New Monster Hunter attraction at Universal Studios Japan lets you hunt monsters in VR

https://ift.tt/3ByNCNp Casey Baseel

Free-walk VR game gives you your choice of Monster Hunter weapons to swing as you track and fight Velkhana.

Though the original concept behnd Universal Studios Japan was to be a place where guests can enjoy movie magic, the Osaka theme park has also become one of the country’s coolest destination for video game fans.

Last spring saw the grand opening of the park’s Super Nintendo World expansion, and last month we found out it’s going to be growing even bigger to welcome another Nintendo star. Then at the start of October came word of a separate partnership between USJ and the Pokémon Company.

Universal Studios isn’t in any mood to ease up on the gamer-oriented accelerator, either, as they’ve just announced their newest project: a team-up with Capcom’s smash hit Monster Hunter franchise. It’s a VR attraction, but instead of being a headset-supporting roller coaster or theater show, USJ is giving fans what they really want: the ability to grab weapons and hunt some monsters!

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne XR Walk is the first attraction for USJ’s new XR Walk, a free-walking virtual reality system and venue (i.e. you’re actually walking around it, not sitting in a chair and pressing a “walk” button).

Together with up to three other players in your party, you’re cast as recent arrivals as the game’s Seliana base. After another hunter comes back to the guild after suffering heavy injuries, your team heads out to rescue his comrades who are still out there in the Hoarfrost Reach, traversing snowfields and caves as you gather items, search for tracks, and try to find the survivors.

Naturally, you’ll be armed, and you get your choice from among a selection of iconic Monster Hunter weaponry such as a great sword, long sword, hammer, switch axe, or heavy bowgun, which respond with a feeling of impact when they strike their targets. Gusts of wind are another promised physical element… or maybe the blasts of air are from a monster’s roar. Of course, you won’t find the hunters you’re looking for without encountering some hostile wildlife too, and USJ promises a climactic showdown with the elder dragon Velkhana.

▼ Velkhana

イヴェルカーナまじでかっけぇし美人だよな pic.twitter.com/EtqcTh4BIT

— Code:あさひ (@melt_Asahi) October 26, 2021

One possible concern for preexisting Monster Hunter fans is that an attraction like this, in trying to appeal to a broad audience of theme park visitors, might not provide as much challenge as the games themselves do. However, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne XR Walk also has a scoring system, so it’s not just a question of whether or not you can complete the quest, but how well you can complete it, which should make for an exciting challenge regardless of individual skill level.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne XR Walk will have its preliminary opening on January 21 ahead of a full launch in March, and will be in service until August 28.

Source: PR Times (1, 2) via Otakomu
Featured image: PR Times
Top, insert image: PR Times
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What’s so funny about “Sweet Fries of Clowns” from Burger King Japan?

https://ift.tt/2Y3PAaP Master Blaster

Everybody loves a clown French fry, so why can’t we?

One day, while our reporter Seiji Nakazawa was walking to work, he passed by the local Burger King. In front of the fast food restaurant was a sign advertising “Sweet Fries of Clowns” for 330 yen ($2.90) or as a free upgrade from regular fries when purchasing a combo.

This caught Seiji’s attention, not only because the upgrade was a nice deal, but because there was nothing especially funny or circusy about this side dish. It was covered in a “special MIX chocolate sauce” that was a little eccentric but not really groundbreaking at this point.

▼ “Sweet, Salty, Irresistible. New Sweet Fries of Clowns”

When he got to the office, Seiji decided to get to the bottom of this by checking the product description on the Burger King Japan website:

“The side dish ‘Sweet Fries of Clowns’ is a new release for a limited time and while supplies last. Customers can upgrade the side menu of their combos to this product for no extra charge. It’s an item that will hook you in with its sweet and sour taste.”

There was no mention of what clowns have to do with anything, and Seiji thought that this very low-key campaign, quietly tagged onto their Guilty Butter Burger release, was very suspicious. There was only one way to crack this case….

Seiji slowly opened his box of Sweet Fries of Clowns, bracing his funny bone for whatever capers and hijinks might be going on inside.

But there was nothing of the sort. It was just a pile of fires with a drizzling of brown and yellow sauces. Even after taking a bite, Seiji couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. These fries were hot and crispy as fries ought to be, and without any funny business whatsoever.

One mild surprise was the yellow sauce. Seiji had just assumed it was cheese, but it was much sweeter and more in line with the chocolate. Could this be the essence of clowns?

