Twentythree

Can you please pass the soy sauce, No Face?

Explicit exposition has never really been Studio Ghibli’s thing, but even by their standards, No Face’s character arc is an impressive case. Without saying a single word of dialogue, we watch the Spirited Away scene-stealer go from covetous to considerate over the course of the film, learning that there’s more to life than a cycle of gorging and coercing people with regurgitated pricy baubles.

By the time the movie ends, No Face has become a sympathetic, even heartwarming character, and his new life as a generous, helpful sort can continue in your kitchen in the form of a cute and classy No Face soy sauce dispenser.

The porcelain bottle stands 10.8 centimeters (4.3 inches) tall, with its glaze catching the light in a hazy way evocative of the indistinct nature of No Face’s physical form within the anime.

Instead of pouring from the very top of the bottle, the soy sauce comes out of No Face’s extended arm, which is crafted to bring to mind his on-screen posing.

A silicone seal helps keep the connection between the two parts of the bottle snug and secure, and separating them also makes for easy cleaning of the inside.

While this is technically classified as a soy sauce dispenser by Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, you could use it to hold whatever liquid you want (although the modest diameter of the opening means that thick condiments or lotions probably won’t flow too easily through it). And if your diet isn’t all that saucy, there’s always the option of using the bottle for decorative purposes like a very unique anime figure.

While the No Face soy sauce dish shown in the above photo is sold out, the soy sauce dispenser is back at Donguri Kyowakoku following a recent restock, and can be ordered through the chain’s online store here, priced at 2,640 yen (US$17). Just be careful not to spill any sauce on your new Totoro necktie.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku, Studio Ghibli
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Stay salty, everybody.

Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most exciting neighborhoods. Between world-famous tourism landmarks like the statue of faithful dog Hachiko and the scramble intersection, plus shopping options from iconic stores like fashion mecca 109 and Nintendo Tokyo, there’s a lot to see and do in this part of downtown, and if you’re visiting this summer you might want to stop by the Shibuya Ward Office too and grab a little something to eat.

No, this isn’t another semi-secret ward office cafeteria we’re talking about. Instead, the Shibuya Ward Office is giving out free sodium tablets as of June 1.

Shibuya Ward’s goal isn’t to promote snacking, though. The complimentary salt tablets are part of Good Sweat Shibuya Action, a multi-faceted public awareness campaign aimed at dealing with the high heat and humidity that come with summer in Japan. While it might not be as much of an issue in countries with higher salt intakes in their daily diets, in Japan profuse sweating leading to dangerously low levels of sodium in the body is a legitimate concern for many people, with supplements for replenishing sodium and other vital minerals lost during perspiration, such as Kabaya Foods Corporation’s Enbun Charge Tablets being sold in pharmacies and convenience stores.

However, not everyone carries a supply of tablets on them, and as the effects of heat stroke can sneak up on people, Enbun Charge Tablets are now being offered free of charge at the Shibuya Ward Office. Anyone who wants one can simply grab a tablet from the box located in the second-floor atrium of the building.

▼ The Shibuya Ward Office is just one black away from the Shibuya Parco shopping center, which houses the Nintendo Tokyo and Shibuya Pokémon Center stores.

▼ A banner announcing the free Enbun Charge (塩分チャージ)

Boxes of free sodium tablets will also be placed at 29 other locations in Shibuya Ward, primarily libraries, public gyms/sports facilities, medical centers, and government offices, tying into the ward’s initiative to promote “cool sharing spots,” climate-controlled common-use areas where a large number of people can cool off in a more aggregately energy-efficient manner than simultaneously running their own home air conditioning units.

As the tablets are individually wrapped, there’s no need to use them right away, so swinging by the ward office and grabbing one to keep on hand for later in the day is an option too.

Source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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Mr. Sato steps into the SoraKitchen with a bold idea.

Food, as a broad topic, is pretty much always on our mind here at SoraNews24, but recently our ace reporter Mr. Sato found himself thinking about toast sandwiches in particular. Like many people who grew up outside the U.K., Mr. Sato initially found the concept of a sandwich where the inside and outside are made of the same thing to be kind of bizarre. And yet, the toast sandwich has been part of British cuisine for more than 150 years, so it must have a lot of fans, right?

