Dating simulator involving sexy cosplayer makes its way into Japanese Nintendo Switch game store

Family-friendly game company ventures into new territory with dating game clearly meant for adults.

Nintendo’s newest console the Nintendo Switch has been in huge demand in Japan ever since its initial release. Its phenomenal popularity can be attributed to a strong lineup of family-friendly titles featuring lovable characters like Mario, Kirby, and Inklings.

Which was why Japanese Switch players were shocked to find a dating simulator in the game store, loosely translated as “Real Phone Love — What do you want?” It would have fit the console’s historically clean image if the game let players have a coffee date with Princess Peach, but the title actually involves simulated smartphone conversations with a sexy cosplayer.

▼ Featuring freelance model and cosplayer, @Eri Kitami.

Players get to send lovey-dovey messages to Eri Kitami, a “16-year-old model” who loves survival games, photography, and has a penchant for dressing up in fetish costumes.

Gameplay revolves around players practicing their messaging skills by choosing appropriate responses to Eri’s questions, as well as answering simple yes/no questions during calls. Make her happy and she might just send over a picture of herself in seductive cosplays.

▼ Here’s an idea of how the images would look like.

選択式で見れる写真とか聞ける音声が変わるゲームです。ギャルゲー北見版＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ https://t.co/xN61YrF5ip

—
北見えり@🇯🇵 (@eri_kitami) March 28, 2018

The game comes with downloadable content, costing 300 yen (US$2.83) each and adds more pictures featuring teacher, maid, or swimsuit cosplays. Completionists and smooth operators can aim to collect more than 150 racy photos and eight video clips of Eri.

What’s strange about this whole situation is that “Real Phone Love — What do you want?” is available on the Japanese Switch game store, and when lined alongside titles like Kirby Star Allies, Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey, the adult game really sticks out like a sore thumb.

▼ Particularly since it features a model who dabbles in risqué costumes…

パンツ脱いであげるから頑張って行きていこうねー💞 撮影 @vintage718 https://t.co/UujSn0OrLV

—
北見えり@🇯🇵 (@eri_kitami) March 17, 2018

▼ …and very scanty lingerie.

これから日本まで長旅です https://t.co/IEWjVxISda

—
北見えり@🇯🇵 (@eri_kitami) March 29, 2018

It’s surprising how a game obviously meant for adults got green-lit for the family-oriented console, but then again it could have been deliberate considering Switch game developers have already gone to great lengths trying to faithfully replicate anime boob vibrations.

Source: Nintendo Switch via My Game News Flash
Images: Nintendo Switch

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April Fool's on the Internet Sucks

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Japanese company makes virtual shadow boyfriends to help protect women who live alone【Videos】

Silhouettes of karate fighters, bodybuilders, and domestically dedicated dudes make would-be criminals think you’ve got a live-in boyfriend.

Not only is Tokyo Japan’s largest city in terms of population, it’s also where you’ll find, by far, the most educational, economic, and artistic opportunities. Because of that, many young people head to Tokyo when they move out of their parents’ home, in order to be closer to their workplace or college.

Because most Japanese people don’t really like the idea of having a roommate, a lot of these young people end up living alone, including young women. But while Tokyo is much safer than large cities in many other countries, crimes do happen, and criminals often consider young women who live alone to be easy targets.

To help address this problem, and also to put the minds of female tenants at ease, apartment management company Leo Palace 21 has developed what it calls the Man on the Curtain system, which is shown starting at the 1:15 mark in the video below.

Using a projector controlled by/attached to a smartphone, Man on the Curtain throws a silhouette of a man onto your curtains, so that when people outside look at your windows, there will appear to be a guy inside, thus masking that you live alone.

If you’re wondering how that’s better than just putting a cardboard cutout by your window, Man on the Curtain is full-motion, projecting videos of actual actors (in silhouette) for an extremely lifelike look. Currently, the system has 12 different options, including such intimidating routines as a boxer throwing practice punches, a marital artist going through a karate kata, a bodybuilder working out with dumbbells, and a sports fan swinging a baseball bat around.

▼ Shadow boxing/boxing shadow

More relaxed choices include a guy vacuuming…

…folding laundry…

…and doing yoga, which seems like it could double as a fitness video that you could do yourself in tandem with your shadowy protector.