To confirm he decided to ask the staff:

Seiji: “Excuse me, what is this?”
Staff: “It’s mango.”
Seiji: “Huh?”
Staff: “It’s mango.”

Even after Seiji’s intense interrogation, the only information the Burger King worker would cough up was that the sauce was mango flavored.

Seiji spent the rest of his time eating his Sweet Fries of Clowns and contemplating what possible connection there could be between these fried sticks of potato and comedic circus performers. It could have been a Halloween thing, but still, why choose clowns where there are so many other options like “Friesenstein” or “Chocolate Mummifries?”

Maybe it was an allusion to the Lucky Pierrot fast food chain in Hokkaido (Japanese uses the Italian word “Pierrot” to refer to any clown). But if that was the case, why would one restaurant name a menu item after a competitor?

Every possible answer just led to more questions, so once he finished the fries, Seiji returned to the office and contacted Burger King Japan directly. After asking why they named this product Sweet Fries of Clowns, he received the following reply:

“There’s no especially deep meaning to it.”

And that was it.

It was a humbling experience for Seiji, reminding him that not everything in life needs to have a logical reason behind it. Sometimes a major corporation names their food after clowns, just because they feel like it.

In these increasingly chaotic times, it was a valuable lesson for Seiji, but not one he expected to get from Burger King for 330 yen.

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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Why is there a giant Buddha head on the top of this Japanese office building?【Photos】

https://ift.tt/3w2okG8 Casey Baseel

It’s not the only startling rooftop surprise in this town, either.

The area around Bentencho Station in Osaka’s Minato Ward is pretty nondescript. Yeah, cars pass through it on the Hanshin Expressway and trains on the Osaka Loop Line, but it’s pretty much a typical industrial neighborhood of factories and warehouses.

But if you happen to walk up this staircase…

…which leads to this bridge…

…when you turn your head to the right…

…you’ll see a head.

Peeking out from one of the openings at the top of that beige-colored building is a giant Buddha head, and there was no way we weren’t going to investigate.

Navigating our way to the building wasn’t hard, since its size and color made it easy to keep in sight as we approached, even if we did lose sight of the head along the way.

Despite the Buddhist statuary, the building isn’t a temple or religious facility. Called the Ajigawa Call Warehouse, it’s an office building/warehouse owned by Maruhi Shokai, a company that deals in petroleum and petroleum-related equipment. When we knocked on the door to ask about the head, one of their employees, Mr. Hayashida, offered to give us an up-close look.

The company rents out part of the building’s office space to other tenants, and the top floor has both enclosed and open-air sections. Stepping out onto the roof we first saw the regular sort of maintenance fixtures you’d expect…

…but once we turned the corner, there it was.

Now, we should mention that in Japan, small rooftop Shinto shrines aren’t all that uncommon for office and commercial buildings, often dedicated to Inari, the patron deity of merchants and commerce. Rooftop Buddhist temples, though, are something you never see, nor are rooftop Buddhist heads, with this startling exception.

So…why? Well, remember how we said that the offices for Maruhi Shokai’s petroleum business don’t take up the whole building? Part of the leftover space was once a Balinese restaurant and import goods shop, which were also run by Maruhi Shokai. The head was made in Bali, and there used to be two more just like it, which they sold to customers. The third head, though, was installed on the roof to promote the restaurant and import store, and originally there was a banner with the shop’s name that hung down the side of the wall right underneath the head.

Both the restaurant and import shop went out of business years ago, so Maruhi Shokai got rid of the banner. Removing the head, though, would take a lot of effort and expense. It’s actually not prohibitively heavy, because even though it’s made of bronze, the center is hollow. The real problem, though, is the size. It’s too big to fit through the hallways or onto the elevator, so in order to get it down from the roof, they’d have to hire a crane.

Then there’s the fact that the company’s president is a pretty devout Buddhist, who often participates in festivals at local temples and makes donations to help pay for their upkeep. He likes having the head on the roof, and even in a secular sense, he likes the fact that it makes people smile or chuckle when they first see it (Osaka is, after all, the center of Japanese comedy).

Looking out at the city from the Buddha’s perspective, we picked out the exact spot on the bridge where we’d seen it from, and realized that while we were looking at the head, it had been looking right back at us.

By the way, if you’re wondering what kind of position Hayashida holds within Maruhi Shokai, he’s the manager of the small theater, Sekai-kan, that the company runs, which is located next door.

