Entries tagged with 'Japan'
Page 4 of 13
“You are the Taishou! Taishou! The owner who won't refuse any press interviews. The cat who makes ramen noodles,” as the theme song goes. Based on a Japanese comic book that later turned into an anime series, Neko Rahmen Taishō is an upcoming film about an angry-looking kitty named Taishou who becomes a ramen master. He uses his skills to create an array of weird dishes: canned cat food (adored by a food critic in one episode); dessert ramen with soy sauce, strawberries, and milk; and ramen composed of partially rotten ingredients. On a more appetizing note, his miso ramen, the favorite of his main customer, appeared a bit safer. The movie, directed by Minoru Kawasaki and released in Japan...
Continue reading »
Photograph by .mands. on Flickr Fewer Japanese people can get skinny these days. With bananas the hot new diet trend, it's hard to keep them stocked. Over the last year, the Japanese division of Dole has increased shipments by 25-percent, but still fails to keep up. The Banana Diet regimen includes: a raw banana and glass of room-temperature water for breakfast, then basically anything thereafter, except sweets and limited alcohol. Once Asian celebrities started endorsing the banana diet, the yellow fruit got hot. If you're eating a banana right now, you're probably not in Japan....
Continue reading »
It's official. Monkeys can do a better job waiting on tables than some humans. What, you don't believe me? Watch these videos. The first one has proper British narration that, in fact, explains a lot. The second has no narration. It's a purer form of monkey business. I so want a monkey to bring me a hot towel the next time I go to a bar. Don't you? Animal rights activists, take note: The monkeys only work two hours a day. If they work more, they must get a banana break every thirty minutes. Watch both, after the jump....
Continue reading »
What does a student-teacher brawl involving launched chalk missiles with Matrix-like martial arts moves and music have to do with dairy? After watching it four times, I still don't really know. But maybe somebody out there wants to drink milk and eat cheese after watching this. Video, after the jump....
Continue reading »
I'm tempted to cuddle some of these adorable bento boxes, but then I'd be covered in rice, ham bits, chopped egg, and other things that would go better in my belly. My favorites are the kitty who wants a tummy rub and the aburaage stuffed with sleepy animals. Related Bento Boxes on Flickr Budget Bento Ideas And the Winner Is ... a Frog...
Continue reading »
Photograph from JoshBerglund19 on Flickr Really, Japan? The nation already has the largest number of vending machines per capita (about one for every 23 people) and won't even stop at eggs. According to witness Josh Berglund, this one is refrigerated and refilled regularly by nearby farmers, with each compartment selling 10-12 eggs for 300 yen (roughly $3). Since part of the vending machine experience is watching purchased items take that daredevil free fall, this one doesn't really seem fair. [via Wired] Previously Incredible Japanese Vending Machines Coca-Cola Vending Machine Robot in Japan...
Continue reading »
Image from news.dengeki.com To help promote the video game Mega Man 9 (or Rockman 9 in Japan)—the latest edition in the Mega Man series—a special energy drink will be released this month in Japan. The Rockman E-Tank Sports Drink pays homage to the E-Tanks used to refill your energy bar in the game. The drink will retail for 137 yen (or $1.25 in U.S. dollars). The new game, in all its retro 8-bit glory, will be released on Playstation 3 (on the Playstation network), Xbox 360 (on Xbox Live Arcade), and Nintendo Wii (on WiiWare). Watch the game trailer after the jump. [via Kotaku]...
Continue reading »
Photographs from Ruby Roman and Chunichi If you love grapes and have a lot of money to blow, go to Japan and try the new variety of Ruby Roman grapes. A bunch of them just sold for 100,000 yen (about $920) at an auction in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. For a 35-grape bunch, that's about $26 per grape, which can grow as large as three centimeters in diameter. The buyer, local upscale hotel Kagaya Inn, gave two grapes to each of their select customers staying in their best rooms. [via Neatorama]...
Continue reading »
Sake is experiencing a serious decline in Japan these days. Thanks to a dietary shift from fish and rice towards meat and dairy, as well as a decision made in the 1980s by the country's tax agency to stop issuing new brewing licenses, the Japanese consume a third as much sake today as they did thirty years ago. Now they tend to opt for imported wine or a fiery local spirit called shochu. Nonetheless, sake is undergoing a renaissance elsewhere, most notably the U.S. About a third of all sake exports go to the States, and even the finicky French are hopping on the rice wine craze. Sake brewers are hoping that Japanese consumers will soon take a cue from...
Continue reading »
Since eel is supposed to give you an energy boost, the Japanese encourage eating lots of it during the summer to combat natsubate, or heat lethargy. In fact, there's even a specific day called Doyo Ushi no Hi during late-July, when temperatures are at their hottest, dedicated to eating unagi, or grilled eels. So leave it to the country who bats nary an eyelash at strange flavor combinations to come up with eel soda. Called Unagi Nobori (which translates to "Surging Eel"), the beverage contains eel extract and vitamins commonly found in eel. Yellow in color, the carbonated drink apparently has a similar taste to unagi. It's like an energy drink and liquid meal hybrid!...
Continue reading »
