Twentythree

Our reporter doesn’t have a problem though. He can stop anytime he wants.

The sneaky psychology behind capsule toys is how we all go in expecting to just take one turn of the handle, but usually end up doing it two or three times. It doesn’t even matter what comes out on that first spin, either you don’t get what you want and try again for it, or even when you do get what you want, you’ll try again because you’re on a roll.

Luckily, since these machines usually only charge a few hundred yen, it only amounts to a little harmless fun. But what if there were a capsule toy machine that charged 5,000 yen (US$45) a turn?

Such a scenario played out for our reporter Yuichiro Wasai while strolling through the otaku mecca of Akihabara. In front of one shop named Akiba Liberty was a machine labeled “5,000 yen Gacha”, with the promise that every turn gets a prize.

After inserting the money, the machine drops a capsule with a numbered ticket inside. This ticket can then be exchanged for the corresponding item in the display case inside the store. Yuichiro walked in and took a look at what was up for grabs.

A wide range of items were on display and the higher-end items had lower digit numbers, climaxing in a Nintendo Switch Lite for a number “1” ticket. To Yuichiro’s surprise a PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) was even up for grabs if he could get a “2” from the machine, and tickets that simply say “prize” will receive a PS5 or Nintendo Switch.

Our writer knew that his chances of winning big were slim. This was more the game for zany YouTubers to drop a whole bunch of cash in exchange for likes and subscribers, not our humble cat-food-eating Yuichiro.

Still…winning a PS5 for only 5,000 yen would be pretty neat, and Yuichiro has been saving a lot of money through his dieting. What could one go hurt?

He inserted five 1,000 yen bills and the “PUSH” button lit up an inviting blue hue. Our reporter closed his eyes, wished for a single digit or at least a “14” and smacked the button.

Out plunked a plastic ball with a ticket that read “12” inside, but that wasn’t all…

There was a second ticket as well! Tucked inside the ball, another slip of paper with an “18” on it could be found.

Yuichiro excitedly hurried over to the man at the counter, but was told that the two papers were just an error. It was a bummer, but he could at least take his pick of one item from either number.

Still…

When you think about it…

What are the chances of getting a ball with TWO papers inside?

It has to be astronomical…

Clearly, fate was telling Yuichiro something on this day…

“Excuse me, could you break a 10,000 yen bill into 1,000s?” he asked the clerk. A PS5 for 15,000 yen ($136) would still be something to brag about, and some kind of supernatural force was obviously swirling around our reporter. He’d be crazy to just walk away from it.

Just two more tries though, and that would be enough to determine if it was just a fluke or if he was truly hot.

In the end, Yuichiro got the following three items for which we also included the current retail prices.

▼ A Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: Burst of Destiny display case with 30 packs (4,950 yen [$45])

▼ An E-Prize Brook Ichiban Kuji Figure (These figures are only given away as prizes at convenience stores or amusement games where one chance is usually around 500 yen [$4.50])

▼ A Hori Classic Controller for Nintendo Switch – Legend of Zelda Edition (2,800 yen [$25])

And so, Yuichiro walked away having spent 15,000 yen ($136) on about 8,000 yen ($73) worth of stuff. It was interesting stuff though, so he had that going for him.

Still…

When you think about it…

He had already burned through a bunch of double-digit numbers, so he was probably due for something below ten…

Maybe even a Switch?

At least a Ring Fit Adventure…

So, the next day our reporter returned to Akihabara, armed with five more 1,000 yen bills.

Something good was going to happen. He could feel it as he heard the plastic ball bounce around inside the machine and finally pop out the bottom to reveal…

▼ “I got a 4!!!”

As Yuichiro saw before, a single digit, especially one under five, ensures a top-tier prize worth more than the price of a single turn. In the case of a 4, he got a copy of Monster Hunter Rise for the Nintendo Switch, which retails for 8,789 yen ($80)!

