short of insanely adorable, the fact that they were all individually handmade by one person makes them that much more awesome! Read More
Here at RocketNews24 we’re no stranger to covering Studio Ghibli fan-related news. From fan-made drawings to 8-bit mashups to officially-licensed replicas, we’ve seen a ton of love around the world for all things Ghibli.
And one essential part of the Studio Ghibli fandom is the fantastic cosplay. Studio Ghibli cosplayers from all over the globe love showing off the huge range of unforgettable Ghibli characters, and here we have a sampling of some of the best ones we’ve seen recently. Think you’re a real Ghibli fan? Then see if you can identify each one!
We’ve seen a lot of Japanese high school girls who have become popular online for various reasons, from being funny to being silly to be pretty. But this girl has been getting a ton of attention online all because of a little secret that is now out of the bag. Can you guess what it is?
As the more worldly wise of you will no doubt already know, New York City is not in Japan. Nor is it in any other part of Asia. But as you’re probably also aware, we at RocketNews24 just can’t pass up a bit of quality cosplay when we see it, especially when much of it is based on characters from the island many of our team now call home.
Sadly, our bosses refused to pony up the cash for a plane ticket to the Big Apple so we could check out New York Comic Con 2015 for ourselves, but our friends over at Pixable (you do know we’re on Pixable now, right?) were there with cameras in hand, and they were good enough to share their photos with us.
Check out 20 of our favourite cosplayers at New York Comic Con 2015, after the jump.
Universal Studios Japan (USJ), one of Osaka’s most popular tourist attractions, was hired out for an exclusive event on September 24 for an events called JAL Premium Night. As many of you will know, Japan Airlines, or JAL, is the official airline of USJ and was offering the chance for lucky ticket holders to attend this after-hours event.
And, as luck would have it, one of very own RocketNews24 reporters attended the spectacular event and was fortunate enough to enjoy the exclusive JAL Premium Night, snapping a load of photos for the rest of us to enjoy!
Walking through Japan can be a truly uplifting experience. You see so much more by walking through places, especially sacred places. It’s different from walking to them, seeing, and then leaving. Another bonus is (unless you’re climbing Mount Fuji), there are no crowds since, in our modern world, it just doesn’t occur to most people to see things on foot. As we learned previously, quite a few of Japan’s World Heritage Sites are on hiking trails, and the World Heritage Sites of the Kii Peninsula are also located conveniently along ancient pilgrimage routes of the past.
The Kumano Kodo (actually a network of trails) has been traveled by Japanese worshipers for over 1,000 years. By following the route, you not only get to see ancient Japan, but you’ll encounter nature worship everywhere you turn. You’ll feel more like you’re experiencing ancient Japan, rather than just looking at it from the outside.
Come with us now as we hike our way along the Nakahechi route, the well-groomed, often cobble-stoned path that connects a string of quaint little towns where you can book into comfortable ryokans serving gourmet food and offering hot spring baths to soothe your tired muscles. This is glamping—Japanese style!
The Harajuku/Omotesando district in Tokyo is already a mecca of sweet shops from around the world, but things in the area just got even sweeter this past weekend as another internationally loved bakery opened its very first shop in Japan. Yes, we’re delighted that London’s celebrated LOLA’S cupcakes now has a shop in Tokyo, and as you may have guessed, we weren’t about to miss out on trying the sweet creations from one of London’s best-loved baking outlets, so there we were on opening day.
We already knew from the pictures that their cupcakes look simply amazing; now we couldn’t wait to try some for ourselves, and there were even going to be four original Japanese flavors too — Yum!
Even in the modern era, you’ll find plenty of occasions in Japan to dress up in kimono, such as for festivals, fireworks exhibitions, or other special events (and considering how relatively easy it is to do, it’s something you really should try at least once). But as much as Japan may love its traditions and history, there aren’t too many occasions when you get to strap on a set of samurai armor, so when life gives you the opportunity to do so, like at this new photo studio in Tokyo, you won’t want to let it pass you by.
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