Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action. A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school in the prefecture of Fukuoka. “It’s great … Read more
This could be egg-cellent news for women struggling with infertility. A research team from Japan says it has developed a new egg maturation technique that may improve in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. IVF babies account for about 2% of US births each year. The success rate depends on various factors, including the quality of the … Read more
A Japanese village struggling with a low population created life-sized dolls to mimic the feeling of a bustling society. The hamlet of Ichinono, which has less than 60 residents and only one child, is trying to fill the void with stuffed mannequins, which they dress up and place around the community — and even pose … Read more
Konnichi-wow. As hot destinations like Italy and Spain say “basta!” and, well, “¡Basta!” the scourge of overtourism, one popular country apparently likes having visitors so much, they’re giving them free flights. Japan Airlines is currently shelling out free domestic hops within the island nation to international travelers — at a time when the world’s manga capital … Read more
Take it on the road, folks. With so many places to go and a finite number of days to live, we can seek the stars to point the way to the best destinations. Just as astrology can indicate our sexual proclivities, ice cream allegiances and taste in power ballads, so too can it shine a … Read more
We’re great again! The United States is now the third best country in the world, apparently — our highest score ever achieved in US News & World Report’s annual Best Countries survey. The rankings, launched in 2016, are compiled using a worldwide survey of 17,000 “global citizens” in 36 different countries, the title reported. The United … Read more
A Japanese father and bodybuilder claims he is a “true master” and has “doubled” his life by only sleeping half an hour per night for a dozen years. Daisuke Hori, 40, says he has trained his body and mind to function normally and not feel tired as he targets between 30 to 45 minutes of … Read more
A man in New York inherited a “Yosegaki Hinomaru” banner, also known as a good luck flag, from his grandfather — who served the United States during World War II. Scott Stein told Fox News Digital in an email that he originally planned on having the souvenir flag restored — but after speaking with an expert, … Read more
Passengers had to deal with hundreds of delayed flights on Saturday — because of a pair of scissors. A pair of shears went missing in a Japanese airport, causing security checks to be suspended for about two hours, local outlets reported. The scissors were missing from a store in the departure lounge of New Chitose … Read more
An elderly man in Japan developed a fatal bacterial infection after taking a probiotic as part of his treatment for severe COVID-19. The unidentified patient was first brought to the emergency room after being discovered on the floor of his home. He had a history of colon cancer, chest pain, high blood pressure and pancreatic … Read more
He’s lived a full life. Takeru Kobayashi, Japan’s legendary competitive eater and one-time rival hot dog king Joey Chestnut is dishing on their highly anticipated rematch — and what retirement has been like since throwing the napkin on the table in 2010. The rivalrous duo, who went head to head for several Fourth of July … Read more
A critically ill Connecticut woman has been treated for the same life-threatening, flesh-eating infection that is plaguing Japan. The American patient was admitted to her local hospital after experiencing symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, elevated heart rate and low blood pressure. Subsequent medical scans showed fluid buildup in the patient’s lungs as well … Read more
Whole-y mackerel! Women who eat small fish whole — from the head to the bones — may face a lower risk of dying from cancer and other causes, a new study out of Japan finds. “Previous studies have revealed the protective effect of fish intake on health outcomes, including mortality risks. However, few studies have … Read more
Here’s your excuse not to work out today. A single session of high-intensity exercise can disturb the body’s main stress hormone, leading to less activity after the workout, a lower body temperature, and weight gain, a new study of mice finds. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan divided the rodents into three groups: … Read more
Dating for marriage. Tokyo City Hall is developing a unique dating app, Tokyo Futari Story, to encourage residents to consider marriage and parenthood and tackle the country’s initiative of increasing population after decades of decline. The app’s name derives from “Futari,” which means “two people” in Japanese, a nod to the hope that pairings can … Read more
It was fair and square. A specially designed Mistubuishi robot in Japan set a remarkable Guinness World Record for solving a Rubik’s Cube in a split second. The champion TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot spun the colorful six-faced puzzle in a mere 0.305 seconds, outdoing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology bot’s 0.38-second record … Read more
Ain’t no barrier high enough. In Japan, a tourist town’s extravagant effort to block scenic views of Mount Fuji from foreigners has already backfired. Obnoxious travelers have poked peepholes through a towering, mesh barrier shielding them from seeing the mountain unobscured. Tourists have overrun a Japanese town so they can take sweet selfies of Mount … Read more
Attention-seeking live-streamers have “ruined” Japan with their disruptive and annoying attempts at making content, one of the world’s most famous YouTubers has claimed in a scathing video. Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, released a video this week reacting to a number of such clips, expressing outrage at the nuisance creators and facetiously branding them “terrorists”. Kjellberg … Read more
Japan’s raccoon infestation has gotten considerably worse over the last decade, multiple Japanese news sources are reporting. Nearly 1,300 raccoons were captured during the 2022 fiscal year, said Tokyo’s government. This is about five times the number that were captured 10 years ago, reported Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency. In 2013, the Japanese government … Read more
An airport in Japan is celebrating a big milestone: it’s never lost a piece of luggage in 30 years. Japan’s Kansai International Airport (KIX) won the Skytrax award for World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery 2024. “We believe that the record of having no baggage lost since the opening of the airport is the result … Read more