Latest news with #Masanuki
SoraNews24
14-07-2025
- SoraNews24
What happens when you seek refuge from the summer heat at Ikea in Shinjuku
Surprising finds happen when you least expect them. Part of being a working Tokyoite is knowing how and where to escape the summer heat while commuting to and from the office during the hottest days of the year. For our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma, his summer haven is Ikea Shinjuku, as it's right between Shinjuku Station and our office, so when temperatures soared above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) recently, he sought refuge in the store to give his sweat-drenched body a rest before work, and when he did he made some surprising discoveries. The first find came as soon as he stepped through the doors, as the store had strategically placed its Swedish Bite bistro right near the entrance. Stepping over to the ticket vending machines to see what they had to offer, he discovered something that immediately had him reaching for his coins. ▼ The Secret Soft ice cream (150 yen [US$1.03]) The mysterious black colour of the Secret soft serve looked like just the thing to reset his tired body, and his interest piqued even further when he saw that the ticket from the machine had 'シークレット' ('secret') on it in bold black-and-white print. It took seconds for him to receive his soft serve, and the whole process of entering the store and ordering and receiving the ice cream took about a minute, which is good to know when you're looking for a quick place to recover from the heat. If you've ever felt like you're about to shrivel up from the heat, a cold, refreshing soft serve is unbeatable. That's how Masanuki feels anyway, and when he put his lips around the icy treat, he closed his eyes in delight as he found the secret flavour tasted fruity, with a sweetly tart and refreshing finish that made him think it might be pear. After finishing his soft serve, Masanuki's energy was restored and he decided to enjoy the air conditioning for a little while longer by heading up to the next floor. That's where he discovered that this branch of Ikea was celebrating its fourth anniversary with a limited-edition tote bag for 999 yen. Next to the bags was a selection of seasonal goods, where he saw what looked to be rolled-up towels. Upon closer inspection, he found these were actually T-shirts, and there was a good discount on them for customers who are registered as Ikea Family members. Seeing as Masanuki often shops at Ikea, he's been a member for a while, so when he saw he'd only have to pay 999 yen instead of 2,499 yen, he immediately picked up a black in the L/XL size. With his clothes already sweaty before work, Masanuki thought it'd be nice to wear the shirt when he got to the office, so he could feel super refreshed and ready to start the day. ▼ When he unrolled it in the office, it didn't look half bad. ▼ And when he put it on, he felt like a new man. The one drawback to the shirt was the super long tag inside it, but that was an easy fix as he got out his scissors and simply snipped it off. Masanuki couldn't quite believe how good the fabric felt against his skin, especially after his hot morning commute, and now that he knows how easy it is to get a soft serve on the way to work, he might just be popping in more frequently over the next couple of months. So next time you're walking around Tokyo looking for a respite from the heat, you might want to to duck in to a store like Ikea. You never know what you might find, and chances are, you'll look and feel better for the short break too! Images © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
02-07-2025
- SoraNews24
This Japanese train station has its very own hot spring bathhouse, right on the platform【Photos】
We hop on the train to Mizunuma, then hop into the bath. The amount of amenities you can find at train stations in Japan varies pretty widely by how big the surrounding city is. At the primary rail hubs in major metropolises, you can expect full-sized shopping centers, restaurant rows, and hotels to be attached to the station building, but if you get far enough into the countryside, the station might not be anything more than an unstaffed platform with a bench and a box into which passengers drop your ticket with the honor system as the only safeguard that they paid the proper fare. So with Mizunuma Station being on the outskirts of the relatively low-key town of Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, most