Random Japan

With the stuffed characters of the Moomin Café, you’ll never dine alone!

  Casey Baseel

Theme restaurants can be a lot of fun. Whether you’re munching on Final Fantasy desserts or knocking back a cocktail while surrounded by witches and monsters, a little break with reality can be just the secret ingredient you need for a satisfying meal.

Except, what do you do if you can’t round up a posse to go with you? Playing make-believe in a group can be fun, when everyone is egging each other on and having a good laugh, but most people feel awkward enough eating in a normal restaurant alone, let alone one that’s recreating a fictional world.

Thankfully, the Moomin Café has a solution to the solo-dining dilemma: they’ll seat stuffed versions of the beloved cartoons’ characters at your table to keep you company.

STATS

400

Distance, in feet, of the home run given up by former Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to the first batter he faced as a member of the New York Yankees

21,089

Number of stalking and domestic violence cases recorded in Japan last year-the first time the number has topped 20,000, according to the National Police Agency

3,260

Number of people who applied for refugee status in Japan in 2013, a record high, according to the justice ministry

WHAT’S THE JAPANESE FOR “CHUTZPAH”?

A Kagoshima man who bought a PC that had been previously owned by a labor union insisted that the union pay him ¥8 million to “buy back personal information stored in the computer.”

Tokyo police busted an illegal gambling ring being run out of a condo in Shibuya that also serves as the residence of the ambassador from Ghana.

Officials at the Don Quijote retail chain have sued the promotion agency that manages J-pop megagroup AKB48.

The lawsuit claims the management company screwed Don Quijote out of an exclusive licensing deal by letting a pachinko parlor use machines featuring likenesses of the group’s members.

 16,000 The Number

 Of The Police

 What Color Is

 Your Shinkansen?

  You’re A Teacher

Your Son Isn’t Important

Japan virtual star Hatsune Miku to join Lady Gaga tour



 APR. 19, 2014 – 06:36AM JST

Hatsune Miku, a computer-generated Japanese pop star who performs as a hologram, is to support some of Lady Gaga’s tour of North America next month, the U.S. songstress has announced on Twitter.

The pixel-perfect pop princess, whose voice is also the product of digital code, will perform in 3D alongside a band made of real musicians at shows starting in Atlanta on May 6.

“My favorite digital pop star Hatsune Miku is opening The ARTPOP Ball from May 6-June 3!” @ladygaga said on her Twitter feed.