18 comments

#ZOMGWTFBBQ: Seriously though, I'd rather have a hacking cough than go through...whatever Halls drops give you in place of it, if the vid below is any indication. Seriously. [Via Japan Probe]

16 comments

#Video games: Fat Princess, the PS3 strategy game in which you engorge your faction's princess to prevent her kidnapping, has already garnered a small amount of criticism. Until now, these complaints have come...

4 comments

#weird news: Oh, NTT Docomo, you and your strange-yet-desirable cellphone models. First a wooden phone, and now this?!The latest fashionable gadget from the Japanese telecom giant is a flip-phone by Sharp, cu...

12 comments

#japan: Jake Adelstein is one unlucky guy.You might remember him as the intrepid American reporter who exposed the Yakuza liver transplant scandal. His efforts were rewarded with death threats, and he wa...

1 comments

#ZOMGWTFBBQ: I've never liked Santa Claus... the idea of a fat old man watching me while I'm awake and sleeping always creeped me out. I'm pretty sure the U.S. government doesn't trust the big guy either; aft...

9 comments

#weird news: According to a recent survey conducted by the internet research firm Macromill Inc, nearly 61% of married women in Japan have taken it upon themselves to pry into their husband's cell phone ...

14 comments

#weird news: Obamu: v. To proceed optimistically despite challenging obstacles.Really, Japan? According to CNNGo Tokyo, the Commander-in-Chief has gotten his own verb, after it was passed around on a Kyoto Un...

6 comments

#weird news: Oh, goo Ranking, you conduct the best surveys ever. Another gem plucked out of the swirling statistical sea was a survey asking men what sorts of clothes would make ladies seem most approachable ...

5 comments

#japan: Alright, so one convenience store is buying out its rival in order to "boost competitiveness." Not really a big deal, don't you think?Well, if you've ever spent some time in Japan, you ...

8 comments

#xbox 360: [As posted on Destructoid]It might be telling that the first time I heard of tri-Ace's newest RPG was when it had its name changed from End of Eternity to Resonance of Fate for the international ...

14 comments

#Macross: With the new Macross Frontier film opening in just one week, Big West is pulling out all the stops in their advertising campaign. Among other things, this PR blitz includes human-sized images of ...

4 comments

#weird news: It is the Age of the Internet, and the new DPJ-led administration under Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is flexing its progressive, youthful muscles by...opening a weblog. OK, so it's a baby step f...

0 comments

#New York: If you're in the New York area and are a fan of foreign films, or all things Japanese, listen up! The Sun, a movie about Emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II, is going to be opening on Nov...

46 comments

#ZOMGWTFBBQ: Okay, so maybe it's not literally illegal to be fat in Japan. However, thanks to an anti-obesity law passed last year, Japanese salarymen across the nation are pulling up their shirts to have the...

23 comments

#japan: Is the Japanese language going to die out?  Well, I wouldn't be so rash, but some people are worried. Everyone knows Japanese is a very difficult language to learn (as many anime fans have p...

4 comments

#weird news: Behind every great work lies an inspirational trigger, and in the case of Pablo Picasso, one of the most recognized artists in history, one of those triggers is Japanese hentai.The Picasso Museum...

12 comments

#News: On June 8th, 2008 Tomohiro Kato drove a rented truck into a crowd shopping in Akihabara, killing three and injuring two. He got out and, armed with a dagger, went on to stab twelve more people, k...

8 comments

#videos:  This shouldn't be erotic, should it?

2 comments

#politics: The headlines both online and in print have constantly been mentioning Futenma when it comes to US-Japanese relations. Especially with Obama's upcoming visit to Tokyo, just about everyone is wond...

9 comments

#manga: It's morning. You're running late, and then BAM! You smack into her. Or she falls out of a time portal. Or the sky. Or through your bathroom mirror. Or your plumbing. However you meet them, most ...

17 comments

#Sports: The Evil Empire New York Yankees are once again the World Series Champions. For their 27th title, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2. In last night's Game 6, none came up...

7 comments

#News: I love watching general news reports of parts of Japanese culture that are familiar to the otaku. The reason why is because while it's directed at people who know nothing about it, there's someth...

9 comments

#japan: People really like Bakemonogatari. Besides Josh's plea to have the series licensed and seeing communities talk about it all the time, Japan has thrown its wieght behind the series by buying up 39...

22 comments

#weird news: You read that right. Hideo Kojima, the man behind Metal Gear Solid, along with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer and manga creator for Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Ryuji Gotsubo, the ill...

2 comments

#weird news: It seems that all kinds of people can be convinced to model while holding up a chalkboard with the time written on it, as the makers of the "Bijin-tokei" app are reaching out to touch t...

