W.T.F. Japan: The top five “sora” references of all time! 【Weird Top Five】

At SoraNews24, we love “sora,” the Japanese word for sky, so let’s take a look at some of the most memorable instances of the word in Japanese history.

Our site name may have changed to SoraNews24, but we’re still the same source for all things cute, ridiculous, and inappropriate from Japan and Asia that you know and love. And to commemorate our new name, we’re celebrating the only way we know how – by writing an article about it!

You may know that “sora” means “sky” in Japanese, but that’s not the only way it’s used. There have been plenty of other usages of the word “sora” in Japanese history, pop culture, drunk anthropomorphic airplanes, and more.

That’s why today we’re counting down the top five “sora” references of all time, to show off the most memorable instances where the word “sora” has been used in Japan.

So let’s get to it! Starting off with…

Honorable Mention: The OG sora… the sky

PAKUTASO

If we’re counting down the top five “sora” references of all time, then we have to pay respects to the one who started it all: the sky, sora in Japanese.

We all have a lot to thank the sky for. Air to breathe, rain to get us sopping wet while we wait outside for the bus and forgot an umbrella, and most importantly, for posing that eternal question: why is the sky blue? Maybe one day, science will have an answer.

And now anytime you look up at the sky, you can remember the word sora… and then SoraNews… and then the fact that you’ve been forgetting to go to class all semester and today’s the day of the final exam… and then the fact that nope that was only a dream… and then SoraNews24.

Thank you sky. For all the free advertising.

#5. Sora Takenouchi

https://twitter.com/Umi_NokazE/status/800653005032800256

All right, now we’re getting into the serious “sora” references, starting off with helmet-wearer extraordinaire Sora Takenouchi from Digimon.

With her Crest of Love and pink bird Biyomon, Sora was the mother of the group, helping to smooth over fights that broke out between Tai and Matt, the two main boys.

Throughout the series she went back and forth between the two of them, and fans always wondered who would end up together, but in the end it was obviously…

▼ …wait, WHAT?! She married Matt?
And they have two kids?!

▼ I’ve never agreed with a meme more in my life.
What’s next? Gary Oak marrying Misty?!

https://twitter.com/IrokiOnizuka/status/748196365436592128

▼ …don’t do this to me, internet.

#4. Soramame

Wikimedia Commons/Richard W.M. Jones

Soramame are known in the English-speaking world as broad beans or fava beans. They get their name from-

Uh, okay. That was weird. Anyway, the reason they’re called soramame is because-

https://twitter.com/louistamonejr/status/815297121016541184

Okay! I get it! Yes, Hannibal Lector has the “fava beans” quote from Silence of the Lambs. Yeah, great, whatever. Anyway, the reason behind-

Sigh. Fine. Whatever.

The soramame beans get their name from the fact that the bean pods grow upward, toward the sky — the sora. Now, did you really have to interrupt me like that?

▼ …moving on.

#3. Kawai Sora

Oh man, now we’re getting into some of the truly greatest “sora” references of all time.

Kawai Sora was a student/travel companion to legendary Japanese poet Matsuo Basho when he made his epic journey from Edo (old Tokyo) to the northern interior region known simply as Oku. He traveled 1,500 miles mostly on foot for 156 days, visited places written about by old Japanese poets, and composed new poems of his own, eventually creating Oku no Hosomichi (“The Narrow Road to Oku”), widely considered one of the greatest works of Japanese literature.

To translate into modern terms, it was two bros taking a roadtrip together, visiting all of the awesome party locations they’d heard about before their time.

▼ “Yo, Basho! Get over here. You gotta try these shiitake mushrooms.”
“Sora… those aren’t shiitakes.”

https://twitter.com/abekawamochi47/status/609925178110246912

Sora didn’t accompany Basho for the entire journey, but for the part that he did his diary has been incredibly valuable in helping historians figure out exactly what happened during their poetic pilgrimage, because Basho had a tendency to, uh, exaggerate.

For example, after returning from his journey, Basho spent years working on Oku no Hosomichi before publishing it. During that time he took some artistic liberties, such as adding in sections where he had exchanges with prostitutes at an inn. But in Sora’s diary, there’s no mention of any such things ever happening.

