Latest news with #Masanuki
SoraNews24
a day ago
- General
- SoraNews24
Trying to keep our cool with Amazon Japan's lowest-rated fan and lucky amulet set
The lucky amulet will ensure luck in online shopping, starting after this purchase. Summer is just around the corner and keeping cool isn't just a good idea, it's a matter of staying healthy in these ever-increasing temperatures, so our writer Masanuki Sunakoma set out to invest in a new fan. This was also another chance to test the waters of the items sold on Amazon Japan with the lowest ratings around. This is usually destined for failure, but when you think about it, fan technology has never been better. Fans sold at the 100-yen store or as toys have significant air output, so even the lowliest of fans sold online should do a decent job of providing a cool breeze for Masanuki. As a general rule, low-rated items on Amazon have names that run up to 20 words for shameless search engine optimization, and this fan — called the 'Tabletop Mist Fan: Functional Fan with 3 Functions: Humidification, Ventilation, and Cooling. Comes with an Original Amulet Card to Ensure You Don't Fail when Shopping Online (Black)' — was no exception. That all sounded good, and the addition of a Japanese lucky amulet known as an 'omamori' really helped to set it apart from other fans. On the other hand, it had a unanimous one-star rating, the lowest possible, along with comments complaining about weak wind, not turning on, and possibly being made on a 3-D printer. Even the lucky amulet couldn't escape the scathing reviews, with one calling it 'pointless.' Reviews have been wrong in the past though, so Masanuki went ahead and placed an order for this fan and lucky amulet, which was priced at 1,980 yen (US$14). It arrived a few days later and included the fan, charging cable, instruction manual, and lucky amulet card. Normally omamori are made of fabric, but this was just a small postcard that read 'Omamori so You Don't Fail at Online Shopping.' Also unlike other omamori, this had a set of rules on the back as follows: 1) The benefits only work for the next three purchases after receiving this card. 2) Write your name in black ink in the space below. 3) Wear this while shopping online. 4) After your third purchase, be sure to dispose of this as 'burnable trash.' 5) This only works with online shopping and not shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. 6) This is merely an 'omamori' and there is no guarantee of its effectiveness. Masanuki wasn't sure how he should 'wear' his paper card and there was a bit of grim foreshadowing in the fact that the lucky amulet to prevent failing at online shopping doesn't claim to work on this purchase. Considering his past shopping record, he was looking forward to really putting this amulet to the test for his next three questionable purchases, but today's challenge was the fan. Looking at the main unit, as some of the reviews said, it did look rather shoddily made for its price. But a fan was only as good as its wind, so it was time to take it for a spin. He decided on a dry run first, without putting any mist-generating water in the tank. The fan has three settings which he visualized with the help of a tissue. ▼ Setting 1: Sleep-Friendly Gentle Wind ▼ Setting 2: Comfortably Natural Wind ▼ Setting 3: Powerful Wind We assure you those animated gifs are not a mistake and all three power settings had the same effect on the tissue, which is to say almost none. Despite the evocative names for each of the settings, none of them could make the tissue move more than a few millimeters. It was almost impressive how the fan blades seemed to defy physics by moving faster without generating any additional wind. On the bright side, the misting function did work and generated a cool fog at three different strengths properly. It also had some lights built-in to make the water tank glow different colors, which was nice. Unfortunately, it was too bright out to show the full effect of the lights. Those aspects made Masanuki rate this fan two stars out of five. That being said, few online shoppers have seen the horrors he has, so he tends to be more forgiving to pieces of junk. At the end of the day, a fan that doesn't blow simply blows and no one should buy this item unless for the lucky amulet card. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Trying out Amazon Japan's lowest-rated wall decoration
