*LINK UPDATED*

It seems to be in pretty good quality for a stream, enjoy for those who have yet to see the first ep of the second season. The episode is hosted on megavideo which can be viewed here.

Here is a video showing a tour-like display of the cafe:

News Via: alafista

A brewery there has succeeded in producing a low-malt beer with milk, after the drink was suggested as a product that would help use up surplus milk. Since one-third of the drink is milk, the drink has been viewed as a good way to use up milk in the town.

Ahh nothing like an Eel Beer for the summer months, and a Milk Beer for year round consumption to make one’s life fulfilling. I don’t know about all the other people out there but I would definitely try this, a nutritious beer sounds like a good idea to me.

Bentō (弁当 or べんとう, Bentō?) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquer ware. Although bento are easily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (弁当屋, bentō-ya?), train stations, and department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend considerable time and energy producing an appealing boxed lunch.

A very nicely made Naruto Bento

Next is Misato from Evangelion

Tohou Obento

Ranka Lee bento from Macross Frontier

Let me just say that these Bento lunches were made extremely well. Gotta love the Japanese ingenuity eh?

News Via:Narutard

Now if you think you had some weird flavors, well you would be in for a surprise. Personally speaking I would try most of these if not all just out of principle to see how they taste. I am Asian myself and I have had Red Bean, Soy Bean, all those unique flavors that Americans are not accustomed to. And I enjoyed them perfectly fine, of course Red Bean is nothing like ox tongue but who knows.

Mmm….nothing like some pit viper flavored ice cream for desert!! I am seriously wondering who developed such a flavor, I mean if I am wrong and pit viper flavor means something completely different from what I am thinking, please let me know.

Well I have always loved CHICKEN WINGS!!! Mmm….wonder if they have buffalo flavor, perhaps bbq or honey. I know I’m salivating, I bet you are too right?

Well after the chicken wings, its best to wash it down with some octopus or ox tongue. What? You didn’t know? These flavors are extremely amazingly bold in my opinion. I can just imagine the corporate guys who thought of this stuff.

Hey uh…..we are running out of conventional flavors guys. I need some new and fresh Ideas!!

Um…..well We haven’t tried animal based flavors yet. People like beef and pork right? Why not make beef and pork ice cream?

Good thinking Tom, Lets make some octopus and ox tongue for our Asian Market while we’re at it, they’ll eat it.

Would you guys try these flavors? Do you guys find it disturbing that these flavors even exist? Tell me about the weirdest flavor you have ever tried. Although I doubt you can trump these but hey if you can please share.

Oh if you find these weird flavors interesting, you might want to check out a previous article I wrote about Japanese Eel based drinks.

News Via: Mainichi Daily News

At least that would be the case in Japan. It’s not enough for beer to be the official drink of the oppressively hot Japanese summer, one beer company is hoping to tie-in with the traditional food of summer, unagi (eel). Miyashita Sake Brewery is launching a “Suitable for Unagi” black beer that matches the color and richness of the grilled eel coated in sticky and slightly sweet sauce. You can find this being sold online at a pack of 6 for 2,425 Yen.

For those who do not know, Unagi(eel) is traditionally eaten during the summer to boost stamina against the appetite destroying heat. Therefore many Japanese believe eating eel helps boost stamina especially in hot weather.

Now if a Japanese eel beer wasn’t enough, there is another Japanese Eel drink out this summer. A new beverage from Japan Tobacco Beverage introduces “Unagi Nobori.” It is a carbonated beverage combining vitamins such as A, B1, B2, D and E, and “eel extract”from the heads and bones with a “refreshing flavor” to beat the summer heat. The marketed price for this beverage is at a cheap 147 Yen per bottle.

Despite the fact that these two beverages are created through the usage of eel (Which sounds unappetizing), it may prove to be quite tasty. I doubt any company out (even in Japan) would put out a product that is destined for failure, the mere fact that this product is on the market means that it might be a good drink. Although, cultural differences might prove a difference in taste for Non-Japanese palates. But hey I for one am up for trying this. Mmmm…nothing like a good cup of EEL!!

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News Via: CScout Japan

News via:Moeyo

]]> http://otakuinternational.com/2008/07/ikki-tousen-breast-shaped-dessert/feed/ 2 http://otakuinternational.com/2008/07/a-japanese-veggie-vending-machine-its-about-time/ http://otakuinternational.com/2008/07/a-japanese-veggie-vending-machine-its-about-time/#comments Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:45:42 +0000 BZou http://otakuinternational.com/?p=38 I have to thank CScout Japan for finding such an interesting piece of info.

I am sure everyone who loves or knows anything about Japan would know about vending machines. Unlike here where I live in the United States, Japan has vending machine for just about anything you would want. And not to mention they are around the corner in busy city streets. Boy sometimes I wish there was one right around the corner from my house. Luckily for me though I live in NYC, so most places would have a convenient store not too far off.

But enough about that, back to the topic. It turns out that Japanese ingenuity has come up with the Japanese Veggie vending machine. Ahh finally an answer for those busy city folks that can’t make it in time to buy their veggies before the store closes. I personally am just wondering how fresh are these vegetables? And I sure hope these vending machines are keeping them well refrigerated. Now if only we had an entire supermarket inside a vending machine, man that would be so awesome!

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