Azia Phreak Mail Surver
Open wide! It’s time for a showdown between McDonald’s Japan’s and Komeda gratin croquette burgers
Gurakoro and Gurakuro came out on same day, filling fans’ hearts with joy and filling their stomachs with gratin croquettes.When we found out that McDonald’s Japan was bringing back one of its most popular winter menu items, the Gurakoro, we figured we had our lunch plans set for that day. Gurakoro is short for “gratin croquette burger,” and eating the sandwich with a deep-fried croquette filled with white sauce, macaroni, and shrimp is like devouring a cup of hot soup. Delicious, warming, and f
You can now buy a Japanese train station clock in Japan
Complete with departure bell alarms, this is a unique way to wake up for your train in the morning.As much as we love Japanese trains, we also love the stations they pull into, with all their unique sounds and cleverly designed features that give them so much character. At stations operated by East Japan Railway (JR East), for example, you’ll find clocks on the platforms with fluorescent yellow-green dials that make them look like they’re glowing.▼ East Japan Railway (JR East) operat
Central Asia – Azerbaijan: priorities and prospects
It has been some time since Azerbaijan officially became a member of the Consultative Council of Central Asia, yet this development continues to captu...
Is Kyoto less crowded with tourists after China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning?【Photos】
No city in Japan is more symbolic of overtourism these days than Kyoto, so is the travel downturn from China having a noticeable effect?In mid-November, the Chinese government issued an advisory to its citizens calling on them to refrain from traveling to Japan. The statement came following remarks from Japanese prime minster Sanae Takaichi regarding whether Japan would see a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as a threat to itself as well, and whether Japan would feel justified taking military action i
Studio Ghibli holiday wreath adds a touch of Kiki cuteness and good fortune to your home【Photos】
A Ghibli take on a traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration.We recently took a moment to ooh and aah over how cute Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku’sTotoro kagami mochi plushie looks, and to learn a little bit about the traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration that inspired it. Stacks of rice cakes aren’t the only symbols of good fortune and prosperity that Japanese homes are adorned with at the end of the year, though, and today we’ve got another one with a twist: a Kiki’s Del
Security guard jumped by bear at public restroom in middle of Numata City
Bears in Japan are steadily getting closer to urban areas.Not too long ago, conventional thinking was that when journeying through the forests and mountains of Japan, you should be on the lookout for bears. Conversely, when commuting through your city’s central train station, bears shouldn’t be a top priority—wild boars perhaps, but bears tend to have more sense.The times they are a-changing, however, and it seems that this is the year of the bears in Japan, as they’ve been enc
First Science and Technology Ministerial Meeting under Lee Administration... Launching "10 Key AI Projects for Everyday Life"
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology on the 24th for the first time in four years. With the elevation...
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to the best Turkish rice restaurant in Nagasaki!
It’s not Turkish, and even the rice plays a minor role, but it’s a meal beloved by locals that always sees a clean plate at the end of the meal. Nagasaki, being tucked away on the southwestern island of Kyushu, doesn’t quite see the same thoroughfare of international travelers as the more central cities, like Tokyo, Kyoto or even Hiroshima do. However, from the Dutch-themed amusement park Huis Ten Bosch and the Nagasaki Lantern Festival to the battleship-shaped island of Gunkanjima
Godzilla-shaped ice cream on sale in Tokyo near the sight his most adorable rampage
You can eat Shin Godzilla’s Kamata-kun very close to Kamata.Despite all the destruction he causes, for several decades Godzilla was often depicted as a sort of savior of humanity. Sure, he still regularly flattened large swaths of Tokyo, but he did so while battling other even more dangerous or inherently evil kaiju, with the resulting collateral damage often treated as a preferable outcome compared to what would have happened had the “bad” monster been allowed to run rampant.2016’s Shin Godzill
Studio Ghibli stamps lift your spirits with motivational phrases from Totoro
Cute anime characters are here to give you all the encouragement you need.Back before emojis and digital stamps appeared in messaging apps, ink stamps were a popular way to convey messages, and it’s a tradition Studio Ghibli is keen to keep alive, with a new collection of stamps featuring the Totoros from My Neighbour Totoro.There are 11 designs to collect, starting with six square varieties, priced at 418 yen (US$2.67) each, that convey emotion simply with characters’ facial express
