Twentythree

You can’t celebrate 30 years of Pokémon without 30 years of starters, plus a few more Pocket Monster all-stars.

The Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and the latest partner in the birthday party is McDonald’s Japan, who’s just announced that brand-new Pokémon Happy Meals featuring 30 different Pokémon species are on the way.

In what’s become its standard style for big-name collaborations, McDonald’s will be releasing the Pokémon Happy Meals in three rounds. Six different toys will be available in the first, six more in the second, and then any of the 12 could be included in Happy Meals in round three. The toys will represent all 27 starter Pokémon that have appeared across the games’ nine generations so far, face-of-the-franchise Pikachu, Eevee, and Snorlax (who’s also getting time in the spotlight these days at the Pokémon Sleep event going on in Yokohama).

Round one kicks off with disc-shooting, ring toss, spinner, and rolling toys for the Kanto (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle), Johto (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile), Hoenn (Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip), Sinnoh (Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup), and Unova (Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott) starters. The Pikachu Poké Ball Roller is part of this group too, with Pikachu adorably wagging his tail back and forth as you push the ball forward.

Round two brings with it more spinners and shooters for the Kalos (Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie), Alola (Rowlet, Litten, Popplio), Galar (Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble), and Paldea (Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly) region starters, as well as the Eevee Poké Ball Roller…

…and Snorlax Name Tag, which you can clip to your or anyplace else where you want to simultaneously deliver the messages “This belongs to me” and “I love the sleepiest Pokémon.”

▼ There’s space underneath なまえ (“name”) for you to write your name.

The Pokémon 30th anniversary Happy Meals come after last month’s McDonald’s Japan Summer Chance Bag, which included items such as a Pikachu French fry timer and color-changing Pokémon beverage cups.

Round one starts on August 7 and round two on August 14. Round three begins on August 21 and runs for an indefinite amount of time, ostensibly until stock of the toys runs out, which likely won’t be very long. If you’re looking to get some for yourself, keep in mind that in order to deter scalpers, McDonald’s Japan will be limiting purchases to six Happy Meals per customer group on August 7, 8, and 9, and online orders will be limited to the official McDonald’s Delivery Service on those days as well. Though not yet announced, similar policies will likely also be in effect when round two starts.

Source: McDonald’s Japan
Top image: YouTube/マクドナルド公式（McDonald’s)
Insert images: McDonald’s Japan, YouTube/マクドナルド公式（McDonald’s）, (1, 2, 3)
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Your friendly neighborhood Super Volunteer.

On 28 July, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, just outside of Kumamoto City. Having taken years to recover from a set of comparable earthquakes in 2016, being hit with another major one so soon completely undid a lot of that work. In addition, sweltering temperatures are making search and rescue efforts even more difficult and hazardous.

Against that backdrop, one man has decided to once again answer the call and drove out to the affected area to help. His name is Haruo Obata, and he’s been doing volunteer work in a number of capacities and all over the country for decades.

After retiring from his job as a fish merchant, he’s traveled around the country meeting people and helping out wherever he could, cleaning up nature trails, finding people’s lost belonging after disasters, and more. He shot to fame in 2018, after finding a missing two-year-old in Yamaguchi Prefecture in only about 30 minutes, and was dubbed Super Volunteer for his efforts ever since.

▼ Shortly after rescuing the child, Obata walked from Tokyo to his home in Oita, over 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) at the age of 79.

Since then, he seems to often pop up wherever a major disaster strikes and he’s within his ability to make it there. He’s been seen in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and even of Kumamoto Prefecture’s 2016 earthquakes. Now, living in nearby Oita Prefecture, the 86-year-old Obata is able to go to Kumamoto once again.

For those who aren’t familiar with Super Volunteer, this might seem concerning or even selfish on his part to inject himself into life-or-death situations, but Obata operates on a strict set of rules. In order to minimize his impact on disaster relief efforts, he tends to stay on the periphery and asks people who might otherwise get overlooked if he can do anything for them.

He also refuses to accept anything from residents. He brings his own food and supplies, sleeps in his car, and would never accept a dime from the people he helps, because what kind of Super Volunteer would do that?

However, by going to the disaster area, Obata is technically disobeying an order by the Kumamoto Prefectural government that volunteers stay away for the time being. This is not uncommon in such cases, as a sudden influx of people and supplies, especially non-essential ones, can cause disorder and do more harm than good.

Many readers of the news expressed in online comments that he is possibly buying too much into his own notoriety rather than looking out for others’ best interests. Others commented that even if he is acting perfectly selflessly, at his age it’s just not a good idea to get involved.

