ROCKET NEWS
 
The first couple of Nintendo grace the legally binding documents.
Nintendo’s Super Mario and Princess Peach have known each other for a long time. Their first face-to-face meeting, at the end of the original Super Mario Bros., came 32 years ago, so most would say they’ve had plenty ...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Japanese virtual reality continues to thrive and expand in the entertainment industry.
Following the success of the pilot VR Zone facility in Tokyo Bay and then the recently opened space in Shinjuku, where attractions include Mario Kart, Bandai Namco is now launching further VR Zon...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Japan’s society is aging — and rapidly. With the second-highest life expectancy in the world combined with a falling birth rate, the numbers of retirees and older citizens will only continue to rise.
Things are changing socially to cope with this seismic shift, not least tax hikes ...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
Kodo drummers help modern technology blend with one of Japan’s most traditional instruments.
Taiko, Japanese drums, have a centuries-long cultural legacy. Often heard at Japanese festivals and religious ceremonies, their driving, primal sound occupies an important place in the natio...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
A few years ago we noticed a lot of online chatter about Japanese fitness machines that recreated rodeo-style motions. People sniggered because they seemed wacky or even suggestive. But they work — and Japanese manufacturers continue to borrow the all-American idea of rodeo to prod...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Visitors to SoftBank stores in Tokyo and many other areas around Japan would have likely encountered the small white robot Pepper.
The humanoid robot, co-developed by Aldebaran Robotics with the telecommunications giant, can also be spotted at various other stores and hotels in Jap...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Between the dolls, robots and maids, there are plenty of substitutes for real-life dating partners in Japan. A notable few of them, however, will (or can) speak with you, and fewer yet will serenade you.
Filling this void is au Sendai’s BLUE LEAF CAFÉ, which is running a limited-ti...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
Dainashi shows the stamina of a warrior as he drums the extremely high tempo theme songs to every stage.
Because I’m an old fart now, I can fondly remember playing the original Street Fighter IIin the arcades. However, in that environment I could only really make out the sound effec...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Next year, Kalita will be 60 years old, and in those six decades Kalita has become one of the world’s leading brands in pour-over coffee. From its humble beginnings as a coffee filter company, Kalita now produces a wide range of coffee-brewing essentials, including elegant steel ke...

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JAPAN TRENDS
 
As previously reported, VR Zone Shinjuku opens this summer as Tokyo’s latest virtual reality entertainment facility.
Produced by Bandai Namco, the large space in Kabukicho features a range of VR games and rides based on a number of popular franchises, including Dragonball and Evang...

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