Inside, he showed us some of their stage props, like this giant book.

After that, he drove us to another office building the company owns in the neighborhood. This one doesn’t have any Buddha head on the roof…

…but it does have a giant hand and telephone. These, Hayashida told us, were originally props used by an overseas film production company. Back when the building was new and still had empty offices available to lease, they put a sign with the phone number for interested parties to call in the hand, where it could be seen by passengers on the nearby train line.

Oh, and he also took us to a gas station that Maruhi Shokai manages. It was just a normal gas station, so we didn’t take any pictures, but it was nice to have some proof that Maruhi Shokai really is in the petroleum business, because we were starting to wonder.

Related: Maruhi Shokai, Sekai-kan
Photos ©SoraNews24
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We buy a sushi-restaurant-themed bath bomb that threatens to smell like the ocean

https://ift.tt/2Y30FZH Katy Kelly

The bath bomb contains one of four fabulous Sushi Zanmai prizes.

There are some products in Japan that we doubt would find a place on the market research board, let alone on supermarket shelves, in any other country. Fluffy aerosol soy sauce, for example, or realistic plastic model recreations of tuna fishing boats. So while we were surprised to find an officially licensed Sushi Zanmai bath bomb on the shelves at a supermarket, we weren’t that surprised.

Sushi Zanmai is a sushi restaurant, as you may have guessed—though they aren’t just any old sushi restaurant. A popular chain throughout Japan, they’re most notable for the auction antics of president Kiyoshi Kimura. Mr. Kimura has a tendency to show up at the fish market auctions with record-breaking stacks of cash to splurge in order to secure the biggest and best batches of tuna for his restaurants. This has understandably earned him the moniker of “Tuna King” in Japan.

▼ He also cameos in the Yakuza series, which sounds on-brand for those games.

It seems as good a reason as any to produce a bath bomb (or technically “bath ball”) in his honor. We admired the packaging, which is emblazoned with a smiling image of Mr. Kimura surrounded by many beautiful female Sushi Zanmai employees.

Then we spied the top right corner of the bag, where it purported to provide a “soothing ocean scent.” So like…saltwater? Seaweed? Surely it wouldn’t smell like fish, right? Even though it’s a sushi restaurant-themed bath bomb? It means a vague salty ocean smell. Surely. Definitely.

▼ What does a mild ocean scent smell like? Answer me, Mr. Kimura!

It’s pretty common nowadays for bath bombs (or balls) to reveal a random trinket or toy inside once they melt into the bathwater, and the Sushi Zanmai edition is no different. Of course, because this is a Sushi Zanmai bath bomb, all the potential prizes are related to Mr. Kimura and his dominion over all things tuna.

▼ Four potential prizes, with the least rare at the top and the rarest at the bottom.

So let’s see. Your most likely prize is the one at the top, a Pacific Bluefin Tuna labeled with Sushi Zanmai’s logo. There’s gotta be a tuna in here, right? They’re practically synonymous with Sushi Zanmai at this point.

The rest are small statuettes of Mr. Kimura, much like the ones found outside his restaurants. First up and least rare is President Kimura, sporting his typical ingratiating pose with his arms out.

▼ This one most resembles the restaurant statues.

みなさん　おはようございます
昨夜のミスド　ヤバイ状態
ざっと１００名は並んでいた
何があったのかな

築地市場の火災もショック
かなりの被害･･･
写真：すしざんまい木村社長
大丈夫かな･･･

ライオンズ　１２連勝　凄い
その勢いにあやかりたい
さぁ金曜日いくゾー pic.twitter.com/gnYk5Sf3bu

— 北海道を愛する道民のつぶやき (@2021_sapporo) August 3, 2017

Rarer than that is President Kimura and Tuna, where he is holding a large platter of tuna. Lastly, the rarest prize is the Golden President Kimura, whose body is completely dyed in gold. We were struck by this incredibly opulent version of the CEO. Did Mr. Kimura get deified at some point, and we just missed the memo?

Anyway, time to take our Sushi Zanmai bath.

▼ The ball is labeled “Inedible”. Thanks!

We peeled off the film and dropped it into the hot water. With a hearty sizzle, it began to melt into foam. The color from the bath salts spiraled down into the water and dyed it a tantalizing, tropical blue. It felt like Mr. Kimura himself had guided us to a water park, rich with bluer-than-blue oceans.

