Gorgeous cat-themed Japanese gift envelopes: A perfect way to say congratulations to feline fans

Traditional Japanese art form gets an added kitty quotient.

When attending a wedding ceremony in Japan, the guests don’t give the newlyweds presents such as toasters or dinner plates. Instead, they give cash, with 30,000 yen (about US$270) being the norm.

As with many things in Japanese culture, there’s a bit of ceremony involved. Crisp, new bills should be used, and the money is placed in a special envelope called a shugibukuro (like the one pictured above) which is used on auspicious occasions. The outer layer isn’t sealed with glue or other adhesives, but instead is held closed by a mizuhiki, an intricately braided cord made of tightly twisted paper.

While shugibukuro always impart a celebratory feeling, Japanese Twitter @Tukusi37user felt a special joy upon receiving a shugibukuro where the cord was braided not in an abstract pattern, but to form an adorable cat!

猫の水引がめちゃくちゃかわいいご祝儀いただいた https://t.co/0MJi7UfvUj

—
つくし (@Tukusi37) July 28, 2017

The feline shugibukuro is made by Nagano-based mizuhiki workshop Ohashi Tanji, and is unique for more than just its artistic feline appeal. Usually, shuginukuro are made of paper, but Ohashi Tanji’s kitty version is actually a tightly folded towel called a tenugui, which can also be used as a wrapping cloth or for decorative purposes.

▼ The cloth’s pattern, of course, features even more cats.

Because of the material used, recipients of the cat shugibukuro have a reason to hang onto it for years to come. Oh, and don’t worry, the cords on these envelopes are designed to slide off, so the recipient can remove the monetary gift inside without having to say good-bye to the mizuhiki kitty.

Ohashi Tanji offers the cat shugibukuro here through its online store, priced at 864 yen (US$7.85), making it an affordable but extremely memorable way to say congratulations to a friend with a soft spot for cats or a love of Japanese culture, or even as a gift to yourself.

Source: IT Media
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso, Ohashi Tanji

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Tokyo’s new pre-fixed taxi fare smartphone service reduces the guess work of travelling by cab

Program starts field test this month.

Taxis, like convenience stores and toilets, are one of those things that are several times cooler in Japan. Even when they’re not handing out green tea and Kit Kats or pledging to keep the chit-chat to a minimum, Japanese cabs boast rear doors that automatically open and close, spotless interiors, and courteous, white-gloved drivers.

The downside, though, is that pricing can be hard to figure out. Congested and curving streets can make it difficult to estimate how long the meter will be running before you arrive at your destination, and you might be on the hook for additional fees if you called a cab to come pick you up or started your ride after the daily changeover to higher nighttime rates.

But the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism has an idea on how to take some of the guesswork out of traveling by taxi in Japan’s capital. The ministry has announced that from August 7 four taxi operators will allow riders to book cabs and lock in a fare by using the companies’ smartphone apps.

▼ A pre-fixed fare of 3,140 yen for an expected 40-minute ride

The participating operators are Japan Taxi (part of Nihon Kotsu Group), Motaku (part of Daiichi Kotsu Sangyo Group), Daiwa Motor, and km Taxi, whose apps can be found on the Apple App Store and Google Play (Japan Taxi and Motaku’s apps have English-language support). After selecting your starting point (anyplace within Tokyo’s 23 central wards or the neighboring cities of Musashino and Mitaka is OK) and destination, the app computes the expected fare. Accepting the fare finalizes the price, meaning you won’t pay a yen more than what you were quoted regardless of any traffic jams or other delays you might encounter along the way (although the pre-computed price does account for a certain amount of traffic).

The test period for the program is scheduled to run until October 6, and if the response is positive enough there’s a chance of it becoming a regular part of the participating companies’ services or being adopted by other operators. There is a bit of a catch, in that the pre-fixed prices are only available for rides costing 3,000 yen (US$27) or more, but if you’re travelling as part of a group and want to know whether splitting a cab is going to be cheaper than buying a bunch of train tickets, or simply don’t like the idea of being at the mercy of the meter when taking a cab in Tokyo, the program is a great way to keep track of your transportation budget.

