Category: J-life
Tokyo’s geek heaven: Nakano Broadway (video).
Nakano Broadway in Tokyo is the mecca for anime and manga geeks – called ‘otaku’ in Japanese. This street has such megastores as ‘Geek Labyrinth’, ‘Mystery Dungeon’, ‘Mandrake’ and dozens more. This is a 30 minute tour of the area. Suck in those geek vibes, people. Ah, to be back in Japan.
Ramen face mask beats all but the fog (weird news).
Japanese animator Shibata Takahiro has created a COVID defender face mask that resembles a bowl of ramen – realistic right down to the fog of steam from the boiling noodles. Why? BECAUSE HE COULD!!! 眼鏡の人専用マスクをつくりました。 眼鏡が曇るほど、ラーメンが熱々にみえます。 使いにくさ、この上なし。 pic.twitter.com/rSV0tmlleA — しばたたかひろ | Takahiro SHIBATA (@iine_piroshiki) July 13, 2020
Japan’s secret retail treasure (J-life video).
Our man-in-Japan, Ryotaro, says never underestimate the power of Japan’s fave second-hand shop in Sendai … the fabulous Mandai. They sell everything from guitars, model weapons, to amazing collection of Anime figures and plastic models (some, only available to lottery winners, so never actually widely sold in the first place). You won’t believe the stuff […]
Japan’s creepiest abandoned places (J-life: audio).
Japan’s bubble economy left the country littered with a staggering amount of abandoned hotels, buildings, and theme parks. After a grizzly discovery at a forgotten hotel, this week, the Abroad in Japan crew discuss some of the creepiest examples, recount their harrowing encounters with Giant Hornets, and hear from a listener currently stuck in Japan.
The stacked game of Japanese arcades (J-life video).
The gaming culture in Japan is intense, so this pair of miscreants decided to check out the scene inside a Tokyo-based Japanese arcade to see how well they could do with the equivalent of $50 in Yen. Here’s a little hint: take that 50 large and flush it down the toilet for a more direct […]
Gundam: real-scale walking mecha to become major Japanese tourist attraction (news).
If you like your Japanese mecha big, as in Gundam-size, then you’re in luck! The City of Yokohama in Japan is opening a tourist attraction which is basically a full-size Gundam base with a real-scale moving Gundam the same size as a NASA rocket launch gantry. They’re planning to open the site – called Gundam […]
Tokyo’s robot town! (J-life video).
Have you been to Tokyo’s robot town? No, me neither – but lucky for us, our man in Japan, John Daub, really does live in Japan and was a little bit too interested in visiting their giant Mobile Suit Gundam on display outside a supermarket. Heck, now that’s marketing!
Japan’s best vending machine restaurant? (J-Life video).
Our man in Japan, Joe Hattab, visits what might just be Japan’s best vending machine restaurant, aka the Jihanki Shokudo Automat Diner inside Isesaki City. Because nothing says romantic like a machine re-heated burger for a couple of coins! Hmmm, tasty – and simultaneously odd and cool in the same bite.
A day in the life of a Japanese manga creator (video doc).
In Japan, the bods who create manga are known as Mangaka. This short informative video documentary follows one such Tokyo-based creator, Reiji Miyajima, the brains behind the Kanajo okarishimasu manga comic (aka ‘Rent a Girlfriend’). This video explores the chap’s weekly deadlines and gives SFcrowsnest viewers an inside look at how manga is produced in […]
All-Japan Pillow Fighting Tournament (J-Life).
In Japan, pillow-fighting is a big-money serious extreme sport – so welcome to Ito, the home of the 6th All-Japan Pillow Fighting Tournament, where pillow fights are a spectator sport, and you never take losing lying down.
