Every trip to a supermarket in Japan is a race to get your stuff before the theme song loops so many times you take a life.

The Department of Subtle Branding: http://t.co/Yr0NEG5L

The Asahi Shimbun's English-language printed edition will end on Feb. 28. After that it's all iPad and Kindle. No word on jobs yet.

@tokyoreporter Re: Akio Kuroki, did you see the conspiracy theory reports suggesting he was murdered? http://bit.ly/aJVKP7

A (British) Periodic Table of Swearing: http://bit.ly/bGX46j ~ from the same people who brought you the Mr Tourette cartoons. (via @catri)

Foreigners often comment on how polite the Japanese are, but it's actually against the law to be rude. http://bit.ly/a0Z7hz via @durf

It's all fun and games until you punch a guy in the face. (via @shilkytouch) pic.twitter.com/4voA6WDrzc

8,000 words on Michael Jordan's regrets, and not a single mention of Space Jam?  http://es.pn/UmMaXN  (via @chaslicc)

BREAKING: An orange mountain with a cloud on top is heading for Australia. pic.twitter.com/jJKBjEtQ

Pb(CH₂CH₃)₄: the molecule responsible for the rise and fall in violent crime over the past half century?  http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-link-gasoline …

In a masterstroke of subtle branding, Lawson has called its new zero-alcohol drink "Beer Taste". Yum! http://t.co/t0v4NFSF

Yeah yeah, another video of a kooky theme restaurant in Tokyo. I've seen it all bef--WOAH WHAT THE FUCK (5:09): http://t.co/vb0wAxns

Discounting infant mortality, mid-Victorian laborers lived longer than poor Americans today. They also had better diets http://t.co/TeXOaqhQ

I'd definitely let my young children appear in a video clip with this guy: http://t.co/ek9Dyo7Q

Before/after aerial photos of the Japanese coastline show total carnage: http://bit.ly/gFDz3K

Old piece by me about the reluctance of Japanese media to discuss dangers in the country's reliance on nuclear energy: http://bit.ly/geBMV6

I just saw a chikan who was crouching behind a sign dive out, squeeze a breast and fly onto a train as the doors were closing. #ninjachikan

An interesting piece about citizen sleuths and their efforts to track down an all-but-forgotten serial killer:  http://www.lamag.com/features/2013/02/27/in-the-footsteps-of-a-killer …

Hey guys, I know it feels natural, but you should avoid substituting squid for swine in the idiom "when pigs fly".  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201302090020 …

Guy at work has been pissing me off, so I just ducked in here for a quote. pic.twitter.com/2tYoUAyf