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism via IT Media
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Tourism

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We taste test the new Squid Ink Black Cup Noodle!

Could Nissin’s new instant ramen ever match the black-as-night colour of our souls?

A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the announcement that there would be a new addition to the Cup Noodle Big line: the Squid Ink Black Seafood Cup Noodle. Finally, after a long wait with camera and taste buds at the ready, it has arrived.

We managed to get our hands on a cup from the manufacturer, Nissin, to try out. They promised us “The deliciousness and pitch-black colour of squid ink with your Seafood Cup Noodle”. While promotional photographs always look appetising, would the real thing be quite that black, and would it even taste good?

Upon opening the foil lid, it appeared much like the standard Seafood Cup Noodle, and while that’s no bad thing, it would take more to impress us instant-snack connoisseurs.

The squid ink paste comes in a separate sachet so you can add to taste, or colour, preference?

We proceeded with caution, adding just a few drops of the thick, viscous black liquid.

Give it a quick mix, and… Waaagh, black as black can be!

We have to admit, the colour lives up to the hype. The effect of looking at a seafood-smelling black hole in Cup Noodle-form was slightly off-putting, but the real question was, how would it taste?

While the restaurant-made black ramen we tried in Kyoto had a clean, refreshing taste, how much would the seafood flavour Cup Noodle fans, like us, know and love be altered by the ink paste?

The answer: very little. In a blind taste test, we’re not sure we’d be able to tell it apart from the usual Seafood Cup Noodle variety. But why would you blindfold yourself? The enjoyment of the snack is to rebel against your body’s instincts that tell you black is not a colour you should be eating, and revel in the darkness.

The Squid Ink Black Seafood Cup Noodle went on sale yesterday July 31, and is available at supermarkets and convenience stores for 205 yen (US$1.85). Between this and the release of the instant-ramenification of Michelin-star winning Dandan noodles earlier this year, its good to know that previously oft-derided instant ramen is getting the gourmet treatment, providing us with a touch of class in just the time it takes to boil a kettle.

Images ©SoraNews24

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Beautiful forest in southern Japan will spirit you away to another world

People find themselves asking “Is this really in Japan?!” It is, and you should go see it for yourself!

While oft overlooked by foreign visitors, Fukuoka Prefecture is still a popular destination for Japanese travelers year-round. It may not have the draw of a huge bustling city like Tokyo or the endless selection of famous shrines temples that Kyoto has, but it’s a city with its own charm, and also one of the world’s largest Buddha statues.

Not far from the Big Buddha we visited previously is a little retreat that will make you feel like you’re not in Japan anymore. The Sasaguri Kyudai Forest (Sasaguri Kyūdai no Mori), sits on the western edge of Kyūshū University’s research forest, and is jointly maintained by the university and the town of Sasaguri.

At the center of the forest park is Kabataike Pond, around which a two-kilometer (1.24-mile) hiking trail allows visitors to take a scenic stroll through the serene forest. The 17 hectares of Sasaguri Forest is home to approximately 50 types of evergreen trees and 40 types of deciduous trees, the most notable of which has to be the impressive-looking raku-usho, or the bald cypress. The tall trees growing out of the water with their flared trunks make them an attractive subject for photographers visiting the park.

The changes of the season and even the angle of the sunlight throughout the day can really change the aura of the forest.

昼から半休もらって、篠栗九大の森のラクショウを撮ってきました。 平日なので人もほとんどおらず、のんびり撮影できました(^ ^) 紅葉もそろそろ見納めかな… #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #ファインダー越しの私の世界… http://twitter.com/i/web/status/8…

—
たかぼう (@takabou_photo) November 25, 2016

紅葉が綺麗！本当に森だ。#篠栗九大の森 #イマソラ #紅葉 https://t.co/0YBA35qpSG

—
ひろちゃ (@hirocha0_0) November 20, 2016

The Sasaguri Kyudai Forest is just one more little reminder of all the amazing sites Japan has to offer, and hopefully encourages you to take your travels outside of the typical tourist destinations.

Source: Naver Matome, Shinrin Therapy 
Featured image: Instagram/@ryomatudo

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Idol singer girl sweat flavor fried chicken goes on sale in Tokyo

Yes, of course it’s made with breast meat.