Amazon makes our writer an offer he can't refuse. After an enlightening job performance review with his senior colleague Mr. Sato, our writer Masanuki Sunakoma was feeling a bit in a rut. That's why he got a sudden urge to refresh his mood by redecorating his living environment, preferably something with a little pizzazz. He decided to search on Amazon Japan for something that could spruce up his homestead within his budget. However, after years of seeking out the worst products on the e-commerce giant, his search results have gotten a little skewed. One product that caught his eye was the Giraffe Head Wall Hanging for 2,585 yen (US$18). It's a simple 3-D bust of the savanna's gentle giant that creates the illusion of it popping its head into your living space, as if to munch on some mimosa leaves. The product image made it look incredibly life-like too. It would certainly wow guests who came to visit and looked sure to put a smile on his face every day as he walked past it. It also had a feel of a hunter's lodge but in a more fun way that doesn't say, 'I shot and killed an animal that's as big as a house and yet somehow also completely non-threatening.' However, the reviews for it were less than stellar. It has a rock-bottom rating of 1.0 stars and reviews claiming the real thing was nothing like the image. Knowing that products have been unfairly maligned by picky reviewers before, Masanuki decided to take the plunge and purchase a giraffe's head. It took about two weeks for the wall hanging to arrive from overseas, and our writer was filled to the brim with suspense about how it would look. Then, one fateful day, his package arrived. ▼ Cue the Godfather theme… ▼ Duh-duhn-nuh-nuh-nuh-neh Nuh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-nuhhhh… ▼ Duh-duhn-nuh-nuh-nuh-neh Nuh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-nehhhh… ▼ Duh-duhn-neh-nehhhh, duh-duhn-neh-nehhhh… ▼ Duh-nuh-neh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-neh-neh-nuh-neh… ▼ Nehhhhhhh… Far from the vibrant herbivore shown on the Amazon page, this giraffe looked like it had been dead for quite a while. It was also covered in a white powder that might have been caused by the resin it was made of. It managed to make the giraffe look even less alive and cursed to roam the world as a soulless, long-necked wraith. Needless to say, this was not the pick-me-up that Masanuki wanted, but he decided to give it a shot anyway and hung it on his wall. He looked at his new objet d'art and contemplated if it had any redeeming qualities he might have overlooked. It was then that he realized even the false window was horrendously made. Rather than peeking its head in from the lush foliage of Kenya, this giraffe seemed to be struggling to escape the ectoplasmic confines of an eldritch hell. ▼ Sometimes that giraffe looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about this giraffe is he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't even seem to be livin'… 'til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. Rather than brightening his day, this wall hanging cast an even heavier pallor over his home. He even felt he would be hard pressed to find a more depressing decoration than this. Maybe someone out there would have a need or desire for such a thing, but it wasn't Masanuki. He took down the cursed item and went in search of something else to lift his spirits. It would seem interior decoration was a lot harder than he had thought. Related: Amazon Japan Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
08-05-2025
- SoraNews24
A close encounter with a dangerous criminal on a Shinkansen bullet train in Japan
Frightening experience shows that although Japan might be considered safe, you never know when you might have a brush with danger. Our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma does a lot of travel for work, zipping around the country on Japan's network of Shinkansen bullet trains, but one recent rail ride turned out to be like none he's ever experienced, so here he is to tell his story… I can't say exactly when or where, but I was riding in a non-reserved carriage on a near-empty Shinkansen bullet train when a group of four or five men in their 30s or 40s came from another car and kept glancing over at me. Even though there were plenty of empty seats, for some reason they stood and kept looking my way. Since there were plenty of empty seats, I figured they'd soon sit down, especially since we were only about 20 minutes from the final stop. But instead of sitting down, they kept wandering around the car and didn't sit anywhere at all. Just as I began wondering what on earth they were up to, one of the men approached me and said, 'Excuse me…' The moment he spoke to me, I instantly ran through all the possible scenarios in my head. Maybe he was a big fan of our site who was about to say, 'Hey, I read your work all the time!', which would've been a joy. However, his expression was nothing like that of a fan's — instead, he was completely serious and almost intimidating. I started to wonder if I'd accidentally sat in a seat I wasn't supposed to. If so, I was ready to apologise, but what came next was totally unexpected. He opened his mouth and said: 'I'm with the police.' It was just like something out of a detective drama. The man took his police badge out from his chest pocket and introduced himself, and he had what looked like an earpiece or radio in one ear, giving him an air of authority that made Masanuki realise this wasn't a