people probably wouldn't expect the facility to have anything that noteworthy. They'd be wrong, though, because Mizunuma Station has its very own natural onsen/hot spring, called Mizunum no Yu, with the entrance right there on the platform! It's common for web sites for hot springs and other travel attractions to mention how far they are from the nearest train station, and Mizunuma no Yu proudly, and accurately, boasts that it's a 'zero-minute walk' from Mizunuma Station. Though the area has been known for hot springs for some time, the station onsen just opened up a few months ago, and our intrepid Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma made the trip to check it out for himself. ▼ Mizunuma Station is located on the Watarase Keikoku Line, which connects Kiryu with Nikko. General adult admission to Mizunuma no Yu is 1,350 yen (US$9.30) on weekdays and 1,550 on weekends and holidays, and those prices include a complementary drink in the lounge area. Towels aren't provided for free, so Masanuki had to rent one for 300 yen (which he could have avoided or reduced by bringing a towel from home or picking one up from a 100 yen shop before leaving the big city). ▼ Base admission does include locker use, though. ▼ Entrance to the men's bath The facility is actually divided into two sections, one for general admission and another with more premium amenities for an extra charge (600 yen on weekdays, 800 yen on weekends/holidays). It doesn't feel like Mizunuma no Yu is cheaping out on you in the basic zone at all, though, since it has both outdoor and indoor baths, as well as a sauna, lounge, and restaurant. ▼ Photography in the baths is prohibited, but these photos from the Mizunuma no Yu website show the general-admission baths. If you're visiting during the day, you can take in the beautiful vie of the surrounding forests from the bath, and even if it's after sundown, the mountain breeze feels invigorating on your freshly washed skin in the outdoor area. As an added bonus, even though Masanuki was at Mizunuma no Yu on the weekend, it wasn't particularly crowded. Maybe that's because the place has only been open since April, but it was nice to have room to stretch out in the bath and quietly zone out while enjoying both the warm water and tranquil atmosphere. After his soak and sauna session, Masanuki was feeling mighty relaxed, but also powerfully thirsty, so he headed to the lounge for his free drink. There's actually a pretty nice lineup of complimentary beverages, including fruit juices, teas, and Pepsi. What Masanuki was really impressed by, though, was that the free drink list includes Iyoshi Cola. ▼ Billed as a 'craft cola,' Iyoshi has a unique, refreshing taste, and also a sweet backstory about how the company's founder was inspired by his grandfather. If you're of the mindset that a nice cold beer is the perfect after-onsen beverage, you can also upgrade to a glass of Suntory Premium Malt's for an additional 200 yen, or a cocktail if you prefer. Surprisingly, the lounge also serves Coldstone ice cream (something that's getting harder to find in Japan these days) and savory snacks such as edamame and takoyaki. If you're feeling even hungrier, there's also an attached restaurant with tempting dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, including wagyu sukiyaki, kamameshi (rice and various meats and vegetables cooked together in the same pot), and udon noodles. ▼ Restaurant entrance Though convenience is obviously a big part of the appeal of a station-attached hot spring, Mizunuma no Yu is nice enough that Masanuki could easily see himself spending half a day here, hopping back and forth between the baths, sauna, lounge, and restaurant. For his next visit, he might even splurge for access to the premium area and its extra-large open-air bath and special napping room. He's totally satisfied with the general-admission areas too, though, and if you're looking for a hot spring that's off the beaten path but still extremely easy to access, it's hard to beat Mizunuma no Yu. Hot spring information Mizunuma no Yu / 水沼の湯 Address: Gunma-ken, Kiryu-shi, Kurohone-cho, Mizunuma 群馬県桐生市黒保根町水沼 Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Website Top image: SoraNews24 Insert images: SoraNews24, PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
29-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- SoraNews24
What's inside a Family Mart Grand Opening Lucky Bag?