Overall, he was still down by a few thousand yen, but clearly his luck had taken a turn for the better and he could now be more satisfied with his haul.

Still…

When you think about it, maybe getting a Switch game was a sign that an actual Switch might be waiting in his future. The only way to be sure is if he goes back one more time to try again…

Photos ©SoraNews24
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I guess if they were going to get excited about something, it’d be this.

At a ceremony on 1 September, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso pushed the button to officially begin printing the country’s newly redesigned 10,000 yen bills. Most noticeable in this new design is that writer Fukuzawa Yukichi has been replaced by economist Shibusawa Eiichi, also known as the “father of Japanese capitalism.”

In addition to the aesthetic changes, several functional adjustments have been added. The bills were given a unique texture to help visually impaired people distinguish them and the numbers are also more prominently printed to help those from outside Japan understand its value at a glance.

Not only that, but the bills carry a “state-of-the-art” hologram that appears to move in 3-D when looked at from different angles. Not sure what makes it so cutting-edge, but if that’s the case then my old Visionaries and Super Natural figures I had when I was eight were light years ahead of their time.

Either way, revamping physical currency is always a good thing from a security and public service point of view, but perhaps no one was happier about it than The Bank of Japan who announced it in an uncharacteristically chipper tweet:

▼ “Ta-daaaa! The new 10,000 yen bill!”

じゃーん！新一万円券https://t.co/a7emAPkOOt pic.twitter.com/9ZangzrnZB

— 日本銀行 (@Bank_of_Japan_j) September 1, 2021

Sure, it’s far from the zaniest tweet anyone’s posted before, but considering the central bank of Japan’s entire timeline is just a series of links to reports on economic policy and guidelines alone with the title of said report, the sudden appearance of “ta-daaaaa” can be quite jarring.

Most replies to the tweet certainly had a hard time getting over the bank’s unexpected candor.

“‘Ta-daaa’ it ain’t, but okay.”
“The Bank of Japan is getting all giddy.”
“It looks like toy money.”
“Lol, that’s too happy.”
“The font on the ‘10000’ makes it look cheap.”
“Hmm. I’m interested in this design and would like to try it out. Please send me 1,000 of them.”
“Since you have time to Tweet like a teenager, can you get on the whole deflation problem?”
“That font though…”
“How much longer until the Yukichi ones disappear?”

Even the social-media-dwelling otter mascot Chi-tan chimed in to comment on the new look of Japanese currency.

▼ “The new money is cool. I’m looking for the old money now because we have to cherish it.”

新しいお金かっこいいですっ☆古いお金も大切にしなければならないので探してますっ☆ pic.twitter.com/e1JbzB9Noj

— ちぃたん☆／Chiitan (@chiitan7407) September 1, 2021

Luckily, Chi-tan and everyone else will still have plenty of time to enjoy the current bills. Once the first run of printing is complete, the bills will be used to aid the designers of machines such as ATMS and vending machines so they can properly identify them.

The redesigned 1,000 and 5,000 yen bills will follow a similar roll-out and are scheduled to begin first-printing later this autumn. All banknotes are expected to enter circulation in the first half of 2024, and their magical hologram power will shake the earth!

Source: NHK, My Game News Flash
Top image: Twitter/@Bank_of_Japan_j
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Today, fried chicken is also your gateway to Japanese culture and linguistics.

Japan loves seasonal foods, and for fall, many of the country’ delicacies are prized for their mature and subtle tastes, such as matsutake mushrooms, eggplant, and saury. But if you crave heartier fare with stronger flavors, don’t despair, because in Japan fall is also the time to eat the moon.

Because of the clear skies and mild temperatures of autumn nights, plus various harvest-season traditions, September is when Japan classically enjoys moon-viewing, or tsukimi, as it’s called in Japanese. Tsukimi also happens to be a term used in Japanese cuisine to describe adding an egg to a dish, since a cracked egg’s shape and coloring resembles the full moon, and so this month two tsukimi fried chicken sandwiches are coming to the menu at KFC Japan.

