Nara’s “deer cookie” rice crackers get their first price increase in 28 years

22:09 cherishe 0 Comments

Makers of iconic tourism treat cite rising costs and sales tax hike as reasons.

Mention the town of Nara to many people in Japan, and the first thing they’ll think of isn’t one of the city’s historical temples or shrines, nor the city’s former status as the capital of all Japan. Nope, for a lot of people, the next word that springs to mind after they hear “Nara” is “deer.”

Nara Park is home to over 1,000 wild deer that freely roam the grounds. The animals are revered as messengers of one of the Shinto gods worshiped at nearby Kasuga shrine. They’re also undeniably cute, and the standard must-do itinerary for visitors to Nara includes buying a pack of deer senbei (rice crackers), also sometimes called “deer cookies” in English, which are specially made for the deer to munch on.

▼ Some deer have even learned how to politely bow, showing off their good manners in order to earn more crackers.

Feeding Nara’s deer some senbei isn’t just a unique and memorable activity, but an extremely affordable one too. For almost three decades, a pack of 10 deer senbei has cost just 150 yen (US$1.40). However, as of October 1 the price has risen to 200 yen per pack, the first increase in 28 years, with increasing production costs and Japan’s sales tax rising from eight percent to 10 as of October 1.

Considering that roughly 20 million deer senbei are sold every year, the 50-yen price bump stands to translate into an additional 100 million yen (US$926,000) in revenue for merchants and the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, the owner of the deer sembei trademark. However, given the relatively small increase per individual customer, and the fact that a portion of deer sembei sales are used for deer welfare programs, there’s unlikely to be much grumbling from consumers regarding the extra cost. Nonetheless, the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation has released a statement saying “We thank our DEAR customers in advance for their understanding.” The deer themselves have yet to comment on the situation, though there’s still a chance that some will make their displeasure at the tax increase known by once again eating local politicians’ campaign posters.

Source: Asahi Shimbun Digital via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
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Hayao Miyazaki has turned down multiple offers from Hollywood to make live-action Nausicaa movie

20:09 cherishe 0 Comments

Studio Ghibli co-founder also had two iron-clad conditions for the upcoming kabuki adaptation of his classic anime film.

While they’re both representative forms of Japanese storytelling, there’s usually not much crossover between the worlds of anime and kabuki. There’s a huge exception coming up soon, though, in the form of the kabuki adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s landmark anime movie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

What makes the production extra special is that instead of a condensed version of the 1984 film that paved the way for the formal founding of Studio Ghibli, the Nausicaa kabuki play is an adaptation of the complete Nausicaa manga, which ran from 1982 to 1994, and so the kabuki play will include characters and scenes that anime-only fans have never seen before. However, at a press conference in Tokyo promoting the play, veteran Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed that if certain other people had gotten their way, the kabuki play wouldn’t be the first live-action version of Nausicaa.

According to Suzuki, there have been multiple offers from Hollywood studios to make a live-action Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but “[Miyazaki] turned them all down, and I thought he wouldn’t like the idea of a kabuki play either, but he was willing.”

▼ Poster for the Nausicaa kabuki play

Suzuki said that Miyazaki agreed to give Nausicaa the kabuki green light on two conditions:

“The first condition is that the title, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, cannot be changed. The second is that he will do nothing to help with the production, which includes not attending any press conferences.”

While Suzuki shared the behind-the-scenes bargaining with a chuckle, Miyazaki likely had some serious reasons for not wanting Nausicaa’s title altered. Back in 1985, long before anime gained mainstream popularity overseas as a Japanese cultural product or Miyazaki was an internationally honored animation luminary, the Nausicaa film was turned into the heavily reworked Warriors of the Wind for U.S. theatrical release. More than 20 minutes were cut from Miyazaki’s version, and the overall tone was shifted from a thoughtful and cautionary tale about the affects of pollution and aggression to a more conventional action/adventure flick. The backpedaling from Miyazaki’s artistic vision didn’t help Warriors of the Wind at the box office either, and whereas Nausicaa is considered one of the all-time great animated movies in Japan, Warriors of the Wind failed to make any sort of lasting impression with audiences at large.

