Twentythree

Beloved game is kicking it into Oni mode for 2021.

There probably isn’t a more quintessentially Japanese video game than Taiko no Tastsujin (“Taiko Drum Master”). Combining cultures past and present, it’s a game which allows players to wail on large taiko drums while traditionally dressed kawaii festival goers prance across the screen to a constantly updated list of J-Pop hits.

That might help explain the lasting power the franchise has enjoyed since launching on 21 February, 2001. This year marks its 20th anniversary and it remains a game you can always reliably see people playing when passing through a game center. Naturally, the developers at Bandai Namco couldn’t be more thrilled about this and are planning a series of events to honor the successful franchise.

First and foremost, the Taiko no Tatsujin World Championship 2021 has been announced and will be held on 20 February, 2022. This is the first such competition in five years wherein Taiko no Tatsujin tastujin from all over the world will compete for the top spot.

▼ I got a hunch Japanese contestants will be hard to beat, but a dark horse from abroad may yet emerge

But first things first: You can’t have Taiko no Tatsujin without music, so starting 21 February, 2021 an open call for music is being held where anyone anywhere can submit songs to be converted into a Taiko no Tatsujin challenge. This song will be played over and over and over again throughout the tournament, so it better be damn good, but anyone from garage bands to vocaloid subroutines can enter.

Whether you’re a composer or would-be taiko champ, the time to start practicing is now. And be sure to tell all your friends, especially while using the new set of Taiko no Tetsujin Line messaging app stamps featuring many of the games favorite supporting characters.

And did someone say “TikTok Taiko no Tatsujin?”

Certainly not me because I can’t, but starting 5 March, the game and social media phenom are joining forces to make a Taiko no Tatsujin TikTok in-app mini-game! TikTok games often use facial recognition for controls, so it will be interesting to see how this translates to the classic drumming control scheme.

▼ An example of a TikTok mini-game

Taiko no Tatsujin is getting into the social media game elsewhere as well, with their soon-to-launch YouTube channel that will feature the animated exploits of the lovable drum Don-chan and all its friends.

If all that weren’t enough, Playstation4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game are on sale during late February and early March. For those that already own the game or frequent it at the arcade, a 20th anniversary song titled “Todoroki! Taiko no Tatsujin” will be added to the lineup from 21 February.

And then we have the re-release of official My Bachi taiko sticks. All sticks are hand-crafted in Japan and come in three varieties to suit individual playing styles.

It’s certainly more that you can shake a My Bachi at, and this year is only getting started. So, be sure to join in the Taiko no Tatsujin fun and help celebrate two decades of musical fun and hopefully many more to come. Also, someone please encourage that German symphony percussionist to take part in the tournament. That would be awesome.

Source: Taiko no Tatsujin World Championship 2021, Gajetto Tsushin, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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Bayside hotel’s deal is already great, gets even better if you and your friends work together.

Quick quiz: We all know that Tokyo is the biggest city in Japan, but what’s the second? Osaka would be a lot of people’s guess, and you might found some who assume Kyoto, Nagoya, or Fukuoka is number-two on the population list.

The correct answer, though, is actually Yokohama, which is about 20 minutes south of Tokyo. With a population of more than 3.7 million, it has the entertainment options and cultural attractions you’d expect of such a large city, but it also has a relaxed atmosphere and a park-lined harborfront. Yokohama is a frequent high-ranking choice in “best places to live in Japan” surveys, and now the bayside Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel in the city’s Minato Mirai district is offering incredible long-term stay plans for anyone wanting to leisurely sample the Yokohama lifestyle.

▼ The “Interconti,” as the hotel is known to locals, has a distinct, sailboat-like shape, and is located across the street from Yokohama’s iconic Ferris wheel.

Two room types are on offer, staring with the Standard Queen room. Located between floors 8 and 13, these 27-square meter (291 square feet) provide plenty of space to stretch out, and with a large desk and free Wi-Fi make a suitable base for telecommuters. Under the Monthly Stay Plan, 31 nights will cost you just 150,000 yen (US$1,449), a fraction of the usual rate. Add in that you’re not being charged for utilities, and this is also less than you’d pay per month if you lived in one of the neighborhood’s high-rise condominiums.

▼ The Standard Queen room has a “Queen Double Bed” measuring 200 centimeters (78.8 inches) in length and 150 centimeters in width.