“I don’t care how super he is. If the governor says not to go, then don’t go. The heat is unbearable, there could be aftershocks, and there might even be a typhoon on the way.”
“Kumamoto summers are really hard, especially on someone his age. I hope he stays home.”
“I think his intentions are wonderful, but it might be time for him to retire.”
“If the prefecture is saying not to go, then he should act like a Super Volunteer and exercise the proper caution.”
“I get wanting to help, but at his age, if an aftershock happens, he’ll just be a burden.”
“I really appreciate what he’s doing, but they’re telling him not to go.”
“He’s not exactly an amateur at this. He’ll be fine.”
“Let him go. I hate how inflexible people in Japan can be. He already saved a life.”
“I can’t believe people on social media are bashing this guy who’s kept going for so long. You all just love tearing people down.”
“I respect his ability, but at his age it’s probably time to stop.”

Unfortunately, it seems like there is a big misconception about what Obata actually does in these situations, though. He’s not exactly running into ground zero of the worst hit areas, pushing firefighters aside, and trying to lift slabs of concrete by himself to get a piece of the spotlight.

▼ In this report from 2023, Obata helps a rural area that suffered widespread landslide damage in Fukuoka Prefecture and had a shortage of volunteers to help with the cleanup and repairs.

He got himself checked out at the hospital immediately before departing to Kumamoto to make sure he was fit to do so, and in the past, other rescue workers and residents of affected areas have praised Obata for his ability to do good without bothering others. He simply asks around to see if people need anything, even if it’s something as simple as helping clean up around a person’s home or helping find lost mementos.

That’s certainly enough for a person his age to handle, and in fact I’d say it’s a downright super thing to do.

Source: New Post Seven, Hachima Kiko
Image: Pakutaso
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Convenience store chain tests our limits by turning the divisive flavour into a cream sandwich.

In recent years, choc mint has become synonymous with summer in Japan, as the menthol component is believed to provide a cooling effect to help you feel refreshed during the hottest days of the year. It’s become such a common flavour combination that there’s even a proud term for people who love it – “Chocominto”, a pun that sounds like the Japanese pronunciation of “Choc Mint” but uses the kanji “党” (“to”) for “political party”, to mean the “Chocolate Mint Party”.

Like many places in the world, though, choc mint remains a polarising flavour, as those who dislike it are quick to voice their opinions on it. However, if you are a member of the party, then 7-Eleven is here to support your choices with a new offering that might just test the limits of your loyalty: The Chocolate Mint Whipped Cream Sandwich.

Released as the latest flavour in the chain’s recently introduced “Yokubari Sandwich” (Greedy Sandwich”) line, which features generously filled single-serve sandwiches, this new choc-mint version uses hakka oil from Kitami Hakka Tsusho, a famous Hokkaido mint company.

Image: Kitami Hakka

Hakka oil is made from Japanese peppermint (“washu hakka”), and is known for its strong, clean mint aroma and powerful cooling sensation, due to its high menthol content.

The mint-green sticker on the sandwich will immediately spark the attention of locals who are familiar with the widely well-known brand, as it’s known to deliver a very intense mint hit. Though hakka oil has been used in some limited-edition drink collaborations before, this is our first time seeing it in the cream filling of a sandwich, making it a very rare treat in the Japanese sweets world.

Using a specially made chocolate bread, each bite is said to combine the sweetness of chocolate with the refreshing sensation of mint, while crushed chocolate chips mixed into the whipped cream add a contrast in texture.

Priced at 198 yen (US$1.30) plus tax, the new sandwich is sure to spark lively debate between not just those on either side of the choc-mint divide, but all lovers of Japanese sandwiches. After giving us chocolate sprinkle sandwiches with sakura pink bread, 7-Eleven is continuing to test traditional notions of what a sandwich can and should be, and we can’t wait to try it when it’s released at stores around Japan (unfortunately excluding Hokkaido and Okinawa) on 7 August.

Source, images: Press release unless otherwise stated
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Maker of Garigari-kun explores whether one of Japan’s favorite frozen treats can work as a pre-cooling agent.

There’s an old adage that says the best time to fix your roof is when the sun is shining, a way of expressing that there are some things in life that are best dealt with before the potential problem actually occurs. Of course, it can be hard to talk yourself into doing much of anything when that sun is shining on you with merciless summer fire, which brings us to a new piece of wisdom, which is that the best time to cool off with a popsicle is before you start to feel hot.

