Poached Egg: A Morning Study Session Bringing You the Latest Trends

Hello, this is PR Sunny-chan!

“Poached Egg” is our monthly morning study session where everyone presents the topics they are currently interested in. This time, we had plenty of topics!
We are already into April, but we would like to introduce the case studies from March’s “Poached Egg,” held this week, while they are still hot—before the cherry blossoms fall!

“LOCALIFE”: A New Kind of Share House>

https://newspicks.com/news/1462050/body/

Colish, which plans and operates concept share houses, is proposing a new way of living by offering a new value proposition—“concept,” rather than “low price”—through ideas such as “concept share houses that let you feel like you’re traveling the world” and “share houses where residents learn programming together.”

“BonAppetour”: Enjoy Meals in Homes Around the World

https://www.bonappetour.com/ja

BonAppetour is an online social platform that provides a global community through authentic home-cooked meals shared between hosts and guests. As a host, you can share your home cooking, your passion for food, and your culture with guests from around the world; as a guest, you can enjoy home-style flavors away from your everyday home and even learn recipes. They offer memorable cultural experiences through a shared love of food that transcends borders.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Tokyo

http://www.inj.or.jp/event/tokyo-st-patricks-parade2016
http://blog.iknow.jp/posts/2883

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day (“Saint Patrick’s Day”). Originally an Irish celebration, it has now spread worldwide, and parades are also held in Japan. This is the largest Irish event, held since 1992 with the aim of “helping more people learn about Ireland!” This year, on Sunday, March 20, about 1,000 people wearing Ireland’s symbolic color, green, reportedly paraded along Harajuku Omotesando.

Full of Quirkiness! “Snack Umaibo” in Kokura, Kitakyushu

ttp://snack-umaibou.com/

“Snack Umaibo,” which opened last May in the downtown area of Kokura, Kitakyushu, is said to have become a small talk of the town day and night, with the walls covered in the snack “Umaibo.” In addition to its sheer eccentricity, it is also interesting for rolling out one novel idea after another, such as “all-you-can-eat curry for ¥540 per month” and “all-you-can-drink for life for ¥100,000.”

Funwari Kyougetsu × A Manga That Changes Every Time You Read It

http://www.suntory.co.jp/sho-chu/kyougetsu/funwari.html
On the brand site for Suntory’s Funwari Kyougetsu, a special Web site called “Funwari Fantasy Manga Theater” has launched, where you can enjoy original manga drawn by five popular manga artists on the theme of “girls’ fantasies”. Each story has its own theme, and the content changes depending on how many times you read it, making it something you can enjoy again and again.

Koikeya “Flavor-Change” Snack

http://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000542.000003039.html
The flavor-change snack “Jaga-Aji+ (Jaga-Aji Plus),” which lets you enjoy two flavors in one, was reportedly released in advance at convenience stores nationwide on March 28, 2016, and will go on sale through general channels such as supermarkets nationwide on April 11, 2016. First, you enjoy it as is; then you sprinkle and shake on the flavor-change powder, and the flavor changes. There are two varieties: “Cheese → Tiramisu” and “Bacon → Carbonara.” Cheese to tiramisu—can you even imagine that?!

Yakult’s “Mirumiru” Price Increase of ¥10 Sparks Buzz: “Please forgive us—we’re increasing bifidobacteria from 100 billion to 120 billion.”

http://netgeek.biz/archives/69147
Yakult is reportedly raising the price of Mirumiru from ¥90 to ¥100 due to rising raw material costs, and at the same time increasing bifidobacteria from 10 billion to 12 billion. This is stated in a notice distributed to customers, but online it took an unexpected turn and became a topic of conversation as people quoted it as saying, “We’re raising the price, but please forgive us because we’re increasing bifidobacteria from 100 billion to 120 billion.” How do you even verify 2 billion? (LOL)

The Glowing Hokkaido Shimbun

http://newslounge.net/archives/187572
On the 26th, when the Hokkaido Shinkansen began service, The Hokkaido Shimbun Press distributed a “glowing newspaper” at eight locations including Tokyo Station and Hakodate Station. The Hakodate night view on the centerfold cover reportedly lights up in 10 places at the press of a button, thanks to LED (light-emitting diode) processing. It made us want to visit Hakodate!

[Summer Only] A Job That Takes You Around the World Drinking Beer. Pay: $12,000 (Approx. ¥1.35 Million)

http://tabi-labo.com/252543/world-of-beer/
A summer-only internship recruitment by Florida-based company “World of Beer (WOB),” which began on March 1, 2016, is becoming a hot topic. The job is to drink beer and convey the excitement—“Gulp, gulp… ahhh! This is it!” Over about four months, you visit brewers, bars, and beer festivals around the world. On top of sounding like a lot of fun, the pay is about ¥1.35 million in Japanese yen! What a delicious internship, indeed.

No. 1 Graduation Song—From Social Media?!

https://youtu.be/wxIfvDBmQ4Q
http://www.iza.ne.jp/kiji/pressrelease/news/160229/prl16022910130027-n1.html
WHITE JAM’s new song “Sakanaide” took first place on the iTunes overall real-time album chart, the music streaming app “AWA” TOP 100 NEW ARRIVAL TRACKS, and the real-time chart on the lyrics search site “Uta-Net.” It has also become a hot topic with 10,000 people singing it on the karaoke app “nana,” and on the video community app “MIX CHANNEL,” popular among junior and senior high school girls, many “graduation album videos” using “Sakanaide” as BGM have been posted, drawing growing attention.

The Paralympics Promo Video “Be the Hero” Is Simply Stunning!

https://youtu.be/RgEzbEQ5HfY
http://soar-world.com/2016/03/19/be-the-hero/
On March 18, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Olympic and Paralympic Preparation Bureau released an awareness video promoting para-sports titled “Be The HERO.” It was produced to promote para-sports toward the success of the 2020 Paralympics. The video also features participation from a manga artist, musicians, and voice actors, making it content that brings together leading players active on the front lines of their respective industries.

A VR-Only Cinema Opens in Amsterdam

https://youtu.be/JHFu06g8Xxg
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/enterprise/articles/1603/06/news021.html
On March 2 (local time), the world’s first VR (virtual reality)-only cinema opened in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is operated by Dutch content company &samhoud media, and for €12.5 (approx. ¥1,600), visitors can enjoy 30 minutes of VR content. It offers a variety of simulated experiences, and they are reportedly planning to open VR cinemas in countries such as Spain as well.

“WIMPY BRAILLE BURGER” Offers a New Way for People with Visual Impairments to Enjoy Food

https://youtu.be/5YAchE0-o-o
South African hamburger restaurant Wimpy has 1.2 million people in South Africa with visual impairments, and to inform them that menus for the visually impaired are available,they created 15 burgers topped with braille made from sesame seeds on the bun,andprovided them to domestic facilities that support people with visual impairments. Facilities that supported this initiativedistributed this information through their specialized email system for people with visual impairments,Distribution, approximately 2/successfully communicating a new way to enjoy food.

“BEIDEG of LIFE”

To help prevent suicide, Samsung Life Insurance in South Korea installed lighting on the railings of Mapo Bridge with messages intended to stop people from taking their own lives. The lights turn on in sync with the walking speed of pedestrians until they finish crossing the bridge, delivering the messages. During the period the project was implemented, the suicide rate on Mapo Bridge reportedly decreased by 85%.

So, what did you think?
Please look forward to the next round of topics!