▼ “Basho-kun didn’t need any prostitutes… he had me!”
is also something not written in Sora’s diary.

https://twitter.com/benu510/status/846908593995603968

#2. Sora-yan

Just going by the sheer amount of mascots that Japan has, statistically one of them pretty much had to be named “Sora,” and the one we get is pretty awesome.

Her name is Sora-yan (“sora” again meaning “sky” and “yan” being an Osaka/Kansai emphasis word), and she is an anthropomorphic airplane representing Osaka International Airport.

We’ve taken a detailed look at her before when she was unveiled in 2014, but just as a refresher her interests include fashion (hence that stylish bandana), bringing smiles to the faces of customers, and taking walks around the airport.

▼ And with her wobble, red face, and looking like she’s going to fall over, we’d
guess another hobby of hers includes drinking something other than plane fuel.

https://twitter.com/tmm111071/status/832215995645255685

But still, there’s no denying Sora-yan’s cuteness. Just looking at her has a very calming effect, which is probably exactly what her designers wanted, considering flying can be quite stressful for people, especially children.

▼ …is there an age limit on buying Sora-yan plushies?
No? Great. I’ll take ten for my next flight.

And the #1 “sora” reference of all time is…

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1. Sora

Yup, you knew this was coming. Even if you didn’t know about any of the other “sora” references on this list, chances are you knew about this Sora, the keyblade-wielding hero from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Love him or hate him, whether you trained with him for hundreds of hours to beat Sephiroth, or if you never even attempted to battle the forces of darkness with Donald Duck and Goofy by your side, either way you’ve probably heard of Sora.

In fact, this Sora has such a monopoly on the word “sora” that he doesn’t even have a last name. He doesn’t need one. He’s just Sora. It’s the other Sora’s out there who need to differentiate themselves from him.

▼ Ugh, he probably thinks SoraNews24 is all news about him too.

According to Tetsuya Nomura, Sora’s designer, Sora got his name because of his close relationship with two other Kingdom Hearts characters: Riku and Kairi. Riku means “land,” the “kai” in Kairi means “sea,” and Sora means “sky.” Thus all three of them together are “land, sea, and sky.”

▼ All three of them together are also the plot of at least 97-percent of all
Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, but we’ll leave that for you to explore on your own.

So there you have it, the top five “sora” references of all time. Did we miss any of your favorite “sora” references? Let us know in the comments, and we hope you like our new site name as much as we do. And now, with the help of this article, maybe the word “sora” won’t be as confusing as the top five most confusing Japanese hand gestures.

References: Wikipedia
Top image: ©RocketNews24

 



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Studio Ghibli unveils new goods that tip the hat to The Cat Returns

Bringing anime characters out of the film and into real life in a beautiful way.

Back in 1999, four years after releasing Whisper of the Heart, where the world was introduced to a cat called Baron, Studio Ghibli received a request to create feline characters for a theme park. This grew into a 20-minute short which then became a 45-minute film and eventually a 75-minute anime feature film released in 2002 called The Cat Returns.

▼ Some of the film’s main characters include Baron, Haru, and…

▼…Natoru.

Despite being a box office hit — it was the highest-grossing domestic film when it was released in Japan — The Cat Returns tends to be overlooked these days in favour of Ghibli’s more recent and popular films. However, this has only strengthened its legion of fans, who’ll be happy to hear that Studio Ghibli is releasing a new set of goods in honour of the film, and bringing a few back for a restock, and all the items in the range are incredibly beautiful.

▼ The first product in the lineup is the Natoru Plush Toy (4,620 yen [US$29.18])

This gorgeous plushie is soft to the touch, yet sturdy enough to stand on its hind legs, as Natoru does in the movie.

The plushie is 13 centimetres (5 inches) wide by 26 centimetres high by 18 centimetres deep, and not only is the cat’s pose perfectly replicated, its facial features are too, right down to the blushing cheeks.

Natoru is ready to keep you company at home but equally happy in the great outdoors, helping you to recreate magical scenes from the movie.

▼ “Please come visit us in the Kingdom of Cats!”

Another product to help bring the magic of Ghibli to your everyday is the Fish Cookie Box Accessory Case (3,850 yen).

