Twentythree

If you can’t beat them, float on them.

As in many corners of the globe, Japan has been putting up with an increasing number of previously rare weather-related natural disasters. One of the more surprising was the widespread flooding around Chiba after torrential rains fell from a line of squall clouds that inexplicably stopped moving for a while.

▼ Many people were caught while out driving and had to abandon their cars on the street after the water caused them to stall.

In addition to 13 deaths, the amount of damage it caused was massive. Some estimates say over 10,000 vehicles were damaged, many beyond repair, from being completely submerged in filthy water.

With such valuable property at risk of becoming useless at any moment from increasingly unpredictable weather, many people are searching for ways to protect their cars from flooding. One such way appeared in the form of SAM-CS (“Sam Car Sheet”).

SAM-CS works by covering your car in plastic sheets that allow the car to float when flooding occurs. It takes about 10 minutes to set up and involves parking your car on the bottom sheet, which fastens to the sides with suction cups. Then, another sheet goes over top to block rain from entering.

There’s also an optional, but highly recommended, set of straps that prevent the car from floating away or into something else that would cause damage. The product costs 88,000 yen ($560) for a mid-sized car, which seems like a lot for some plastic sheets but is a sound investment compared to the cost of repairing or losing a car.

SAM-CS was originally developed back in 2024, at which time its maker, Onoda Sangyo, was only getting about two inquiries a month. But after the Chiba flooding, they’ve gotten 30 calls in the past two weeks.

When news of the product’s recent demand hit the Internet, there was a surprising number of negative comments. That being said, many critics didn’t seem to have read the explanation fully, while others tended to lack sufficient understanding of how cars, flammable gases, or the law work.

“Won’t it just float away?”
“Looks like a pain to set up.”
“By the time you realize you need it, it’d probably be too late.”
“What happens if it drifts away and damages someone’s house?”
“They should make machines that you drive through to wrap your car like this, like they have with car wash machines.”
“I would just pump air into the car until there’s so much pressure the water can’t get in.”
“We should just fill the tires with hydrogen and make cars float that way.”
“Once the car stops touching the ground, ownership rights transfer to whoever takes it. You could just go around collecting cars.”
“I’d rather spend the money on a Switch 2.”

Most people probably would rather spend the money on a Switch 2 than a car condom, but there often come times in our lives where we have to decide between what we want and what we need. And since GTAVI is still unconfirmed for the Switch 2, it’d probably be more prudent to opt for the protection against debilitating vehicle damage.

Source: TBS News Dig, My Game News Flash
Featured image: Onoda Shogyo
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Riding the waves and eating the sweets in Asagaya.

It’s been said that you can learn everything you really need to know in life in kindergarten, but that’s obviously oversimplifying things quite a bit. Adult life presents problems far more complex than the topics handled in a curriculum designed for five-year-olds. For example, from a young age pretty much everyone gets taught not to play with their food…but what do you do when the people who’re giving you that food not only encourage you to play with it, but outright challenge you to?

That’s the philosophical question represented by dessert cafe Tokyo Taiyaki Mania. There’s a lot of accuracy in that name, as the shop is indeed located in Tokyo (in the Asagaya neighborhood, to be precise), and the staff is passionate about taiyaki, the traditional Japanese desserts of fish-shaped cakes filled with anko (sweet bean paste) or other sweet stuff.

And yet, Tokyo Taiyaki Mania’s name isn’t completely thorough. It leaves out roughly half of the menu options: the gelato that Tayaki Mania (as we’ll call the place for short) produces in-house, using an ice cream-making machine imported from Italy.

This brings us to another temptation to go against something we were taught as kids: Don’t spoil your appetite by eating too many sweets. As adults, though, we’ve learned that eating double desserts isn’t “spoiling your appetite” so much as “using your appetite’s full potential in the most joy-inducing way possible,” and thankfully Taiyaki Mania agrees and recommends treating yourself to both a taiyaki and some ice cream at the same time.

In turn, this, leads to the natural compulsion to combine the treats, and once again, Taiyaki Mania isn’t about to try to talk you out of that. As a matter of fact, the cafe’s website invites customers to take the “naminori (wave-riding) challenge” by balancing their taiyaki atop their swirl of gelato and snapping a photo of the surfing-style sweets.

This was a challenge our taste-testing Japanese-language reporter Yayoi Saginomiya was happy to accept, especially since she’d opted for the photogenic and appropriately colored Blue Ocean flavor of ice cream.

That said, balancing the taiyaki is easier said than done. The gelato isn’t watery, but it’s still a creamy dessert, so it’ll start to melt if you wait too long. For best results Yayoi recommends standing the taiyaki more or less upright at the top of the swirl, evenly distributing its weight over the densest concentration of ice cream.

▼ Success!

OK, so the wave-riding taiyaki combo looks great, but how does it taste? Yayoi says she was very impressed. In terms of ingredients. Taiyaki Mania does things differently than conventional sweets shops, using no wheat flour in their batter. Instead, the cake is made from a mixture of rice flour and tofu, and the anko inside contains beet sugar instead of refined white sugar. Similarly, their gelato is gluten-free and entirely non-dairy.

Whether Taiyaki Mania’s ingredient philosophy is attractively health-conscious or a form of sweets sacrilege is a matter of personal perspective, but Yayoi found the results quite tasty, producing a light and straightforward sweetness with a clean finish. The flavor of the Blue Hawaii ice cream, like many blue desserts in Japan, is what’s called “soda” in Japanese, referring not to cola but to a light apple citrus cider, and it also has a pinch of salt to give it an extra maritime-evocative element.

Taiyaki Mania’s prices are on the premium side, with our mini taiyaki costing us 378 yen (US$2.40) and our gelato 918 yen. As an added bonus, though, Taiyaki Mania is also a little more stylish than the typical taiyaki stand, and it’s located along a covered shopping street that’s fun to stroll along and get a peek at daily Tokyoite life.

And don’t worry, neither they, nor we, will tattle to your mom about you playing with your food.

Cafe information
Tokyo Taiyaki Mania
Address: Tokyo-to, Suginami-ku, Asagaya Minami 1-36-18
Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Website

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Further proof that no matter what we need, we can probably find it at Japan’s favorite 100 yen store.

Japan has embraced the frights, fun, and food of Halloween in a big way in recent years, but still not in a complete mirror of how things are done in America. For example, Japan doesn’t anything equivalent to Spirit Halloween or other temporary discount specialty shops that move into vacant shopping mall spaces to offer costumes ideas ahead of October 31.

So what should you do if you find yourself in need of a quick, affordable Halloween outfit that’s still some mix of creepy, cute, or cool? Head to Daiso, Japan’s favorite 100 yen store chain.

That’s what our Japanese-language reporter Natuski Goto did, since as of September Daiso is stocked with Halloween items. Because wallet-friendly shopping is Daiso’s whole deal, Natsuki decided to keep her Halloween outfit decidedly low-cost, limiting herself to three budget points: 110, 220, and 550 yen (roughly US$0.70, US$1.40, and US$3.50), even accounting for Japan’s 10-percent sales tax.

Let’s see what she put together.

● 110-yen budget

When you’re limiting yourself to just a single item, you’ve got to pick something that provides a big impact, and Natsuki’s pick is Daiso’s Skull Mask.

Officially, this is the “Skull Mask -Color-,” as it’s got a faux metallic sheen to it with a distressed effect that makes it look like it was dragged through a dungeon, graveyard, or some other suitably spooky scenery. With a simple single head strap, this mask only covers the front of your face, so it works best paired with a hoody to help sell the skull illusion, and a black garment gives you a nice shinigami/death god vibe.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that as a one-size-fits-all mask, the eyeholes may be a little on the large size for some wearers. Because of that, your eyes might need to do some acting to suitably match the dark depravity of that ghoulish grin, but at a price that’s less than a bottle of tea from a vending machine (and much less than a can of vending machine hot pot), this mask is pretty impressive.

● 220-yen budget

Shifting gears to the cute category, Natsuki’s pick for the mid-range of extremely low budgets is a bit of cat cosplay. Daiso actually has a variety of Halloween-themed hairbands, some featuring quirky pumpkins or naughty devil horns, but with enough money in this budget tier for a second item, Natsuki says the “Cat Headband” is the best choice because of the potential to pair it with Daiso’s crayon-style face paint set.

The Face Crayons are incredibly easy to use, with a tactile feel pretty much the same as coloring on paper, just that you’re using them on your skin. You get four colors in the set, and since they’ll work just as well on your arms, you could also use them to make a zombie costume by giving yourself an array of scars or bloody wounds.

But like we said, Natsuki’s preferred way to use them is to give herself the whiskers and nose of a friendly kitty.

Of course, you could skip the face-painting and wear just the hairband, which would put this costume into the 110-yen budget space. With cat ears being a common motif among the otaku/YouTuber crowd, though, taking the little extra time to add some whiskers does a lot to make this look feel like something special for Halloween.

● 550-yen budget

Part of Halloween’s expanding popularity is that a lot of times you might want yourself looking to get in on the fun but without the impracticality of wearing full-on costume elements. So for those times, Natsuki’s 550-yen Daiso Halloween look is something that you can easily do for fun photos with friends or family regardless of your wardrobe. Daiso has all sorts of Halloween hair clips, so Natsuki grabbed four of those, plus a pack of body stickers.

▼ The bow with a zombie hand coming out of it is especially clever.

After a few minutes of arranging them, Natsuki was giving off a selfie-worthy Halloween aura.

With more than a month to go until Halloween, there’s still plenty of time for hardcore costumers to sort out more involved and extravagant costumes. But for those who simply want to get into the spirit of the season in a lighthearted way, or who get invited to a last-minute Halloween party and need to put something together on their way from the office, Daiso is definitely worth checking out.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Gyudon on the go in Kyobashi Station.

When you spot a restaurant on a train platform in Japan, the odds are extremely high that it’s going to be a noodle joint, and specifically a soba/udon one. Since they both use the same sort of broth, the logistics of keeping a pot of it heated and always having batches of noodles boiling makes it pretty easy to serve up meals in a speedy fashion.

But while he was passing through Osaka’s Kyobashi Station the other day, our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa spotted something he couldn’t recall ever seeing anywhere else: a station platform Yoshinoya.

This appears to be one of only two station platform Yoshinoya’s in all of Japan. Curious to see if it pares down its selection to just the bare-bones basics for easier operations, Seiji stepped inside and took a look at the ordering touch screen, but nope, this branch looks to offer the same full menu as other Yoshinoyas that aren’t five steps away from where commuters and travelers are getting on or off trains.

▼ Whether you want just a standard beef bowl or the deluxe, limited-time combo meal with grilled unagi (eel), stewed gyudon beef, miso soup, and a salad, the Kyobashi Station Yoshinoya’s cooks are ready to accommodate you.

OK, so they’ve got the regular menu, and also the regular Yoshinoya prices, with no extra price gouging despite the convenience of being right on the platform. But does this unconventional setup mean that the quality suffers?

Not a bit! Seiji’s beef bowl was 100-percent as delicious as the ones he’s had at regular Yoshinoya branches.

Because of all that, eating at the Kyobashi Station Yoshinoya is a surreal mix of everyday and unusual vibes. The familiar food looks, tastes, and costs the same as it would at any other Yoshinoya. But look up from your beef bowl, and you’ll see trains coming and going in front of you without having to get up from your seat at the counter.

And while all Yoshinoya branches accept payment by tapping a Suica or other prepaid train fare card, it feels like an especially appropriate way to settle your bill here.

This Yoshinoya is located on Kyobashi Station’s Osaka Loop Line outer track platform, and it’s open morning, noon, and night every day, not just during weekday rush hours. As for the only other train platform Yoshinoya in Japan, it’s on Platform 4 of Meitetsu Nagoya Station in Nagoya, a town with at least one more noteworthy platform dining option too.

Restaurant information
Yoshinoya (JR Kyobashi Station Platform branch) / 吉野家（JR京橋駅ホーム店）
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Joto-ku, Shin Kita 1-2-31
住所　大阪府大阪市城東区新喜多1丁目2-31
Open 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Two completely different ways to make a delicious Japanese autumn dessert.

Now that we’re into the back half of September, we’re ready to switch our sweets snacking into autumn mode. And just like how farmers are harvesting their sweet potatoes, so too is it time for us to start bringing in Japan’s sweet potato ice creams for taste testing.