That’s the conclusion suggested by the results of an experiment conducted by Akagi Nyugyo. As fine dining connoisseurs are no doubt already aware, Akagi Nyugyo is a Japanese confectioner based in Saitama Prefecture and the maker of Garigari-kun (pictured above), one of Japan’s favorite brands of popsicle for the past several decades.

Even among frozen treats, Garigari-kun has a reputation as being especially refreshing in hot weather, with fans young and old ducking into convenience stores to buy one when out and about on scorching summer days. Recently, though, Akagi Nyugyo wondered ifs its flagship product could be applied to pre-cooling, cooling the body down before entering a high-temperature environment in order to lessen heat-related discomfort and fatigue. Working with professor Kazunobu Okazaki from Osaka Metropolitan University’s Urban Health and Sports Research Center, Akagi Nyugyo set up an experiment in which 61 men and women, ranging in ages from 20 to 59, first ate a Garigari-kun.

▼ If, after finding out that you could have been eating popsicles for the sake of science, you now find yourself asking “Have I been living my life wrong?”, don’t worry, we feel the same way.

After finishing their Garigari-kun, the study participants entered an enclosed room heated to summertime temperatures and performed light exercise.

When their session was finished, the participants were asked how they had felt during while exercising, and 59 percent said that they had felt cooler than they ordinarily do during similar levels of physical activity without having eaten a popsicle just prior to it. And with walking being a form of light exercise, Akagi Nyugyo is taking this as evidence that pre-cooling with a Garigari-kun before leaving your home or hotel in the summer can help your body better cope with the heat waiting for you in the outside environment.

The results make sense to Okazaki, who says that frozen confectionaries can be even more effective than chilled liquids at cooling the body from the inside, since an extra amount of heat gets absorbed in the melting process. In addition, while theoretically any frozen treat should be able to provide that benefit, the effect is especially strong with Garigari-kun because of how it’s made.

Look closely at the corner that’s been bitten off in the photo above, and instead of being a uniform solid, Garigari-kun is actually a popsicle-style outer layer with shaved ice inside. The fineness of the ice particles let them more easily travel down to the digestive tract, Okazaki says, where they can impart the largest cooling effects.

With all this in mind, Akagi Nyugyo is now pitching Garigari-kun not just as a way to cool off after coming home from a day out in the sun, but also as something to eat just before you head out for the day or step out of the office for on-site meetings with clients.

The experiment was actually conducted back in April, but Akagi Nyugyo apparently chose to wait on releasing the results until the summer heat hit, giving us new leverage in our demands to our boss that he keep a supply of professional-use popsicles in the office freezer.

Source: Akagi Nyugyo via Sankei Shimbun via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Akagi Nyugyo
Insert images: Akagi Nyugyo (1, 2)
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Does the new “Clear Coffee” have what it takes to bring a non-coffee drinker into the fold?

For many coffee drinkers, a cup of joe is a daily ritual – skip that morning cup and something just feels off. At the same time, though, more and more young people in Japan are said to be steering clear of coffee altogether, according to research conducted by Starbucks and Shibuya109 lab, a youth marketing organisation based in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.

▼ Participants enjoying some tasty market research.

In order to help bring those non-coffee drinkers into the fold, Starbucks has done something quite extraordinary: created a new line of coffee drinks for those who don’t like coffee.

Called Clear Coffee, there are two varieties to choose from – Standard and Citrus – both of which aim to appeal to anyone who’s ever been interested in coffee but always found it too bitter or intimidating to try. Made using Sumatra Masa Depan beans, a special blend created to mark Starbucks’ 30th anniversary in Japan this year, the coffee is extracted as a ristretto shot instead of an espresso shot, which concentrates the coffee’s sweetness and richness while reducing bitterness.

Our Japanese-language reporter K. Masami, who drinks at least one coffee a day, admits to usually gravitating towards rich, strong drinks. During the sweltering heat of summer, though, she tends to prefer lighter, more refreshing beverages, so she decided to try the new Clear Coffee to see if it really might be palatable for non-coffee drinkers.

Ordering the standard Clear Coffee, it looked much closer to an iced Americano than the chain’s regular iced brewed coffee, which makes sense because it’s prepared in a similar way by diluting coffee with water. In addition to containing a ristretto shot, it also contains Classic Syrup for sweetness, seeing as bitterness was said to be the main driving factor turning potential coffee converts away from traditional coffee.