▼ Suzuki, pictured second from right, attended the Nausicaa kabuki press conference wearing his customary samue, the standard outfit of traditional Japanese craftsmen.

One could also argue that giving an adapted work a new title, like how Dragon Ball became Dragonball Evolution for its U.S.-produced live-action film, plants a seed in the adapting teams’ minds that fidelity to the source material is of little importance, since, after all, what they’re making is a separate work with a separate name. While Miyazaki, by his own decree, isn’t involved in the kabuki Nausicaa’s production, it’s unquestionable that the play’s producers are working under a heavy and undeniable sense of obligation to stay faithful to one of the signature works from Japan’s most respected living storytelling artist. Keeping the title as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind ensures that Japanese producers won’t do anything with the property that they think Miyazaki wouldn’t do himself.

“This is something I know from spending so much time with Miyazaki: Nausicaa is, to him, his most important work,” explained Suzuki (who actually wasn’t the producer for the Nausicaa anime; that honor goes to Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata). “Miyazaki truly put his soul, and all of his thoughts, into it.”

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is set to run at Tokyo’s Shinbashi Enbujo theater from December 6 to 25, with tickets going on sale October 19.

Related: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind kabuki official website
Source: Eiga.com
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Insert image: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind kabuki official website
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Japan fans call Rugby World Cup player Luke Thompson “kawaii” for the way he speaks Japanese

18:04 cherishe 0 Comments

An unlikely cute icon emerges from left field.

Japan defeated Ireland in a nail-biting Rugby World Cup match held at Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka on Saturday, surprising the world as the tenth-ranked Brave Blossoms came out with a 19-12 victory over the Irish team, which went into the tournament as the top-ranked nation.

Media were quick to label it the “Shizuoka Stunner”, or the “Shizuoka Surprise”, but for many Japanese fans, there was another surprise in store, which revealed itself when the national broadcaster interviewed lock Luke Thompson in Japanese after the game.

▼ At 38 years of age, Thompson is the oldest player in the tournament, having returned to rugby for the 2019 World Cup after retiring four years ago.

When Thompson appeared on camera, viewers who’d never heard him speak in Japanese waited with bated breath to see if the New Zealand-born player would be able to converse in Japanese. Others who’d heard Thompson speak in interviews before knew they were in for a treat, as the 38-year-old player has a tendency to speak the local language with a distinct casual flair, even in formal situations like press conferences and TV interviews.

His signature quirk is his use of Kansai-ben, the dialect of Japanese spoken in Osaka, where Thompson resides. While it’s common to hear Kansai-ben spoken in the Kansai region of Japan, in formal situations locals usually drop the localised inflections and use common, textbook Japanese instead, especially if they’re well-known names speaking before the public in serious TV interviews.

Thompson, however, uses Kansai-ben all the time, and one local slang word he’s particularly fond of using is “めっちゃ” (“meccha”, pronounced “metcha”), which is an enthusiastic way to say “very”, similar to the way the word “totally” is used in English. Oh, and it’s generally used more often used by schoolkids and young people, not 38-year-old sportsmen. 

So when Thompson responded to questions after winning a rugby match that many said was an even more astounding victory than Japan’s surprise win over South Africa four years ago, he was understandably thrilled, and the mecchas flowed like water, to the delight of Japanese fans.

Take a look at the video below:

Could you hear the “mecchas“? The clip starts off with the interviewer asking him, in a slightly convoluted way, how he felt after winning. After Thompson asks him to clarify the question, the interviewer rephrases his question by saying, “How did you feel in that moment of triumph?” Thompson immediately responds with a smile, saying “ma, meccha ureshii ne” (“Well, I was totally happy”). At that point, a Japanese commentator in the background can be heard saying “kawaii” (“cute”) under their breath.

Thompson then goes on to commend his teammates for their play and discusses their great work at sticking to the game plan, before finishing his sentence with “meccha ii kikan” (“it was a totally good opportunity”) and “meccha ureshii desu” (“I’m totally happy”).

