Archive for May, 2009

12,000 yen McDonalds coupon book can purchase over 22,000 yen worth of food

McDonald’s Japan has begun to sell a special coupon booklet for 12,000 yen (the exact amount everyone will receive from the government as an economic stimulus gift). As we can see from the demonstration in this FTV news clip, the coupons can buy quite a lot of food:

The coupon books will sold until July, and the coupons will be valid until November 14th.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Sea otter leaves Kushiro River

Ku-chan the sea otter seems to have abandoned Kushiro:

According to Kushiro’s tourism office and other sources, the male sea otter, referred to as “Ku-chan,” was spotted near the Nusamai Bridge during the Golden Week holidays and was seen eating a horsehair crab on Thursday. However, Ku-chan disappeared on Friday and didn’t appear on Monday, exactly three months after he first appeared in the river in February.

Ku-chan’s decision to leave came just a few days after the city held a ceremony granting him special residency. The exact whereabouts of the ungrateful jerk are unknown, but some believe he may have moved to an area of coastline 150 kilometers away.

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Thai boy searching for his Japanese father

A 9-year-old boy in Thailand is looking for his father:

Each time a coach packed with tourists stops at Wat Tha Luang in Muang district of Phichit, Keigo shows his picture and bombards visitors with questions about his father.

If a visitor looks Japanese, the boy can hardly wait to ask politely, “Do you know my father?”, and then shows the photo. When the answer is no, his face clouds over.

Born of mixed Thai and Japanese parentage, Keigo, who likes to be called by his first name, said he stays with his aunt Pattama Jatupit, 35, and paralysed grandfather Preecha Janpratum, 60, after his mother Thipmontha Zato, 33, died of a sexually transmitted disease on April 3.

Keigo’s dying mother told him that his Japanese father would come for him, but it never happened. The Thai foreign ministry has taken up the case, and now that the Japanese media has picked up the story it is likely the father will soon be found [although it'd help if the J-media didn't blur out the photo of the dad].

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Emily Miyasaka in HD

For those of you who were disappointed about the lack of video in our post about Miss Universe Japan 2009 Emily Miyasaka, here’s an HD quality YouTube clip uploaded by the Asahi Shimbun:

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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More heart-shaped melons in Japan

Instead of heart-shaped watermelons, heart-shaped melons:

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Junichiro Koizumi makes fun of Prime Minister Aso

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi spoke before a student group the other day, telling them that “you don’t have to be able to read kanji” to become prime minister of Japan:

[hat tip to Aceface]

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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