prank. Continuing in an autoratative tone, the man identified himself as a detective told me that a dangerous criminal had been sitting right in front of me until just a few moments earlier. Apparently, the person had gotten off at the previous station, and the detective asked me, 'Can you tell us, as best as you can remember, about the appearance and behaviour of the person who was sitting in front of you?' Thinking back, the non-reserved seats had been almost completely full until just a little while earlier, and I'd simply taken the only available seat. The seat was one that nobody else appeared interested in as the person in front, the one who turned out to be a suspected criminal, had reclined their seat all the way back. Shinkansen seats have a lot of leg room, so even though the person in front had fully reclined their seat, it didn't really bother me. However, what stood out was that because the person in front had reclined their seat all the way back, I clearly remembered their face. I described the person's appearance to the detective as best as I could remember and he shared the information with the team via radio. While I couldn't provide details about the person's behaviour or actions on the train, I cooperated with the investigation right up until we arrived at the final station. After getting off the Shinkansen, I checked the news on my phone and saw a breaking story on the front page of a domestic news site, with a photo of the suspect. My jaw just about hit the floor as it was the person who had been sitting in front of me. The news report stated: 'The suspect has been arrested, but the weapon still hasn't been found.' Apparently, the police were searching the Shinkansen because the weapon might still be somewhere on board or may have been discarded there. After getting over the shock of being involved first-hand with the police investigation, I was honestly amazed by the ability of the police to pinpoint the exact seat where the suspect had been sitting, even though it was a non-reserved seat, and to arrive so quickly at the scene on a Shinkansen running right on schedule. In any case, the thought that a suspect, possibly carrying a weapon, had been right in front of me sends chills down my spine. Someone once told me, 'You'll pass by a dangerous criminal a dozen or so times in your lifetime' and after this experience, I felt the truth of that statement. Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
06-05-2025
- Politics
- SoraNews24
Taste-testing Japan's 'I love Obama' cakes【Taste test】
There's an obvious gag gift element to these manju from Fukui, but is the pun delicious? Recently our Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was out for a drive, and before he realized it, he drove right into Obama. If you're perhaps wondering why Masanuki isn't under investigation for vehicular manslaughter, it's because the Obama he drove into wasn't former United States president Barack Obama, but the Japanese town of Obama. Located in western Fukui Prefecture on the shores of Wakasa Bay, the town of Obama's name is written with the kanji characters 小浜, meaning 'little beach,' but is pronounced exactly the same way as the former U.S. president's. Founded in 1951 and with a population of only around 30,000 people, the city of Obama had a pretty low profile for its first 50-plus years. Once President Obama was elected, though, the coincidentally named Fukui town started attracting a lot more attention. So as Masanuki was passing through the area, he decided to see if the former U.S. head of state is still in the minds of the Fukui locals by checking out the offerings at the Wakasa Obama michi no eki ('roadside station'). Michi no eki are non-expressway rest stops with attached food courts and souvenir shops highlighting points of pride for the local community. A lot of times you'll find handicrafts such as traditional dolls and textiles, or locally grown fruits or teas. At Wakasa Obama, though, you'll also find caricatures of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Though their political careers have been characterized by stark disagreement on nearly every possible policy, these illustrated versions have at least found one common sentiment, with the Trump illustration saying 'Obama really is great!' and Biden agreeing 'Yeah, great!' And for those who want to declare their own love of Obama, there's the Obama Manju. Manju are a kind of traditional Japanese dessert, small cakes usually filled with anko (sweet bed bean paste). The Obama Manju, also called the 'Obaman,' come five to a pack, with the message 'I ♡ OBAMA' written in no less than two places on the wrapper. Also on the wrapper is an illustration of a familiar-looking head seen from behind. Masanuki assumed this was a coy way of making the reference less direct, until he went to another souvenir shop elsewhere in Fukui and saw that there are also Obama Manju packages that are much more upfront about the product's