World Offshore Week 2026 Brings Asia's Offshore Oil, Energy and Marine Sectors Together in Singapore
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Suntanned Hello Kitty steals the show in Japanese magazine’s Sanrio freebies
Proof that magazines in Japan are unlike anywhere else in the world.One thing we love about magazines in Japan is the amount and quality of freebies that often come attached to them. That’s certainly the case with the August issue of Sweet magazine, which comes packed with limited-edition Sanrio goods featuring characters in their popular suntanned designs.The standard edition of the magazine, priced at 1,790 yen (US$12.20), comes with a three-piece “Suntanned Sanrio Characters” summ
Piko Taro is back to rock your world with bizarre new Super Cup ice cream video
Legendary performer now has a new song about combining some other forbidden things.It’s been a while since we last saw Piko Taro, the leopard-print loving persona of Japanese entertainer Kazuhito Kosaka who took the world by storm with his viral global hit “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”. Wherever he’s been hiding, it seems he hasn’t lost his love of combining things, because now he’s back on the scene with a new video encouraging us to stir chocolate biscuits into tubs of ice cream.For this outing, t
Survey shows foreigners’ desire to work in Japan long-term dropping, but that’s not the whole story
Annual study finds sharp decline in interest among foreign residents to stick around for the long haul, but it’s probably leaving out some differing voices.These days, Japan is more popular than ever with international tourists, and that trend doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. However, the recently released results of an annual survey shows that a big shift may be occurring in terms of how attractive a country Japan is for foreign nationals to live in.Every year, Tokyo-based job-h
InfoComm Asia 2026 - Asia's Super Connector for Professional AV - Takes Place Next Week in Bangkok
InfoComm Asia 2026, Asia's premier exhibition and summit for Professional Audiovisual (Pro AV) and integrated experience technologies, returns to the ...
World Offshore Week 2026 Brings Asia's Offshore Oil, Energy and Marine Sectors Together in Singapore
Free visitor registration is now open for the 4th Annual World Offshore Week, the #1 Meeting Place for the Offshore Oil, ...
Furby is now a sexy anime girl figure[Photos]
Kotobukiya gives the ‘90s robo-pet a Bishoujo makeover.As one of Japan’s top manufacturers of anime and video game figures, Kotobukiya is no stranger to attractive characters. However, sometimes Kotobukiya’s designers perceive cute or playfully sexy sides to their muses that the rest of us might not be able to perceive. There was that time, for example, when Kotobukiya turned the Transformers’ Optimus Prime and Megatron into anime girl-style figures, and now they’re taking inspiration from a dif
Family Mart changes its Famichiki packaging for the first time in nine years
Japan’s beloved convenience store fried chicken is getting a new look, but “I am Chicken” is nowhere to be seen.When it comes to iconic Japanese convenience store foods, Famichiki is right up there amongst the all-time favourites. The boneless piece of fried chicken has long been the bestselling hot snack at convenience store chain Family Mart, and instantly recognisable by its distinctive packaging, which has the humorous phrase “I am Chicken” printed on it, with bright yellow stripes.▼ N
3-second salt company jingle becomes #1 karaoke song in Japan across all genres
Everyone’s feeling a little salty this summer.It’s often said that as technology gets faster and faster, our attention span shrinks in response. TikTok feeds condition millions of people to…Hey, where are you going? OK, fine. I’ll get to the point.Major Japanese karaoke service provider Joysound released their weekly ranking for the first week of July, and surprised everyone with the announcement that a 3-second jingle for a brand of table salt was the most sung track of all tracks in the
Japan’s Hormuz-triggered black-and-white potato chip bags regain some, but not all, color
Calbee’s potato chips and shrimp chips get partway back to normal as war in Iran drags on.For the past several months, much of the world has been getting an unpleasant geography reminder about the importance of the Strait of Hormuz. But while it seems like even casually glancing at a map should have been an indicator that the U.S.-led war in Iran was going to disrupt global shipping, it was harder for the average person to see just how widespread the effects would be, such as forcing changes in
Three new starter Pokémon Jets to fly in Japan, first begins carrying passengers this month
30 years after the releases of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, travelers in Japan can ride on the Red, Green, and Blue Pokémon Jets.As Pokémon level up, their stats increase and they learn new attacks and techniques. However, their Type won’t change unless they evolve into a different species. So, for example, while a weak Bulbasaur can become a stronger Bulbasaur, there’s no way for it to become a Flying-type Bulbasaur.At least, there aren’t any Flying Bulbasaurs within the Pokémon video games an