Alternatively, there’s the Superior Twin room. Located between floors 7 and 14, these are 38 square meters, have two semi-double beds, and are priced at 300,000 yen for the Monthly Stay Plan.

▼ Superior Twin Room

Toiletries such as soap and shampoo are provided, and you can request fresh towels whenever you like. Housekeeping services, including a change of bedding, is provided once a week, and you also get free access to the hotel gym. Add in a convenient location, with train and subway stations, parks, shopping centers, restaurants, and convenience stores all just short walks away, and the Intercontinental makes a great base not just for exploring Yokohama, but also for heading further south down the Shonan coast to Kamakura, or up into Tokyo, on day trips.

But what makes the Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel’s Monthly Stay Plan really special is that if you inform the staff ahead of time, you’re allowed to change the room’s occupant before the end of the month (each room has a maximum occupancy of two people). In other words, if you coordinate schedules with a friends or acquaintances whose intended stays in Yokohama flow into yours, you can split the total cost for the month between yourselves, allowing you to stay in a luxurious hotel at a deeply discounted rate even if you’re only staying a few nights.

The Monthly Stay Plan will be offered until the end of 2021, with reservations for stays stating from September opening on June 1 and detailed reservation information here on the hotel’s website. Oh, and if you’ve got your heart set on living for a month in fancy hotel in downtown Tokyo, that’s an option these days too.

Source: Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel via IT Media
Top image: Wikipedia/Torsodog
Insert images: Pakutaso, Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel
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One year after Kagawa capped kids’ playtime, will Tokyo follow suit?

Last spring, politicians in Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture enacted the Ordinance for Measures Against Internet and Game Addiction, which prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from playing video games for more than 60 minutes a day during the week, or more than 90 minutes a day on weekends. Ostensibly, this is to protect them from interactive electronic entertainment turning their young minds to mush. Although the ordinance currently has no penalty built into it, kids who go over their daily limits are technically violating the law. Also banned: high school students using smartphones for non-studying purposes after 10 p.m., and younger users after 9.

Kagawa is the first place in Japan to enact such a law, but with less than a million residents in the prefecture, the ordinance affects only a small slice of Japan’s population. However, on Wednesday Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was asked if she has plans to place a legal video gaming time limit on kids living in the capital.

The question was posed on Wednesday’s plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and Koike responded with

“In regard to countermeasures against video gaming and Internet addiction, I believe it is important for the city to calmly assess available information. I am not considering instituting a uniform time limit that has no scientific basis.”

▼ Koike during the plenary session

香川県のゲーム条例に対する東京都の考えを小池都知事に質問しました。
東京都では香川県の条例のように「条例でゲーム時間等を一律に制限する考えは無い」との明確な答弁です。

都民ファーストの会は都議会の最大与党として、これからも表現の自由を守るための提案・活動を続けてまいります。 pic.twitter.com/GorhWDWsjb

— 藤井あきらデジタル都議都民ファーストの会 (@fujiiakiratokyo) February 24, 2021

Koike’s words will come as a relief to Tokyo’s game-loving minors, especially since when Kagawa enacted its ordinance last spring, Koike said would “be watching what sort of effects it produces.” Apparently, though, her observations so far have led her to believe that a blanket limit on playing time or prohibited time blocks isn’t something society needs.

That’s not to say that Koike entirely dismisses that excessive gaming or Internet use can have negative effects on young people, and she said she would like to offer resources, such as developmental courses and counseling services, to help parents of children who may be spending more time with such hobbies than they should. However, in asserting that she wants to develop such resources while “respecting the independent autonomy of parents and their guardians,” she made clear her stance that how much gaming/net browsing is excessive is something that varies from individua to individual, and that figuring out how much is allowable is among the freedom, and responsibilities, of families themselves.

Source: Twitter/@fujiiakiratokyo via Hachima Kiko, Tokyo Metropolitan Government via IT Media
Top image © SoraNews24
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Ensure your baby grows up with the same cute, colorful creatures you did!

We all live in a Pokémon world, as they say. The franchise has created enough merchandise at this point to ostensibly furnish your entire living area, clothe you from head to toe and even fill up your tummy with catchable critter cuteness.

There are plenty of fans from the original ’90s boom who have since grown up and now have children of their own, and the Pokémon Company is eager to ensure those babies are welcomed into the Pocket Monster fold as soon as possible. One of their lines, Monpoké, is a clothing and accessory line founded in 2019 that is aimed at new parents and especially young children.