That’s when the Japanese commentator in the background can be heard cooing with delight, saying: “meccha – kawaii!“, in reference to his use of the slang word.

Thompson then goes on to answer other questions with remarks that the next game is “meccha daiji” (“totally important”) and Ireland is a “meccha tsuyoi team” (“totally strong team”), and by the end of the interview, he’s said “meccha ureshii” a total of four times.

In a country where a lot of Japanese-born players will play down their delight at winning and conform to speaking in a more reserved manner for interviews, Thompson’s happy remarks and casual language won him a lot of fans.

▼ “I meccha like Thompson’s interview.“

▼ “How many times does Thompson say ‘meccha ureshii?’ It’s meccha kawaii.”

▼ “I like old man Kansai-ben lolol”

▼ “Thompson’s Japanese is meccha good.”

▼ “Meccha ureshii over and over lol. Thompson is cute.”

▼ “Interview with Thompson. His meccha ureshii is so, so adorable.”

It wasn’t long before even more comments began to appear on Twitter, with people saying they wanted to watch his interview over and over again, and many more saying they could relate to his feelings, being “meccha ureshii” themselves with the team’s fantastic result.

With two wins out of two in the tournament so far, we now have to wait until Japan’s next match, against Samoa on 5 October, to see if the Brave Blossoms will score a hat-trick of victories in the tournament. Until then, we’ll be sure to keep our lineouts outside of Japanese trains, cross our yukata kimonos left over right to avoid the Canadian rugby team’s fashion faux pas, and keep our fingers crossed for the return of the Starbucks Meccha Matcha Frappuccino, which Thompson would be the perfect spokesperson for.

Sources: Twitter/@nhk_sports, Twitter/#トンプソンルーク
Featured image: Twitter/@SBPeroricorde
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Your Emergency Contact Won't Answer the Phone

11:10 cherishe 0 Comments

Do you want her to look desperate?

Your Emergency Contact Won't Answer the Phone


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One-person seclusion tents from Japan let you turn part of your home into your private kingdom

10:39 cherishe 0 Comments

Pop-up design lets you feel like a king in whichever part of your home you claim for your castle of gaming, web-surfing, or reading solitude.

Tokyo-based office supply company King Jim’s product lineup primarily consists of file folders, clipboards, and other items for the workplace. But with a name like King Jim, you might also expect a little personal luxury, and the company’s latest item provides you with the means to stake out your own little kingdom by instantly turning a section of your home or office into a private PC booth.

King Jim bills its new Zestransir mobile compartment as “a tent so that you can be all alone.” Made of polyester over a collapsible frame, the Zestransir is essentially a pop-up tent, but with a 130-centimeter (51-inch) square base and height of 150 centimeters. When not deployed, the room folds up into a disc-shaped bag.

However, the Zestransir isn’t an entirely closed-off cube. There’s no floor, and while that means it’s pretty much only for indoor use, it also means that you can put the 2.7-kilogram (5.9-pound) compartment over your PC desk, TV, or whatever other area you wish to turn into your private dominion. King Jim boasts that it gives you the feeling of a personal booth at a PC cafe without ever having to leave your home.

In addition to a floor-to-ceiling zipper door, there’s also a side window and roof opening that can be zipped out to let in more light or air. There’s no sound-deadening, however, so you’ll want to bring a pair of headphones with you inside if you plan on watching or playing something you don’t want anyone in earshot to hear (and also bear in mind that the fabric isn’t 100-percent opaque).

▼ When folded up, the tent’s carrier bag measures just 59 centimeters in diameter.

King Jim boasts that when all the windows are zipped up, the tent retains heat, making it a a viable seclusion option during the cold months ahead. If this looks like the sort of place you’d like to hide out in, the Zestransir tent is priced at 6,480 yen (US$60), and can be purchased online through Rakuten here.

Source: Rakuten/Gekigaku via IT Media
Images: Rakuten/Gekigaku
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Naomi Osaka hits back at Japanese comedians’ “too sunburned” comment

08:14 cherishe 0 Comments

Witty response proves Osaka isn’t just a tennis pro, she’s a marketing queen. 

