JAPAN TRENDS
 
It’s the gift that keeps on giving: Tokyo’s station billboard promotions.
We continue to see interesting examples, especially in Shinjuku, from the “huggable” to the “scratchable”.
Many of these interactive and unusual billboards have involved the game industry as part of promotion...

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JAPAN TIMES
Nintendo’s summer colors
Over the years, Nintendo has released a slew of colors for its 3DS handhelds, so it’s easy to feel jaded and write new ones off as just another sales grab, but the upcoming Japan-only 3DS pop color combinations are definitely eye-catching.
 
Deliberately contr...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
The area-specific sweet will be available for a limited time only.
One of the main reasons less adventurous travellers go to multi-national fast food joints when they’re abroad is because their menus and layouts are instantly familiar. If you see a typical McDonald’s, Pizza Hut or S...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO/WASHINGTON — Japan and the United States are presenting U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima as an affirmation of a strong alliance and a step towards world denuclearisation, but critics see selective amnesia and paradoxes on nuclear policy.
Aides have said Obama w...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
 
JIJI – The superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Department has called for public cooperation in keeping the capital safe during the Group of Seven summit in Mie Prefecture later this week.
“If you notice anything suspicious, please call the police immediately,” Superi...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
While a one-litre (two-pint) bottle of Pepsi usually contains 1.0 GV (gas volume), these much smaller bottles now pack 5.0 GV in more than half the size.
Japan loves its Pepsi. Whether it’s pink, black, or white, watermelon-flavoured or filled with the taste of sakura cherry blossom...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO — World Order is back, only this time starring in a commercial, and not a new music video. The dance group, which puts synchronized swimming teams to shame with its members’ tightly coordinated movements, has recently lent their talents to an advertising campaign for the Real ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
The Yomiuri Shimbun
NAGANO — Buildings used in animation works produced by Studio Ghibli are shown in meticulous detail for an exhibition now under way at an art museum in Nagano. The “Ghibli no Rittai Kenzobutsu Ten” exhibition at the Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum showca...

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ROCKET NEWS
 
When Japanese travelers go abroad, they’ll be taking some of the country’s most famous and beautiful examples of woodblock print artwork with them.
A while back I had to renew my passport, and when my new one came in the mail my wife was amazed at how incredibly American it is. Spla...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
The Yomiuri Shimbun
KUMAMOTO — The Kumamoto prefectural government on Tuesday started construction of a large-scale temporary housing complex for quake victims in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by two earthquakes that registered the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic ...

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