Yoshinoya adds first-ever chain-wide ramen with new beef and pork-broth noodle hot pot meals
Japan’s gyudon king now has Gyunikutama Ramen available too for the winter.Yoshinoya’s big thing is, and always has been, beef bowls, or, as they’re called in Japanese, gyudon. So strong is the connection between Yoshinoya and gyudon that when we were looking at the menu and read “gyu” our brains were almost ready to mentally autofill it to “gyudon.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen, because if it had, we might have missed out on something we don’t expect to find at Yoshinoya: ramen.▼ You can see
One Piece devil fruit ice cream coming back to Baskin-Robbins Japan
Gomu-Gomu Fruit Punch is bouncing back.Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason, the devil fruit from One Piece which we’ll keep calling “Gum-Gum Fruit” for now, looks incredibly appetizing. I first noticed this over a decade ago, when 7-Eleven came out with a Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu-Gomu no Mi) melon pan, and I bought one without hesitation, followed shortly by a second, a third, and…you get the idea.▼ A Gum-Gum FruitMy advice to any food producer is to just make someth
New fish discovered and named “Vanderhorstia supersaiyan” for obvious reasons
Fish possibly caught right after its best friend Krilin was killed.I always imagine one of the most fun things about discovering something new is being able to name it whatever you want. I could be wrong, though. For the people who put all that time and effort into discovering new things, maybe the last thing on their minds is what they’d call it when they finally do find something.But sometimes the right name for a plant or animal just seems to jump right out at you, as it did for a resea
Final Fantasy Chocobo and Dragon Quest Slime street sweets on sale in Tokyo【Taste test】
We head to Shinjuku to encounter these Square Enix video game mascots turned tasty treats.There’s a roasted sweet potato stand called Katsugorou located just two blocks over from Shinjuku Station in downtown Tokyo. Usually, this wouldn’t have such a bearing on me personally, since while Japan does have some really nice sweet potatoes, they aren’t my go-to snack. I’m much more of a taiyaki kind of guy…Ah, now we’re talking! It turns out that Katsugorou has taiyaki too.The tai in taiyaki mea
Number of foreigners studying Japanese in Japan hits record high, but are there enough teachers?
Students studying Japanese as a second language in-country hits historic high, majority of teachers are unpaid volunteers.Global interest in Japan and its culture, both modern and traditional, has never been higher. This is occurring, however, at the same time as another trend in which many are claiming that technology has turned a corner and we can now leave all sorts of previously human-intelligence functions to machines. AI can even communicate for us now, some claim, pushing automated transl
Studio Ghibli puts Blob Men in the spotlight on new T-shirt from streetwear brand GBL
Howl’s Moving Castle antagonists hit the streets in the real world.Studio Ghibli merchandise is largely dedicated to the heroes, heroines, and friendly allies from its films, but on occasion, the antagonists get to make their mark, and that’s what’s happening now with the release of a new Howl’s Moving Castle T-shirt from streetwear brand GBL. The T-shirt evokes the world of Howl’s Moving Castle with dynamic images of the Witch of the Waste and her henchmen, known a
Samarkand hosts first CITES summit in Central Asia, gathering nations for wildlife protection
Delegates will discuss sustainable use of natural resources, ecosystem restoration, and regional cooperation initiatives.
Asia’s growth: Navigating regional opportunities amid global disruption
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) adds another structural layer. The region’s middle class has expanded rapidly, creating ...
Pokémon and hot spring bathhouse collaborate to bring Pokémon to your bath and sauna sessions
Bathhouse just north of Tokyo provides rubber Psyduckies, Ditto sauna stones, and other sights and scents to soothe tired Trainers.The focus of the Pokémon Sleep mobile game/wellness app is, of course, promoting good sleep habits, but that’s all in the service of helping people feel good both mentally and physically. In that sense, Pokémon Sleep shares the same goals as hot spring baths and saunas, which brings us to a collaboration between the game and Japan’s Yunoi Soka Health Center bathhouse
Japan’s buzzword of the year nominees: A great way to learn and be baffled by Japanese vocabulary
We need to tell you to take a look before the new slang of today outruns us all… eh ho eh ho…As you advance in years, it is easy to start marveling at how the world keeps changing, from technology to popular culture. Perhaps one of the most rapidly evolving things is language, with new generations utilizing words in different ways to those in the past, or inventing completely new words. That does mean, however, that it is easy to get shipwrecked by the neverending waves of change, and be left be