Since it’d be easy to deduce that a short loop is a fake, each video is roughly 30 minutes long, with a variety of motions. Leo Palace 21’s introductory video doesn’t get into the specifics of how the system is operated, it seems like it’d be easy to program it to cycle from one routine to the next, which would give you about six hours of silhouettes before any footage needs to be repeated.

Granted, some of the options, such as the man vacuuming or playing guitar, aren’t going to be as effective if a would-be criminal is close enough to the window to notice the lack of sound. But the images themselves are very convincing. While the Man on the Curtain isn’t something that Leo Palace 21 is commercially offering just yet, it is giving away five prototype units, and applications can be submitted here.

Source: Leo Palace 21 via IT Media
Images: Vimeo/ManOnTheCurtain

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Japan’s Ikoma City prohibits using its elevators for 45 minutes after smoking

City Hall refuses to go up in smoke any more.

Leading up to the 2020 Olympic games, Japan, once a haven for smokers among developed countries, has recently begun sweeping measures to make smoking increasingly inconvenient without outright banning it. While other countries have long ago banished the act from eateries and many other public spaces, Japan has only begun to gradually trim down the available smoking areas in the past decade.

However, as this latest development in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture shows, the country is catching up with a fervor. Starting this April, Ikoma City Hall is prohibiting anyone from using its elevators for up to 45 minutes after having a cigarette.

▼ At least it appears to only be five stories.

According to posters hung in the building, “When coming indoors after smoking outside, it is said that it takes 45 minutes for the concentration of harmful substances in a person’s breath to return to pre-smoking levels.” Posters also advise smokers, “After smoking, you need to face downwind and take a deep breath before coming back inside.”

It is unclear what penalty awaits someone who rides the elevator without thoroughly decontaminating themselves, but last year Ikoma prohibited smoking around their largest station (Ikoma Station) except for designated areas under penalty of a 20,000 yen (US$188) fine.

This is just one of many moves being taken to curb smoking in Japan. On 30 March, major fast-food chain Mos Burger announced they will be phasing out smoking sections in all 1,300 of their stores nationwide by March, 2020.

Mos Burger is the latest chain alongside McDonald’s, KFC, and Saizeriya to take steps towards becoming completely non-smoking in anticipation of an impending government ban on smoking in major eating establishments.

It appears many online couldn’t be happier with the moves, the biggest complaint being: “What took you so long?”

“All right!”
“A little late, but very welcome.”
“I think we’re going in the right direction here.”
“Good job!”
“I wonder why they let people smoke in these places to begin with.”
“I say let the smokers have the fast food places, leave the rest for us.”
“I can add Mos Burger to my list of safe places to go.”

Ikoma City Hall is a very specific location in the grand scheme of Japan, but with this tactic making news across the country the trend of 45-minute elevator lock-outs may catch on. Regardless of right or wrong, hopefully any place that does enact it keeps their AEDs fully charged, because there’s bound to be some “collateral damage” from making smokers use the stairs en masse like that.

Source: Biglobe News, NHK News Web, Hachima Kiko
Photos ©SoraNews24

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Häagen-Dazs’ upcoming traditional Japanese sweets cafe in Tokyo has our mouths watering already

Delicious-looking desserts make use of sake, mochi, and more.

To really succeed in Japan, foreign makers of snacks and sweets need to adapt to local tastes, and that’s something that Häagen-Dazs has done with aplomb. The American ice cream brand regularly blesses Japan with amazing flavors and desserts exclusive to the country, such as Mochi Sakura, sesame walnut, and Matcha Green Tea Crumble (a.k.a. ice cream Jesus).

Now Häagen-Dazs is taking things one step further with its first-ever dedicated Japanese sweets cafe, a collaboration with the existing Sukibayashi Sabo cafe, in the high-class Ginza district of downtown Tokyo.

The kanji characters, 茶房, seen underneath the Häagen-Dazs logo, aren’t how you write the brand’s name in Japanese. Rather, they’re the kanji for sabo, meaning teahouse, since the soon-to-open Häagen-Dazs Sabo will be serving classic Japanese desserts infused with Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

A total of eight deserts, making use of six different ice cream flavors, will be offered, starting with shiratama zenzai, mochi dumplings served in sweet beans, accompanied by a scoop of green tea ice cream, a crisp black sesame galette wafer, and mascarpone mousse.

