Puccho (ぷっちょ Putcho) is a chewy Japanese snack made and sold by UHA Mikakutō Co. Ltd. (味覚糖株式会社 UHA Mikakutō Kabushiki Gaisha, UHA – Unique Human Adventure). The gummi puccho squares are a unique consistency similar to a combination of gummy bears and taffy. They often contain gummy “balls” of flavor that are more chewy then the rest of the square. In addition to these balls, there are also “fizz” balls that mimic the carbonation of their soda derivatives.
AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. AKB48 is named after Akihabara (Akiba for short), the area in Tokyo where the group’s own theater is located. AKB48 holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s “largest pop group”. Currently, it consists of four subgroups: Team A, Team K, Team B, and Team 4 with 16 members each, summing up to a total of 64 girls.
The “lesbian kiss episode” is a sub-genre of the media portrayal of lesbianism in television media, created in the 1990s.
Sean Taro Ono Lennon (Japanese name Tarō Ono (小野 太郎 Ono Tarō); born October 9, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor of English, Japanese and Irish Descent.
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) propulsion system with an electric propulsion system.
In an interview in early February 2011, a Honda executive disclosed that Honda produces around 200,000 hybrids a year in Japan.
[Kyoto is] the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.
Maiko (まいこ, マイコ) is a Japanese word for dancing girl and is an apprentice geisha.
A pulled rickshaw (or ricksha) is a mode of human-powered transport by which a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons.
An onsen (温泉) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. Onsen come in many types and shapes, including outdoor (露天風呂 or 野天風呂 roten-buro or noten-buro) and indoor baths.
Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑 Jigokudani Yaen Kōen) is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The name Jigokudani, meaning “Hell’s Valley”, is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests. It is famous for its large population of wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), more commonly referred to as Snow Monkeys, that go to the valley during the winter, foraging elsewhere in the national park during the warmer months.
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), historically known as saru (“monkey”), but now known as Nihonzaru (Nihon “Japan” + saru) to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan. It is also sometimes known as the snow monkey from the fact that it lives in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year—no primate, with the exception of humans, is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate.
Obake (お化け) and bakemono (化け物) are a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. These words are often translated as ghost, but primarily they refer to living things or supernatural beings who have taken on a temporary transformation, and these bakemono are distinct from the spirits of the dead. However, as a secondary usage, the term obake can be a synonym for yūrei, the ghost of a deceased human being.
A one-way mirror, also known as a two-way mirror, one-way glass, or two-way glass is a mirror which is partially reflective and partially transparent. When one side of the mirror is brightly lit and the other is dark, it allows viewing from the darkened side but not vice versa.
A practical joke (also known as a prank, gag, or jape) is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort.
Sapporo Ichiban (サッポロ一番) is a brand of instant noodles (most of them ramen) made by Sanyo Foods, and rivals to other Japanese ramen brands like Nissin and Maruchan.
Sapporo (札幌市 Sapporo-shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. From the year 1966, a food company named Sanyo Foods began to sell instant ramen under the brand name “Sapporo Ichiban”.
Instant noodles are often criticized as unhealthy or junk food. A single serving of instant noodles is high in carbohydrates but low in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Noodles are typically fried as part of the manufacturing process, resulting in high levels of saturated fat and/or trans fat.
E Mobile is a cell phone operator in Japan offering 3G/HSPA data services. As they used to offer only data service, they were not widely known, but now after teaming up with NTT docomo to offer voice service, they are becoming more popular.
Tomomi Itano (板野 友美 Itano Tomomi, born July 3, 1991) is a member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, as well as a soloist.
In Japanese culture, idols (アイドル aidoru) are (usually female) media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g. as singers for pop groups, bit-part actors, TV personalities (tarento), models in photo spreads published in magazines, advertisements, etc.
A gang signal is a visual or verbal way gang members identify their affiliation. This can take many forms including slogans, tattoos or hand signs. Many of these, especially slogans and hand signs, have become part of popular culture.
“Haru Ichiban” (春一番, First Storm of Spring) is the ninth single release by Japanese girl group Candies, released on March 1, 1976. This was the group’s trademark song.
Yoshiko Tanaka (田中 好子 Tanaka Yoshiko, April 8, 1956 – April 21, 2011) was a Japanese actress. She was also famous as a member of the pop group Candies. While a member of Candies, Tanaka was known by the nickname “Sue” (スーちゃん Sū-chan). In 1991, she married golfer Kazuo Odate, and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. In October 2010, Tanaka’s cancer relapsed and she died on April 21, 2011. She was 55 years old at the time of her death.
Subaru (スバル) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI).
A sumo wrestler leads a highly regimented way of life. The Sumo Association prescribes the behavior of its wrestlers in some detail. For example, in the wake of a serious car accident involving a wrestler the Association banned wrestlers from driving their own cars.
The Subaru Forester is an all-wheel drive station wagon, now crossover, manufactured since 1997 by Subaru. The Forester was designed and built with four-wheel drive (AWD) as standard equipment.
A car parking system (also referred to as multi-level stacked parking system, or car stacker) is a mechanical device that multiplies parking capacity inside a building or a parking lot. In Europe, Japan and Asia, hundreds of mechanical garages were built between the mid 1950’s and the late 1980s. Most are still in operation. It has only been recently that much more advanced car parking systems came into operation. The technology involved has been developing over the last 75 years, and has now reached the stage where it can be utilized on a wide scale.
Top Gear (referred to as Old Top Gear when mentioned on the present version of the show) was a car-based BBC television series produced by BBC Birmingham, and broadcast on BBC2 from 1977 to 2001.
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is a British Television presenter, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring.