Today we’re looking at two ice cream makers with very different approaches. First, we’ve got Häagen-Dazs, a premium brand that’s very comfortable with adding decadent opulence to its desserts. But we’re also trying the new sweet potato ice cream from Mujirushi Ryohin, a.k.a. Muji, the lifestyle chain whose ice cream tends to be simple and understated, much like its furniture and housewares.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

While Häagen-Dazs Japan brings out seasonal fall flavors on an annual basis, sweet potato isn’t always one of them. So we’d been getting a little anxious, but on September 15 they released their new Nou Mitsu Imo, or “Rich Sweet Potato,” flavor.

Pop the lid off, and you’re instantly greeted by a luxuriously lustrous glistening gold sweet potato sauce meant to evoke the sweet caramelized juices that ooze out of a freshly roasted sweet potato. The sauce is made with two of Japan’s most delicious sweet potato varieties, Beni Haruka (the sweetest variety in Japan) and anno imo.

Meanwhile, Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream flavor is just called Beni Haruka, and its English name, Sweet Potato Frozen Dessert, is starker still.

That name probably doesn’t have you expecting dazzling visuals, and sure enough, things are pretty plain under the lid.

▼ Hmm…those black dots do look intriguing, though…

In terms of visuals, there’s no denying that Häagen-Dazs is more attention-grabbing, and that’s where our spoon went first. True to its name, the Nou Mitsu Imo is rich and delicious. The sauce is thick but smooth, harmonizing excellently with the flavor and texture of the Beni Haruka ice cream, which has a bright yellow color to it.

With desserts that use this much sauce, you might be tempted to think they’re trying to cover up something or beat your taste buds into submission, but that’s not the case here. For all of its visual extravagance, Häagen-Dazs’ Nou Mitsu Imo is actually pretty straightforward. There are no ill-advised hidden ingredients or too-clever-for-its-own-good tricks involved, just lots and lots of great sweet potato flavor.

So after all that, would Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream come up short? Not at all! Remember those black dots we mentioned? It turns out they’re black sesame, and they’re not the only surprise that was waiting for us. As we dug down below the surface, we started coming across bits of actual sweet potato mixed in among the cream.

In addition to flavor, the sweet potato pieces added a lot of interesting texture, a crisp iciness with a fluffy chewiness waiting at the center. The black sesame imparted an elegantly enticing aroma, neither overpowering nor getting lost in the buttery notes of the sweet potato ice cream. All in all, it really delivers on the promise of “making the most of the ingredients’ flavors,” Mujirushi’s stated philosophy for its ice cream line.

Price-wise, there’s not much difference between the two, with Häagen-Dazs Nou Mitsu Imo at 373 yen (US$2.35) being just a touch more expensive than the 350-yen Mujirushi Beni Haruka. Muji’s ice cream is about 30 percent bigger (120 milliliters [4.1 ounce] vs. 90 milliliters), so it is technically the better value, but we think we can find room for both of these in our budget and stomach this fall.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Lawson’s crazy corn bento arrives as part of new series of “sugi” foods.

In Japanese, the suffix -sugi translates literally as “too” or “too much,” but it can also be used in the sense of “very.” This can sometimes make the intended meaning hard to understand. For example, if someone says their coworker isn’t just yasahii (“kind”), but yasashisugi, that could either mean that they’re incredibly considerate, or it could mean that they’re overly, even problematically accommodating.

So generally you have to look at the overall context in which -sugi is being used, but even then, it’s not always easy to tell. For example, Japanese convenience store Lawson is getting set to release its new Ittentoppasugi line of bento boxed lunches. Ittentoppa basically means “single-minded,” which leaves us with the question of whether they’re extremely single-minded or too single-minded, and really, you could make an argument either way.

“JUST CORN” (コーンだけ), Lawson trumpets proudly in the promotional image for the new Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Yaki Tomorokoshi, which, despite its lengthy name, really is just a whole lot of roasted corn (yaki tomorokoshi) served over a tray of rice (shikitsume Gohan). Those are the only ingredients, aside from the buttery soy sauce spread over the kernels.

But maybe you look at that box of corn and rice and can’t help thinking you’d like something with a little more protein? No problem, because Lawson’s focused/obsessive offerings continue with the Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Teriyaki Sausage.

▼ As unartful as the presentation might be, teriyaki sauce and sausage actually are kind of a novel combination.