inspiration. It's an obvious attempt by the town of Obama to capitalize on its 10 minutes/2 presidential terms of fame, and with the pun-based comedy being part of their appeal, Masanuki figured their flavor probably wouldn't be much to write home about. Still, he decided to pick up a pack of five for 756 yen (US$5.25), since he figured it's always better to have gag gift desserts than to have no desserts at all. Curious as to whether his manju would have Obama's face on them or the back of his head, Masanuki opened up the package and slipped out the contents, discovering that you get both designs even in a single pack. Each manju is individually wrapped for easier sharing, and once Masanuki had a pair completely open he could see that they're actually quite nicely made. Still he kept his expectations measured as he took a bite, only to quickly find out his lack of faith had been completely unnecessary. The cake, made with yam mixed into the dough, was tender and moist, with the faint yet delicately enticing aroma of sake, and the anko was flavorful but not overly sweet. Even if you took out the pun-based name and visual design, these would be a great sweet snack. The Obama Manju is delicious in a mature, relaxed way that's devoid of blustery drama or attention-grabbing shock tactics, and between its great taste and the fact that they're still being made and sold eight years after Obama's second term ended, they'll probably be available for some time to come. If you'd like to try them for yourself but a trip to Fukui isn't in your near-future plans, they can also be ordered online from Obama confectioner Inoue Koyoan here. Related: Wakasa Obama website Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
28-04-2025
- SoraNews24
How to do an overnight bus trip to Tokushima from Tokyo – Part 2【Photos】
Local dances, local ramen, and more to love about Tokushima. When last we left our traveling reporter Masanuki Sunakoma, he'd just finished summiting Mt. Bentenyama, one of Japan's most unique mountains, having arrived earlier that morning in Tokushima Prefecture after traveling from Tokyo to the island of Shikoku on Japan's first full-flat overnight sleeper bus. Making his way back into downtown on the rental bicycle he'd gotten at Tokushima Station bright and early that morning, he made his way over some of the 138 rivers and waterways that crisscross through Tokushima City. Masanuki was on his way to the Awa Odori Kaikan, a museum and cultural center focused on the Awa Odori, a dance festival that's been taking place in Tokushima since the late 1600s. Originated by peasants dancing in the streets during the samurai era, the Awa Odori is held every summer and features troupes of performers doing lively and gracious dances as they march through the city and spectators cheer them on from the roadsides. ▼ Awa Odori Kaikan ▼ Route from Mt. Bentenyama to Awa Odori Kaikan In addition to exhibits about the festival and its history, the Awa Odori Kaian also has daily Awa Odori dance performances. When Masanuki pedaled up, he was still a little early for the 11 a.m. performance, so before heading into the museum he paid a quick visit to Bizan Tenjinsha, a Shinto shrine located next door to the museum. Founded in 1809, the shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a deified scholar held to be a god of learning. As such, Bizan Tenjinsha is often visited by students getting ready for high school/college entrance exams and people engaged in other academic endeavors. Masanuki doesn't have any tests of his own coming up, but he was intrigued by the shrine's unique omikuji fortunes. ▼ The ones on the right in the photo here. Omikuji are paper strips that you draw at random and which contain your fortune according to a ranked scale. At most shrines and temples there are seven tiers, but Bizan Tenjinsha's special omikuji brutally simplify things and are all either daikichi, the luckiest fortune ranking, or kyo, the absolute unluckiest. There's even some showmanship to them, as you have to unfold multiple parts to get your fortune… …and Masanuki breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he'd gotten daikichi (大吉). Now it was time to head to the Awa Odori Kaikan, where Masanuki bought a combo ticket for the museum exhibits, dance performance, and access to the Mt. Bizan ropeway for 2,640 yen (US$18), which is 660 yen less than buying them separately. Starting with the museum section, there are photos and explanations of the festival and its history, plus spots where you can drum along to the Awa Odori music and take photos that digitally insert you into a ren, as the dance troupes are called. As interesting as the exhibits are, though, the real highlight is, of course the live Awa Odori performance from the museum's resident ren, Awa no Kaze. This isn't a purely passive activity for visitors, either. The good-naturedly self-aware lyrics of the song that accompanies Awa Odori famously state 'The fools