15 comments

#ZOMGWTFBBQ: Police swarmed Tokyo's "Yamanote Circle" after an outbreak of demons angry mob started causing trouble on the trains and stations. Ironically, the mob was around to protest the Yamanote...

6 comments

#weird news: This actually baffled me. I mean, I'm not sure how anyone could ever think this would be a good idea, but apparently someone in Japan did. That someone was a 28 year-old woman who spent...

6 comments

#politics: Earlier this week, Prime Minister Hatoyama spoke to the Diet in a situation not unlike the State of the Union here in the US. Seeing as his own party, the Democratic Party of Japan, holds a stron...

3 comments

#Poll: Oh yes, she's pretty. Sometimes so much so that you forget you have to actually get along with her. When it comes to the rules of relationships, the Japanese often see things very differently tha...

16 comments

#politics: This is certainly something interesting: Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is calling for a 16-nation currency trading bloc to rival the European Union, and would operate under a single currency. Thi...

10 comments

#japan:  If you have even the remotest sense of appreciation for fashion, and you get a chance to go to Japan, you will surely be amazed by how effortlessly fashionable so many of its residents are....

12 comments

#japan: See that image up there? It's causing a big stir with the Advertising Standards Authority, reports the BBC. According to them, the Bizazza ad (it's a tile company) implies that "sexual viole...

3 comments

#japan: I've always had a strong interest in Japanese history, and I must say that traditional artwork and scrolls have always held an interest. That's partially why when I've considered grad school, I c...

25 comments

#world news: Japan loves to take things over the top. Some of its game shows probably violate several conventions of the UN Declaration of Rights of Man. Though one show in particular, Panic Face King, to som...

14 comments

#travel:  The "Halloween party" that takes place on the Yamanote line is not new news, but in case you've never heard about it, the quick backstory is that costumed foreigners and their Jap...

7 comments

#weird news: For all the talk about Japan's supposedly exclusive, sometimes xenophobic attitudes, one might be off-put to find that Glorious Nippon's people are the least likely of all to find Nippon particul...

6 comments

#videos: My mother still maintains that the best haircut I've ever gotten was while I was in Japan -- at this place called "America Barber" that was just a block or so from my house. Since I men...

3 comments

#weird news: Japan, can I talk to you for a minute? Come over here.What the hell are you thinking? You may not realize it, but to a lot of people, you don't have the best image in the world. Oh, I know, you'v...

3 comments

#legal mumbo jumbo: Score one for technology. The Osaka High Court handed down a verdict of not guilty to Isamu Kaneko, the developer behind Japan's popular P2P program Winny.Back when he was charged in 2006 for dev...

4 comments

#weird news: Japan, stop it. Those are not cool. Why are you buying these things?[Via Arama]

4 comments

#weird news: In an effort to save on fuel, and thus reduce carbon emissions (obviously ANA's #1 goal), they are asking passengers to use the bathroom before boarding the plane as part of a month-long experime...

4 comments

#japan: Lately I feel like I just missed all the good stuff with my recent trip to Japan. Case in point: as of October 10th, these Taiko no Tatsujin-themed bento boxes will be on sale in the Narita airpo...

6 comments

#videos: See? This is what Japan could have become if they had won the Olympic bid. A place that was safe for children to run around and play in. No gaijin for the police to bother. A place salarymen coul...

6 comments

#Megane: Mmm. Love me some glasses girls. I just came back from Japan, and while I was there I worked my hardest to not pull out my camera and snap pictures of all the lovely meganekko there as they passe...

2 comments

#japan: Over at Reuter's Raw Japan, they've got an interesting article and video up about pregnant photography picking up over in Japan. Ever since Britney Spears did it way back when, there's been a boo...

7 comments

#weird news: Japan has these manner posters, which ask you kindly: Please do it at home. Each month, they've been promoting a different behavior, and now that it's October, they ask you to kindly save the eat...

18 comments

#otaku culture: Snooping around is to be expected. I try to be discreet about it and only pay attention to what has been left out in a room, and I never poke my head into places I'm not invited into when I first...

4 comments

#politics: Some things you never give consideration to when you're thinking about another culture, and then all of a sudden the differences slap you in the face. That's what I found when I came across this ...

4 comments

#weird news: If it wasn't badass enough that Kobe was building its own giant robot statue, this time replicating the awe-inspiring visage of Tetsujin-28 (aka Gigantor), the city has seen fit to strike home th...

11 comments

#Monthly Musings: This was a day that I was incredibly nervous about. I had spent a week or so in the dorms at Kansai Gaidai as orientation took place, trying to get re-adjust my sleep schedule, meet new people an...

