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Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after

Senior citizen passes away shortly after being arrested and taken to hospital by police.With cherry blossom season winding down, last Sunday many people were out at Suimeidai Edohigan no Mori, a park in the Hyogo Prefecture town of Kawanishi that’s famous for its many sakura trees. However, all was not peaceful under the boughs covered in springtime flowers, as at some point a woman in her 40s and an 89-year-old man became embroiled in an argument after the woman took issue with some aspect of t

New 7-Eleven sandwich goes viral in Japan, but is it everything it’s cracked up to be?

We find out if this “Greedy Sandwich” with cherry blossom bread tastes as good as it looks.Japanese convenience stores have become famous around the globe for all the great things you can find in them, and right now there’s one item everyone is scrambling to try: the Chocolate Sprinkles & Whipped Cream sandwich.Sold exclusively at 7-Eleven, this new release is the latest in the chain’s big-sized “Greedy Sandwich” line, and ever since it became available on

How to take your home ramen to the next level by making your own chashu pork in a frying pan

If you’ve got a frying pan and some aluminum foil, this kurukuru chashu recipe is ready to revolutionize your home cooking.Whether you’re someone who likes cooking for yourself, don’t have any good restaurants in your neighborhood, or just don’t feel like going out to eat, a bowl of ramen is pretty simple to whip up for yourself. Well…it’s mostly simple.Ramen noodles and soup stock are easy to find at supermarkets, even if you live outside of Japan, and their long shelf life means you can

Deer that appeared in downtown Osaka gets a new home, a new name, and a lot of snacks[Video]

Likely wanderer from Nara Park won’t be going back, but has a new place to live in a hot spring town.Both the business and academic year start in spring in Japan, so right now is what’s known as the shin seikatsu, or “new lifestyle,” season, as new workers and college students move into new commuting-distance homes to start the next chapter of their lives. However, one new Osaka resident who just moved into a new place isn’t a university freshmen or a new corporate recruit, but a deer.Last month

Famous koi ponds overwhelmed with tourists throwing thousands of coins in them

Koi and coins don’t mix.Oshino Hakkai is an idyllic spot nestled in the Fuji Five Lakes region of Yamanashi Prefecture. Traditional thatched-roof buildings are scattered among eight pristine spring-fed ponds. Combined with a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji, it’s a popular tourist spot that attracts people from all over Japan and the world.And for years, they’ve been dealing with a problem, and it only gets worse as foreign tourism increases. That problem is that people from other countries insist o

Peanuts and Coke becomes a viral hit in Japan, but is it a trend worth joining?

“Farmer’s Coke” is having a moment in Japan, and surprising people in the U.S.Things are changing rapidly in the online sphere these days, especially on Twitter, where posts and comments in the timeline can now be automatically translated from other languages in seconds, exposing everyone to more global trends than ever before.Here in Japan, the increased exposure recently led to a huge surge in discussions about “American-style barbecue”, but that has now been over

McDonald’s Japan adds new Hello Kitty and Pompompurin drinks to the menu for a limited time

Sanrio characters add sweetness to first-ever McDonald’s smoothie and frappe collaboration, complete with a Japanese idol commercial. As Japan’s hardest working feline, Hello Kitty’s work is never done, with a long list of companies vying to join forces with her for limited-edition releases that feature her kawaii charm.Now, McDonald’s is enlisting Hello Kitty’s powers for a new collaboration that sees her appearing on a smoothie, which the chain describes as a firs

New Japanese KitKats come in sakura flavour, with poetic symbolism for success

“Sakura saku” literally means “Sakura bloom” but it’s also code for something else. Japanese often feels like a deeply poetic language, where even everyday expressions carry layers of imagery and cultural meaning. A beautiful example is the phrase “sakura saku” (“cherry blossoms bloom”). Beyond its literal meaning, it has long been used to signify success, or passing an exam, evoking the image of blossoms opening in spring as a metaphor for achievement and new begin

7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country

This is one of 7-Eleven Japan’s rarest sweets, but is it worth tracking down?7-Eleven is an ubiquitous part of Japanese cityscapes, but while you’re never too far from a branch of the convenience store, that doesn’t mean that each location has the exact same snack selection. Some 7-Eleven stores also offer the chain’s 7 Cafe Bakery line of baked goods which are finished off by the staff using the oven in-store, making them extra fresh, warm, and delicious. Even out of the branches with the 7 Caf

Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa

Requirement to be added to “jobs in which Japanese is used.”For foreigners wanting to work in Japan, one of the most common paths into the country is through a Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. Among other professions, it’s the visa issued to foreign nationals working as English teachers, either as ALTs at regular schools for Japanese children or at for-adults eikaiwa/conversational English schools.According to a report from nonprofit organization Kyodo, citing sources relate

