When people in Japan see “FF,” they immediately think Final Fantasy. And for good reason! For decades, “FF” has been shorthand for the iconic role-playing game series. But recently, Twitter users have been using “FF” as a polite way to reply to others.
With North Korea continuing to fire ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, rural Japanese towns have been carrying out emergency disaster drills.
If there is a product, then a Japanese company probably has a cute character for it. Usually, it doesn’t seem to matter what the product is. Case in point: the enema-themed character “Kan-chan.”
If you’ve ever been to a supermarket in Japan, you’ll know that throughout the store, there are people offering free samples and prompting various products. They are real flesh and blood humans. This Asahi beer salesperson is not.
Maybe you’ve been to Japan or plan on going. Perhaps you recently moved here, or it could be that you’re simply interested in the country. Japanese manners can be complex and filled with all sorts of intricacies that are tricky to navigate. The following tips can help.
It’s actually not too different from the way people outside the country get their gaming news, but there are a few local twists.
The first capsule hotel in the world opened in Osaka, Japan in 1979. Since then, capsule hotels have not only spread to across the country but around the world. Here are some of the coolest-looking ones that aren’t in Japan.
Welcome to the world of “ishoku-hada” (異色肌), which can mean “unique skin” or even “remarkable skin.” It’s inspired by the otherworldly characters who appear in anime, movies, and video games.
A few years ago, Kotaku introduced online nicknames for Japanese fans of the three gaming platforms. Now, let’s take a look at monikers given to Korean fans of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
In anime and manga, when characters get excited—often sexually excited—blood dribbles, or squirts, out of their noses. But is this backed by medical science? Nope!
Did you just arrive in Japan? Oh dear. Bad timing. I’m sure you’ll have fun, but there are better times to visit. Why, you might ask. Because this is Golden Week, when the entire country goes on vacation.
Ask anyone who’s ever seen an adult movie in Japan. Or, at least, anyone who has ever spent some time on the internet. More than likely, they’ll know this swimming pool.
Every business has a starting point. For Japanese arcades, one of them was on department store rooftops.
Recently on Japanese television, the anime slang babumi (バブみ) was introduced. For many, it was the first time they’d heard it.
Grade schoolers across Japan carry leather backpacks called “randoseru” (ランドセル). Traditionally, kids have carried one of two colors: black for boys, and red for girls. In recent years, however, that’s changed.
First time visitors notice them right away: Sickness masks. People in Japan wear them for numerous reasons, including to prevent illness. Some even don them because they think the masks make them more attractive.
Surely, there were better options available than “SHAT.” You know, “shat” as in the past tense “to shit.”
This is called “otona maki” (おとなまき) or “adult wrapping.”
Leave it to Japan to make a friendly game of rock-paper-scissors into an event, complete with cosplay, cheering, and crying.
And that reason is money.
