To become One-Punch Man, Saitama did 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and ran 10 kilometers every day for three years. While this same routine didn’t transform the protagonist of our story into a real-life superhero, it definitely made his physical transformation hard to ignore.

Tasuke began the ‘One Punch Man Challenge’ on April 21, 2023, when he was 41 years old, 1.75 meters tall, and weighed 74.7 kilograms. He wasn’t in bad shape compared to a lot of other people his age, but after three years of daily exercise, the difference is staggering. He went from looking like an average office worker to a middle-aged ‘Chad’ with a visible six-pack, generally toned physique, and enviable endurance. Oh, and unlike the real Saitama, he got to keep his hair!

Over the last three years, Tasuke ran 16,136 kilometers and performed 109,600 repetitions of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. And while he didn’t end up destroying monsters with a single punch, pulverizing mountains, or becoming the single most powerful being in the Universe, the real-life Saitama proved that perseverance, especially when taken to the extreme, has very clear results.

Before you go and follow Tasuke’s example, it’s worth pointing out that emulating such an extreme training regimen can be a recipe for disaster. Saitama lives in a fantasy universe, but in the real world, running 10 kilometers daily and doing 100 pushups, situps, and squats can cause serious injuries, especially in the early days, when the body hasn’t fully adapted to the physical training.

Interestingly, Tasuke isn’t the first person to emulate One-Punch Man’s training routine. Last year, we featured another real-life Saitama from China who used the three-year training regimen to turn his life around.

Japanese media recently reported that Harida Matsumoto, an underground idol from Wakayama Prefecture, sparked a heated debate after allegedly offering her fans the chance to smell her armpits after shows. Photos of Matsumoto lifting her arms and letting men put their noses in her armpits went viral online, attracting criticism from the general public.

Unlike mainstream idols, who have entire companies and talent agencies marketing their image to fans, underground idols like Harida Matsumoto struggle to attract as many fans as possible through whatever means possible. They usually perform in small theatres, live houses, and shopping centres, and struggle to build communities online.

Many have accused Matsumoto of crossing red lines in her attempt to cater to her die-hard fans, but some believe that her desperate attempt to please her fanbase highlights the struggle that underground idols have to deal with. Most of them earn less than the average office worker and have to at least maintain the illusion of being single and available, while struggling to please their fans.

A large part of Harida’s 400,000 followers continue to support her despite the controversy around her most recent fan service, but some have criticized her for doing something they consider disgusting.¹

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“Being able to slice it this thin is pretty impressive tech in a way lolllll If they wanna cut costs that bad, they should just stop doing all-you-can-eat in the first place lolllll,” one person posted on X.

“Was there a translucent pig or something?” someone else commented on the original photo of the cuts, which garnered over 3 million views on X alone.

The original poster also commented that one of the advantages of stealth pork is that the ultra-thin slices allow diners to eat more slices than usual and then brag to their friends about how many they consumed.

The unusually thin slices got so much attention online that a couple of days ago, Shabu-yo put out a statement apologizing to its customers.

“We have confirmed that at some stores, meat was being served in a condition that differed from the meat serving standards that we originally set,” the statement read. “We deeply apologise to our valued customers for providing a product of a quality that did not meet their expectations.”

The cuts are pretty impressive, to be honest. Prosciutto cutters only wish they could pull off this thinness without messing up the slice.

According to recent news reports, the staircase dates back to the early 1960s, when local authorities decided to build a concrete embankment to protect the district against floods. The staircase was added after locals complained that there was no way for them to reach the riverbank to fish in the Maze River.

The steepness of the staircase is due primarily to the tread-to-riser ratio of 1 to 1, compared to the standard 2 to 1. Although an official reason for this ratio hasn’t been given by authorities, it is believed that the design was meant to keep costs as low as possible. Japanese efficiency, what can you do!

Photos and videos of Japan’s Most Terrifying Staircase have been doing the rounds online for a couple of weeks, but Gero’s tourism association has been reluctant to promote it as a sightseeing attraction due to the risk of injury.

“We can’t say it (the stairs) is safe, so we ask people to take responsibility for any possible injuries,” a spokesperson told the Mainichi Shimbun.

Apparently, walking up the stairs is difficult enough, due to the unusual steepness of the staircase, but the true danger lies in navigating the narrow steps while descending. The vertigo-inducing steepness, coupled with the narrow, moss-covered steps, makes the experience very dangerous.

It was on his YouTube channel that Tarou recently announced his decision to drop out of school so he could focus on his esports career and fulfill his dream of qualifying for the Fortnite World Cup. Most parents would have probably tried to convince their child that education is essential to a succesful life, but Tarou’s family supported his decision from the beginning.

“If he had to go to school every day, just the studying alone would exhaust him, making it difficult for him to concentrate on his studies,” Tarou’s father explained, adding that he believed Tarou possessed “exceptional concentration and perseverance.”

The 13-year-old’s commitment to Fortnite appears to be absolute. His father recalled that one time in the second grade, he played the competitive shooter for 28 hours straight, from 10 am the day before to 2 pm the next day, even forgetting to go to the bathroom. He is certainly not the only child to put most of his time into playing video games, but what makes Taoru special is that he managed to keep his focus and passion for Fortnite at a very high level over the years.

Tarou’s parents have said that they are fully aware of the risks involved in his decision to drop out of formal schooling, but believe it is the most suitable choice for their son’s abilities and aspirations at this time. Their statements have done little to put the very heated debate on Japanese social media to rest.

While some believe that formal schooling isn’t the only path available to modern youths, especially with professional eSports gaining traction, others think that this decision will make the boy miss out on valuable teenage experiences.