Taking a sip, Masami found it had a gentle sweetness and an extremely clean finish. The bitterness had been noticeably toned down, but remarkably, the aroma of coffee was still present, creating a drink that felt unmistakably like coffee without overwhelming the palate. It was refreshing, didn’t leave a lingering aftertaste, and though it was lighter than a typical coffee, it still had enough body to avoid tasting watery.

The closest comparison Masami could think of was that it’s the coffee equivalent of Starbucks’ popular Chillax drinks, which are mellow, easy to drink and pleasantly refreshing.

After tasting the standard version, Masami could easily imagine the citrus working well with the drink’s light, refreshing character. However, seeing as the Clear Coffee already contains a shot of ristretto, she decided to avoid over-caffeinating herself and try the Citrus version another day.

So would she recommend the Clear Coffee? Well, if you’re someone who loves the bold bitterness of a traditional coffee, Clear Coffee may not completely satisfy your cravings. The coffee aroma is still there, though, so it doesn’t feel like you’re drinking a fake, flavoured beverage, and its lighter, sweeter profile makes it considerably easier to drink than a standard iced coffee. In that sense, if you’re a coffee lover who wants some lighter coffee refreshment, perhaps after you’ve already had your regular cup of joe, it’s a drink that’ll still interest your taste buds, especially if you know what to expect before diving in.

As for non-coffee drinkers, though, the Clear Coffee has a real chance of achieving what it sets out to do, acting as a gateway drink for those who wouldn’t otherwise think to order a coffee. It’s noticeably different from Starbucks’ usual coffee line-up, so it really does bridge the gap between bitter coffees and sweet lattes and Frappuccinos, which is something the chain wanted to address with the new release.

On sale from 31 July, the Clear Coffee is on the menu at 490 yen (US$3.30) for dine-in, while the Citrus Clear Coffee is slightly higher, at 590 yen. Both drinks are only available for a limited time.

Featured image: ©SoraNews24
Insert images: Press release, ©SoraNews24
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We test the sourness of the juice but get distracted by a surprise performance.

Five years ago, Japan’s vending machine scene was taken up a notch with the birth of “Feed Me Orange”, a fresh juice machine that squeezes oranges on the spot. It didn’t take long for the machine to grow from being a rare novelty to a familiar mainstay in shopping centres, proving that Japan really does have a thirst for freshly squeezed citrus from a machine.

▼ Now, though, there’s a new contender on the market, and this time it’s serving up freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Called “Kawagoto Lemon Kouka” (“Peel-and-all Lemon Effect”), our reporter Haruka Takagi stumbled upon the vending machine in Osaka’s Namba area, in among the flashy signs and neon lights of the busy Ebisu Bashi-suji shopping street. She was surprised to see it, because unlike oranges, which have a sweetness to suit a wide range of palates, lemons tend to exist on the more piquant end of the citrus spectrum, making her wonder if a machine like this might serve drinks that are too sour for anyone’s liking.

Taking a closer look, she found that customers can choose from a variety of juice options, all made with lemons from a particular region selected for having the tastiest fruit at that particular time of year. When Haruka visited, the machine was using California-grown lemons, which are said to have a medium level of sweetness and sourness.

▼ Although the lemons were from California when Haruka visited, she’s since heard that Japanese-grown lemons will be used from September onwards.

Looking closely, she read that the sugar used for sweetening the drinks is made from 100-percent natural sugar cane, but what really got her attention was the number of lemons loaded inside the machine’s rotating rack. The steady movement of the transparent rack, combined with the bright lighting and white body of the machine, gave off the appearance of some sort of futuristic lab.

At 500 yen (US$3.35) per cup, the juice is relatively pricey, but Haruka didn’t want to pass up this opportunity to try freshly squeezed lemon juice from a vending machine. So she made her electronic payment (the machine only accepts payments by credit card or QR code), and then an unexpected lemon performance began.

After pressing the purchase button, the machine moved on to the juice customisation screen, where there were three options to choose from, listed top to bottom as follows:

▼ Flavour – “Lemon” or “Salt Lemonade” / Sweetness – “Normal”, “Less”, “None” / Ice – “Normal”, “Less”, “None”

Since this was her first order, Haruka decided to opt for the standard “Lemon” flavour with “less sweetness” and “less ice”. After payment was completed, the rack began to rotate and one lemon was chosen in dramatic fashion.

▼ The fruit was placed on a glowing platform and slowly raised upwards, bathing the machine in a mysterious bluish-white glow.

▼ The lemon then dropped into a round opening with a little plop as it was sent off for squeezing.