As for the smell, it came as a relief—rather than smelling like saltwater or fish, it had an enticingly semi-sweet aroma. It was much more akin to ramune soda than any kind of sea, mild or not. Phew!

Enough of the bath ball melted away that we could glimpse the plastic capsule within it.

▼ Can you tell what it is yet?

We don’t blame you if you aren’t gripped with suspense. Honestly, we weren’t especially excited either. What would we even do with a tiny plastic figurine of Mr. Kimura?

Here goes. What did we win?!

▼ Bluefin tuna, of course!

We looked at the tiny plastic fish and felt a flurry of emotions. Relief that we’d won a tiny plastic fish, which at least felt easier to appreciate than a tiny plastic restaurant owner. But also…disappointment? We’d been gearing ourselves up to laugh at the comically tiny rendition of Japan’s Tuna King, and now…we just had tuna.

▼ Just tuna.

The bath bomb cost 495 yen (US$4.36), so it wasn’t exactly cheap. We hadn’t even considered buying multiples, which is usually a given with this kind of random-choice lottery prize. Clearly, we hadn’t been sufficiently dedicated to the cause of Mr. Kimura’s bath bombs, and now we were reaping the rewards. Or lack of rewards.

▼ We’re sorry, Mr. Kimura.

We vowed to visit a Sushi Zanmai restaurant at our earliest convenience and prove ourselves worthy of Mr. Kimura’s blessing in the future. Even though we hadn’t been lucky enough to run into Mr. Kimura in this bath bomb, we were still pretty pleased with our tuna figure. It’s very beautifully rendered and has the logo of the restaurant stamped on the back. If you’re a real fan of Mr. Kimura and his sushi chain, it’s a great purchase.

We never thought we’d see a restaurant give KFC Japan a run for their money with whacky tie-in promotional items…but to be fair, KFC did sell bath salts first. If you’d like to own your own plastic figure of Mr. Kimura or one of his beloved Pacific bluefin tunas, you can pick them up at the restaurant or at participating supermarkets while stocks last.

Related: Sushi Zanmai
Images © SoraNews24
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Otaku should get some exercise before the return of Comiket, organizers agree

https://ift.tt/3w2SGYW Casey Baseel

Otaku event is returning as public health improves, but personal health is important too.

For 44 solid years, no matter what else was going on in the world, otaku could count on Comiket taking place. After starting in 1975, Japan’s largest gathering of self-published dojinshi manga creators grew exponentially in popularity, eventually evolving into its modern form of a three-day, twice-a-year event held in August and December.

The chain of otaku memories was broken, though, in 2020, with the coronavirus-caused cancellation of what would have been Comiket 98. Since then, Comiket’s next iteration has been repeatedly postponed, but in August the event’s organizers announced that Comiket 99 will take place on December 30 and 31, barring any worsening of public health conditions.

With infection numbers decreasing in Japan, it looks like Comiket really will return this winter, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. At the same time, the organizers have some advice for otaku: it’s time for them to rise from the couch and get some exercise.

中の人も同じことを思っており、ウォーキングをしております。
「『2年ぶりのコミケ、体力が衰えててやばいかも！』イベント参加で危機感を覚えた人多数→早めにトレーニングを始めよう」https://t.co/1lw9Zxgv2V

— コミックマーケット準備会 (@comiketofficial) October 27, 2021

Comiket takes up several halls at the sprawling Tokyo Big Sight convention center, and the focus on small independent creator circles selling wares in very limited quantities means fans have to cover a lot of ground very quickly to get the most out of their time at the convention. But with a two-year gap since the last Comiket, and dozens of smaller regional anime events also cancelled during the pandemic, plus the safety impetus of living a stay-home lifestyle during that time, a lot of otaku have been leading an especially sedentary existence since the winter 2019 Comiket. The announcement that Comiket is coming back this December led one hopeful participant on Japanese website Togetter to comment that participants and staff might want to start getting in some regular exercise, and the official Comiket Twitter account agrees, tweeting:

“’In the two years since the last Comiket, some of us have probably gotten really out of shape! For a lot of people, it might even be dangerous for them to participate in their current state, so let’s start getting some exercise!’

Some of us on the Comiket Preparatory Committee feel the same way, so we’ve started going for longer walks for exercise.”

Commenters could see the logic behind the advice, even though some of them didn’t necessarily need to be told.

