We were really busy here at Tofugu during the month of June. During this last month, we made more videos than the last several months combined! If you don’t follow our every move, here’s a roundup of all our videos from the month of June.
Japanese Poop Burgers
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It seems like every week we hear news from Japan of some new and bizarre invention. This story is no exception – scientists in Japan recently discovered a way to extract the protein from human waste and turn it into an edible, meat-like product. Sustainable? Yes. Appetizing? Probably not. Anything that can be described as “meat-like” probably isn’t going to be the tastiest thing in the world.
AKB48′s “Newest Member”
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People were astonished when the popular J-pop group AKB48 revealed that its newest member was a fake. Not fake like Milli Vanilli, but in fact entirely computer generated using parts from other girls in the group. Could this be the beginning of a robot takeover? I, for one, welcome our new computerized J-pop overlords.
Tofugu Flavored Pepsi!
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Mello Yello was recently reintroduced into Japan to much fanfare after being gone from the country for nearly a decade. Based on how popular Mello Yello has become, we here at Tofugu decided to make our own soda, filled with all the same toxins of a fugu fish. This video not only fills you in about Mello Yello and our new Tofugu Pepsi, but is also a choose your own adventure! Make sure you have annotations turned on, and check out all the different endings!
iHotels
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In this episode of TofuguTV, Koichi travels to Kyoto to stay in one of the coolest capsule hotels around. Even though “cool capsule hotel” sometime may seem like an oxymoron, this one, called 9 Hours, pulls it off. If Apple built a hotel, it would be as sleek, white, and shiny as this one. Check the video for footage of Koichi’s stay there, and a short tour around the hotel.
Not Awkward Japanese News
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A lot of commentors on YouTube have said that we here at Tofugu are awkward in our videos. As if! To prove those people wrong, Koichi and I present you with news from Japan in the most smooth, suave, not-awkward way possible. Such professional news anchors, we’re like a regular couple of Brian Williams.
Japanese Words? Chinese Words?
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A lot of people know that Japan got its kanji writing system from the Chinese, but did you know that the kanji sometimes have very different meanings in the two languages? It’s true! In Japanese, 手紙 means “letter,” but in Chinese the same characters stand for “toilet paper.” Check the video for some funny examples!
Miffy + Cathy = Caffy
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One of Hello Kitty’s buddy, the rabbit Cathy, bears a striking resemblance to a Dutch cartoon rabbit named Miffy. The companies who own Cathy and Miffy were engaged in a lengthy legal battle until recently, but they left out Koichi and his family’s cartoon rabbit, Caffy. Watch the legal battle unfold before your very eyes!
Hashi Not Working
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When Koichi posts videos up on YouTube, people are sometimes more interested in what I’m doing in the background than the cool, interesting, and insightful things Koichi is saying to them. Even though you should all be paying attention to whatever super important things Koichi is saying, we decided to give you all a behind-the-scenes look at what I spend my time doing during our work days.
Save the Salaryman Foundation
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News out of Japan is that salarymen are getting less and less spending money from their wives. We here at Tofugu think that this situation is just tragic, so we founded the Save the Salaryman Foundation. For just one dollar a day, you can help a real, live Japanese salaryman muster up the money for some watery Japanese beer after work. What better cause is there?
Japanese Scientists Develop A “Possessed Hand”
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As if poop burgers weren’t enough for you, Japanese scientists have another bizarre invention – the “possessed hand.” It’s a device that controls the movements of your fingers, helping people learn skills like playing the piano. But could it also be used for more sinister purposes?
That wraps it up for June! Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos, or check out the channel for some older Tofugu goodies.
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