We join the party at a new convenience store opening in Japan. You never know what you might find at a convenience store in Japan, and that fact was never as clear as it was when our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma stumbled upon a Family Mart that had opened in his neighbourhood. Stepping through the sliding doors, complete with their distinctive melodic chime, he was greeted by a bunch of colourful Family Mart balloons to mark the grand occasion, but that wasn't the only unusual thing about the place. There on the table, he found the 'Grand Opening Lucky Bag', which was priced at a very reasonable 500 yen (US$3.47), so he immediately grabbed one to see what it contained. The word '福袋' ('fukubukuro' or 'lucky bag') is usually reserved for blind-buy bags sold at New Year, but a store opening is also a good time to bring them out for a celebration. Feeling a flurry of excitement, Masanuki opened the lucky bag and peered inside… What he found was a collection of goods worthy of a party. Lightly Salted Potato Chips (150 yen) Chocolate Filled Cream Puffs (138 yen) Bakauke Rice Crackers with Dried Green Laver Flakes (118 yen) Light and Airy Castella (128 yen) Aquarius sports drink (151 yen) Family Mart Pocket Tissues (not available for sale) The value of the bag turned out to be 685 yen, which wasn't a bad return for the 500 yen he spent on it. Every item was a welcome addition to the snack cupboard, but out of everything, his favourite had to be the Chocolate Filled Cream Puffs, which he demolished in no time. So if you ever spot a new convenience store pop up in your neighbourhood, it's always worth going in to take a look. You may find discounts, lucky bags, or even steamed manju buns that you won't ever see at that store again. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
09-06-2025
- General
- SoraNews24
Trying to keep our cool with Amazon Japan's lowest-rated fan and lucky amulet set
The lucky amulet will ensure luck in online shopping, starting after this purchase. Summer is just around the corner and keeping cool isn't just a good idea, it's a matter of staying healthy in these ever-increasing temperatures, so our writer Masanuki Sunakoma set out to invest in a new fan. This was also another chance to test the waters of the items sold on Amazon Japan with the lowest ratings around. This is usually destined for failure, but when you think about it, fan technology has never been better. Fans sold at the 100-yen store or as toys have significant air output, so even the lowliest of fans sold online should do a decent job of providing a cool breeze for Masanuki. As a general rule, low-rated items on Amazon have names that run up to 20 words for shameless search engine optimization, and this fan — called the 'Tabletop Mist Fan: Functional Fan with 3 Functions: Humidification, Ventilation, and Cooling. Comes with an Original Amulet Card to Ensure You Don't Fail when Shopping Online (Black)' — was no exception. That all sounded good, and the addition of a Japanese lucky amulet known as an 'omamori' really helped to set it apart from other fans. On the other hand, it had a unanimous one-star rating, the lowest possible, along with comments complaining about weak wind, not turning on, and possibly being made on a 3-D printer. Even the lucky amulet couldn't escape the scathing reviews, with one calling it 'pointless.' Reviews have been wrong in the past though, so Masanuki went ahead and placed an order for this fan and lucky amulet, which was priced at 1,980 yen (US$14). It arrived a few days later and included the fan, charging cable, instruction manual, and lucky amulet card. Normally omamori are made of fabric, but this was just a small postcard that read 'Omamori so You Don't Fail at Online Shopping.' Also unlike other omamori, this had a set of rules on the back as follows: 1) The benefits only work for the next three purchases after receiving this card. 2) Write your name in black ink in the space below. 3) Wear this while shopping online. 4) After your third purchase, be sure to dispose of this as 'burnable trash.' 5) This only works with online shopping and not shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. 