While the tsukimi sandwiches’ raison d’etre is steeped in Japanese culture and linguistics, one of the variants is more “JAPANESE!” than the other, and that’s the Torori Tsukimi Wafu Chicken Filet Sandwich (“Melty Tsukimi Japanese-Style Chicken Filet Sandwich”) pictured above. Along with KFC’s famous 11 herbs and spices, the deep-fried chicken cutlet is treated with a soy teriyaki glaze before it’s topped with a lunar-representative fried egg, shredded cabbage, and a dollop of mayo.

▼ Cheese is an optional add-on if you want things to get even meltier.

On the other hand, the comparatively more occidental Torori Tsukimi Chicken Filet Sando (almost the same name, but without the wafu/”Japanese-Style” part) goes without the soy teriyaki glaze, but replaces the standard mayo with an olive-oil enhanced version, while also swapping in lettuce for the Wafu’s cabbage. It’s also offered with or without cheese.

The cheeseless sandwiches are priced at 460 yen (US$4.20), while their cheese siblings will cost 30 yen more. They’re all on sale now, but for a limited time, so it’s best not to even try to fight the temptation to eat them, especially if you’re hoping to try all of the other tsukimi foods Japan will be rolling out.

Source: PR Times via Peachy
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2)
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Light lunch, assemble!

Now more than ever, the various characters from Marvel comics have been gracing all sorts of media from live-action cinema to ukiyo-e woodblock prints. And late last year they were interpreted in perhaps the most loved medium around the world: Lunch!

Marvel Cafe was a pop-up cafe that opened in Tokyo late last year, but now is set to arrive in the Umeda area of Osaka from mid-September to the middle of October. Produced by Oh My Cafe, this temporary eatery has been very creative with rice and sauce to capture the essence of some classic heroes relying mainly on the lore of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here’s a rundown of the menu:

Marvel: Spirit-lifting Paprikash – 1,759 yen (US$16)

This was the Eastern European dish that Vision was cooking for the Scarlet Witch in Civil War. It’s chicken covered in a generous amount of sauce made with a paprika blend of peppers and a hint of tomato for added sweetness. A block of rice shaped like the Marvel logo is served on top.

It’s a dish that’s sure to please. After all, it lifted Wanda’s spirits and she had just accidentally killed a bunch of people.

Spider-Man: Queens’ #1 Chicken Sandwich – 1,649 yen ($15)

Based on the sandwich that Peter Parker always ordered from Delmar’s Deli-Grocery…before it was demolished. This chicken sandwich comes with pickles and is squished down just the way he likes it.

However, at that price it looks like he got caught talking about Delmar’s daughter again, and for one additional yen it comes with a Marvel paper bag.

Captain America: American Tomato Pasta – 1,979 yen ($18)

Apparently there wasn’t much food going on in the Captain America films, so instead we have a well-balanced meal to represent a well-balanced superhero. Spaghetti with plentiful meat and vegetables along with a salad, nacho chips, and what appears to be a wafer in the shape of Cap’s shield.

There’s also a secret floating in the soup, which you’ll have to order to uncover.

Thor: Thor’s Hammer Fallen in the Desert Curry – 2,089 yen ($19)

One of the more ambitious dishes on the menu, the scene in the original Thor film when the hammer Moljinar was found in the desert is recreated in food.

The hammer itself is made of rice and a breadstick while the desert sands have been crafted from a dry curry base, all served with a side of salad.

Black Widow: Jet Black Squid Ink Gratin – 1,869 yen ($17)

Making black food to fit the motif of the Black Widow is a challenge, but luckily as masters of squid ink, Japanese chefs can rise to the challenge for a delightfully sweet sauce with a delicate seafood taste, all elegantly served among other starkly black and red foods.