As a matter of fact, we’ve got at least one of those fans among our born-in-Japan staff, as Mr. Sato’s colleague K. Masami made and taste-tested a toast sandwich a while back, and found it very tasty.

▼ Masami doesn’t spend all of her time drinking Frappuccinos.

And it’s not like Japan has anything against carbs, what with rice being the national dietary staple. So this got Mr. Sato thinking…could he create the Japanese food equivalent to the U.K.’s toast sandwich?

The first thing that came to mind for a rice-rice combo was okayu rice, made by pouring okayu (rice porridge) over steamed rice.

However, okayu rice had two strikes against it. First, okayu itself is generally something you’re supposed to eat when you’re sick, whereas toast sandwiches are more of a straight comfort food. Second, the idea of okayu rice was already floated in Kyukyoku Chojin R, a somewhat obscure gag manga from the ‘80s. That means okayu rice already had it’s chance to become a thing, and so Mr. Sato, bold pioneer that he is, wanted to try something else.

And what he decided to try is a rice onigiri, or rice rice ball.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this could be Japan’s toast sandwich, because in addition to regular rice balls, Japan also loves toasted rice balls, which are called yakionigiri. Feeling fired up about his idea, Mr. Sato fired up his rice cooker and made a pot of white rice.

He then set aside a portion of it to use for the outer sections of his rice rice ball. That left the rest to become the toasted filling, to which Mr. Sato added soy sauce and then formed into triangles.

After heating some sesame oil in a frying pan, he put the rice in to let it flat grill. This step felt a lot like cooking up some hamburger patties, especially when he flipped the rice rice and gave it a press with his spatula on each side to create crispness on the surface.

After taking his toasted rice out of the pan and letting it cool for a bit, the only thing left to do was to slap it between upper and lower layers of untoasted white rice…

…and his toasted rice rice ball was done!

Taking a bite, he was met by the inviting fluffiness of the untoasted rice, and as he passed through it the fragrant, savory saltiness of the toasted rice emanated from within, which in turn helped draw out more of the untoasted rice’s natural sweetness.

It was, simply put, delicious, but Mr. Sato already has some ideas to help the toasted rice rice ball achieve even more of its potential. For starters, he realized that if he formed the for-filling rice first and spread the soy sauce across it with a brush, the sauce would be distributed more uniformly and help the rice toast more evenly. He’s also thinking of swapping out the soy sauce and using miso paste instead, which would add some extra complexity to the flavor and texture.

For now, though, he’s very happy with how his Japanese-version toast sandwich turned out, and recommends trying it for yourself too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Intense summer heat means new safety rules and ice-cold drinks.

Summer in Japan is popular for many things, from festivals and fireworks to delicious and refreshing treats, but there is also another undeniable aspect to the season: it gets pretty hot. In fact, in recent times with consistently high temperatures, the Japan Meteorological Agency officially introduced a new term to refer to days that reach over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), meaning that working outside this summer is not likely to be an easy feat. So, Japan Post has announced an update on how they will be looking to keep their hard-working staff safe as they strive to deliver mail in a timely manner.

The Ministry of the Environment utilizes a heat index called WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) to issue safety warnings, which will be referenced by Japan Post’s new policy to determine their course of action. Under this policy, if a “Heatstroke Special Alert” is issued (when the index is predicted to hit 35 degrees Celsius [95 degrees Fahrenheit]), all outdoor deliveries and collections by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, and pushcart will be temporarily suspended to protect workers. Additionally, on standard “Heatstroke Alert” days (with the index at 33 or above) or when the temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius, local postmasters can shift the delivery windows to completely avoid the hottest afternoon hours.

For the general public, this doesn’t have a significant impact, with general mail being a little slower to arrive. However, if you’ve selected a specific time slot for a package delivery on an intensely hot day, particularly around midday, there is a possibility that it might arrive later than scheduled on the same day or on a later date.

▼ Just show a little patience, instead of reaching for your phone to complain.