Tenka Torimasu is a chain of take-out restaurants with a half-dozen branches in Tokyo (and a few more elsewhere in Japan) that specializes in karaage, boneless chunks of Japanese-style fried chicken. While fried chicken is plenty delicious all by itself, Tenka Torimasu sweetens the deal by offering a huge variety of sauces, such as wasabi mayonnaise, sweet chili, and cheese curry, and Japanese plum.

While any of those make for a flavorful, filling snack, as of this month Tanka Torimasu is adding a healthy dose of bizarreness to its ingredient mix by launching a new sauce flavor: girl’s sweat.

But Tenka Torimasu doesn’t expect customers to line up to taste just any random girl’s sweat. This sauce is designed to replicate the “refreshing” sweat excreted by young ladies working hard to become successful idol singers. Specifically, it’s modeled after the sweat of the members of idol group Kamen Joshi, who’re known for performing　while wearing Friday the 13th-style hockey masks, as though Jason Voorhees ran out of people to slaughter  in Crystal Lake and decided to change his hunting grounds to Akihabara instead.

Kamen Joshi member Anna Tachibana, pictured above, says that this is “the birth of the karaage people have been dreaming about.” Having experimented with using human sweat as a seasoning ourselves, we’d argue that it’s closer to the stuff of nightmares. But take heart, because while Tenka Torimasu’s girl’s sweat karaage merely draws inspiration from perspiration, and doesn’t contain any actual sweat. Instead, the sauce is a mix of salt, lemon juice, and cheese.

That mix of salty and tangy flavors doesn’t sound all that bad, actually (although if your actual sweat smells like cheese, you should probably see a doctor). Girl’s sweat karaage is on sale at Tenka Torimasu now for 400 yen (US$3.60), and will be available until October 31.

Related: Tenka Torimasu location list
Source: Narinari via Jin, PR Wire
Images: PR Wire

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4 Subtle Ways To Make Orgasming Easier, So You Get What You Deserve In Bed

3 Times When Ghosting Someone Really Isn't That Big Of A Deal

Guys Reveal What Office Supply Reminds Them Of Their GF And It's So, So Weird

Ever wonder what office supply your boyfriend would say you are if you could be any office supply? I'm going to go ahead and guess you haven't really thought about that before. But, now that I asked you that question, I BET YOU'RE THINKIN' ABOUT IT.

I mean, there are so many options to choose from. There are office chairs and staplers. There are printers and paper clips. And there's literally every single item sold in an Office Depot or Staples store. The possibilities are literally endless.

Recently, guys on Reddit were recently asked to describe what office supply their girlfriends would be, and why they chose what they did, and let's just say their responses are as weird as you'd imagine. Here are some of their best answers.

She's a computer… and apparently, those go down on people?

A computer. I can always turn her on, and then she'll go down on me.

— jeff_the_nurse

She's a cheap office chair.

An ex of mine is like an inexpensive office chair; cheap, easily replaceable, everyone wants a sit, and while it looks comparable to a higher end model on the outside, its filled with poor materials.

– /u/Sernie___Banders

She's a nice office chair.

Office chair. Supportive, comfy & fun to ride.

– /u/mythmakesecho

She's a laser printer.

A laser printer. I don't have a laser printer.

– /u/Singulaire

She's a computer.

A computer. Seemingly more complex than I can comprehend in one sitting, if there is ever an issue it's user error, but it is also my lifeblood and I don't know what life would be like without it.

– /u/Togna-Bologna

She's a keyboard.

My keyboard: I put my hands on her all the time and it feels amazing every time. I get her dirty, and in turn, she gets my hands dirty. Win-win.

– /u/HedgeRunner

She's a desk lamp.

She's like a lamp: I turn her on every day, and she lights up my life.

– /u/B0000000BS

She's not just any desk — she's a standing desk.

She's like a truly comfortable standing desk: tall, dignified, good for my health, and non-existent.

– /u/PAdogooder

She's an average printer.

Printer: works great 60% of the time with no fuck ups.

