Latest news with #Takuya
SoraNews24
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
What did our Japanese reporter think of his first visit to American cinnamon roll chain Cinnabon?
Takuya knew that his visit was destined to be sweet, but exactly how sweet…? Our Japanese-language writer Takuya Inaba has been enjoying the American TV show Adam Eats the 80's (2022), in which the host devours anything hot in the 1980s with a heaping side dose of nostalgia. In particular, the episode where he eats a Cinnabon cinnamon roll piqued Takuya's interest. He could almost sense the overly sweet sugar shock of the roll through his TV screen. He decided the only way to quench his curiosity was to visit Cinnabon and try one of the famous pastries for the first time. ▼ Founded in Washington State in 1985, Cinnabon is commonly found at shopping malls across the U.S., where its presence is revealed by the heavenly wafting scent of cinnamon on the air. Luckily for Takuya, Cinnabon exists in a number of locations throughout Japan, often paired with Seattle's Best Coffee. He promptly headed to the nearest Futako-Tamagawa Rise Shopping Center location in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. His excitement intensified when he entered the store and saw rows of showy cinnamon rolls. It was as if his American '80s food dream were coming true right before his eyes. Takuya started off with the Cinnabon Classic for 540 yen (US$3.69). It was a thing of beauty, with the cream cheese frosting flowing over the sides of the pastry. It wasn't until he held it in his hand that he realized just how enormous it was. He continued to watch in amazement as the frosting dripped dangerously lower. His fingers couldn't hold it for long, though, because it was still piping hot. With premonitions of a scalded tongue, he decided the safest way to consume his prize was to cut it open to allow some steam to escape. The inside was unexpectedly pretty, with layers of the roll clearly visible in a spiraling pattern. Takuya finally took a bite and was spellbound by its delicious sweetness. If he had to describe the taste in words, he would go with 'THE American' (verbatim). Curiously, there wasn't a heavy aftertaste, and the dough was plenty springy and soft. He also appreciated the fact that the cinnamon flavor wasn't too strong, but added just the right balance of spice to stimulate his appetite. Despite its size, Takuya still had plenty of room, so he next decided to spring for a convenient cup version called Roll on the Go (480 yen). This one featured a cinnamon roll pre-cut into bite-sized pieces in a paper cup. He appreciated the fact that his fingers didn't have to get sticky while eating this one. Even that addition didn't leave Takuya fully satiated, so he peeked at the menu to see what kinds of special flavors there were. First, the Caramel Pecanbon (600 yen regular/420 yen mini size) was a done deal. It looked so pretty with its flowing caramel frosting and pecan nut topping. Once he took a bite, he could only laugh because it felt like every cell in his body had been jolted awake from the sheer sweetness of it all. People could probably get addicted to this exact taste. Second, the Red Cherrybon (620 yen regular size/450 yen mini size) as his last order was a no-brainer. He thought it looked somewhat seductive with its drizzling of deep crimson cherry sauce. It also turned out to be his personal favorite, with the sour cherry flavor causing him to lose all remaining sense of sanity until he had devoured the whole thing. Luckily, coffee paired very well with all of the sweetness and helped settle his stomach at the end of this gastronomic adventure. We haven't gotten word yet if Takuya's still recovering from his Cinnabon-induced food coma, but whenever he wakes up, he can probably raise his blood sugar again through Lawson's current double-sized food offerings. Sweet, sweet dreams, Takuya! All 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 ]
Straits Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
At The Movies: Food for thought in 28 Years Later, My Sunshine a heartfelt coming-of-age drama
At The Movies: Food for thought in 28 Years Later, My Sunshine a heartfelt coming-of-age drama 28 Years Later (M18) 115 minutes, showing in cinemas ★★★★☆ The story: British director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland revisit the Rage Virus of 28 Days Later (2002) they created more than two decades earlier. Great Britain is now quarantined from the continent: who needs Brexit? A community, which survived the cannibalistic undead, has settled on a feudal fortress island connected to the mainland by a tidal causeway. Spike (Alfie Williams) is the boy hero of 28 Years Later, the third entry following 28 Weeks Later (2007) in the auteur zombie series. On his 12th birthday, his dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes him on a manly rite-of-passage hunt on the mainland. It is his introduction to the ghastly Infected roving the wilderness. The blubbery belly-crawling humanoids are easy targets for his arrows. Not the Alphas: they have evolved to be faster, smarter, feral and near-unkillable. Spike, however, has heard rumours of a physician, and he is soon sneaking back outside the safe zone, determined to save his long-ailing mother (Jodie Comer). That the mythical doctor is a kook played by Ralph Fiennes would be an encounter worth any danger, even, possibly, the Alphas chasing him down to rip his head off with spinal column attached. The movie in all its punk-rock helter-skelter viscera was filmed using iPhones and amplified by military footage. What is the Rage Virus if not Boyle's parable of humanity eating itself alive with its anger? And violence here becomes an entryway into a moving rumination on mortality for Spike, an innocent who has never known disease or death. Wherever Hollywood director Nia DaCosta (The Marvels, 2023) leads him next in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the second in a new trilogy due in 2026, Boyle has reaffirmed himself as a vital innovator of a seminal horror lore. Hot take: There is food for thought, not just flesh-chomping frights. My Sunshine (M18) 90 minutes, opens exclusively at The Projector on June 26 ★★★☆☆ (From left) Kiara Nakanishi and Keitatsu Koshiyama in My Sunshine. PHOTO: THE PROJECTOR The story: During one winter in a Japanese island town, two adolescents pair up for an upcoming skating competition. Taipei Film Festival's 2024 Special Jury Prize winner will not be the usual underdog sports drama. My Sunshine is an understated movie constructed of glances. Takuya (Keitatsu Koshiyama), a shy schoolboy with a stutter, is with his ice hockey team at the local recreation centre when he sights figure skater Sakura (Kiara Nakanishi) elegantly gliding on the rink. He is spellbound. The older girl has eyes only for her coach Arakawa (Sosuke Ikematsu), who later sees Takuya clumsily attempting Sakura's manoeuvres and is moved to mentor him. A former skating champion, he also sees something of himself in Takuya's passion. The lad is so endearing that haughty Sakura, a rising star from big-city Tokyo, needs little persuasion from Arakawa to begin training with him for a mixed duo contest. They become a family. An excursion to a frozen lake is a joyous high as the threesome cavort madly and embrace tightly against the magic hour light. But then comes another, unhappier glance: Sakura espies Arakawa with his male partner. The idyll is over even before the season's snow has melted. Japanese writer-director Hiroshi Okuyama's sophomore feature had seemed just a sweet, nostalgic coming-of-age confection, one that is suddenly very grown-up and deeply sad in confronting Japanese society's conservative gender norms and homophobia. The sensitive performances play the emotions for real because they are: Okuyama based the screenplay on his experiences as a junior skater. Hot take: This youthful romance, slender though it is, holds heartfelt feelings, tender and sorrowful. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Kyodo News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Families of N. Korea abductees ask new U.S. envoy for support
KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 19:54 | All, Japan The families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago met with new U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass in Tokyo on Thursday to seek help in resolving the issue, according to a younger brother of one of the most well-known abduction victims. "We asked for his assistance toward the resolution of a problem that is running out of time," Takuya Yokota, the 56-year-old brother of Megumi Yokota, told reporters after the closed-door meeting, adding he felt Glass took their suffering "seriously." Megumi was abducted at age 13 by North Korean agents in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast in 1977, while returning home from badminton practice at her junior high school. Pyongyang claims she died by suicide in 1994. "I believe the meeting had a lot of meaning if the importance of this issue is conveyed" to U.S. President Donald Trump, Takuya said. Tetsuya Yokota, Takuya's twin brother, said he told Glass that "just providing a space to talk likely applied pressure on North Korea," while their 89-year-old mother, Sakie, said the ambassador gave her a hug. The gathering was also attended by Glass's wife, Mary, who Takuya said expressed sympathy with their plight. Since the return of five abductees to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has sought the release of 12 others it has officially recognized as having been taken by North Korea. It also suspects Pyongyang's involvement in the disappearances of other Japanese citizens. Related coverage: Families of Japanese abducted by North Korea call for Trump's support Families of Japanese abducted by N. Korea to seek U.S. aid for return
Kyodo News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Families of N. Korea abductees ask new U.S. envoy for support
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 19:54 | All, Japan The families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago met with new U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass in Tokyo on Thursday to seek help in resolving the issue, according to a younger brother of one of the most well-known abduction victims. "We asked for his assistance toward the resolution of a problem that is running out of time," Takuya Yokota, the 56-year-old brother of Megumi Yokota, told reporters after the closed-door meeting, adding he felt Glass took their suffering "seriously." Megumi was abducted at age 13 by North Korean agents in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast in 1977, while returning home from badminton practice at her junior high school. Pyongyang claims she died by suicide in 1994. "I believe the meeting had a lot of meaning if the importance of this issue is conveyed" to U.S. President Donald Trump, Takuya said. Tetsuya Yokota, Takuya's twin brother, said he told Glass that "just providing a space to talk likely applied pressure on North Korea," while their 89-year-old mother, Sakie, said the ambassador gave her a hug. The gathering was also attended by Glass's wife, Mary, who Takuya said expressed sympathy with their plight. Since the return of five abductees to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has sought the release of 12 others it has officially recognized as having been taken by North Korea. It also suspects Pyongyang's involvement in the disappearances of other Japanese citizens. Related coverage: Families of Japanese abducted by North Korea call for Trump's support Families of Japanese abducted by N. Korea to seek U.S. aid for return
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kyohei Yamasawa sets a benchmark as the top regular season scorer in Japan Rugby League One
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa has become the first home grown player to top the regular season scoring list in Japan Rugby League One in his first full season for the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights. The 26-year-old emerged from the shadow of his test-capped elder brother, Takuya, by scoring 209 points in 16 appearances in the Japanese professional tournament which attracts some of the world's best players. He finished the regular season ahead of Toyota Brave Lupus fullback Takuro Matsunada with 174 points and Bryn Gatland, the New Zealand-born son of former Wales and British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland, who scored 169 points for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers. Former Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley was sixth on the list this season with 145 points. Japan League One is in its fourth season and Yamasawa is the fourth different player to lead the regular season scoring list, following Gatland, Foley and All Blacks flyhalf Damian McKenzie. Yamasawa became the Wild Knights' only goalkicking option when his brother, Takuya, was sidelined by injury after only two matches. Brave Lupus winger Jone Naikabula was the leading try-scorer in the regular season with 15. ___ AP rugby:
