Every Sunday we gather the week’s weird and interesting Japanese news and present it to you in our Sunday News column. It might not always be hard-hitting news, but we hope that it still informs and entertains you. Enjoy!
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Japanese chef discusses abduction issue, ramen with Kim Jong Un : Kenji Fujimoto, Kim Jong Il’s former chef (who we’ve written about before), is apparently still on good terms with the dictator family of North Korea. Despite tricking Kim Jong Il and writing a tell-all book about the Kim family, Fujimoto was literally welcomed back into North Korea with open arms. This emotional moment between Kim Jong-Un and Fujimoto was, of course, followed by hundreds of North Koreans dressed in bright costumes dancing in sync to patriotic music. 강성대국! [via News On Japan][/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]Doraemon’s -100th Birthday: This week Japanese icon Doraemon, the time-travelling robotic cat that’s starred in manga and anime for over 50 years, celebrated his birthday. Well, kind of; the fictional hero will be born on September 3, 2112, making this past week’s birthday his -100th. People celebrated the occasion with tribute videos, and by even declaring the fictional cat as an official citizen. Here’s to another -100 years! Wait.
Sky Bacteria Brings Natto Smell Down to Earth: Science once again comes to the rescue by offering a solution to those who find the infamous Japanese dish natto unpalatable. An airborne bacteria from China might give natto more nutrition and less stank. I’m a bit skeptical; not because I don’t think natto could ever be palatable, but because I’m hesitant to try an airborne bacteria from “clouds of yellow dust” in China. Thank you, but no.[/threecol_one_last]
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[threecol_one]The End of a 1,400-Year-Old Business: As an American, it’s strange to me to think that there are companies that have been around longer than my country, but that’s the case in a lot of countries around the world. Unfortunately being really, really old doesn’t protect you from things like bankruptcy. At the very least, they can say that they had a pretty good run.
Over 100 poisonous spiders found : There’s a lot of scary news out there nowadays — the abysmal global economy, the threat of natural disasters, and ever-present crime. But nothing, nothing is more terrifying than the discovery of over 100 venomous spiders. If you’ll need me, I’ll be locked in an empty room with a can of bug spray and a fly swatter. [via News On Japan][/threecol_one] [threecol_two_last]
Why does this Japanese woman send more tweets to Pres. Obama than anyone else in the world?: You’d think that US President Barack Obama would get his fair share of spam on Twitter from political enemies and Horse_ebooks, but apparently the person who tweets @BarackObama the most is a Japanese woman concerned about a free trade agreement. She’s certainly inspired me to tweet at the Japanese Prime Minister to dub Hard Gay a Living National Treasure.[/threecol_two_last]
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