ROCKET NEWS
Ever since we heard about the opening of a bookstore-themed hotel with sleeping quarters built into its wooden bookshelves, we’ve been keeping a close eye out for updates, and were actually lucky enough to snap up a reservation to stay at the hotel on opening night!
After emerging fro...

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ROCKET NEWS
This is a cake. No really, it is.
And we know what you’re thinking: but there’s noodles and broth and chashu pork and it even has those weird tasting bamboo shoots on top! But even though it looks like ramen, your tastebuds will be surprised after the first sweet and sugary bite of th...

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ROCKET NEWS
We’ve talked before about Japan’s love affair with gigantic hug pillows. Even if they’re not covered with pictures of your anime or celebrity crush, dakimakura, as they’re called in Japanese, have a number of physiological advantages, as well as the psychological benefits some people ...

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ROCKET NEWS
For those living outside Japan, a good bowl of ramen is almost impossible to find unless you’re in a big city like New York or London, and even then the options can be a bit of a let-down. And for many, the only ramen available is the dried variety that frankly has made some of our Ja...

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ROCKET NEWS
Halloween is over, so we can officially talk about all the presents we want this holiday season! A gift that has always been popular is the Easy-Bake Oven, which is one of the coolest presents ever and a great way to get young ones interested in the joy of cooking.
Baking isn’t an esp...

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JAPAN TRENDS
The 44th Tokyo Moto Show started October 29th and is running through November 8th, so you still have time to check it out.
Being located at Tokyo Big Sight might not be the cheapest location for people to access, but the after 4 PM rate of only ¥700 should help.
Remember, the regular...

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JAPAN TIMES
Toki, a small town in Gifu Prefecture, 37 km from Nagoya, sits above a huge clay basin. Pottery has been made here since ancient times.
The world-famous Oribe style, which uses green copper glaze and bold painted designs was invented in Gifu more than 400 years ago. Then the province ...

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ROCKET NEWS
Earlier this week, our hearts were Kentucky-fried a flutter over the news that KFC will soon be opening an all-you-can-eat buffet in Osaka. As it turns out, though, that’s not the only big development for the restaurant chain. Right now, the world’s most popular fried chicken outfit h...

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ROCKET NEWS
Japan’s public transportation network gets high marks for its punctuality and cleanliness. Not every ride on the rails is a pleasant one, though, because some lowlifes called chikan use the crowded conditions on commuter trains as cover to grope unsuspecting women.
Now, one high schoo...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Buy a piece of Japanese postwar design history and donate to a good cause by purchasing one of the items of furniture and fixtures from the Hotel Okura Tokyo.
When the iconic Hotel Okura Tokyo closed at the end of August, design fans and hipsters around the globe lamented the passing...

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