The cafe’s dorayaki places sweet beans, vanilla ice cream, and brown sugar whipped cream between two small pancake-like cakes, and gets further flavor from a plum strawberry sauce.

The final menu item revealed so far, the ichigo (strawberry) soup, uses sake lees and non-alcoholic sweet amazake mixed with strawberry puree as a broth for strawberry slices and strawberry ice cream, in an all-out effort to satisfy strawberry lovers and force people to use the word “strawberry” as many times as possible in describing it.

While the desserts can be ordered a la carte, you can also request yours as a set with a cup of specially selected green tea provided by Tokyo tea merchant Ocharaka.

Häagen-Dazs Sabo will be opening on April 18, but will only be in operation until May 6, with the limited time giving you a fourth reason (after the three above) to eat dessert.

Cafe information
Häagen-Dazs Sabo / ハーゲンダッツ茶房
Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-2-1, Tokyu Plaza Ginza, 6th floor (part of Sukibayashi Sabo)
東京都中央区銀座５－２－１ 東急プラザ銀座６階 「数寄屋橋茶房」内
Open April 18-May 6
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (Monday-Saturday), 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Sunday, holidays)
Website (Sukibayashi Sabo)

Sources: Entabe, PR Times
Images: PR Times

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Man spotted on train near Tokyo Disneyland with sticker saying he gropes women every day

Warning label for other passengers seems to have been secretly slapped on.

Chikan, or train gropers, take advantage of the environmental conditions on Japan’s urban rail lines, copping a feel on targets when they’re distracted from being in a hurry and/or already being in such close proximity to so many other people. But one accused chikan in the Tokyo area looks to have let his own guard down.

On Wednesday morning, Japanese Twitter user @Yammer_1 was on the Musashino Line, which serves the suburbs of Chiba Prefecture that lie east of downtown Tokyo. After getting on the 10:22 train from Nishi Funabashi Station, but before arriving at her destination, Maihama Station (the closest stop to Tokyo Disneyland), @Yammer_1 snapped the following pictures.

え？？ 舞浜向かってる途中の武蔵野線で、こんな人いたんだけど。何なの？？ 確かにずっと見てると、さりげなく女の人の腰からお尻あたり触ってたし。 西船橋駅10:22発~舞浜駅10:34着の武蔵野線東京駅行です。 この人、舞浜駅で降り… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

—
やまー (@Yammer_1) March 28, 2018

Stuck to the back of the man’s sweater is a sticker that reads “Kono hito haimichi chikan shiteimasu,” or “This person is groping people on the train every day.” Sure enough, in the first of the three photos, he can be seen extending his right hand, concealed by the jacket draped over it, towards the posterior of the woman standing next to him.

Some Twitter users speculated this might be a staged attempt at humor, or that maybe the man himself was the victim of a prank. It does seem kind of odd that someone would bother putting a sticker on the back of someone who’s holding a jacket, which he’ll eventually put on and cover up the warning/accusation. However, @Yammer_1 says the man indeed start touching the woman with his hidden hand, and kept it up for an extended period of time. Though @Yammer_1 initially thought the two might be acquaintances, the man and woman exchanged no words that indicated any sort of existing relationship in the 12 minutes @Yammer_1 spent on the train before getting off at Maihama, at which point the man in the photo and the woman next to him remained on the train which continued on towards Tokyo.

Twitter commenters have been nearly unanimous in their denouncement of the man’s actions, but some have also expressed disappointment that whoever wrote the sticker apparently had the courage to stick it on the man’s back, but not to contact the authorities after ostensibly witnessing him repeatedly grope women on the train. Similarly, more than one commenter encouraged @Yammer_1 to submit her photos to the police, since if the man is traveling on the same line frequently enough to have the sticker’s author recognize him, it stands to reason that investigators should be able to track him down. One commenter even suggested that had @Yammer_1 recorded video instead of taking still shots, an even stronger case could be built against the man, like what happened when a man in Tokyo was arrested after being filmed taking illicit upskirt videos.

Meanwhile, this is a good time to remember that unfortunately not all chikan come with visible warning labels, so it’s always a smart idea to stay aware of your surroundings when riding the rails.

Source: Twitter/@Yammer_1 via Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Twitter/@Yammer_1

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New Japanese Kit Kat raises funds for earthquake-damaged Kumamoto region

The brand new flavour tastes just like a famous local specialty from the prefecture.