It didn’t take long for a paper cup with a sealed plastic lid to appear in the collection slot, complete with a straw that was perfectly tucked into a U-shaped divot on the lid.

Though Haruka thought the straw might be too small for the cup, once she’d fully extended the bendable section…

▼ …it reached perfectly to the bottom of the drink. The package design was very clever and well thought-out.

After admiring all the unique details, Haruka now found herself having to try the beverage, and as someone who isn’t particularly good with sour flavours, she was a little nervous about taking her first sip.

▼ Surely the juice of an entire lemon would be far too sour to drink?

▼ After taking a deep breath and bracing herself for tartness, Haruka took a sip.

▼ To her surprise, it was actually delicious!

If she had to sum up the flavour in one sentence, she’d describe it as “a sweet-and-sour fresh juice that feels like it’s giving you a burst of energy”. The lemon flavour was certainly there, but it didn’t have the same sharp, piercing sourness as a freshly squeezed lemon – if anything, it was surprisingly smooth, with a “juice-like” quality that she thinks might even appeal to small children.

It was only the slight bitterness and oily residue from the lemon peel that indicated this was a freshly squeezed juice, and after taking a few more sips of it, the lingering aroma was so refreshingly pleasant that she began to wonder why lemon juice hasn’t caught on to become a more popular drink in Japan.

▼ Emboldened by her newfound taste for lemon juice, she decided to face her fears and order one with no sugar.

After watching the lemon show play out inside the machine again, Haruka reached for the new drink as soon as it was ready, and took a sip.

Hmm. It definitely wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t delicious enough to make her want to purchase it again. For her, it seemed slightly underwhelming.

Though she’s not entirely sure, Haruka seems to think that the juices are diluted with water, so without sugar the flavour also becomes diluted, making it less satisfying as a juice. While health-conscious customers or those who want to enjoy the natural flavour of the fruit might prefer to order the drink without extra sweetness, Haruka says that she would recommend adding sugar. The sweetness seems to bring out the tartness of the lemon, making the citrus flavour seem more pronounced, and delicious as well.

At the end of the day, though, Haruka thoroughly enjoyed both drinks, and highly recommends trying them if you can. Right now, there are only a small number of “Peel-and-all Lemon Effect” machines installed across Japan, making them a rare vending machine find, so if you spot one, consider yourself lucky.

With its refreshing sweet-and-sour flavour, this is a great drink to enjoy on a hot day or as a refreshing palate cleanser after eating an oily meal like yakiniku (grilled meat). Plus, you could always try it out with a splash of something strong to create your own freshly made lemon sour, an iconic beverage in the Japanese drinks scene.

Photos©SoraNews24
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This box comes pre-loaded with something for anime fans to treasure.

Usually, if you’re buying a box, it’s because you’ve got stuff you want to keep in it, right? And while the box we’re looking at today can, of course, fill that purpose, it’s a pretty safe bet that most people are going to be buying it because of what it already has inside.

The exterior is adorned with illustrations of characters from Studio Ghibli’s beloved anime film Spirited Away. Yubaba is here and so is her underling Yu-Bird, both in its original human-headed avian form and its post-transformation Haedori insect state, the latter carrying the transformed Boh. A trio of Susuwatari Soot Sprites can be spotted hanging out together too.

But stealing the scene, as always, is No Face, standing stoically underneath the flying Haku on the box’s lid…

…and who’s also standing inside the box!

You’ll notice we only said No Face is standing stoically on the outside, though, because the one inside the box can twirl around.

On the back of the box is a wind-up screw, and if you give it a few twists before opening the box’s lid, No Face will gently spin as a music box-rendition of Spirited Away’s ending theme, “Itsumo Nandodemo,” plays.

This being an offering from Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, going in for a closer look reveals some lovingly detailed craftsmanship.

With total dimensions of 8.5 x 10.5 x 12 centimeters (3.3 x 4.1 x 4.7 inches), the box isn’t going to hold any large-scale treasures, but it’s nicely sized for accessories, house keys, or other personal items, and the two sections help keep things nicely organized.

▼ We’re going to assume that the No Face inside the box is from the later part of the Spirited Away story, where he’s become less covetous and more considerate, the kind of guy who’s less likely to eat your valuables and more likely to pour you some soy sauce.

The Spirited Away Paper Box Music Box, as it’s officially called, is priced at 7,150 yen and is recently returned to availability after a restock, and can be ordered through Donguri Kyowakoku’s online store here.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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