Costume-less Chinese lion dance videos show real humans, real behind-the-scenes magic【Video】

http://bit.ly/2vs3ykL Koh Ruide

Effortlessly twirling and leaping, these acrobats are amazing… even outside of their costumes!

The New Year is celebrated rather differently by the Chinese, often accompanied by loud firecrackers and everyone dressed in lively reds to usher in a fortuitous new beginning.

But perhaps the biggest thing that sets it apart from most New Year festivals is the traditional lion dance, where two performers in costume leap and dance across elevated pedestals to mimic a playful lion.

▼ No Chinese New Year is truly complete without one.

Peformers from Shenzhen, China, present lion dance in Morocco. Chinese Embassy in Morocco and Rabat Chinese Cultur… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 02, 2019

But not many people get to see behind-the-scenes, where performers practice for hours on end to drill their routine down to acrobatic perfection.

▼ These dancers can put gymnasts to shame.

Trusting their partners completely and landing with calculated precision that only comes with years of practice, the absence of costumes drives home the fact that the spirited lion dances we see boils down to pure human skill.

▼ Here’s an entire lion dance routine without the lion.

Yet despite all that hard work and practice, all it takes is a slip or a moment’s distraction to end the show.

▼ As shown in the opening seconds of this video.

▼ Let’s not forget about accidentally knocked down pedestals.

▼ But once perfected, the shows are nothing short of spectacular.

Japanese netizens were quite astounded by the way the dancers leaped and sailed through the air with ease:

“Do these guys even know what gravity is?”
“Those reverse somersaults are awesome.”
“It’s as if they have wires attached to their bodies to make them fly.”
“They’re not lions, they seem more like dragons!”

We can’t help but be amazed by how these dancers perform gravity-defying tricks and stunts that make us think they have jetpacks strapped or springs hidden in their shoes. Most of the performances are free, too, so be sure to check out these acrobatic lion dances at your local Chinatown when Chinese New Year rolls around.

Source: YouTube/Admin Jamie via Kotaro
Top image: YouTube/makanfree
Insert image: YouTube/BB Lion Dance
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

ATMs in Japan are saying they’ll transfer your money back in time to 1989

http://bit.ly/2DEgQ2f Casey Baseel

Inadvertent time-travelling is thanks to the R1 bug.

Japanese convenience stores really do have everything, from beautiful desserts that look like a slice of crystal-blue water to craft beer bars. But just when we thought they couldn’t get any more awesome, one convenience store chain has apparently added its most amazing amenity of all: time machines.

On Sunday, Japanese Twitter user @RIORAO stopped into a branch of convenience store chain Lawson, where he used the in-store ATM to deposit some cash into his bank account. However, the machine informed him that due to a banking holiday, the funds wouldn’t show up in his account that day.

Instead, according to the photo @RIORAO tweeted, the funds would be transferred on May 7, 1989.

今のローソンATMは過去に振り込めるのか… https://t.co/SaLNNTZZPR

—
RAO(らお)@けもケI-27 (@RIORAO) April 28, 2019

“Right now, you can use Lawson ATMs to transfer money to the past,” tweeted @RIORAO, and other commenters were quick to marvel at this convenient application of space-time manipulation.

“Are you a time traveler?”
“I was still a starving student in 1989, so I’d like to send my old self a few extra bucks.”
“In 1989 I was working in the bubble economy, so I’d rather have my old self transfer some of the excess cash I didn’t need then to me here in the present.”
“Hey, May 7, 1989 is the day I was born!”
“’The Deposit that Leapt Through Time!?’”

▼ A Lawson ATM/possible time machine

However, Lawson is indeed just a humble convenience store chain, and not a complex cover for a network of super-science agents who slip through the ages keeping us safe from time crimes. As such, what’s going on here is actually a programming glitch, and not a way to create an alternate timeline in which we’re all filthy rich.