“Yeah, I seriously need to build up my stamina.”
“It’s crazy how much walking you end up doing at Comiket.”
“Honestly, I don’t think I could make it through Day 1 right now.”
“No problems here. I’ve been getting tons of steps in playing Dragon Quest Walk.”
“I’m actually in better shape than I was before, thanks to Ring Fit Adventure.”

And for any otaku who needs some music for their workout playlist, this should be a good choice to start with.

Source: Twitter/@comiketofficial via Otakomu, Togetter
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
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Costumes from everyday life on parade once more in “Jimi Halloween 2021”

https://ift.tt/3GCfZhq Master Blaster

Come take walk on the plain side.

For many, Halloween is a time to let our imaginations run wild and become something paranormal for a change. But for a certain growing segment of Japan’s population, it has become a time to transform into the ultra-normal.

Now is the season of “Jimi Halloween,” which means “Plain Halloween” in English, and is observed by dressing up not as ghosts and goblins but as clerks and husbands who deal with all-to-familiar trials and tribulations associated with daily life. 

The event was created by the website Daily Portal Z and used to be an annual live event. However, with recent pandemic complications, Jimi-Halloween has expanded to the online realm as well.

Speaking of which, this year’s entries were largely dominated by relatable predicaments that have come with the new normal.

▼ “Person trying to remove their mask but pulling off their glasses too.”

マスクを外そうとしたら
メガネも取れた人#地味ハロ#地味ハロウィン#地味ハロウィン2021#Mハロで地味ハロ pic.twitter.com/qNviwINQ4x

— 水留(すいる) (@suiru_k) October 29, 2021

▼ “Office worker who drank a coffee while forgetting they’re wearing a mask.”

マスクしているのを忘れてコーヒーを飲んでしまったサラリーマン#地味ハロ#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2021 pic.twitter.com/YCIIenU5ag

— はねだ櫻華 (@hndsgr) October 27, 2021

▼ “Person who has no problem entering Hikarie [shopping center] because their temperature is normal.”

いつだって平熱、ヒカリエに入るのも問題なし。#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/TI67byPiKu

— Chihoko (@makeourgardengr) October 23, 2021

▼ “Staff of an izakaya that was prohibited from selling alcohol.”

酒類提供禁止された居酒屋店員#地味ハロウィン#DPZ#地味ハロウィン2021 pic.twitter.com/4qXkW3KUbb

— 鈴木倫＠愛され整形木曜更新 (@suzu_kiri_n) October 27, 2021

▼ “Person who mistakenly wore the wrong shoes to work because they haven’t gone to the office in a long time.”

久しぶりの出社で靴間違えた人#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/CjF6QtW3KH

— 高瀬 雄一郎 (@hentekoasobi) October 30, 2021

Luckily, technology has come to the aid of recent restrictions, but those too weren’t without their own foibles:

▼ “Person swallowed by their Zoom background.”

ZOOMの背景に飲み込まれた人#地味ハロウィン#地味ハロウィン2021 pic.twitter.com/sYhK5yLxDN

— 西田葬儀社【公式】YouTuber (@nishida_gosougi) October 28, 2021

▼ “Person who had just switched to the self-facing camera.”

インカメラになってた人 #地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/tNyFjbrhWS

— よしだもふみ (@tomo370) October 24, 2021

▼ “Person tagged in a photo.”

地味ハロウィン
「タグ付けされる人」#地味ハロウィン#DPZ #デイリーポータルZ pic.twitter.com/WLp9a7EaRK

— 駆菩圏@ (@knskk817) October 29, 2021

▼ “Person going into the shade so they can see their smart watch.”

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
スマートウォッチを見るために１回日陰に行く人 pic.twitter.com/Sw7cIOgshS

— ヒエロニムス鯖 (@Hieronymus_SABA) October 30, 2021

On the other hand, there was no shortage of timeless everyday characters that ring just as true today as they did back then.

▼ “Veteran cosmetologist who sees off customers until they are completely out of eye-shot.”

#地味ハロウィン #DPZ
「お客様が見えなくなるまでお見送りするベテラン美容部員」

千円ほどで購入した、かわいいけどサイズが合わなくて着れなかったワンピースを供養することができました。 pic.twitter.com/fq2R3KGhZt

— 葱山紫蘇子 (@sisokoex) October 27, 2021

▼ “Person mistaking a plastic bag on the street for a kitten.”

ビニール袋をネコチャンと見間違える人#地味ハロウィン#地味ハロウィン2021#DPZ pic.twitter.com/bSum9ujxSD

— コメ食え (@komekue1) October 28, 2021

▼ “Someone taking out the garbage in winter.”

