Japan was struck by a 8.9 earthquake off the northeastern coast of the island on Friday afternoon at 2:46 P.M. local time. Initially reported as a weaker earthquake, buildings in Tokyo shook for several minutes.
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In Japan, Vending Machines That Will Charge Your Car
Sure, Japanese vending machines got a bad wrap for selling schoolgirls’ underwear, but let’s let bygones be bygones. This week, AFP reports there’s a new reason to cheer the ubiquitous sentinels of Japanese street corners: Soon, …
New Zealand Quake: Many Tourists Among the Hundreds Still Missing
New Zealand’s Tuesday earthquake has left a death toll that has now climbed to over 100, with more than 220 people still missing. But the tragedy goes far beyond New Zealand’s shores, as visitors from China, Japan, Taiwan, …
A Name of One’s Own: Why Japanese Women Are Suing for Their Surnames
Four women and one man are fighting a 19th century law that effectively prevents Japanese women from keeping their birth names post-marriage.
Is This the Beginning of an End of Whaling in Japan?
The annual kerfuffle between Japanese whaling ships and the anti-whaling activists who chase them around Antarctic waters every winter is once again getting its seasonal share of ink and airtime. But this year the familiar …
Boat Capsizes in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, Killing Foreign Travelers and Tour Guide
A boat anchored in northeastern Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay sank on Thursday at dawn, killing a dozen sleeping onboard, most young foreign tourists. The picturesque UNESCO Heritage Site, flecked with ancient limestone formations, is …
Runaway Rubbers: Malaysia On the Hunt for 700,000 Missing Condoms
First they crack down on Valentine’s Day, and then condoms vanish. Where’s the love in Malaysia?
Monkey Fought the Law and the Law Won
You’ve heard of Prison Break, right? Well now we give you Monkey Break.
Now Big in Japan: Industrial Tourism Holiday
Never afraid to embrace a trend, Japan has a new craze to hit its travel industry: gazing at smokestacks.
Frosty Faces the Heat: Snowman Shipped to Bahrain’s Blazing Climate
NewsFeed is pleased someone could enjoy the snow this winter. Now if only we could send all of our snow to the Middle East.
The Case of the Smuggled Turtles Ends in Two Arrests (People, Not Turtles)
Two Japanese men were apprehended and charged at Los Angeles International airport on Monday for committing the crime of turtle smuggling.
Giant Tuna Sells for Nearly $400,000 in Tokyo
A behemoth bluefin tuna sold for a record 32.49 million yen — or about $396,000 — in Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market on Wednesday, smashing the 2001 record when a bluefin auctioned for 20.2 million. (via Ecocentric)