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Why does it seem that all the American fast food chains in Asia get tasty and unique items to munch on? McDonald’s celebrates 45 years in Japan with a Halloween inspired dish – the Halloween Choco Potato for the month of October. The french fry item gets a sauce mix with pumpkin and chocolate.
What is it like to watch a battle between a giant Gundam Mobile Suit and Zaku? Well, Bandai Namco in Japan will take you there VR-style with there experimental VR Zone Project iCan in Odaiba. The Gundam VR attraction is located in the Divercity Tokyo Plaza shopping mall right next to the giant Gundam statue.
Reebok signs up new K-pop girl group BlackPink to rep the Reebok Classic brand. The YG Entertainment pop group features Kim Ji-soo, Jennie Kim, Roseanne Park and Pranpriya Manoban. BlackPink has released two tracks: Whistle and Boombayah.
This can only happen in Japan, sake vending machines inside the Ponshukan train station. No need to hit the pub, when you can do your drinking at a train stop. The top alcoholic drink in Japan is sake and for 500 yen ($4.70USD est.) you can get 5 shots at this place. They have over 120 different sakes on tap.
I have to admit Mickey D’s chicken nuggets are delicious. McDonald’s Japan will be offering a real 18 karat golden nugget. The hunt for “Kaito Nuggets” will begin this summer at various McDonald’s restaurants around Japan.
Throughout history and around the globe, ever since alcohol (aka spirits) were introduced, we human beings have tried to solve the “hangover” next day. Whether it be soju, sake, cocktails, liquor or beer – the hangover will happen, so in South Korea, the problem has been solved with the hangover ice cream bar called Gyeondyo-bar, which translated into US means “Hang in There.” This so-called ice cream cure has grapefruit juice and raisin tree extract to fight the hangover.
Over the past decade South Korea is known around the world for it’s K-pop music, Korean entertainment in films & TV programs and fashion culture. There is also an incredible $6 billion dollar domestic beauty industry. Beyond Beauty host Grace Neutral takes us on an interesting journey of what is South Korean beauty and cosmetic products used. Both men and women spend lots of money on looking beautiful aka “K-Beauty.”
Sapporo the capital city of Hakkaido is known for their famous ramen dishes and Only in Japan visits the well-known Ramen Alley aka Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho (元祖さっぽろラーメン横丁). There’s around 17 ramen shops in this tiny alley located in the Susukino Entertainment District. Many of these noodle restaurants have been serving ramen since the 1950s.
It’s time for fun rides at the YomiuriLand amusement park in Japan. On March 2016, YomiuriLand opened a new attraction called Gujjoba aka Good Job Attractions, which is aimed at children about Japanese manufacturing pop culture. It took about 7 years and $90 million USD involved to build the new attractions. It features 4 factories: Food Factory by Nissin Food Products, Stationary Factory by Kokuyo, Fashion Factory and for the car geeks – CAR Factory by Nissan. Nissan Dashboard show takes us on a tour of the CAR Factory.
For all you Marvel fanboys and fangirls your next destination might be Seoul, South Korea. The first official Marvel store, the Marvel Collection Store by Enter-6 will have lots of Hot Toys products and official Marvel gear.
The new craze in Hong Kong is Nap Lounges! Pay $1.30 an hour to take a nap. That’ll be cool if we have it here in the States, I can take a work break in the afternoon and go to a “nap lounge”. Maybe.
Only in Japan takes us on neat winter trip in Northern Japan. Since 1950, the Sapporo Snow Festival takes place every February in Sapporo, Hokkaido. You will tons of ice sculptures and of course eat wonderful snacks and food.
Japan is known for it’s high tech and advance vending machines where you can just get about anything. There’s a restaurant with no staff and only vending machines serving food and drinks. Located in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture which is 2 hours from Tokyo, there is a restaurant that uses only food vending machines – the Automat Diner.
For Valentine’s time only, a ramen chain shop in Toyko is serving up a ramen dish with chocolate. The base of the soup is a lamb broth mixed with slices of pork, onions, pepper and chocolate.
When I heard first this track I thought I was listening to funky Jpop rap group HaliCali from years back, but I was wrong. This cute catchy Jpop track is by veteran Jpop singer Ando Yuko who teams up with DJ Miso Soup and MC Rice.
I’ve been to Tokyo several times, but have never traveled to Osaka. Now I have a bucket list item to do, travel to Osaka for Gundam Square and eat some food at the Gundam Cafe. I’m not the most hardcore Gundam fan in the world, but I do like many of the animations and bought lots of the snap-on model kits as a kid. But what I really want to do is eat the “anime inspired” food!
A new line of dolls that is not blue-eyed and blonde. Meet Yuna – the Asian American doll created by the designers of the Uglydoll, David Horvath and Sun Min & Creative Director of Bigshot Toyworks Klim Kozinevich. They have just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new doll line named The Dream Big Friends.
Funko known for it’s “pop” vinyl figures teams up with street brand BAIT for two Bruce Lee exclusive figures. The first is the BAIT Exclusive x Funko POP Movie Battle Damaged – Bruce Lee (tan/black) and the second is the BAIT Exclusive x Funko x Onitsuka Tiger POP Movie Yellow Jumpsuit – Bruce Lee (yellow / black).
Fans of Funko’s pop figures and fans the martial arts icon Bruce Lee will wanna grab these vinyls.
MSRP: $20.00USD each
Buy it @ BAIT x Funko – Battle Damaged Bruce Lee.
Buy it @ BAIT x Funko x Onitsuka Tiger Pop Movie Yellow Jumpsuit.
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Can’t get enough of Bruce Lee things, then check out BAIT’s Bruce Lee collection of graphic tees, sneakers and other accessories!
For more, go to: BAIT x Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee – the legend, the icon, would have celebrated his 75th birthday this year, so street brands Illest and BAIT join forces with the Bruce Lee Estate for this mini-capsule collection – the Illest x BAIT x Bruce Lee = 75th Collection.
“Hentai” apparel anyone? Well know street brand Supreme is teaming up erotic manga artist Toshio Maeda for a mini-capsule collection. The capsule collection features a jacket, sweatshirt, long sleeve tee, a pillow and 2 graphic tees. Look for the collection to drop in NYC and LA Supreme “physical” locations and online on February 27, 2015.
In Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture is famous for Kutani-ware, which is a traditional porcelain style of bowls, plates, cups and chopsticks. To celebrate the 360th anniversary, the Kutani ceramic art style combines with futuristic Mobile Suit Gundam robots on sale for at Premium Bandai online and later at Gundam Cafes.
Making waves for the last couple of years from Japan and touring around the globe is Jpop trio glam-metal band Babymetal. Now the band gets Funko Pop! bobble-heads coming this December 2015. The Pop! Rocks series features: Su-metal, Yuimetal, and Moametal.
A new exhibition is trending in Shanghai. Flashing back to childhood, wind-up tin toys is gaining interest with a museum dedicated to tin toys of the past. The Shanghai Tin Toy Museum has 3,000 plus tin toys showcased.
Experimental musical jam session. At this live event, these two girls jam away with a circular spinning xylophone contraption and play with a super drum set.
As a kid I loved going to the San Diego Zoo with my parents and looking at the various animals in cages. Now this petting zoo in Japan takes the cake for cuteness and that it only specializes in caring for about 200 foxes.
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