冬のゴミ出し#地味ハロウィン2021#地味ハロウィン#DPZ pic.twitter.com/4lCqBRNk5L

— モト (@tomonomotto) October 26, 2021

▼ “A person who probably has a tattoo.”

たぶんタトゥー入ってる人#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2021 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/XMpfmPdTr7

— アソビカイギ (@asobikaigi) October 29, 2021

▼ “Person drafted by the Lotte Marines who really wanted to sign with the Yomiuri Giants.”

本当は巨人に行きたかったのにロッテに指名されたドラフト会議#地味ハロウィン2021#地味ハロウィン#DPZ pic.twitter.com/Wq51UC2qna

— Johnny (@___Jonism_____) October 23, 2021

▼ “Person who failed when opening their egg carton.”

卵パックをあける時
失敗した人#地味ハロ#地味ハロウィン#地味ハロウィン2021#Mハロで地味ハロ pic.twitter.com/Z4nyvGq4vN

— 道産子マダムヤン@余韻列車から下車できない (@dosanko_madam) October 29, 2021

▼ “Person who encountered a cockroach while trying to sleep at night.”

「夜寝ようとしたらゴキブリと目が合った人」#G出現 #深夜の戦い #漆黒の訪問者#絶対に負けられない戦いがそこにある#出来れば静かに外に出ていってほしい#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2021 pic.twitter.com/T2PcVFkeCn

— 樋口みどりこ (つぼみ大革命) (@higuchimidoriko) October 27, 2021

▼ “Person whose friends all went to the bathroom when it was their turn at karaoke.”

カラオケで自分の番になった瞬間、友達が全員トイレに行ってしまった人。#地味ハロウィン#DPZ pic.twitter.com/tNpMEmhYes

— ちゅうわっと (@tyuuuW) October 27, 2021

Making a jimi-Halloween costumes may seem easy, but it’s very hard to strike that right balance of interesting and ordinary.

For example, this guy’s costume may seem ordinary and has an ordinary caption, but is actually a parody of the guy who found that giant python in Yokohama earlier this year. It’s a funny costume, but probably qualifies more as a regular topical Halloween costume.

▼ “Person who found something they were looking for.”

探し物を見つけた人#地味ハロウィン #地味ハロウィン2021 #DPZ pic.twitter.com/8Sy051R3pK

— 岡本智博オカモトラボ@デザフェス両日H-80 (@oka6) October 26, 2021

Given the online component of this year’s events, entries will probably continue to trickle in throughout the weekend, but going by the online buzz this entry has been an especially big hit.

▼ “Neighbor of a suspect in a suspense drama telling the police they haven’t seen the person in three days.”

サスペンスドラマで「お隣り、3日ぐらい前から留守みたいよ」と言う、容疑者の隣人。#地味ハロウィン #DPZ pic.twitter.com/XwCe2fZBSV

— 阿部 秀子 (@ABK40) October 25, 2021

There are plenty more creatively uncreative costumes to be seen on Daily Portal Z and Twitter via the hashtag #地味ハロウィン, and you can also check out entries from previous year’s events right here. Enjoy, and we hope you all have a truly average Halloween!

Source: Twitter/#地味ハロウィン, Daily Portal Z
Top image: Pakutaso
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We tried making natto the old-fashioned way, and the result was unexpected but delicious 【SoraKitchen】

https://ift.tt/3CytagD Shannon

Who knew that fermenting soybeans was such a delicate process?

While most people see natto (fermented soybeans) in the form of small styrofoam packages – or even on ice cream, on rare occasions –  do you know how it’s actually made or have wanted to make it yourself? Our Japanese-language reporter Saya Togashi decided to give natto making a go by purchasing a natto-making kit by the natural Japanese farmers at Fuudo Farm.

The kit, priced at 1,296 yen (US$11.41), contained two bags of dried soybeans and two packs of straw. And…that’s it!

Natto is traditionally made by wrapping cooked soybeans in straw and maintaining enough heat for the natto bacteria to grow, thereby fermenting the soybeans and creating that ooey, gooey dish that has captured so many hearts.

Saya started by soaking the beans overnight in water, then bringing them to a boil the next morning. The instructions said to boil the beans until they were soft enough to squish between your fingers, which meant a straight one to two hours of boiling. If you have a pressure cooker, though, you can reduce that time by a lot!