▼ Two kids suited up in Monpoké apparel

The latest round of clothes is set to launch on March 15 and will encompass the spring and summer seasons for 2021. Fittingly, there’s plenty of rainwear and comfy caps for your kids to dress up in. The designs are primarily genderless and are intended for children between the ages of one to three years old, with plenty of accessories and tools like umbrellas sold to ensure your baby looks stylish from toe to tip.

▼ Set out on a rainy day adventure with Pikachu!

The full product spread boasts more adorable babywear than you can shake a Meowstic at. Dress your tiny tot in petite Pokémon Crocs-style sandals or equip them with a soft Pikachu backpack to tote around. You’ll be the cutest family on the block!

Some products won’t hit shelves until April or May of this year but rest assured that there’re plenty of pretty products to satisfy your family needs in the meantime. And with the cooperation of apparel companies like Takihyo, there’s no doubt your precious little one will dress in quality until they hit their level cap and evolve into a bigger size!

Source: Monpoké via Netlab
Top image: Monpoké Lookbook
Insert images: Monpoké
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After multiple coronavirus delays, the end of Eva is coming in less than two weeks.

There’s always a heavy element of mystery surrounding Evangelion, so whenever director Hideaki Anno gives even the tiniest kernel of information about the legendary anime franchise, fans can’t help analyzing it. For example, the upcoming fourth and final Rebuild of Evangelion movie’s title is Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, but what is the significance of that subtitle?

Maybe we should expect some sort of narrative or thematic parallels to the 1980 Thrice Upon a Time science fiction novel by British author James P. Hogan. Or Maybe Anno was able to see the future, and he knew that the final conclusion to the Eva franchise would have to be delayed from an announced release date not once, but twice, by the coronavirus pandemic. But hey, they say the third time’s the charm, and now Thrice Upon a Time has its third release date: March 8.

It’s also got a new teaser trailer, in the style of the next-episode previews from the original Evangelion TV series, featuring the unmistakable narration of voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice of Eva’s Misato, who says:

“To settle everything, Misato and the Wille crew take off.
To settle everything, Asuka and Mari borrow a severely wounded Eva.
To settle everything, Shinji Ikari stands in opposition to his father, Gendo.
And then, Shinji makes his decision.
Farewell, all of Evangelion!
Next time: Rebuild of Evangelion!
And until the end, I’ll give you lots of service, service!”

▼ Oh, hello there, terrifying Mass Production Evas. How nice of yo to show up and bring what appear to be millions and millions of your friends with you.

Originally, Thrice Upon a Time was supposed to be in theaters in Japan on June 27, only for the government-declared state of emergency over the coronavirus crisis to prompt a postponement. Then January 23 was supposed to be the big day, only for another state of emergency to be declared. Hopefully though, the third time will be the charm for Thrice Upon a Time.

Source: Studio Khara
Images: YouTube/株式会社カラー khara inc.official
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Demand for bite-sized “Little Moons” skyrockets, selling out at supermarkets.

Trends come and go all the time, but with social media platforms like TikTok now dominating the scene, a trend can turn into a full-on craze, and that’s what’s happening across the U.K. at the moment, as people everywhere scramble to get their hands on Japanese mochi ice cream.

Mochi ice cream has been around in Japan for decades, with manufacturer Lotte popularising the sweet under the Yukimi Daifuku (“Snow-viewing dumplings“) brand introduced to the market in 1981.

▼ Yukimi Daifuku was around long before Little Moons.

The soft and pudgy ice creams, covered in a thin layer of mochi (pounded rice cake), have become increasingly well-known worldwide, but it took a brand called “Little Moons” to make people in England go crazy for them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Little Moons (@littlemoonsmochi)

It’s a marketing dream come true for siblings Howard and Vivien Wong, who started Little Moons in the U.K. back in 2010, with a vision to bring Japanese mochi to the masses. Now, over ten years later, their sales have gone through the roof after TikTok users began raving about them, and supermarkets have been unable to keep up with demand, making the sweets even more sought after.

▼ Videos on TikTok shows customers on the hunt for the little iced confections, which appear to be sold out at most of the big supermarket chains.