And finally, rounding out the Ittentoppasugi series is the Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Bodakko, featuring a type of salted salmon popular in Akita Prefectue.

This one doesn’t match the quantity of its corn and sausage brethren, but it’s no less single-minded, perhaps to a depressingly spartan-looking degree. Speaking of which, Lawson describes all three of these as “bento,” which more commonly brings to mind boxed lunches with rice and a variety of side dishes (though bento does also sometimes get used for single-topping boxes/trays of rice too).

Now, if you’re someone who can’t get enough corn or sausage, or who appreciates salmon so much that you don’t want anything else getting in the way on your palate, then these Ittentoppasugi bento aren’t necessarily too ittentoppasugi, and for those who’re OK with this degree of single-mindedness, they are pretty reasonably priced. The corn and salmon bento are just 297 yen (US$1.85), and the sausage bento is 397 yen, far cheaper than just about any other convenience store bento these days.

On the other hand, some people are already voicing their opinion that Lawson has gone overboard with how laser-focused these concepts are, as shown in online comments such as:

“This is terrible. It’s like they just spread out a rice ball.”
“This is simple-sugi…and I’m intrigued.”
“You can just go ahead and write ‘Luxuries are forbidden’ on the packaging.”
“Thank you, Lawson, for taking pity on us poor people. I’ll be buying these.”
“That’s not single-minded, it’s shocking…I can’t get onboard with this.”
“Shouldn’t they leave this kind of stuff to the Lawson 100-yen [discount sister chain]?”

Lawson is actually also launching a line of luxurious zeitaku Zeitakusugi items at the same time, such as extra-meaty hiyashi chuka cold noodles with roast, stewed, and grilled pork (797 yen) and a whole box of Mont Blanc made with candied Japanese chestnuts (786 yen), though they don’t quite match the -sugi levels of the single-minded bento.

The Ittentoppasugi sausage and salmon both go on sale September 22, and the corn bento joins them one week later, on the 29th. Lawsone says they’ll all be on available “while supplies last,” though it doesn’t specify whether that’s referring to store stocks or the world supply of corn and sausage.

Source: Lawson (1, 2) via FNN Prime Online via Yahoo! Japan News, Twitter/@akiko_lawson
Top image ©SoraNews24
Insert images: Lawson
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Cosy up in colder weather with cute characters cuddling your toes.

With the days now getting colder in Japan, it’s time to start looking for cosy socks, and for Ghibli fans there’s no better way to stay warm than with some of the studio’s characters adorning your toes.

This year, Ghibli specialty shop chain Donguri Kyowakoku is giving fans a giant hug in the form of two new sock ranges, with the first being a collection of embroidered socks, honouring four of the studio’s popular movies.

These socks come with a cute little embroidered patch on the side, with cable-knit details giving each pair an elegant and stylish look.

▼ My Neighbour Totoro

The embroidering on the My Neighbour Totoro socks feature a circle of leaves to evoke the film’s forest setting, and in the middle is the Small Totoro, alongside a couple of acorns.

▼ Kiki’s Delivery Service

These socks feature Jiji, recalling the moment when the charismatic black cat steps in to act like a wide-eyed plush toy in a basket to help Kiki out when a mishap occurs during one of her deliveries.

▼ Spirited Away

This charming pair depicts Yu-bird, in tiny fly-like form, with a tea setting that recalls the visit to Zeniba’s house.

▼ Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie is the inspiration for this design, with the character being referenced through the long ponytail, distinctive hat, and milliner’s tools in honour of the millinery where she works.

▼ Spirited Away Warm Room Socks

This pair features Boh Mouse, with a scattering of star-like konpeito – the candies carried by the Soot Sprites – adding extra charm and colour to the design.

Both room socks come with a non-slip backing to prevent you from sliding about, even on hardwood floors.

▼ My Neighbour Totoro Warm Room Socks

Totoro is the star of the show on this design, with the creature’s beloved acorns making an appearance as well.

Both collections are made with a cotton-polyester blend and come in 23-25 centimetre (9-9.8-inch) sizes only. The embroidered socks retail for 880 yen (US$5.63) each, while the room socks retail for 1,320 yen each, and they can all be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online (links below) while stocks last.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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