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We find the shortest karaoke song in existence, approximate running time: 1...
Do you dread the time the mic gets passed your way during Karaoke functions? We have the answer. Of all Japan’s great inventions, karaoke stands out as one that’s loved by men and women of all ages....
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Fear and murder plague Western Japan golf courses over a checkbox on...
A handful of golf courses in Fukuoka Prefecture have refused to add a certain checkbox to their applications for fear of their lives. In recent years, there has been a growing trend among golf courses...
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Inside the mind of a Japanese manager accused of “power harassment”
Power harassment is a relatively newly defined but widespread form of workplace harassment in Japan where people abuse their rank by demeaning their subordinates. But why do people do it? The term...
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Sales of Jun Mizutani Curry skyrocket, show why it pays to back your Olympic...
Yes, you, too, might become a double-medalist in the Olympics, but only if you eat your instant curry! During Japan’s better than expected showing at the Rio Olympics, Jun Mizutani managed to score...
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Aragehonji breathes new life into traditional Japanese folk music
These days its hard to describe any music as “unique” but Aragehonji certainly fit that bill. Aragehonji isn’t really new to the scene, having formed back in 2007, but recently the eight-member group...
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Detective Conan asks what kind of criminal you are…through instant curry
That wily shrunken PI always gets to the bottom of things, even while licensing his brand to a line of curry. It’s an unwritten rule in Japan that you haven’t truly made it until an instant curry has...
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Japanese marathoners attacked by swarm of hornets, 115 stung
As if a marathons weren’t grueling enough…here come the hornets! On 11 September, the 18th annual Mountain Village Daikon Marathon was held in Hida, Gifu. This half marathon through a mountain course...
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Doing a load of laundry in an office trash can with the pocket-sized washing...
We finally get a chance to test this portable laundromat and see just how clean it can make your clothes. I first came across Nival being sold on a popular Japanese website under the name “Washable”...
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We try to resurrect 39 fish and learn a little about life in the process
Whenever there’s a slow news day at the office, we do what any journalist would and attempt to toy with the forces of nature. One day our reporter PK Sanjun was sitting down and contemplating his own...
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Cup Noodle Mystery Meat Festival sales suspended due to overwhelming demand
Generally mystery meat is something to be avoided, unless you’re talking about Cup Noodle brand mystery meat. It was with great fanfare that Cup Noodle rolled out their commemorative flavor in honor...
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Mr. Sato does not buy an iPhone7, calls this year’s Docomo release ceremony...
Despite being the first person in Japan to purchase the latest iPhone on more than one occasion, Mr. Sato was shunned by his phone company this time around. Since 2013, Mr. Sato has been lining up for...
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48 Hours of cats and Roombas to be broadcast on Niconico: Can “Cat Roomba...
Love watching cats play with robotic vacuum cleaners? Then, how about 48 continuous hours of it live? From 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 23 September to the same time on Sunday, 25 September, Japanese video...
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Worst Kung Fu fight ever breaks out on street in China
Fast as lightning, those cats were not. A video has been circulating the internet featuring a street fight somewhere in China according to the title. In it, the two combatants clearly appear to be...
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Chinese animation making inroads on Japanese television, but not everyone is...
An anime based on a popular Chinese manga makes no bones about its artistic roots but hopes to show the world mainland Chinese culture. Since early July the anime Hitori No Shita: The Outcast began...
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This year’s contest to choose Japan’s greatest mascot attracting some shady...
Call me old fashioned but I remember when mascots were meant to be cute, not demons spawned by human weakness or yam ninjas. It’s that time of year again. The time when the nation unites and casts a...
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Lest we forget 1936: The year fake Mickey Mouse attacked Japan
Japan may have forgiven the rip-off Disney star, but they have not forgotten what he did 80 years ago on that blood soaked Pacific island beach. The year is 1936. The first edition of a new novel...
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This table tennis comedy video isn’t “boring.” It may be the best video ever!
Join Takkyu Genin Pinpon as he takes us on a whirlwind ride of table tennis themed comedic bits that never have a dull moment. Japan is in the midst of a table tennis craze at the moment, hot off the...
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Woman kills self jumping onto train tracks, delay causes conductor to jump...
Approximately 20 minutes after an elderly woman leapt in front of an express train, a conductor threw himself from an elevated train track down the line. A bizarre succession of suicide attempts took...
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Studio in Osaka lets you get photos taken as legendary samurai warlord Audrey...
Because geisha and warriors are passé, we went to a photo shoot to look like figures of Hollywood’s golden age. As cool as samurai and ninjas look to some people or as exotic as geisha appear, to the...
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Toyama man first person in Japan to be arrested for selling jailbroken iPhones
Authorities charging the suspect with “violation of trademark law.” On 29 September 24-year-old Daisuke Ikeda was arrested on suspicion of violating the Trademark Act. During the spring of this year...
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