She also boiled the straw, but since it was so long, some of it stuck out of the pot and she had to gradually push it in there like spaghetti.

When all items were sufficiently boiled, Saya nestled the soybeans into the straw cocoon. She was worried that the beans were so hot that it would kill the natto bacteria, but this particular bacteria is pretty hardy and can survive up to 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) of heat.

After the natto cocoon was complete, the actual prep was complete! Now came the task of keeping the beans warm for at least 24 hours. Yep, a full 24 hours. Otherwise, the beans and straw would get too cold to encourage the fermentation process.

You can use a lot of methods to keep them warm, including the use of hot water bottles, a heater, hot kairo adhesive pads, and so on. Saya had a heat-saving bag and some kairo on hand, so she tried that method.

Unfortunately, the beans got cold in the process. Maybe it was because they were old, but her kairo didn’t stay warm for more than a few hours. She tried to save the batch by adding heat as soon as she noticed, but it was already too late. She ultimately decided to let it sit another 12 hours, as per the kit instructions.

In the meantime, she started the second batch in the kit to see if it would go any better. She repeated the same process as the first batch, but this time, she used a huge, 24-hour kairo that was guaranteed to last long enough.

24 hours passed. She took a peek inside the cocoon to see how her beans were faring. It managed to stay warm for the full 24 hours, but she waited another 12 hours to make sure they had properly fermented.

Another peek. This time she could see a slimy texture on the beans, which was a good sign!

They looked beautiful! They weren’t as stringy and slimy looking as natto you can find at the supermarket, but there was definitely something going on.

The next step was to let them refrigerate for two more days to reach natto perfection. And then came the long-awaited day to try her fermented creation. She cooked up some rice and topped it with her homemade natto.

And when she took a bite…

…they just tasted like soybeans.

There wasn’t enough bacteria growth to give it that slimy natto flavor she was hoping for. You can see the barest sheen of fermentation, but it’s not nearly enough. She didn’t feel too bad, though, since it was a fairly low-effort creation.

And honestly, it was a great bowl of soybean rice! She thought it paired perfectly with the dash of soy sauce she put on it. It was like a premium version of regular soybeans.

By the way, if you’re wondering what happened to the first batch, they started to grow black flecks after another 12 hours of fermenting. Saya decided that cocoon was better left unopened.

So even though Saya’s experiment to make homemade natto wasn’t exactly a success, she knows what to do for next time! Boil them almost until she thinks they’re overboiled, then keep that warmth packed in for the next 24 hours. If you want to give it a try and end up with the same results as Saya, you can still add natto flavor by, well, adding natto!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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This photo from Osaka makes it look like Japan has turned into The Last of Us

https://ift.tt/3vX8exm Casey Baseel

These lions don’t just look like the kings of the jungle, but the new rulers of Earth’s surface.

Some of the most compelling views in Japan are the ones that have you feel like you’re looking through a window into the past. When you’re walking around a modern city but find a shrine or temple that’s been there for hundreds of years, you can’t help but feel the immensity of all the things that have happened between then and now.

Recently, though, Japanese Twitter user @yukiokon stumbled across a place that feels like the opposite, snapping a photo that feels like it’s from so far in the future that life on Earth has changed into something completely different than what we know today.

“Check out this picture I took” tweets @yukiokon. “It’s like after the fall of humanity, nature flourished, and a super-advanced society took the place of ours.” There’s definitely an uncanny contrast between the vast verdant foreground, with the pair of lions seemingly holding dominion over everything between where they’re lying and the base of the glittering skyscraper in the distance.

Don’t start hoarding supplies and otherwise prepping for the coming dystopia quite yet, though. You’ll be happy to hear that @yukiokon didn’t actually stumble on a portal to the future that revealed mankind’s eventual exodus into techno towers to preserve the lifestyles of the aristocracy. This is actually just the view from one specific point inside Tennoji Zoo in downtown Osaka, with the 300-meter (984-foot) Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Japan, visible in the distance.

動物園でライオンを撮ったら『人類が滅亡した後に繫栄した自然と高位の文明』みたいになった写真みて pic.twitter.com/RLMM60pKlH

— 雪尾紺関西弁お狐さまVtuber┊新衣装モデル制作中！ (@yukiokon) October 24, 2021

The zoo is located to the south of the most developed part of downtown, near the Shinsekai neighborhood. Because of that, at the point where @yukiokon took her photo the trees are tall enough to block out the rest of the skyline, leaving Abeno Harukas as the only visible man-made structure, creating the feeling that nature has reclaimed everything else.