To make these gruelling outdoor shifts more comfortable, Japan Post is also allowing some extra gear to be worn, so you might see your local mail carriers rocking some cool sunglasses, neck coolers or fan-equipped vests.

Mail carriers are now officially encouraged to take quick hydration stops at convenience stores during their route, so don’t be surprised if you see a postal worker stopping in for a brief breather and grabbing a refreshing beverage.

This summer, if your mail happens to take a slightly more relaxed route on a blazing afternoon, don’t get too worked up. Sit back, crank up the air conditioning, and enjoy a cold drink, because your delivery is still safely on its way, being carried by a team that is also looking to stay cool and hydrated.

Source: Impress Watch via Yahoo Japan via Hachima Kikou
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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Super Happy! Challenge gives us two unforgettable products that deserve a place in convenience store history.

If you’re hungry and in the mood to try convenience store food, Lawson is the place to go right now as the chain is currently upsizing some of its most popular products for free.

▼ Popular items in the “Super Happy! Challenge” lineup include oversized versions of onigiri, sandwiches, and the Premium Roll Cake.

In amongst the offerings are two surprises we weren’t expecting, and rather than being happy to see them, we had a hunch they might be too extreme for anyone’s liking.

▼ The “Too Sour” Salted Lemonade (228 yen [US$1.43]) and the “Too Sweet” Drinkable Chilled Zenzai (298 yen).

According to Lawson’s official website, the Too Sour version of the chain’s Salted Lemonade contains twice as much lemon juice as the previous version, while the Too Sweet version of the Drinkable Chilled Zenzai is made with twice as much red bean paste as the original product.

▼ Zenzai is is a traditional Japanese sweet made from sweetened red beans and usually served with mochi (rice cakes).

Reading the descriptions alone, it’s hard to tell just how extreme these drinks really are, so our reporter P.K. Sanjun bought both the regular and upsized versions of each for a taste test back in the office.

▼ Starting with the regular Salted Lemonade, it wasn’t especially sour – in fact, it tasted more like a lightly salted lemonade than anything intensely citrusy.

Then he took a sip of the Too Sour Salted Lemonade…

▼ Waaaaa!

P.K. could hardly get his words out, but when he finally unpuckered his lips he managed to say, “Wow. This stuff is unbelievable.“

It wasn’t just that it was more sour – the entire flavor profile felt completely different. To try and describe it, P.K. says it’s like tasting the difference between water and tea and then tasting the difference between water and cola, which is where the Too Sour Lemonade sits. The taste, texture and intensity is on a whole other scale compared to the regular version.

▼ It was so intense he couldn’t even finish the drink, so he moved on to the regular Drinkable Chilled Zenzai.

It had a pleasantly balanced sweetness that was fairly refined and P.K. had absolutely no complaints about the flavour. Then he took a sip of the Too Sweet Drinkable Chilled Zenzai…

▼ Tooooooo sweeeeeet!!!!!!!!

The sweetness was absolutely relentless. It was the kind of sweetness that burns its way down your throat in an aggressive manner and it was so strong that P.K. dare not take another sip.

After trying the drinks, P.K. was surprised to find that in both cases, he actually preferred the original versions. They felt more balanced and, frankly, more enjoyable to drink.

▼ P.K. gives both of these two thumbs down.

Although the drinks themselves were too extreme for P.K.’s palate, he was impressed by Lawson’s marketing. In choosing to go overboard with the sourness and sweetness levels, this campaign serves to highlight just how good the original versions are. It also proves that you really can have too much of a good thing, and so sometimes, just sometimes, upsizing your favourite products or flavours may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Everyone’s palate is different, though, so if you’d like to test yours against the extreme ends of the spectrum, the drinks will be on shelves for a limited four-week period from 2 June.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Critical Hit-flavor ice cream and Mimic containers among the sweet adventures waiting at Baskin-Robbins.

Generally speaking, customers wouldn’t be happy to see slimes at the restaurants and sweets shops they visit. But just like your kindergarten teacher told you, capitalization is important, and so the appearance of Slimes at Baskin-Robbins Japan is a cause for joy across the nation.