The other 40% it sends me mixed messages and even when I do exactly what I am suppose to do and what I am told to do, it still doesn't work and I'm up shits creek pondering "what am I doing wrong?!"

– /u/NeverEnoughViews

She's a fax machine. Who knew those still existed?

A fax machine. She has a story to tell, but it takes ages to get to the end.

– /u/hivelyj6

Now, time to go home and ask your boyfriend what office supply he thinks you'd be! And if he thinks you're a desk lamp, then that's a great answer. But if he says you're a fax machine, he's got another thing coming.

Check out the “Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this!

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Guys Reveal What Office Supply Reminds Them Of Their GF And It's So, So Weird

Credit: Dating – Elite Daily

10 Women Reveal If They've Faked An Orgasm, And Their Reasons Are So Relatable

This Girl Was Ghosted By The Guy Who She Sees While Riding The Subway Every Day

Ah, ghosting. It's the dating phenomenon that happens when people are too cowardly to actually end things with the people they've been seeing, so they choose to just… disappear instead.

Ghosters are idiots. But if you've ever been ghosted, know that you're not alone.

In this weekly column, I share a tale of a time a reader was ghosted (with accompanying screenshots) so you can see the last text that was sent or words that were uttered before someone decided to disappear forever. I present to you: Boom, Ghosted.

Have your own ghosting story you'd like to submit? You can submit your story here, or send over to boomghosted@elitedaily.com.

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Today, we have Pam* who was ghosted by the guy she rides the subway with every single day:

Every day, I take the same train to work in NYC and for the past seven to 10 months, I've been getting on the train at the same time as this one guy every single day. As the weather got nicer and we shed our winter coats, I began to notice that this guy had AWESOME style, so I began to call him ‘Cool Shirt Guy' in my head.

On a random Sunday night in June, I was swiping on Tinder at home and came across ‘Cool Shirt Guy.' I swiped right, and we matched. I spent all night toying back and forth with whether or not to message him, but I decided to hold off, just in case I saw him on the train the next morning. I showed up at the station, and to my dismay, I guess he decided to take a different train that morning. Fast forward to when I was on my way home from work that night. I got a Tinder message from him asking if I took the train!

Anonymous

Obviously, I was pretty excited and replied that I did, in fact, take the train from there and that I thought we took the same train. Then, we continued talking for the rest of the night, and I found out he was leaving to go to Ireland for a week on Friday.

The next morning, I got to the train station, he came up to me, and we chatted for a bit before the train showed up. He even sat down with me on the train, and we talked for the entire hour ride into the city. I thought we had really hit it off and had a great conversation, given the fact that it was 8:00 a.m.

The rest of the week went by, and we chatted every morning before getting on the train, though we weren't sitting together anymore. But I still messaged him that Thursday night saying that I hoped he'd have a good time in Ireland. He messaged me back saying that he'd see me in the morning because he still had to go to work.

Anonymous

Then, we talked on Friday morning a little bit before getting on the train. I later got a message from him at work saying that he was deleting Tinder because some of his co-workers had found him on there, and he thought it was awkward. I totally agreed with that, so I gave him my number, and he gave me back his.

Anonymous

That was the last time we messaged each other. I did see him right after Fourth of July weekend when I got back from upstate NY, and he got back from Ireland. We talked a bit before we got on the train, and that was it. I still take the same train every morning, and we still get on at the same entrance.

It's honestly so awkward that neither of us is willing to say anything to each other, and it's even crazier that he'd go out of his way to message me after matching with me on Tinder, KNOWING we saw each other every single day.

I'm not going to lie, I've come across more heartbreaking ghosted stories. I've come across some more cringeworthy ones. I've come across some more diabolical ones.

But this may be, by far, the most awkward ghosting story. It kind of reminds me of the guy in college you hooked up with, and then, you realize he's in your Philosophy 101 class the next day, and neither of you acknowledge each other's existences, even though you literally saw each other naked last night.

Except this is worse… you know, because Pam and this guy are adults.

Check out the “Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this!

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*Names have been changed.

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This Girl Was Ghosted By The Guy Who She Sees While Riding The Subway Every Day

Credit: Dating – Elite Daily