Last week, Ai Murakami and Aiko Kanou, who make up the Japanese comedy duo A Masso, issued a public apology after they came under fire for their comedy routine, where they said tennis pro Naomi Osaka needed “bleach” for being “too sunburned”.

▼ A Masso

While attendees at the comedy event were appalled by the insensitive comments, Osaka and her management team remained quiet on the issue. That all changed yesterday, though, when Osaka fired back on her official Twitter account with this witty response:

That’s right – Osaka and her team chose to use the comedians’ comments to their advantage by serving up a plug for Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen. After all, Osaka became a brand ambassador for Shiseido and sang the praises of their Anessa sunscreen in November last year.

Like her moves on the tennis court, Osaka’s response was well-timed and perfectly delivered, earning her praise from people around the world, who left adoring comments like:

“Shade, and a product plug in one tweet? Incredible.”
“Best reply!!! Best humor!!! LOVE!!!”
“This response is a masterclass in public relations.”
“Expert level brand ambassador!”
“Classic reply. I’ll never understand why people can’t just focus on talent and nothing else.”

It really is a shame that Osaka’s mixed heritage has become such a talking point in Japan, where she’s often pressed by journalists to speak in Japanese, and was even whitewashed in a commercial for noodle brand Nissin.

However, it is nice to see that regardless of what comes her way, Osaka knows how to return serve with style and class. No wonder big brands like Nissan, Yonex, Citizen and Nike love her. And after her queen-worthy, hair-flick response to those narrow-minded comments on the weekend, we love her even more too!

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Instagram/naomiosaka
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Chance to feel a shark’s nards and more at Sunshine Aquarium’s “Lots of Sex” Exhibit

07:09 cherishe 0 Comments

Limited time event teaches us about how our deep-sea friends like to get down.

We often don’t think about fish and other sea creatures as sexual beings. When looking at that cute little goldfish swimming around its bowl you might not think it’s really raging with hormones and looking to get its little freak on… but it is.

To help shed light on this fact, Sunshine Aquarium, who have been known for their adventurous campaigns such as Horror Aquarium and Grand King of Strange Creatures Title Match, will be working a little blue for the next month with their Lots of Sex Exhibit.

“Sex” here is used in a very general sense meaning this will be a celebration of marine copulation as well as the wide sexual diversity among sea life.

For example, at one of the many presentations held during the exhibit, you can learn fun facts such as how a barnacle has a penis eight times as long as its own body and an amazing ability not to brag about it all the time.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to marine sexuality. Visitors can also learn about how those cuddly-looking zebra sharks actually like it rough, Baikal seals play hard to get, and… I don’t know what those catfish are doing in the bottom corner, but it looks downright nasty.

In addition to learning all this, you can also share this information with everyone around you in the form of a T-shirt, masking tape, or the towel pictured above — all available from the gift shop.

The Lots of Sex Exhibit also has peep-booths set up for those voyeuristic types who like to spy on crabs while they’re bumping uglies (presumably simulated, not live).

There’s even also hands-on exhibits that let you feel up various sea creatures’ genitals such as those of a shark (also presumably simulated, but it’s hard to say for sure).

Besides all this, the Lots of Sex Exhibit is for lovers. Sections of the aquarium have tanks that are lit up in a romantic pink hue to set the mood for you and that special sea urchin in your life.

Carefully selected sea creatures that resemble human reproductive organs will also be on display. Guys and gals, if you can’t get your significant other into bed after they gaze upon these things, well, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

And believe it or not, there is actually even more to the Lots of Sex Exhibit than presented here, but to see it all you’ll have to head over to Sunshine Aquarium before it closes on 4 November. It promises to be a lot sexier than their Deadly Poison Exhibit of 2015.

Event information
Lots of Sex Exhibit / 性いっぱい展
Sunshine Aquarium at Night / 夜のサンシャイン水族館
Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashiikebukuro 3-1, Sunshine City World Import Mart Bldg. Upper Room
東京都豊島区東池袋3-1 サンシャインシティ ワールドインポートマートビル・屋上
27 September – 4 November
Hours: 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Source, images: PR Times
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