In 2016, Kumamoto, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, was devastated by a series of earthquakes which were so severe they damaged parts of the region’s historic 400-year-old castle. With a large number of local residents displaced and living in temporary housing after the disaster, Nestlé Japan was quick to lend a hand, joining forces with Kumamon, the region’s red-cheeked, black bear mascot, to boost morale and raise funds towards reconstruction in the area.

▼ Kumamon is one of Japan’s most beloved mascots.

The collaboration was an extension of Nestlé’s “Kitto Zutto Project” (“Sure to Continue Project”), which began supporting people in disaster-affected regions after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Following the disaster in Kumamoto, Nestlé came up with the idea for a Kumamon-branded “Kumamoto Tea” flavour Kit Kat, using local ingredients to help farmers, and last year they expanded the project with a yoghurt-flavoured Kit Kat to help a dairy damaged by a typhoon in Iwate Prefecture.

▼ The 2016 Kumamoto Tea Kit Kat raised 1.3 million yen (US$12,199.61) in funds.

Now they’re back with Kumamon at the helm for another Kit Kat release in aid of Kumamoto Prefecture, and this time the chocolate comes filled with the flavour of Ikinari Dango.

▼ Ikinari Dango (“Sudden Dumplings“) get their name from the fact that they’re so easy to make.

Kumamoto is famous for these palm-sized steamed sweet dumplings, which usually contain a big round chunk of sweet potato, covered in a red bean jam and wrapped in a thin layer of dough made from rice flour. The new limited-edition Kit Kats promise to deliver the same flavour of ikinari dango inside their famous chocolate-covered wafer bars.

There are four different package designs to collect, with 10 yen from the sale of each 11-piece pack going towards reconstruction in Kyushu’s Kumamoto region.

▼ Coy Kumamon

▼ “Itadakimasu!” (“Thanks for the food!”) Kumamon

▼ Hungry Kumamon

▼ Happy Kumamon

The same images of the black bear mascot appear on the individually wrapped bars inside each pack, with the addition of an adorable version showing him with his hands in the air, getting everyone excited for the new treat.

In 2016, it was estimated that it would take around 20 years and 60 billion yen (more than US$550 million) to fully restore Kumamoto Castle, so purchasing the new limited-edition Kit Kats is one way for us all to pitch in and help with the reconstruction efforts.

The Ikinari Dango Kit Kats will be available at stores nationwide from 2 April at a recommended retail price of 540 yen (US$5.06).

Source: PR Times
Featured image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2)

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Beautiful burger topped with a whole apple is one of trendy Tokyo’s best-looking sandwiches

Sure anyone can plonk an apple on a hamburger, but can they make it taste as sweet as it looks?

Our most gluttonous of reporters, Mr. Sato, lives by a simple code: All food is made to be eaten. From the moment it is born at the hands of its creator, its fate is to enter his (or failing that, someone else’s) stomach. However, sometimes there exists a food so beautifully prepared, that Mr. Sato’s prime directive is threatened and he hesitates to immediately cram it straight into his gullet.

One such food can be found the Tokyo neighborhood of Yoyogi, about a minute’s walk from Minami Shinjuku Station on the Odakyu Line. Called the “Ringo Burger” (Apple Burger) it is rumored to look more like a luxury dessert rather than a greasy old grilled meat sandwich.

But the Ringo Burger would only be available for a limited time, so Mr. Sato hurried down to the 10-seat burger shop that serves it to try one.

The restaurant’s name is Icon, and since its opening in March of 2017, it has steadily built a reputation among burger connoisseurs for its high-quality, original offerings. Word has it, that their best burger is the Macamburger which is a hamburger topped with macaroni and cheese for 1,500 yen (US$14). The visual impact of the massive amounts of cheese oozing from the bun is said to heighten the burger-eating experience considerably.

Mr. Sato would be totally down with that, but his mission on this day was to try the Ringo Burger. So, he placed an order for the 1,700 yen ($16) special item crafted in celebration of Icon’s first year in business.

Prior to the main dish, our reporter was given a small cup of thin-sliced beef tendon soup with a kick of black pepper.

Up to this point, Mr. Sato hadn’t even seen a picture of the Ringo Burger, only talk that it resembled a luxurious dessert. This was hardly his first burger with apple on it though. Many restaurants had done it before.