who dance and the fools who watch are fools all the same, so why not dance?', and in keeping with that philosophy, as Awa no Kaze's performance goes on guests are encouraged to stand up and join in. Next to the museum is the bottom station of the Mt. Bizan ropeway, with gondola departures every 15 minutes that whisk you up the mountain for sweeping views of the city. On clear days you can see all the way to Awaji Island (home of the 120-meter [393-foot] long Godzilla statue) and even the Wakayama Prefecture mainland on the other side of the Seto Inland Sea. Even on a day with some lingering marine fog the view is beautiful, and since the ropeway runs until 9 p.m. between April and October, it's also a popular date spot for couples coming to see the city's lights after sundown. After coming back down from the mountain, Masanuki's stomach informed him that it was time for lunch, and he'd already decided where to eat: Inotani, Tokushima's most famous ramen restaurant. ▼ Awa Odori Kaikan to Inotani Inotani is credited with popularizing Tokushima ramen with foodies nationwide. Characterized by an extra-thick and opaque brown pork stock/soy sauce broth, Tokushima ramen is rich and heavily flavored, and that distinct character meant that even though Masanuki was there on a weekday afternoon, the place was packed, with some of the customer cars parked out front having out-of-prefecture license plates ▼ The line of people waiting inside the restaurant for seats to open up. Masanuki selected a bowl of the chuniku (medium-sized meaty) ramen for 800 yen. Once he had a seat he handed his meal ticket to an employee, and soon after that they placed this beauty in front of him. The broth and pork were immensely delicious, and the noodles were fantastic too, invitingly chewy and with a subtle sweetness to their dough. Hardcore Tokushima ramen fans say it's even better with a raw egg cracked into it, sort of a ramen version of tamagokake gohan, and Masanuki made a mental note to try it that way when he has his next opportunity. After he finished eating, rather than hopping back on his bike Masanuki hopped on a boat. As we mentioned earlier, Tokushima is a town that was built along its rivers, and not far from Inotani is the dock for the Hyotanjima river cruise. ▼ Inotani to Hyotanjima Cruise Tour Boat dock The roughly 30-minute cruises leave every 40 minutes between 11 a.m. and 3:40 p.m., with adult tickets costing 600 yen. Having seen the city from the top of Mt. Bizan a few hours ago, zipping around at the water level made Masanuki feel like he was really getting to see the many aspects of the town's beauty. A different pressing work project meant that Masanuki needed to spend a chunk of his afternoon working on his laptop in a cafe, but he did manage to sneak away long enough to pick up a snack at Atariya, a sweets shop in front of Tokushima Station. ▼ Hyotanjima Cruise Tour Boat dock to Atariya Atariya's specialty is obanyaki, a disc-shaped pancake-like confectionery filled with anko (sweet red bean paste). Not only was Masanuki's obanyaki grilled to perfection, the anko, which Atariya makes itself in-store, was outstanding. Considering that Atariya only charges 100 yen for them, they're shockingly good. Masanuki then spent some time meandering around and soaking up the atmosphere until dinnertime, which brought his next chance to try out a local Tokushima specialty at Hayashi no Okonomiyaki. ▼ Atariya to Hayashi no Okonomiyaki Hayashi no Okonomiyaki bills itself as an okonomiyaki (savory pancake) restaurant, but the dish they're really famous for is different from what you'll find in Hiroshima or Osaka, the two towns most associated with okonomiyaki. Instead, what really brings diners to this place is the mameten tamayaki, which is more commonly known across Tokushima as mametama. Mametama is similar to Osaka-style okonomiyaki in that the ingredients are all mixed together before being flat-grilled (whereas in Hiroshima okonomiyaki ingredients are cooked in layers which are stacked together as the final preparation step). The mametama twist is that red beans are mixed in with the batter, giving the dish a touch of sweetness and a captivatingly varied texture. Masanuki could easily see himself putting mametama into his regular dinner rotation if it was something you could find in Tokyo, especially with the sweet-and-spicy sauce that's drizzled over it. Hayashi's version seems to be considered an especially tasty mametama, and the restaurant quickly filled up with customers as Masanuki ate. Having finished up his far-from-the-station sightseeing for the day, Masanuki returned his bike to the rental counter in the underground bicycle parking lot next to Tokushima Station… …and then walked to his hotel for his first not-in-a-bus night of sleep since leaving Tokyo. Sleep well, Masanuki, because we know it's only a matter of time until your next overnight bus adventure. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