Yes, the mascot monsters of the Dragon Quest video game franchise have drawn near to Thirty-One, as Baskin-Robbins is known to fans in Japan. Among the treats that made their debut on June 1 is the Slimes Draw Near Ice Cream Cake.

This 11.5-centimeter (4.5-inch) diameter cake features a two-tiered Slime Island with edible frosting Slimes, decorative paper ones, and a command window-style chocolate plate with a message of your choice written on it (the one in the above photo announces “Papa has reached level 31!”). The cake’s interior is made up of four different flavors of ice cream: Double Chocolate, Caramel Ribbon, Strawberry, and Popping Shower, the last of which is so deeply loved in Japan that Baskin-Robbins had to remove it from the voting in their popularity polls.

Arriving at the same time as the Slime cake is a new ice cream flavor called Critical Hit Golden Pineapple Lemonade (or Kaishin no Ichigeki Golden Pine Lemonade in Japanese) that tips its hat to Dragon Quest’s RPG gameplay mechanics.

The looks here are a little deceiving, as the sky-blue sorbet here isn’t the Ramune/Blue Hawaii flavor usually associated with this color in Japan, but instead is a lemonade-flavor sorbet, while the yellow is golden pineapple sorbet. The “critical hit” comes from the red ribbons of sour lemon flavor and the mixed-in pieces of Baskin-Robbins Japan’s newly crafted pachishuwa/“fizzy popping” candies, giving this refreshing new ice cream flavor a stimulating kick too.

▼ The introductory video even features the Dragon Quest critical hit sound effect, plus pop-up damage scores of 31, 310, and 3,131.

Of course, Baskin-Robbins’ whole deal is that they have a bunch of different flavors, and if you’re in the mood for far more than just one, there’s a Dragon Quest 40th Set (since this year is Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary) that puts eight ice cream flavors of your choice inside a Mimic. Each flavor comes in a special cup with Dragon Quest overworld map pixel artwork, and the bundle also includes a Popping Shower Slime keychain.

▼ In order to lure in gold-seeking adventurers, Mimics usually disguise themselves as treasure chests, but here in the real world is there any container more tempting than a box filled with ice cream?

And finally, for those focused enough to only need one scoop of ice cream, or perhaps those cultured enough to always want whipped cream and sprinkles, there’s the A Slime Draws Near Battle Sundae, which includes one of 10 random decorative character illustrations.

The Battle Sundae is priced at 580 yen (US$3.75), the Slime cake 4,300 yen, and the Mimic box 3,000 or 3,500 yen, depending on whether you choose small or regular-sized scoops of ice cream. The Dragon Quest collaboration is scheduled to run until June 30.

Source: Baskin-Robbins Japan via Otakomu
Top image: Baskin-Robbins Japan
Insert images: Baskin-Robbins Japan (1, 2, 3)
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You can haul back thousands of yen worth of ramen, rice, and snacks for a fraction of the price.

Expanding its reach with additional sub-brands, one of Japan’s big-three convenience stores, Lawson, opened the doors to L Minimart, its first “mini supermarket”, on May 28 in Kodaira, Tokyo. Excited to learn more about what this new brand will entail, our Japanese-language reporter Mr. Sato joined the crowd of the roughly 200 people who wanted to be among the first to step through the store’s doors on the day of its opening.

Mr. Sato arrived early enough that he was able to line up, peruse the store, and complete his shopping without any significant wait time or issues, but by the time he was wrapping up his visit, other prospective customers were being told that they would likely have a one-hour wait to enter.

As Mr. Sato walked back from the store to the nearest train station (Kodaira Station), he couldn’t help but look down at some of his recent purchases. In commemoration of the opening, he discovered the store was selling two types of lucky bags, also known as fukubukuro: one full of food and the other stuffed with snacks, and both priced at 1,080 yen (US$6.76) per bag.

Longtime readers may be familiar with our annual report on the New Year’s fukubukuro that go on sale at all manner of stores in Japan, but they’re not an uncommon sight to see throughout the year too, particularly if the store is involved in some sort of celebration or campaign.