Iron Man: Sunset Donut and Bagel Sandwich – 1,979 yen ($18)

This dish is based on the scene from Iron Man 2 when a hungover Tony Stark is living the dream and munching on donuts while sitting inside the iconic Randy’s Donuts sign in Inglewood, California.

The donut with pink frosting complements a bagel sandwich and salad, everything a growing billionaire needs.

Four types of special beverages are available too. First, a caffè latte with some Marvel logo latte art will be sold for 989 yen ($9) or 1,650 yen ($15) if you’d like to buy the cup as well.

There’s also a reusable sports bottle of iced tea for 769 yen ($7) or 1,320 yen ($12) with one of six randomly chosen charms of a Marvel hero such as Dr. Strange, Ant Man, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther.

Finally, there are two types of sodas for 1,209 yen ($11) each. One is given the lemon-lime flavor of “ramune” and the other is cherry. They are based on Captain America and Iron Man respectively, so every time you and your dining partner clink cheers, it’s like a little Civil War.

▼ Captain America Ramune Soda

▼ Iron Man Cherry Soda

And it wouldn’t be a pop-up cafe without a whole slew of limited-edition merchandise for sale as well. Towels, buttons, cases, magnets, file folders, and tote bags will also be for sale on-site.

Reservations can be made at the website linked below, so be sure to grab a table if possible. How many chances does one have to eat a Marvel logo made of rice?

Cafe Information
「MARVEL」cafe produced by OH MY CAFE
UMEDA BOX cafe & space
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Chayamachi 16-7, Umeda Loft 1F
大阪府大阪市北区茶屋町16-7 梅田ロフト 1F
16 September – 17 October, 2021
Reservation Webpage

Source, images: PR Times
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Family of burgers, desserts, shakes and fries pay homage to the autumn moon. 

As we say goodbye to the sunny days of summer, it’s time to turn our attention towards the moon. Here in Japan, the moon is particularly bright and beautiful during the autumn months, when people gather to celebrate autumn harvests and take part in Tsukimi (“Moon Viewing”) events.

It’s not just the sky where the moon shines bright in autumn, though, as a number of fast food chains join in the festivities with their own moon-viewing collections. And one we look forward to gazing at every year is the lineup from McDonald’s, who go all out with burgers, fries, desserts and shakes all dedicated to the bright orb.

▼ Say hello to this year’s “Tsukimi Family”.

“Tsukimi” is the term used whenever an egg is added to a dish like soba, udon or curry, due to the fact that the colour and shape of the cracked egg (raw or fried) resembles a full moon.

The highlight of the McDonald’s Tsukimi collection is always the burgers, which contain the moon in the form of a fried egg, and the main star of the show is the classic Tsukimi Burger, with and without cheese.

▼ The Tsukimi Burger (340 yen [US$3.09])

▼ The Cheese Tsukimi (370 yen)

▼ For breakfast, there’s the Tsukimi Muffin, priced at 330 yen and only available until 10:30 a.m.

While the above muffin and burgers have been gracing the menu for a number of years, this year, we get to welcome a new member of the family: the Noukou Torori Tsukimi (“Rich Melty Tsukimi“), priced at 420 yen.

▼ Th Rich Melty Tsukimi appeared on the menu last year with scrambled egg, but this year it contains cheese sauce and fluffy buns made with cheese.

Also part of the Tsukimi Family this year is fries with limited-edition Yuzu Shichimi (“Seven Spice”) Mayo seasoning, which costs an extra 30 yen with an order of fries. While they don’t have a direct connection to the moon, McDonald’s says this spicy citrus seasoning has a Japanese flavour that’s especially suited to this year’s Tsukimi burgers.

On the dessert menu, there’s the Tsukimi Pie for 150 yen, which has become a firm member of the family in recent years, tantalising the taste buds with its red bean and mochi sticky rice filling.