15 comments

#YA HA!!!!: And it's so cute it could cut a gopher from its hole!But if yer gonna be one of them durn sticks-in-the-mud who's a-lovin' them crazy moon languages, NIS America has ya covered, seein' as it's...

2 comments

#weird news: Google Earth and maps can be used to see a number of fun things, like your own house. Among other things, Google Earth can see "Earth-kun," the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Sewerage...

4 comments

#politics: In this past week's issue of Variety, there's an interesting article talking about a new type of drama cropping up in Japan: The Showa-era drama. While our drama lovers normally talk about shows ...

13 comments

#weird news: Shoouunen no shinwa ni NUGGETSThis is a thing that happened.Credit goes to our own Topher Cantler for the lyrics! Thanks, Topher!  [Via Topless Robot]

9 comments

#politics: Well, color me shocked! It seems that Japan, the nation we all know for its homogeny and resistance to outsiders is making a huge change in its attitude. In a recent talk with a South Korean lawm...

13 comments

#japan: Japan should know: bears are ruthless killing machines. And despite your best intentions to keep the passengers of your bus safe, Driver-san, you endangered the lives of all those in the parking ...

27 comments

#News: The last few days have marked a sad, tragic time in the manga world, as one of Japan's most beloved manga artists, Yoshito Usui, was confirmed dead at 51.Usui was reported missing from his hometo...

10 comments

#weird news: As if the relative stigma against foreigners wasn't enough, now Japanese people are getting something else they can hold against filthy gaijin, as fake tourists have been ripping off stores in Os...

24 comments

#videos: I'm really used to foreigners being shown as fools on Japanese TV. There are the small groups of foreigners who make the rounds on the Japanese TV circuit and speak for all of Western civilizatio...

21 comments

#weird news: It truly seems to be a poor season for manliness in Japan, as informal surveys revealed that nearly half of Japanese men have admitted to sitting down to do Number One.While in principle I oppose...

4 comments

#Video games: As is known by all, the ultimate expression of youthful Japanese manliness is found in the traditional Bancho ideal. A bancho, or gang leader, is...well, Atlus really explains it the best. In ...

1 comments

#weird news: The path to victory in a war is to gear one's resources to supplying the front, and Japan is preparing for incoming jellyfish swarms by harnessing the power of creativity and industry.And as if t...

9 comments

#weird news: You are familiar with the term "herbivore man," yes? It's used to refer to men who've more or less given up pursuing the opposite sex, settling in for solo flight.Well, perhaps not comp...

14 comments

#politics: You know how a candidate's history can come back to bite them in the ass? Well, in the case of Meiko Tanaka, she already made it into office when it was revealed that she had a bit of a wild side...

2 comments

#weird news: Those who yearn for the "good old days" may best remember what it was like way back then, as SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi demonstrated, reenacting medieval Japanese bathing practices...

0 comments

#weird news: After viewing the above video, I think that it's a good thing the show Champions isn't based in the US, else it might have caught a lot of flak for its recent celebration of Michael Jackson's l...

0 comments

#weird news: This is something I would expect from, say, a 10-year-old child. Not a 31-year-old man.So the guy tries to get 30 million yen by calling his mom up at 2am after not coming home Friday or Saturday...

7 comments

#weird news: Times are hard, and everyone's having to find new, humiliating ways to make ends meet. It seems that goes the same for organized criminals.It's not like it used to be for the yakuza. All the glam...

6 comments

#weird news: Symmetry is overrated. It can get boring when something looks the same from all sides! Asymmetry is where it's at! Wear a glove on just one hand! Plant a ponytail on the side of your head! Get he...

9 comments

#weird news: Well, either him or whomever does Apple Store interiors. Normally a stay in one of Japan's famous capsule hotels is akin to spending the night in a laundromat dryer, something only a few steps up...

26 comments

#TV and Film: In America, you have to do a lot to fall into a bad position in the public eye. Hell, Britney Spears shaved her head and basically lost her mind in public, and now that she has a new wig and a ne...

3 comments

#weird news: X-Men Origins: Wolverine is old news to most viewers, but it's only just entered cinemas in Japan. That's a great thing, because it gives me a reason to put up pictures of one of the world's se...

13 comments

#K-On: It's a tough economy out there. Japanese otaku don't always have the free space (or cash) for a million billion volumes of DVDs, especially given that the typical Japanese DVD volume contains a c...

1 comments

#videos: Well, to be fair, the actual Gundam statue only makes up a small part of this latest time-lapse footage project by Youtube user mockmoon. Nevertheless, this awesome film stands as one more hurr...

29 comments

#weird news: Surveys like this one are part of the reason I love posting on this site. Goo, a research monitor group (and now my personal heroes) posted the results of a private online survey asking people ab...