As mentioned above, a banking holiday, coinciding with the Golden Week spring vacation period, is what’s keeping the funds from being transferred the same day @RIORAO is feeding the cash into the ATM. Golden Week isn’t the only big event going on in Japan this week, though. The even bigger story is the abdication of Emperor Akihito.

In Japan, the reign of each emperor is marked by an era name. For example, the era name for Akihito’s reign has been “Heisei,” which began at the moment of his coronation in 1989. Because of that, in Japan 1989 can also be referred to as “Heisei 1,” 1990 as “Heisei 2,” and so on, making 2019 also Heisei 31.

In modern Japan, most people use the Western naming convention for years in casual conversations, but the imperial era year system is commonly used in legal and financial documents. That includes many banking forms and systems, while the Lawson ATM user display shows Western years, apparently its internal programming runs on the imperial calendar, and that’s where the time travel glitch gets triggered.

Ordinarily, the ATM’s logic would go like this:
● Funds received April 28, Year 31
● Funds to be transferred May 7, Year 31
● Display May 7, Year 31 as “May 7, 2019”

There’s one problem, though. On May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito becomes emperor, the era name will change to “Reiwa,” and Japan will be in the year “Reiwa 1” (or Anime Porn Game Theme Song 1, depending on your exact interpretation). Apparently the Lawson ATMs have been updated to understand that, and so the machine registers the transferred money on “May 7, Year 1.” However, apparently the process to convert the imperial year to the Western year that the display shows wasn’t part of the update, and so the ATM is converting “Year 1” as though it were Heisei 1, or 1989.

That answer leads to an even bigger question: Internally, is the banking network the ATM is connected to taking “Year 1” to mean Reiwa 1 or Heisei 1? Will the transfer be recorded as happening in 2019 despite the user display saying otherwise, or is the banking system actually going to try to process the deposit as though it was made 30 years ago, and if it does, will @RIORAO suddenly be the recipient of three decades of accrued interest, at least until the bank flags it as an irregularity and makes a correction?

Those are just some of the things we’ll have to wait until the Reiwa period to find out.

Source: Twitter/@RIORAO via Jin
Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

“Top 20 Best Breakfast Hotels in Japan 2019” ranking has our mouths watering in anticipation

http://bit.ly/2DFIFHc Krista Rogers

With the exception of the #1 spot, one Japanese prefecture is clearly dominating the breakfast game. 

What’s the main factor that you consider when getting ready to book a hotel for your travels? The location, price, and convenience are all common choices, but today we encourage you to focus on one less common factor–the quality of the establishment’s breakfast.

On April 23, TripAdvisor Japan released their latest edition of the “Top 20 Best Breakfast Hotels in Japan 2019.” This year marks the tenth iteration of the list that’s calculated annually using an algorithm based on aggregate user scores. While the ranking takes into account hotels from across the country, it’s interesting to see how certain prefectures seem to shine more than others when it comes to the first meal of the day.

Without further ado, here’s the 2019 ranking:

20. Hotel Ocean Naha Kokusai-dori (ホテルオーシャン 那覇国際通り) / Naha, Okinawa Prefecture

19. Natural Hot Spring Nusamai no Yu La Vista Kushirogawa (天然温泉幣舞の湯ラビスタ釧路川) / Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture

18. Hotel Nikko Kanazawa (ホテル日航金沢) / Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

17. Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay (ホテルオークラ東京ベイ) / Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture

16. Hotel Active! Hakata (ホテルアクティブ! 博多) / Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture

15. Hotel JAL City Nagano (ホテルJALシティ長野) / Nagano, Nagano Prefecture

14. Vessel Hotel Ishigakijima (ベッセルホテル石垣島) / Ishigaki, Okinawa

13. Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport (ホテル日航関西空港) / Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture

12. Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royal (ホテル日航高知 旭ロイヤル) / Kochi, Kochi Prefecture

11. Kobe Kitano Hotel (神戸 北野ホテル) / Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

10. Hotel JAL City Miyazaki (ホテルJALシティ宮崎) / Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture

9. Tokyo Station Hotel (東京ステーションホテル) / Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Prefecture

The lone Tokyo entry on this list, the facade of this hotel is almost as impressive as the famous station located directly across from it. Here’s what one net user had to say about its impressive breakfast offerings:

“The breakfast buffet in the atrium is open to hotel guests only. I was glad to see that there were plenty of both Japanese and Western-style options, and I regret not being able to try them all! It was bliss to have fresh ham and cheese first thing in the morning.”