@shonasboutique

Yumm those Little Moons were amazing #littlemoons #littlemoonsmochi #fyp #foryoupage #lidlmoons #lidl

♬ drivers license x all I want by Olivia Rodrigo – ella

@izzyrobinson05

it was a very sad experience and i still haven’t got any #fyp #foryoupage #littlemoons

♬ Super flat lad – Matthew_carlin_

Even those who would’ve previously turned their noses up at the combination of rice and ice cream have become obsessed with trying Little Moons to see if they live up to the hype. And the response from the overwhelming majority of people who’ve tried them? They really are worth it.

▼ Popular English YouTubers like Mark Ferris have also been getting in on the trend, after being inundated with requests from subscribers to try them.

One of the secrets to the brand’s huge success is the variety of flavours available, covering winning ingredients like chocolate, passionfruit, pistachio, and cookie dough. They also offer gluten-free and vegan options.

@littlemoonsmochi

The perfect week… #littlemoons #littlemoonsmochi #fyp #viral #mochi

♬ sonido original – Marta Sierra

And while the boxed supermarket varieties are the ones everyone has gone mad for, the brand has standalone stores that sell the Little Moons separately.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Little Moons (@littlemoonsmochi)

The boxes, if you can find them at stores, contain six gelato ice creams and are sold at a recommended retail price point of 4.50 GBP (US$6.27). Little Moons says there’s been a 700-percent increase in January sales at supermarkets compared to December 2020, and with the company having built a brand new mochi-making factory last year in response to growing demand in the U.K. and internationally, the trend may well be coming to your country soon.

If that’s whetted your appetite for more mochi, we’ve got plenty more for you here, including Häagen-Dazs’ delicious mochi ice creams and the lightning-fast moves of Japan’s fastest mochi maker.

Related: Little Moons
Sources: Brighton & Hove Independent, TikTok/#littlemoons
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image © SoraNews24
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Hayao Miyazaki gives blessing after meeting with Caird to project that’s been in development for four years.

In 2019, classic Studio Ghibli anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was adapted into a kabuki play. Now comes word that another of director Hayao Miyazaki’s films is being transformed into a live-action stage version, and this time it’s his biggest hit of all, Spirited Away.

Helming the project is Canadian-born British stage director and playwright John Caird, who will handle both the script and direction for the project. Perhaps best known as a director for the original 1987 production of Les Misérables, Caird has worked extensively as a director for stage plays in Japan with Japanese actors, with his most recent major project being Knight’s Tale, which had its world premiere in Tokyo three years ago.

The Spirited Away stage play is being produced as a 90th anniversary celebration for Toho, as the distributor of the Spirited Away anime is also involved in live theater, and Toho and Caird first began discussing the possibility of adapting the Ghibli anime for the stage back in 2017. However, Miyazaki is famously protective of his studio’s works, and so Caird met in-person with both the legendary anime director and veteran Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, asking for permission to go head with the play, which they granted, with Suzuki commenting:

“John is a good guy. Miyazaki and I both like him. We gave him a No-Face coin bank, and he was very happy. I hope he’ll take good care of [Spirited Away protagonist Chihiro] as he raises her on the stage.”

Speaking of Chihiro, two actresses will share the role of the 10-year-old girl who finds herself, well, spirited away. One half of the duo will be 22-year-old Kanna Hashimoto, idol singer-turned-actress whose resume includes several roles in live-action TV drama and movie adaptations of anime, such as Gintama, Kingdom, and Assassination Classroom (although surely the highlight of her career so far remains the time she sold some eyeglasses to a SoraNews24 reporter). The other actress stepping into Chihiro’s role will be 23-year-old Mone Kamishiraishi, a singer and actress who was part of the cast for Caird’s Knight’s Tale.

▼ Hashimoto (left) and Kamishiraishi (right). Both actress mention being terrified by the scene where Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs when they watched the anime as children.

Until recently, Spirited Away was Japan’s highest-grossing film of all time, and Caird seems deeply respectful of its cultural significance, saying he is “excited and honored” to be entrusted with the project, expressing his longtime admiration for the original with “I have spent a thousand hours with Spirited Away, and I’m looking forward to spending thousands more with it” (referencing how the “Chi” part of Chihiro’s name means “thousand” in Japanese).

The Spirited Away stage play is set to premiere at Tokyo’s Imperial Theater in February of 2022, move to Osaka in April, Fukuoka in March, Sapporo in early June, and then arrive in Nagoya for late June and July. And yes, Toho has said they’re also considering overseas performances.

Sources: Spirited Away stage play official website, Sponichi Annex via Yahoo! Japan News
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Spirited Away stage play official website
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