Random Japan

Shibuya celebrates Halloween 2014 with crazy costumes and huge crowds

Michelle Lynn Dinh


While you might not see a lot of trick or treaters out in Japan, if you find yourself in Tokyo, specifically Shibuya, you’re sure to see some original and inspiring costumes. Let’s take a look at some of the best homemade and store-bought costumes spotted in Shibuya this Halloween.

94 Number of children under the age of 13 who were victims of kidnapping in 2013, according to the National Police Agency

1,730,567 Used autos sold in Japan during the first half of fiscal 2014—a record low, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association

234 Number of train cars that Hitachi will provide to a Dutch railway company in a deal worth some ¥40 billion

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR

• Japanese researchers say they’re having difficulty mass producing spider silkstrings. The reason? Arachnids “tend to eat each other if they are kept together.”
• The government approved a plan by Hokkaido Electric Power Co. to raise its rates by 15.3 percent early next year.
• Authorities at the Fire and Disaster Management Agency are crediting “a relatively cool August” with the nearly 4 percent drop in heatstroke cases this summer compared to last.
• Bottom Story of the Week: “More Japanese Turning Nouns Into Verbs in Conversation: Survey” (via Mainichi Japan)

Right Wing Freedom Of The Press

Fire Professor For Once Being A Reporter

When Wild Boars Attack
There Is No Sausage 


That 3 Day Car Rental
It Lasts For Six Weeks. Amazing!

JOY OF HOKKAIDO FOOD: Farmers producing a new, sweet ‘big’ soybean

November 01, 2014

By MITSUKO NAGASAWA/ Staff Writer

HAKODATE, Hokkaido--In late September, I saw “edamame (Tamafukura)” listed on the blackboard menu at an “izakaya” pub here in southern Hokkaido.

Edamame are soybeans that are harvested when they are still immature and boiled, for such uses as a finger food to enjoy along with sake. Tamafukura is the name of a new variety of soybean.

When I pushed out the edible beans from the pod of the boiled Tamafukura soybean, they were big. When I tried them, they were soft and sweet, and I became an instant fan. At that time, I never imagined that Tamafukura were once in danger of disappearing.