This cute case replicates the cookie box that Prince Lune presents to Yuki, and though it doesn’t contain any real baked treats like it does in the movie, the fish-shaped cookies appear as a pattern on the lining, so you can feel like the sweets are in there every time you open it.

The case measures 6 centimetres in height and 8 centimetres in length and width, making it the perfect size for holding small accessories.

The zips are adorned with paw prints for added cuteness and the ribbon extends all around the case to closely resemble the box from the movie.

In addition to these two new products, there are a number of items back in stock after a long absence, including the Fish Cookie Cutlery Rest (1,100 yen).

▼ The Tea Cup (1,980 yen), although the saucer is sold separately and sadly not currently in stock.

▼ The Special Blend Tea Can (2,860 yen)

▼ And finally, the stunning Baron Doll Music Box (11,000 yen).

Baron is pictured here with his cane and top hat, posing with one hand elegantly cupping his chin to give off “an intelligent and gentlemanly impression”.

The attention to detail on the figure is incredibly impressive, with the cat’s green eyes glinting as if he’s alive.


The music box stands at 23 centimetres in height, and the detailed design allows you to enjoy the character from all angles.

The pedestal features stonework and a white-and-green design that references the Cat Business Office building and the town in which it’s located, where Haru meets Baron.

The melody played by the music box is the movie’s ending tune, “Kaze ni Naru” (“Become the Wind”), which will mesmerise you… along with Baron’s gaze.

The items above can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online (links below), with the Natoru plushie available only in limited stocks and on a pre-order basis, with shipping scheduled for September.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Featured image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Studio Ghibli (1, 2), Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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A visit to the ordinarily forbidden hall of Nara’s Hasedera Temple【Photos】

Hall is open to the public until July and houses enormous artworks.

Nara boasts many beautiful temples, including Hasedera Temple, which you might remember from some beautiful and touching photos taken there a few years ago. Our Japanese-language reporter Egawa Tasuku recently had the opportunity to tour the place, one of the Four Great Temples of Yamato (Yamato being the name by which the Nara region used to be known).

The tour was part of a prefectural campaign encouraging people to tour all four of the temples: Okadera, Murouji, Abe Monjuin, and Hasedera Temples. Tasuku had heard that this Hasedera in particular has some unique and eye-catching features, so he was excited about the opportunity.

▼ This was his guide, Mr. Takiguchi, who also runs the temple’s Instagram account.

Hasedera is said to beautiful all year round due to the number and types of flowers planted on its grounds, so much so that it’s often nicknamed “the temple of flowers”. This road leading up to the main temple, for instance, is lined with giant peonies.

Since Tasuku went to Hasedera in late March, he wasn’t able to see the peonies, but he’s sure they’re in full bloom around this time. There are also hydrangeas set to bloom right after these!

The path leads up to the main temple hall, or the hondou.

It’s typically forbidden to enter the main temple at Hasedera, but the temple is holding a campaign where visitors have the rare chance to tour the inside. You can also see the great Buddha Boddhisatva statue on the temple grounds for 1,000 yen (US$6.30), and you can even touch its feet.

Inside, Tasuku was able to see the main Buddha Boddhisatva statue that towers over 10 meters (32.8 feet) tall. He was utterly speechless looking up at the huge masterpiece. The walls and ceiling were also decorated with splendor.

▼ Photos of the main statue typically aren’t allowed, but Tasuku was able to take a picture of the area around it.

Next, Tasuku headed to the main temple, which is a designated Important Cultural Property in Japan. Entering this building costs just 500 yen, and it’s only open until July 7.

The main attraction in this building is a replica of an enormous Buddhist tapestry. When we say enormous, we mean it–it’s about 16 meters, or as Tasuku put it, the height of a brachiosaurus.

There are many other similarly gigantic works inside the main building, so Tasuku thought it was worth every yen.

Tasuku was impressed by the sheer size and beauty of everything he saw at Nara’s Hasedera Temple, and it highly recommends it as a stop on your Japan trip. Don’t forget to visit the other three of the Four Great Temples of Yamato, too!

Temple information
Hasedera Temple /　長谷寺
Address: Nara-ken, Sakurai-shi, Hase 731-1
奈良県桜井市初瀬731-1
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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