8. Kanazawa Sainoniwa Hotel (金沢 彩の庭ホテル) / Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

7. Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima (城山ホテル鹿児島) / Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture

6. Hotel Rocore Naha (ホテル ロコア ナハ) / Naha, Okinawa Prefecture

5. Vessel Inn Sapporo Nakajima Koen (ベッセルイン札幌中島公園) / Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture

4. Hotel Clubby Sapporo (ホテルクラビーサッポロ) / Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture

3. Century Royal Hotel (センチュリーロイヤルホテル) / Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture

Ranking in at third this year is a posh hotel in Hokkaido’s capital city. The breakfast buffet includes a staggering amount of different options, including Chinese and dessert-themed offerings. One visitor noted of her experience that it was “The ultimate in delicious breakfast buffets. You can’t get fresh vegetables like that in Tokyo!”

2. La Vista Hakodate Bay (ラビスタ函館ベイ) / Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture

The #2 entry on the ranking this year goes to a hotel in Hokkaido’s third largest city. Because the #1 entry on the list isn’t from Hokkaido, that effectively makes La Vista Hakodate Bay the hotel with the most delicious breakfast in all of Hokkaido. Read what one visitor had to say about the food:

“This hotel is all about the breakfast. You can eat as much as you want of your favorite things, and before you know it you’ll have eaten too much. This includes piling the ikura (salted salmon roe) on top of a seafood rice bowl.”

We actually featured La Vista Hakodate Bay’s breakfast on our Japanese-language site in 2016. Click here to view our reporter’s mouth-watering photos from his trip to the establishment.

SoraNews24

1. Hotel Piena Kobe (ホテルピエナ神戸) / Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture 

Hotel Piena Kobe is now the undisputed king of hotel breakfasts for the seventh year in a row. It certainly seems to have a solid claim to that title based on net user reviews such as the following:

“I was floored by the breakfast here. I’ve never had anything better in all my years of business trips and travels. Extreme care is given to each individual dish to maximize its flavor, and even the dessert was prepared with extreme attention to detail. I was more than satisfied just by eating the breakfast, but the staff were also extremely courteous.”

We also sent one lucky reporter to sample the hotel’s breakfast back in 2015. Check out the English-language article from that experience with its wealth of photos.

SoraNews24

With the exception of Hotel Piena Kobe, Hokkaido hotels certainly seem to command the nation’s breakfasts with their unparalleled fresh seafood offerings. We look forward to seeing if a Hokkaido hotel can finally dethrone Kobe in next year’s ranking!

Source: TripAdvisor Japan
Featured image: TripAdvisor Japan
Images: TripAdvisor Japan (unless otherwise noted)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

New anime fashion line combines stylish T-shirts with the glory of physical media packaging【Pics】

http://bit.ly/2vrZst5 Casey Baseel

Do you miss the amazing box art of anime VHS tapes, laser discs, and DVDs? Here’s a way to get it back while expanding your wardrobe.

The other day, our Japanese-language reporter Ahiru Neko was the only one at SoraNews24 headquarters, everyone else having gone out for field work or found some excuse to skip work entirely. Over the clacking of the keys of his keyboard, though, he heard a loud THUMP from out in the hall.

He stood up and walked to the door, and when he opened it, he found…

…a large box, with “4 video tapes” written across the top.

This was pretty weird, because not only had no one on our staff ordered any VHS tapes, we don’t even have a VCR in the office on which to play the video medium of yesteryear. But when Ahiru Neko opened the box up, he found what appeared to be four VHS cassettes, with their cover art identifying them as volumes from landmark science fiction anime series Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell.