Suddenly, Mr. Sato was taken aback by the bold flavor of the soup. With his mind on burgers he wasn’t expecting much from this appetizer, but was impressed with the effort that went into making it really flavorful.

Then the Ringo Burger appeared…

It was nothing like he imagined. Rather than some slices of apple, there was an entire apple on top, thinly sliced but relatively in its original shape.

The vivid red color of the apple with its fine yet deep contours shone brightly atop its protein-rich throne of cheese, bacon, and beef, like a beacon guiding wayward ships to its bounty of deliciousness.

Also impressive was the bun, which was custom-made by Icon to accommodate this particular arrangement of toppings. Most restaurants attempting this would probably just toss an apple onto a currently existing sandwich and let it fall apart into a disappointing mess upon eating. Not Icon, though. They cut the bun in an uneven 3:7 ratio for optimal eating.

These guys knew what they were doing.

But we weren’t paying Mr. Sato to sit there and stare at the thing. It was time to dig in…

Mr. Sato found himself frozen by the burger’s beauty, but after a moment his infallible professionalism kicked in and he picked up the sandwich.

On first bite the bun gently yielded to Mr. Sato’s teeth but was also crispy, which helped lead the way down into the crispy apple slices nicely. There was also a slice of red onion on the bottom to balance out the texture. They really thought of everything!

The balance of flavors was intricately crafted as well. Although overpowering to the eye, to the tongue the apple’s supportive sweetness served to bring out the inherent savoriness of the beef. The flavors of the bacon, cheese, and onion were all present as well, contrasting each other but in perfect harmony.

So it can be said that the Ringo Burger is not just a visual gimmick, but a culinary beauty through and through. And as it marks only the first year of Icon’s existence, it seems we can look forward to much more in their bright future, shining from atop the burgerscape of Tokyo.

Restaurant information
ICON / アイコン
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 2-30-4, 1st floor
東京都渋谷区代々木2−30−4 1F
Open: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday), 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday)
Closed Mondays
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24

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X Japan’s Yoshiki announces diner show for fans who love his music and have 800 bucks to spend

Many would say Yoshiki’s contributions to Japanese music culture are priceless, so in a way, you could say this is a bargain.

Japanese musician Yoshiki has already carved out an enduring legacy for himself as the leader of the massively popular and influential rock band X Japan, but that’s not his only claim to fame. In addition to numerous solo and crossover music projects with other bands, he’s also dabbled in the worlds of fashion modeling and design, giving him a professional resume that few of us can ever hope to come close to.

However, fans will soon have a chance to be physically close to Yoshiki, as the musician has announced his fifth annual dinner show, dubbed “Evening with Yoshiki 2018.”

This year’s iteration will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo, part of the swanky Roppongi Hills entertainment complex. The highlight, of course, is the live musical performance by Yoshiki, taking place in much more intimate confines than the stadiums his concerts routinely sell out. Lending even more culture to the program is a performance by the Asami Maki Ballet Company, and Yoshiki will also be peppering the proceedings with charismatic chatter for the entertainment of the assembled audience.

All of this is accompanied by a full-course French dinner prepared by the Hyatt’s chefs, some of the most highly respected culinary professionals in Tokyo. There’s no word on whether or not Yoshiki’s beloved cheese rice crackers will be on the menu, but it wouldn’t be a shock if they’re among the souvenirs and limited-edition merchandise being offered for sale at the event, which will also include a charity auction.

Of course, a small-venue concert by one of Japan’s biggest stars doesn’t come cheap, nor does gourmet cuisine, and the combination of those two rarefied treats means that tickets to Evening with Yoshiki 2018 are priced at 86,400 yen (US$810) per person. Still, if you’re a superfan, apparently it’s money well-spent, and at least one X Japan-loving member of the SoraNews24 team says it’s “a bargain.”

For each of the last four years, tickets have sold out almost instantaneously, and things will probably be no different when they go on sale this year. Reservation details have yet to be announced, but the dates are set, as Yoshiki’s dinner show will be held nightly from July 13 to 16. That sounds like a pretty intense schedule, so hopefully he remembers to listen to his body and take care of his health while putting on what’s sure to be a very entertaining show.

Related: Yoshiki official blog
Source, top image: Press release

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