“Middle school is the happiest time with friends and club activities. It’s a waste to spend it all just playing games,” one person commented on social media.

Using technology developed by the Waseda University Robotics Laboratory, the “g.eN” robotic toothbrush features multiple small brush heads that move up, down, left, and right, powered by a small but powerful motor. It’s designed to simultaneously clean both sides of teeth while minimizing uneven brushing, which is apparently a problem with manual brushing.

The “g.eN” robotic toothbrush weighs 220 grams, supports USB Type-C charging and features multiple operating modes (“Easy,” “Careful,” “Special Care,” and “Children.”).

A research paper presented at the 2022 Japan Society of Healthcare Dentistry reported that g.eN achieved an average plaque retention rate of 22.4%, demonstrating that this meets the standard for “good oral hygiene.” It achieves cleaning effects equal to or better than conventional toothbrushing, without requiring hands-on effort.

Having already secured two patents, g.eN is currently in the crowdfunding stage, having already surpassed its goal almost four times over,. You can order it at a discounted price of 31,042 yen ($199).

Although the robotic toothbrush was originally intended as a more convenient alternative for people with physical limitations who cannot use a manual toothbrush, g.eN has already sparked the interest of the general public, a big portion of which simply doesn’t like brushing their teeth by hand.

Suntory’s new ‘Special Water’ looks like regular mineral water but is officially classified as a “functional food,” meaning it’s a food product legally permitted in Japan to advertise health benefits. Special Water is aimed at office workers and those with irregular lifestyles who struggle with body fat accumulation because it can allegedly help reduce abdominal fat, especially visceral fat. Suntory’s new product contains HMPA (3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid), a small-molecule metabolite derived from fermented rice bran that can help reduce abdominal fat.

According to official clinical trial data, continuous HMPA intake can improve abdominal fat distribution in individuals with high BMI. Special Water is very similar to regular drinking water. It’s colorless, transparent, almost tasteless, has 0 calories, is sugar-free, and caffeine-free. A 600ml bottle of functional water costs 150 yen ($1) excluding tax, which makes it affordable enough for virtually anyone.

 

For more than two years, Takuya Higashimoto, an unemployed man from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, took advantage of the order cancellation policy of a major Japanese food delivery platform to eat over 1,000 free meals. To do this without being detected was no easy feat. Investigators found that the fraudster used 124 accounts on the Demae-can delivery app, many of them registered under false names and fake addresses. Higashimoto typically used prepaid cards to register an account and cancelled his membership a few days later. This made it very hard for the platform to detect and stop his operation, which resulted in losses exceeding 3.7 million yen ($24,000).

According to Japanese news media, the 38-year-old man placed orders on the Demae-can app and selected contactless delivery. After the food arrived, he falsely claimed that he had never received the order and received a refund. For example, on July 30, Higashimoto created a new account on the delivery app Demae-can under a fake name and address and managed to receive a refund of 16,000 yen ($105) after claiming that the ice cream, bentos, and chicken steaks had not been delivered.

“At first, I just tried this trick. I couldn’t stop after reaping the rewards of my fraud,” Higashimoto told police after his capture, earlier this month.

Demae

The Japanese fraudster, who had been unemployed for several years, was finally apprehended earlier this month and officially accused of fraud. His two years of free meals inspired Demae-can to implement an alert system to detect abnormal trading activities and prevent similar scams in the future.

Hailing from  Japan’s northern Hokkaido island, the hapless octogenarian reportedly met the scammer on social media back in July. They claimed to be a male astronaut on a mission in outer space, and the woman apparently believed them. After earning the trust of their victim, the scammer told her they were “in space on a spaceship right now” but were “under attack and in need of oxygen.” Obviously, the only way the 80-year-old woman could was to send money to a bank account, so the astronaut could buy more oxygen and survive the ordeal.

Local media outlet Hokkaido Broadcasting reported that the elderly woman lives alone and started developing feelings for the fake astronaut as their conversations progressed, so when they asked her for money, she was more than willing to help, despite the absurdity of their claims. She was instructed to deposit the money using prepaid systems at five different stores between July and August, and she only told her family about it when she started realizing that something was off.

After discussing it with family, the woman reported the bizarre case to the police. She was told that this was a common type of online romance scam, and that getting her money back was virtually impossible. The police decided to make the woman’s case public as a warning to other vulnerable people who might be targeted by scammers at some point.

“If a person you met on social media ever demanded cash from you, please be suspicious of the possibility of a scam, and report to the police”, a police official said.

As strange as it sounds, this type of astronaut scam is not unheard of in Japan. Back in 2022, we wrote about another elderly woman who paid $30,000 to a scammer posing as an astronaut stuck in space to help them return to earth.

Most people would only wear underwear on their heads as a joke or a dare, but if unconventional fashion brand JennyFax has anything to say about it, wearing women’s panties in one’s hair will soon become a fashion statement. The Japanese brand took a pair of silky women’s underwear, glued a metal hairclip to them, and created an original accessory that was sure to get people talking. Aptly called “panty ribbon bow,” the new hairclip comes in three colors -black, pink, and blue – and is priced at an eye-watering 17,600 yen ($119).

Photo: JennyFax

The brand’s founder, Jen-Fang, has always been known for her non-conformist design choices, and the panty ribbon bow is definitely consistent with the brand tone.

Photo: JennyFax

Photos of the controversial accessory recently went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a heated online debate about the creative liberties of fashion brands. JennyFax is definitely not the first company to push the envelope in terms of design. Balenciaga regularly sparks controversy with its unconventional, sometimes shocking creations, as do other lesser-known brands, like ZNWR, or Felissimo.