Japan named most sleep-deprived country for fourth year in a row, according to survey

Look, I’m tired. Just think up your own lede for this, OK?The other day, I was talking to someone I hallucinated about the importance of sleep. In these days, where the world never seems to stop moving, it can be hard to carve out the recommended seven to eight hours a day. We tend to think of this time as wasted, rather than as a crucial function of our body to maintain health.It’s a problem medical equipment makers at ResMed work hard on, and as a way to gauge which countries need to understan

Sailor Moon’s Artemis is part of the Artemis II NASA mission control team[Video]

Celestial themed anime plushie is in the room monitoring the real-world mission to the moon.For the first time in over 50 years, NASA has a manned mission to the moon again with Artemis II. The Artemis name is appropriate for a number of reasons, the most obvious is that its manned-mission predecessor series was also named after a Greek god, Apollo. You could also say that Artemis being the goddess of hunting, and by association having dominion over archery, has similarities with the way the Art

You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain

Cozy Corner unveils a mini-Pokédex’s worth of adorable Pokémon desserts.Variety is the figurative name of the game in the Pokémon franchise. Even if you’re not aiming for full-on caught-em-all Pokémon Master status, any capable trainer knows that it’s important to acquire a Pokémon roster of diverse Types and skill sets, so that you’re prepared for anything that an opponent might throw out against you in battle.And you knew where else diversity can be extremely desirable? Desserts.Japanese baker

Japan’s full-facemask Ninja Parka still lets you eat ice cream[Photos]

Perfect for the shinobi who wants to stay out of the sun and snack on sweets.Japanese clothing brand Sara’s catalog includes a zip-up hoodie that’s officially named the “Perfect Parka.” The company also uses a second name they use for the garment, perhaps because perfection is a subjective concept, or maybe because they realize that when people see it, they’re naturally going to call it the “Ninja Parka.”The true purpose of the Ninja Parka, though, isn’t chic shinobi style. It’s to provide prote

Animal Crossing plushie pouch towels and cozy socks show up at Family Mart convenience stores

Family Mart’s celebration of the Nintendo series continues with fuzzy, useful, and, most importantly, cute merch.The villagers of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing video game series recently moved into new dwellings: Family Mart. We recently took a look at the line of Animal Crossing cosmetics that are part of the collaboration, but even if you’re not in the market for moisturizer or an adorable lipstick holder case, there are still ways to get in on the fun with some soft, cozy, and functional merch.T

Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations

Even the massively popular coffee chain itself wasn’t expecting such a positive response, prompting temporary closure less than half a year after opening.It was with great fanfare that, in November, Starbucks Japan opened its first-ever branch on a Shinkansen station platform. With the coffeehouse chain popular all over Japan, the idea of a branch right where travelers board the bullet train, so that they can sip their Starbucks as they zip around the country, made a lot of sense.However, scarce

Beautiful Ghibli earrings allow you to finally reunite two of the studio’s star-crossed lovers

This Whisper of the Heart couple can finally have the happy ending they never got in the anime.With a main character who’s an aspiring novelist, it’s fitting that Whisper of the Heart is a Ghibli anime film that has stories within its stories. One of those involves the Baron, a cat figurine in an antique shop that sparks the imagination of protagonist Shizuku, and which serves as a symbol of how young love comes with no guarantees, as the Baron has become separated from its companion piece, Loui

Can a downtown Tokyo super sento bathhouse beat a hotel for a one-night stay?

Does the morning sauna make up for a night of communal snoring?With Tokyo hotel prices increasing due to the tourism boom, both domestic and international travelers are often left on the hunt for budget-friendly alternatives. While capsule hotels and internet cafes are fairly well-known, there is another gem that you can find within the city: the super sento.A super sento is essentially a leveled-up Japanese public bathhouse, often being a multi-story wellness theme park featuring diverse hot sp

Licca-chan dolls released in North America for first time in nearly 60 years

Huge in Japan but rarely seen outside of it.Back in 1967, Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy (then just “Takara” and currently just “TOMY” in Western countries) developed their own fashion doll, similar to Mattel’s wildly successful Barbies in the US but more suited to Japanese tastes. It proved to be an overnight success and sold so well that it caused Mattel to all but give up marketing Barbie in Japan, clearing the way for Licca-chan to become a household name here.Over the next 29 years, Li

Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights

Skipping the regular Family Mart buns for these substitutes transforms Famichiki into something even more magical.Convenience is obviously a big part of why we find ourselves inside of Japan’s convenience stores as often as we do. But while they’re stocked with plenty of things that are perfectly tasty and completely ready to be eaten, sometimes foodies discover a way to put just a little more effort into a convenience store meal to make it even more delicious.One of the latest trends in the Jap