But there was something strange. The cases weren’t the typical clamshell design that was synonymous with premium VHS packaging. Instead, they had zippers running along their tops.

▼ The case we received in the mail (left) and the actual case for the corresponding VHS tape (right).

His curiosity piqued, Ahiru Neko unzipped one of the Cowboy Bebop cases and discovered…

…it contained a T-shirt, with the artwork matching the illustration on the case it came in!

It turned out the package we got in the mail had come from Videsta, a new fashion label that takes its inspiration from anime packaging in the golden age of physical media.

It’s not just VHS that Videsta fondly remembers, either. They also offer shirts based on the cover illustrations for anime laser discs, DVDs, and Blu-rays.

▼ Things get even more meta when you factor in that the Cowboy Bebop LD jackets also look like vinyl record covers.

In addition to Bebop and Ghost, Videsta also has shirts for fans of Devilman…

…and the Hayao Miyazaki-directed 1970s TV series Future Boy Conan, a.k.a. Conan: The Boy in Future.

The double-dose of awesome illustrations means that not only can you adorn yourself with it, you can also use the packaging to create an anime art gallery in your home.

▼ Even the backsides are faithful recreations of the associated video packages.

Of course, if he was going to set up all the packages, Ahiru Neko was going to try on all the shirts in the box, with the remainder consisting of giant robot throwback Shin Getter Robo…

…director Mamoru Oshii’s live-action StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops…

…Dallos, the first-ever direct-to-video anime…

…and the British-made Thunderbirds, the only non-Japanese series in the Videsta lineup.

Prices for Videsta’s shirt/art case combos vary by exact design, but hover around 5,000 yen (US$45). They also have smartphone and commuter pass cases, and if you don’t want to go as retro as Ahiru Neko’s new wardrobe, there are shirts for newer series, such as Code Geass and Eureka Seven, all of which can be ordered online though Bandai Namco (here) or Cospa (here).

Related: Videsta
Images: SoraNews24
(c)士郎正宗・Production I.G/講談社・攻殻機動隊製作委員会 (c)SUNRISE (c)NIPPON ANIMATION CO.,LTD. (c)1990押井守／バンダイビジュアル・フジテレビ (C)1990バンダイビジュアル (c)1998 永井豪・石川賢／ダイナミック企画・「真ゲッターロボ」製作委員会 (c)永井豪/ダイナミック企画 (c)1987 ダイナミック企画・講談社・キングレコード Thunderbirds（TM） and (C)ITC Entertainment Group Limited 1964, 1999 and 2018. Licensed by ITV Ventures Limited. All rights reserved”
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Unmistakable Louis Vuitton Monogram design may have been inspired by Japanese family crests

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Koh Ruide

Little did we know that the famous luxury brand has a Japanese past.

Aside from occasional collaborations with pop culture icons like Hatsune Miku, it is easy to believe that high-end French fashion label Louis Vuitton shares little in common with Japan. Yet according to some, its trademark flowery pattern could very well come from Japan.

▼ This instantly recognizable Monogram motif has an interesting history.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Leather Neverfull MM Tote Bag rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53… https://t.co/PdROVdso1z

—
Follow 4 Follow Back Help (@TheGrapevine2k) April 18, 2019

The origins of the Louis Vuitton symbol can be traced back to the Exposition Universelle in 1867, an international fair held in Paris that revealed Japanese art pieces to the rest of the world for the very first time.

Although Louis Vuitton employees were busy displaying their own company’s products, they also took interest in the simple Japanese family emblems called kamon produced by the Tokugawa and Shimazu clans. That key moment sparked the idea of combining elements of Japanese crest designs to fashion their own.