▼ As these photos show, if you digitally remove Abeno Harukas it doesn’t look like you’re anywhere close to one of the largest cities in Japan (though the giraffes make it look even more like a scene from The Last of Us).

今月 行ってきました！ハルカス 消しただけで 大阪じゃないみたいです pic.twitter.com/ysXR6vW1ii

— 𝐻𝒐̌̈𝒏𝒐𝒌𝒂 (@shushu_hime) October 25, 2021

Admission to Tennoji Zoo is just 500 yen (US$4.40) and it’s located within easy walking distance of the Tennoji and Dobutsuen-mae train and subway stations, making the zoo not only an easy place to fit into your Osaka itinerary, but also to run back to the big city from if you want to make sure it’s still there.

Related: Tennoji Zoo
Source: Twitter/@yukiokon via IT Media
Images: Twitter/@yukiokon
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We try Komeda Coffee’s new meatless ham katsu burger, and never want real fried ham ever again

https://ift.tt/3mt6RU3 Dale Roll

Who knew soy meat could be so good?!

These days it isn’t hard to find meatless food options in Tokyo, and, even better, you no longer have to settle for a subpar flavor experience. Soy meat is booming in Japan, and the options are surprisingly delicious!

We found one such delicious option at Komeda Coffee, which is consistently voted as the most satisfying coffee shop in Japan. Once you try their newest menu item, you’ll understand why. The “Soy Ham Katsu Burger” is so unbelievably good you won’t even notice it’s not meat!

Our taste-tester for today was our Japanese-language reporter K. Masami. She was drawn by the advertising for the sandwich, which boasts that “this isn’t ham, but it’s equally delicious”. It’s made with soy meat sliced thick and deep-fried like a ham katsu, or a deep-fried ham cutlet.

To be honest, Masami didn’t expect it to truly blow her away, having never been truly surprised by soy products. Though plant-based meat has gotten surprisingly more meat-like in recent years, making soy taste like ham sounded like a tall ask. Without even talking about the texture, how can you replicate the unique flavor of ham?

So she went to Komeda Coffee vastly underestimating this meatless sandwich. But from the very moment it arrived at her table, she began to realize what a mistake she’d made. Just look at the size of the sandwich, for starters.

Komeda Coffee is infamous for making the food in their ads have deceptively big portions, but there was no false advertising when it came to this sandwich. It was almost as big as the 16-centimeter (6.3-inch) plate! After Masami saw it, she understood why the waitstaff asked if she wanted them to cut it into pieces for her when she ordered it.

It was also pretty heavy, and if she didn’t hold it carefully, all of the toppings looked like they would fall out. When Masami peeked under the top bun, she found tons of cabbage and a few green peppers inside, as well as a beautifully crisp-looking, thick, soy ham cutlet.

Worried about cracking her jaw, she took a bite, but she couldn’t even get a taste of the soy ham katsu, so monstrous was this sandwich. All she got was vegetables!

After tidying up the wayward strands of cabbage, she finally managed to get a bite of the ham katsu. The soy meat was a nice pink color, similar to the color of ham, if a little lighter. And the flavor was…

Shockingly ham-like! She honestly could not believe it was soy. It had just the right amount of saltiness and had somehow had a similar flavor to ham.

It did lack a little bit of the juiciness you might find in real meat, but it was still really difficult to believe it wasn’t real ham. Perhaps the fact that it was deep-fried and dressed with a special mustard-flavored burger sauce helped up the ham-like flavor of it. Either way, Masami was a fan.

They likely tried all kinds of things to come up with this recipe, but it still had no right to be that good. With a soy-meat patty as ham-like as this one, Masami would be happy never eating real ham again.

She was completely and utterly surprised. Truly, this is not an exaggeration. She’d underestimated this meatless ham katsu, and after eating it she wanted to kick herself. She felt like she had to apologize to the makers of this delicious concoction.

By the way, Masami got this huge soy ham cutlet sandwich for just 580 yen (US$5.12). With such a huge portion, she thought that was a pretty good deal! Sadly, it’s only available for a limited time at Komeda Coffee, so if you want to try it, make sure you go before the end of November. And if you miss it, don’t worry. Komeda Coffee also operates a completely plant-based restaurant called Komeda Is, which offers delicious vegan and vegetarian fare year-round.

Photos © SoraNews24
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