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Shanghai Legoland to open July 5 with Monkey King-themed area

Shanghai Legoland to open July 5 with Monkey King-themed area

Nikkei Asia07-05-2025

SHANGHAI -- The Legoland Shanghai Resort will open July 5 under plans announced Wednesday, offering attractions tailored to Chinese fans.
One area will be inspired by "Journey to the West" -- a story known for main character Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. There will also be a re-creation of Shanghai scenery with Lego blocks.

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Japanese Births Fall Below 700,000 for the First Time
Japanese Births Fall Below 700,000 for the First Time

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Japanese Births Fall Below 700,000 for the First Time

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List of Contents: Japanese Births Fall for the Ninth Consecutive Year Two Japanese Men Killed in China Over Business Dispute Former Japanese Princess Mako Welcomes First Child Elon Musk Reportedly Fathered Child With Japanese Pop Star, Ayumi Hamasaki Says It's Not Her Japanese Streamer Arrested for Wearing Women's Underwear on His Head Japan's 'Mr. Professional Baseball' Shigeo Nagashima Dies at 89 Related Posts Japanese Births Fall for the Ninth Consecutive Year For the first time in recorded history, the number of Japanese births fell below 700,000 in 2024. According to the health ministry's data, released on Wednesday, just 686,061 Japanese babies were born here last year. That's 44,227 fewer than in 2023, marking the ninth consecutive year of decline. The figures exclude foreign nationals born in Japan and Japanese nationals born overseas. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research predicted that births wouldn't dip below 690,000 until 2039. 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SoraNews24

time15 hours ago

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Five kits take their inspiration from One Piece, but not from the anime or manga. Lego has done collaborations with plenty of popular franchises, and the building block toys are popular in Japan. Oddly enough, though, there's never been an official anime Lego set, and that hasn't technically changed even though Lego has just revealed a collaboration with One Piece. But wait, hasn't One Piece been one of the most phenomenally popular anime/manga franchises for the past three decades? Yes it has, but these sets are specifically meant to be Lego recreations of the live-action Netflix One Piece, basing their designs off the appearances of the characters and sets seen in the streaming series. Of course, with the Netflix One Piece taking its visual cues from the anime/manga, these sets are sure to appeal to fans of the source material too. The lineup has five sets, including, of course, the Going Merry Pirate Ship, a 1,376-piece kit for builders aged 10 and up. ▼ The interior is full of details too, like Sanji's kitchen. The biggest and most elaborate kit, though, is the Baratie Floating Restaurant. With 3,402 pieces that come together to form an eatery 54 centimeters (21.5 inches) wide and 35 centimeters tall, this is a kit you'll want to set aside plenty of both time and space for. In addition, it's part of Lego's Sets for Adults category, implying an extra degree of complexity that might frustrate little kids, but should delight grown-up kids-at-heart. The most action-packed kit is the Battle at Arlong Park (926 pieces, ages 9 and up) That's because in addition to being bundled with a figure of Luffy throwing a Gum-Gum Pistol punch… …the tower is designed with a feature that lets it burst apart as Luffy smashes through it! Rounding out the line are two modestly sized sets, the 573-piece Buggy the Clown's Circus Tent and 299-piece Windmill Village, both recommended for builders 8 and up. Preorders are open now through the Lego online stores for the U.S. and Japan here and here, respectively, with the Going Merry listed at US$139.99/20,480 yen, the Baratie US$329.99/42,980 yen, the Battle at Arlong Park US$79.99/12,480 yen, Buggy's Circus Tent US$54.99/7,680 yen, and Windmill Village US$29.99/4,680 yen. Shipping and the in-store sales start are scheduled for August 1. Unfortunately, since the kits are based on the first season of the Netflix One Piece, none of the kits contain a Chopper figure, but if you want to know how he'll look in the live-action show, we've got a sneak peek right here. Source: PR Times, Lego Top image: Lego Insert images: PR Times, Lego (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Japanese, Chinese Students Interact at Beijing Event

time30-05-2025

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Beijing, May 30 (Jiji Press)--About 500 Japanese and Chinese university students have deepened friendships at an exchange event held at a university in Beijing, singing, dancing and offering traditional art performances. From Japan, some 300 students dispatched by the Japan-China Friendship Association, the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association and the Japan-China Friendship Center took part in the event held Thursday. Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi was also among the attendees. In an address, Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the event's host, said he hopes the participants will act as a bridge to help people from the two countries deeply understand each other. "This is my first visit to China, and I was surprised to see how developed this country is," Chikara Oe, 21, a third-year student of Japan's Tohoku University, said. "By communicating in person with Chinese students of the same generation, I realized that there isn't much difference in how we think," Oe added. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

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