▼ “Didn’t Louis Vuitton make use of these crests?”
(Family crests on the left, Monogram motif on the right)

Louis Vuittonも参考にしてたのでは？あなたはどの家紋が好きPt2 #家紋 #ルイヴィトン #着物 https://t.co/rMpmwDVuOs

—
【着物10】きものてん (@kimono_10) November 17, 2015

Usage of Japanese crests soon became a trend during the Victorian era, and in 1896 Louis Vuitton unveiled its signature Monogram pattern based on those logos. Originally meant as a way to prevent counterfeiting, the company’s design has long since become a mark of quality and excellence.

And, as numerous netizens and fashion companies have recently been proclaiming, also sharing deep roots with Japanese culture.

▼ “It is said that Louis Vuitton’s trademark monogram featuring stars
surrounded by circles came from Japanese kamon.”

【ファッション雑学】 日本でも人気のルイヴィトン。 ルイヴィトンの代表とも言えるモノグラムの柄で丸の中に星がデザインされたマークは日本の家紋をヒントに作られたそうです* http://t.co/qBr4mZa4hF

—
シンデレラプランニング (@cplanning) July 30, 2015

▼ This was probably what happened. (Translation below)

ヴィトンのマークを家紋みたいwww と馬鹿にする人がいるがその通り、 あれはルイの息子が博覧会で日本の家紋をみて「これカッケェ…」ってパクったモノグラムなんです。

—
そうじゃん… (@juned0625) January 10, 2019

“People who make fun of the LV mark and saying that it looks like kamon are actually right. When Louis’s son saw the Japanese crests at the exhibition, he thought it was cool and used it for the Monogram.”

If Louis Vuitton’s most vaunted motif was indeed inspired by Japanese culture, then the world famous luxury brand and Japan have a lot more in common than many people think. Who knew that their recent collaboration using Final Fantasy characters as fashion models had a historical basis to it?

Source: Louis Vuitton, Rinkan, Japaaan, Jiburi, Wikipedia
Featured image: Twitter/@kimono_10
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Japan’s first-ever micro pig cafe opens in Tokyo 【Pics & Video】

“Driving graduation ceremonies” are new way to help coax elderly to give up their licenses【Video】

http://bit.ly/2vphOed CJ

This idea might help move some unsafe drivers off the road.

In Japan, there has been a lot of news in recent years about car accidents. And among those reported, elderly drivers have made headlines with reckless driving or simply mistaking the brake and accelerator functions.

To try to combat this, police have been asking elderly drivers to surrender their licenses. But there are many drivers who are too stubborn or simply don’t want to give up the freedom they’ve had for many years.

So, NEXCO (Nippon Expressway Company Limited) came up with the concept of giving the driver a “driving graduation ceremony” to help them ease into the next chapter of their lives minus their cars.

▼ The story of an elderly man and his family become the back drop of the video that shows off one such ceremony.

Titled Dad and Mom’s Graduation Trip ~The Last Long Drive~ , we are taken inside the real story of a 78-year-old father and his family.

Having driven for over 48 years, his family was beginning to worry about him taking the road, afraid that he would get into an accident one day. But no amount of reasoning would persuade him to give up his licence.

So his family proposed a graduation trip, where he would take the wheel one last time, bringing his wife on a road trip.

He had driven his family for many years, taking them on many road trips. So what better way to draw a close than a road trip? He could enjoy being on the road and spending precious time with his wife.

▼ They enjoyed snacks along the way and even spent a relaxing night at an onsen.

But the most unforgettable surprise would come on the last day, when he drove to where his family waited for them, the venue of the graduation ceremony.

He was met with a big screen that projected images of his trips with his families and a marching band to celebrate the occasion. His children and grandchildren came forward to congratulate their father/grandfather on his graduation and to thank him for taking them on trips up til now.

His wife, who had known about this ceremony from the get-go and kept it a secret, also read out a thank you letter, to show support, appreciation and love. The video ends with flowers, tears and smiles, touching the hearts of those watching.

It’s an interesting idea, and a lot better than the somewhat ridiculous one of offering retired drivers $1 off McDonald’s meals that the police came up with before. Let’s hope more of these new ideas will start to come out to help lessen accidents on the road.

Source, images: Youtube/E-NEXCO driveplaza
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!