Bento boxes are known for having flair. Mundane ingredients combined into life like art, transforms the lunch hour into a epic battle between you and your food. Alternatively, if you want to show a little love in your stir fry, an agricultural cooperative have developed a way to grow cucumbers in both star and heart shaped varieties by using a plastic mold attached to the stem of the bud.

I can’t say I care much for vegetables and until scientists make them taste like steak I don’t see myself eating many of them, however, this does add a cuteness factor that just makes them irresistible. And that’s how they get ‘cha…

[Weird Asian News]

Toshio Okada, founder of Gainax, a prominent figure behind some of the most important shows and movies in the anime world. He even calls himself the Otaking. He’s lectured on universities worldwide about japanese pop culture and written many books for and about the otaku. The otaku community is very much indebted to this man, but that’s not enough for good ol’ Toshio, he had to do more. So he went ahead and wrote a weight-loss book for the otaku.

Sayonara, Mr. Fatty!: A Geek’s Diet Memoir is precisely that, a chronicle of Mr. Okada’s own struggle with his weight and the very geeky way he found to beat it. The book just recently went on sale in english, so if you are struggling with your weight and the tips from all those jocks on late-night infomercials aren’t cutting it’; why not turn to the Otaking himself for some advice?

He found a way to make every otaku feel like an intellectual with Evangelion’s crammed symbolism, I’m pretty sure he can at least make you feel skinny.

[Sayonara, Mr. Fatty! At Amazon / Via Tokyomango][

While an actual Mario mushroom can make you go crazy and jump down buildings, there’s still hope for your dreams of eating the iconic fungus. Ana The Red, an american bento expert, teaches us how to make this awesome mushroom replica out of a radish and some seaweed. If you want to make a 1-UP mushroom and wait until the radish turns green before cutting it… you might end up subtracting a life rather than adding one after you eat it.

[Ana The Red / Via Offworld]

There are times when you just need a drink. The frustration rises after hours of grindage and the sweet taste of cola just doesn’t hit the spot. You want something stronger, maybe a Lavos, Magus, or R-66Y…are these the drinks you seek  or distant memories calling forth the silent hero within you?

Students of the IT University of Copenhagen have once again introduced us to some videogame themed fare. This menagerie of drinks pools together Denmark’s expertise in alcohol with their love of games into 12 unique elixirs.

As a friendly gesture to all our readers I’ve gone ahead and converted the bar measurements to ounces. After tossing a few of these back I wouldn’t want to force you to convert centiliters in your inebriated head. I expect you all to make some of these at your next party. Send us some pics.

Full list of drinks and a handy printable table after the break.

[Scrollbar.dk] (Check out their past themed parties.)

Read more!

You know the saying, I scream, you scream, we all scream for (non-melting) ice cream. Developed entirely by accident, Healthy Lab Japan claims to have found the secret formula to producing ice cream that will stay in ice form for up to an hour at room temperature. Made with okara, which is a byproduct during tofu production, the soft serve is low in calories and can be purchased through Japan Seaweed Foods Lab. here.

With heart shaped watermelons, green tea colas, and a large assortment of unusual candy, I waiting for the Japanese version of Willy Wonka’s candy factory. Where’s my everlasting gobstopper?

[Yomiuri via F*ckedGaijin]

Back in 2006 Japan had a breakthrough in the art and science of fruit-morphing, they finally moved from their lame cube watermelons to pyramid watermelons. Now, much like with Moore’s Law Japan has had another major breakthrough in Watermelon-ogy in only of a fraction of the time it took for the last one. This time they’ve moved on to much more complex shapes like this heart shaped watermelon you see above.

At this rate I expect a Sierpinski Pyramid watermelon by next year. Imagine the possibilities, at this rate anything is possible! Maybe within the decade Japan could finally achieve the holy grail: an oblong shaped watermelon!

I know its crazy but hey, a man can dream.

[JapanProbe]

Dont play with your food! If you grew up pretty much anywhere in the world that phrase is burned into your memory. But not in Japan! No sir, they enjoy playing with their food over there. So much so that Bandai came out with a noodle slide. Yes, a slide for your noodles.

Coming from the traditional Nagashi Somen, which is served by sliding noodles off bamboo. it’s actually surprising that it took so long before someone turned the bamboo into a slide. For around $80 bucks its not that bad if you enjoy eating by trial and error and probably losing interest before you are full. Then again, having your food slide away from you might be a nice way to stop you from stuffing your face!

[Crave / Via Serious Eats]

Tokyo Anime Center is selling some anime endorsed food products lately, the latest addition being this Ranka Lee Curry from Macross Frontier. For the very reasonable price of 630 yen you get some pork, some curry and a box with Ranka in a bikini. For added effect you might want to play the Nyan Nyan song while you eat it.

Until your ears bleed.

[AK]

Ridiculous merchandising was expected in the months leading up to the inevitable train wreck that is the Dragon Ball Evolution film. However, Lawson, the convenience store chain in Japan, has singlehandedly outdone them all. Even those products and tie-ins that are still to come.

Starting tomorrow, February 3, all Lawson stores will be selling a myriad of licensed products that range from the ridiculous to the… more ridiculous.

From bread that resembles a Dragon Ball to Vegeta Vegetable snacks to tissue boxes. The store’s got it all. There’s even Dragon Ball fried chicken. That’s right, the chain is even linking its Karaage Kun (Fried Kun) line of chicken foodstuff to Dragon Ball just by slapping Goku’s hair onto a chicken. I’m sorry but, short of someone releasing a Dragon Ball condom, I dont see them besting freaking Goku Fried Chicken. Game over.

[Lawson]

Here’s a segment from Asahi TV, which tells the impressive story of Ugo, a small rural town in Japan which turned around its economy by having an Otaku makeover.

Takaori Yamauchi had the brilliant idea of getting some mangakas to design covers and labels for the local products with moe girls all over them. The result? The whole economy exploded in an orgasm of Otaku consumerism. Sales of rice with anime imagery went from 18 tons a year to 36 tons a month just on the first month the moe rice launched.

Other products include moe curry and moe strawberries. The whole fad even attracts Otaku tourism to the town! Forget sex sells, in the 21st century moe sells.

[Japan Probe]