6) This is merely an 'omamori' and there is no guarantee of its effectiveness. Masanuki wasn't sure how he should 'wear' his paper card and there was a bit of grim foreshadowing in the fact that the lucky amulet to prevent failing at online shopping doesn't claim to work on this purchase. Considering his past shopping record, he was looking forward to really putting this amulet to the test for his next three questionable purchases, but today's challenge was the fan. Looking at the main unit, as some of the reviews said, it did look rather shoddily made for its price. But a fan was only as good as its wind, so it was time to take it for a spin. He decided on a dry run first, without putting any mist-generating water in the tank. The fan has three settings which he visualized with the help of a tissue. ▼ Setting 1: Sleep-Friendly Gentle Wind ▼ Setting 2: Comfortably Natural Wind ▼ Setting 3: Powerful Wind We assure you those animated gifs are not a mistake and all three power settings had the same effect on the tissue, which is to say almost none. Despite the evocative names for each of the settings, none of them could make the tissue move more than a few millimeters. It was almost impressive how the fan blades seemed to defy physics by moving faster without generating any additional wind. On the bright side, the misting function did work and generated a cool fog at three different strengths properly. It also had some lights built-in to make the water tank glow different colors, which was nice. Unfortunately, it was too bright out to show the full effect of the lights. Those aspects made Masanuki rate this fan two stars out of five. That being said, few online shoppers have seen the horrors he has, so he tends to be more forgiving to pieces of junk. At the end of the day, a fan that doesn't blow simply blows and no one should buy this item unless for the lucky amulet card. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Trying out Amazon Japan's lowest-rated wall decoration
Amazon makes our writer an offer he can't refuse. After an enlightening job performance review with his senior colleague Mr. Sato, our writer Masanuki Sunakoma was feeling a bit in a rut. That's why he got a sudden urge to refresh his mood by redecorating his living environment, preferably something with a little pizzazz. He decided to search on Amazon Japan for something that could spruce up his homestead within his budget. However, after years of seeking out the worst products on the e-commerce giant, his search results have gotten a little skewed. One product that caught his eye was the Giraffe Head Wall Hanging for 2,585 yen (US$18). It's a simple 3-D bust of the savanna's gentle giant that creates the illusion of it popping its head into your living space, as if to munch on some mimosa leaves. The product image made it look incredibly life-like too. It would certainly wow guests who came to visit and looked sure to put a smile on his face every day as he walked past it. It also had a feel of a hunter's lodge but in a more fun way that doesn't say, 'I shot and killed an animal that's as big as a house and yet somehow also completely non-threatening.' However, the reviews for it were less than stellar. It has a rock-bottom rating of 1.0 stars and reviews claiming the real thing was nothing like the image. Knowing that products have been unfairly maligned by picky reviewers before, Masanuki decided to take the plunge and purchase a giraffe's head. It took about two weeks for the wall hanging to arrive from overseas, and our writer was filled to the brim with suspense about how it would look. Then, one fateful day, his package arrived. ▼ Cue the Godfather theme… ▼ Duh-duhn-nuh-nuh-nuh-neh Nuh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-nuhhhh… ▼ Duh-duhn-nuh-nuh-nuh-neh Nuh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-nehhhh… ▼ Duh-duhn-neh-nehhhh, duh-duhn-neh-nehhhh… ▼ Duh-nuh-neh-neh-nuh-neh-nuh-neh-neh-nuh-neh… ▼ Nehhhhhhh… Far from the vibrant herbivore shown on the Amazon page, this giraffe looked like it had been dead for quite a while. It was also covered in a white powder that might have been caused by the resin it was made of. It managed to make the giraffe look even less alive and cursed to roam the world as a soulless, long-necked wraith. Needless to say, this was not the pick-me-up that Masanuki wanted, but he decided to give it a shot anyway and hung it on his wall. He looked at his new objet d'art and contemplated if it had any redeeming qualities he might have overlooked. It was then that he realized even the false window was horrendously made. Rather than peeking its head in from the lush foliage of Kenya, this giraffe seemed to be struggling to escape the ectoplasmic confines of an eldritch hell. ▼ Sometimes that giraffe looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about this giraffe is he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't even seem to be livin'… 'til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. Rather than brightening his day, this wall hanging cast an even heavier pallor over his home. He even felt he would be hard pressed to find a more depressing decoration than this. Maybe someone out there would have a need or desire for such a thing, but it wasn't Masanuki. He took down the cursed item and went in search of something else to lift his spirits. It would seem interior decoration was a lot harder than he had thought. Related: Amazon Japan Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