And the Tsukimi McFlurry (320 yen), which made its debut last year, when it received a warm response for its warabimochi (bracken starch dumplings), kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) sauce, and crushed cone bits flavoured with kinako (roasted soybean flour).

New to the menu for 2021 is the Tsukimi McShake (130 yen for a small, 210 for a medium), which is said to contain the elegant sweetness of wasanbon (refined Japanese sugar), combined with kinako.

▼ The toasty sweet taste of autumn in a cup.   

Like previous years, the new McDonald’s range also comes with a family-centric commercial that tugs at the heartstrings, showcasing the relationship between a daughter and her father and their reconnection under the full moon.

All the menu items in the McDonald’s Tsukimi range will be available from 8 September until mid-October, except for the McFlurry, which will be available from 15 September until mid-October. It’s a tasty way to pay homage to the moon, and the good news is, there should be even more Tsukimi burgers from other fast food chains coming our way shortly!

Source, images: McDonald’s Japan
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“Get ready for the arrival of a new era of big burgers,” the slogan promises, but does it deliver?

When it comes to burgers, our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa holds one restaurant chain in higher esteem than the others — Burger King. For Seiji, no other burger comes close when it comes to pure, unadulterated beefy patties. Just as their restaurant name suggests, they really are the kings of meat when it comes to hamburgers.

Burger King have provided the team at SoraNews24 with many a beefy blessing in the past, and their latest offering promises to be overflowing with meaty goodness, as it’s a three-tiered creation called the ‘Big Mouth‘ burger.

▼ The Big Mouth burgers (1,080 yen [US$9.80])

The Big Mouth comes in two varieties — Cheese & Cheese which, as the name suggests, has cheese slices between the layers, and Super Spicy, with layers of jalapeño hot sauce sandwiched between the patties. Never one to shy away from spicy opponents, Seiji opted for the latter.

“Get ready for the arrival of a new era of big burgers,” the slogan promised, and Seiji felt the power of Burger King’s overwhelming confidence. This was it! This would be the big burger he had always dreamed of! Would he be able to handle the intimidating size of the Big Mouth?

▼ The Super Spicy Big Mouth From Above (2021)

As Seiji plated up the Big Mouth burger, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit let down. The burger seemed a lot smaller than the mammoth burger that he was promised. Was this really the harbinger of the new era of big beef burgers?

Seiji also bought Burger King’s classic Whopper Burger for comparison. The Whopper is on the left, and even in this picture it seems to tower over the Big Mouth, despite the Whopper having only one beef patty compared to the Big Mouth’s three. Yet the Big Mouth was some 400 yen (US$3.60) more expensive… What was going on?

We here at SoraNews24 take our taste investigations very seriously, especially when they come to towers of unbridled beef, so Seiji decided to compare the two burgers more thoroughly by dismantling them.

First up were the buns. The Whopper on the left was definitely bigger than the Big Mouth, without a doubt. But Seiji is not one to make hasty conclusions — the Whopper’s bun size may be giving off the illusion that it’s bigger than the Big Mouth, but as we all know, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

So how do the patties themselves compare? Will the Whopper patty triumph here as well?

▼ Spoiler — it’s a tie.

The Whopper and Big Mouth patties are more or less the same size, meaning you’re essentially eating three Whoppers-worth of meat with every Big Mouth. Phew!

With his brief investigation over, Seiji finally sunk his teeth into the Big Mouth, and his initial feelings of disappointment were quickly replaced by an overwhelming rush of joy. The patties were so immensely meaty, Seiji felt like he had been punched in the face with a beefy fist. The sheer volume of delicious meat in the patties, a veritable hurricane of beefy decadence that swallowed up the buns in its path — this is why Burger King is the king of the meat world.

So while it may not seem to be a monster of a burger at a glance, the Big Mouth reminds us that when it comes to food, it’s best not to judge too quickly. Unless you’re actually planning to eat like a judge, in which case, go ahead!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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