A lot of times when good deals like these crop up, the amount of bags that each customer can purchase is limited, so Mr. Sato was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were no official limits in place. However, he soon realized one of the unwritten limits: your arm strength.

▼ Mr. Sato only picked up one of each.

While the snack bag wasn’t so bad, the food one slowly began to feel like an iron block hanging at the end of his arm, leaving him to adjust his grip regularly, and making him pretty tired after the whole ordeal was over. He couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like for customers who are more advanced in age, and how they might struggle to haul their lucky bag back to their houses.

Arriving home, he quickly stepped on the scales for a base reading, before picking up the food lucky bag, filled with curiosity. How heavy was it exactly?

It turned out that the bag weighed an impressive 3.3 kilograms (7.3 pounds), so it was no wonder he was feeling a little drained.

Spreading out the contents of the bag, he discovered that there were a total of 15 items:

1.  Ciscorn Frost Cereal – 421 yen
2. Hakubaku Fragrant Barley Tea (52 bags) – 270 yen

3. Acecook Super Cup Sauce Yakisoba – 259 yen
4. Acecook Seaweed Ramen – 254 yen
5. Kyusyu Sanpodo Kurumeshi Ramen – 254 yen
6. Myojo Hyobanya Salt Yakisoba – 159 yen
7. Kyusyu Sanpodo Nagasaki Champon – 254 yen

8. Hachi Shokuhin Tappuri Carbonara – 226 yen
9. Hachi Shokuhin Tappuri Meat Sauce – 226 yen
10. Ajinomoto Marudorigara Soup – 400 yen
11. Mama Hayayude FineFast Four Minutes – 320 yen
12. House Shokuhin Curry-ya Curry (Medium Spice) – 130 yen

13. Sato no Gohan New Standard Microwaveable Rice – 307 yen
14. Sato no Gohan Microwaveable Rice – 200 yen
15. Ajinomoto Pure Select Rich and Tasty 65 Percent Calorie Cut Mayonnaise – 280 yen

Just a single fukubukuro contained food worth an impressive 3,960 yen, making for a saving of 2,880 yen.

The snack bag also contained 15 items:

1. Kameda Seika Kotsubukko Bitter Caramel Rice Snack – 216 yen
2. Lotte Pie no Mi Share Pack – 300 yen
3. Ginbis Shimi Choco Corn Matcha – 328 yen

4. Yamazaki Biscuit Chip Star Lightly Salted – 100 yen
5. Morinaga Seika Pote-long Salt Flavor – 110 yen
6. Pringles Consomme and Onion – 160 yen

7. Iwatsuka Seika Black Soybean Rice Crackers – 260 yen
8. Hizatsuki Shrimp Rice Crackers – 200 yen
9. Yamayoshi Seika Wasabeef Potato Chips – 160 yen
10. Nissin Coconut Sable Cookies – 162 yen
11. Kasugai Xylicrystal Milk-Mint Candies – 200 yen
12. Fujiya Ginza Kamadashi Cheesecake – 300 yen

13. Tohato Poteko Tasty Salt Flavor Potato Ring Snack– 173 yen
14. Koikeya Sour Mucho Chips Refreshing Plum Flavor – 140 yen
15. Oyatsu Company Baby Star Giant Ramen Scorched Soy Sauce Scented Festival Stall’s Grilled Corn Flavor – 152 yen

Totaling 2,961 yen, the whopping grand total of the food’s worth is 6,921 yen, which meant a saving of 4,761 yen.

Having paid just 2,160 yen for the two bags, the results were well worth the money spent.

While many people have likely missed out on the opportunity to go and purchase one of these lucky bags, it appears that L Minimart has plans to open more stores in the future, with one coming to Itabashi, Tokyo, on June 12, and another to Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, on June 26, so when one happens to open up near you, be sure to grab these lucky bags.

Store Information
L Minimart Kodaira Nakamichi-ten / Lミニマート 小平仲町店
Address: Tokyo-to, Kodaira-shi, Nakamachi 251, Excellence
東京都小平市仲町251エクセレンス
Open: 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.

Related: L Minimart
Photos ©SoraNews24
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