McDonald’s Japan reveals new Pokémon collaboration range, covering McNuggets and lucky bags
Huge new campaign has us catching ’em all, all summer long. Today, McDonald’s Japan revealed the first two releases from its massive “Pokémon Summer McDonald’s” collaboration, which is being held to celebrate two major milestones: the fast-food chain’s 55th anniversary in Japan and Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.The joint promotion, dubbed “Pokémon Summer Mac”, is described as McDonald’s Japan’s biggest-ever collaboration with a single partner, and it consists of four special releases spread a
Solid gold Hedorah kaiju from the Godzilla series is now available to pre-order
Made of solid gold, this slime monster is a sound investment.It was in 1971 that everyone’s favorite radioactive iguana faced off with one of its more iconic foes, the pollution monster Hedorah. It proved to be a tough fight for Godzilla as Hedorah’s sludge-like body was highly resistant to most attacks.▼ He could also turn into a flying slime ship, which bothered Godzilla to no end.This classic match is now celebrating its 55th year, and what better way to celebrate such an anniversary than wit
Godiva Japan is now offering two Chocolixirs for the price of one, and here’s how to get them
Luxury chocolatier serves up a very sweet deal for its 100th birthday.Godiva is known for its premium chocolates…and its premium prices. So when the chain announced it would be running a two-for-one ice cream campaign at participating stores in June, we couldn’t quite believe it.▼ Yet, lo and behold, when we stopped by a store to take up the offer, we were indeed given two ice creams for the price of one.When the campaign ended on 30 June, we didn’t think we would ever see the likes of it again,
Hollywood live-action Naruto movie announces global search for its Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Believe it! The Hollywood Naruto is finally ready to look for its live-action ninja stars.You could be forgiven for forgetting that there was a Hollywood live-action adaptation of Naruto supposedly in the works. It’s been close to a decade since the Naruto: Shippuden anime TV series ended, and the manga’s conclusion is even farther back in the past. Even spinoff/sequel Boruto’s anime aired its last episode three years ago (though its manga version is still ongoing).So it’d be totally understanda
Foreign tourists staying in one part of Japan can now get nightly government hotel discounts
As of this month, exploring off the beaten path in Kyushu can save you a whole lot of cash.Japan’s unprecedented inbound international tourism boom has a number of causes, including critical masses of global interest in Japanese pop entertainment, traditional culture, and cuisine. It also can’t be understated that with the value of the yen having plummeted over the past few years, for foreign tourists Japan is the best travel bargain it’s been in more than a generation.But even with travel to Ja
Set sail on top of a giant pirate ship to watch Japan’s summer fireworks
Why fight the landlubbers on shore for a decent view when you can take to the waters of Lake Ashi for a crowd-free festival?Combining “summer” and “Japan” together, most people will think of one of three things: high humidity, insufferable mosquitoes, or summer festivals. One of the ways that Japanese people love to enjoy their summer festivals is with stunning fireworks displays, which draw crowds of thousands of people out of their houses to lakesides and riverbanks for a spectacle of color. T
Giant Mewtwo statue disappears from real-life Pokémon Center in Japan, may be headed to America
Shibuya’s Mewtwo escapes and has been “spotted” on the other side of the Pacific.There are Pokémon Center superstores in various parts of Japan, but each one has its own special representative Pokémon, prominently displayed at the entrance. So since the opening of the Shibuya Pokémon Center in downtown Tokyo in 2019, the first Pocket Monster that visitors see is Mewtwo.With Mewtwo having a Pokédex-listed height of 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches), the one at the Shibuya Pokémon Center is essentially
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
With fitting rooms, an official mascot and a takeaway stand, this is not your average Japanese convenience store.Competition between Japan’s top three convenience stores, 7-Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart, is always fierce, but now Family Mart is setting itself apart by opening a brand new flagship store that’s more like a futuristic tourist destination.Called Famima Park Azabudai, with Azabudai being the store’s Tokyo location, this new flagship takes the convenience store concept and reinvents
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
The original Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue were in black and white, so these Uniqlo tees are too.The mainline Pokémon video games customarily release as a differently subtitled pair. This tradition goes all the way back to the very first games in the series, 1996’s Pokémon Red and Green, or Pokémon Red and Blue for the international release two years later.Ironically, though, while the different versions were designated by different colors in their titles, those very first Pokémon games’ graphics