Japan's love affair with Dragon Quest spreads worldwide
In Japan, Dragon Quest might as well be a religion.
Imagery from the long-running video game series, such as the iconic blue slime, a recurring foe in every game, is heavily featured in advertising across several industries. In the past, convenience store chain Lawson has
Dragon Quest is so popular in its native land that publisher Square Enix says they only
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Japan Today
16 hours ago
- Japan Today
Lawson overloads some of its popular foods by doubling their amount for its 50th anniversary
By Elliot Hale, SoraNews24 When I was younger, I'd always end up still feeling a little peckish even after polishing off a regular-sized meal, so my food orders would always skew towards the larger portions. It became sort of an ingrained habit, where my eyes would always immediately drift towards the large size in the store or on the menu. Unfortunately, my stomach hasn't seen fit to keep up with my desire for more food, and I'm often left feeling stuffed about 70 to 80 percent of the way through my meal. I know I should just order the normal size, but… it's difficult. However, with Lawson's 50th anniversary campaign this month, it's time to throw those worries to the wind and gorge to my heart's content, as they are running a 50 percent extra campaign with no added cost. In times past, Lawson used to have a 47 percent increase, but amid a world full of shrinkflation, they have quietly increased the amount to a round 50, which is something food lovers the nation over can feel thankful for. The campaign is spread out over the four weeks of June, with new food items joining the lineup each week, and will end on June 30. Someone who shares my love for huge portions is our reporter P.K. Sanjun, who thoroughly enjoyed the second week's additions of the Katsu Curry and the Abura Soba with Spicy Soy Sauce (also called mazesoba, a style of brothless ramen where noodles are tossed with a savory soy sauce-based dressing, often enriched with lard or oil). P.K. loved both items so much, he was keen to give Week 3's offerings a try, which went on sale on June 16. Among the selection were things like a chicken cutlet bento, a ham cutlet sandwich, and sausage curry, which — while decent — didn't trigger his desire to run to the top of a cliff and scream 'This! Is! Amazing!' into the sunset. However, there was one product lying in wait for P.K.. One that would astound him with its presence, and shock him with its value for money: The Meat Sauce Spaghetti (646 yen). Lawson hasn't done anything fancy with the meal; it's a simple doubling of both pasta and sauce. Simple though it may be, it has transformed a once-humble meal into a monster dish weighing over 800 grams, and packing more than 1,000 calories. Holding it in his hand, P.K. was amazed by how heavy it was. How was it possible for a convenience store meal to be this heavy? Cracking out his scales, the entire dish came to an impressive 838 grams. With so much food, heating it up in the microwave required doubling the cooking time to a whole six minutes. As he watched the pasta rotate in the microwave, P.K. found himself apprehensive about the meal to come. Would he truly be able to finish everything? Half-expecting that a bigger size would mean a blander taste, P.K. was pleasantly surprised to find that the sauce had a rich quality to it. As nice as it was, with so much food the flavor did get a little monotonous after a while, so he would recommend any partakers to add some Tabasco or grated cheese to mix it up a little bit. Getting halfway through, P.K.'s stomach started to complain and threatened to return-to-sender if he persisted in shoveling more food into his mouth, leading him to decide to save the other half for the following day. P.K., well known for his attempts to eat crazy amounts of food, was defeated by an unassuming bowl of pasta, but he still came away from the experience feeling completely satisfied. For the price, the amount you get is absurd. The Meat Sauce Spaghetti is without a doubt one of the powerhouses of the campaign; just the weight alone is enough to shock you. Even among the lineup for Week 4, starting in the evening of June 23, there is nothing heavier than this meal so it's definitely worth a try. Just remember to not eat beforehand if you want to down the entire thing in one sitting. Related: Lawson Photos ©SoraNews24 Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Lawson to bring back 47% volume-boosted foods by insanely popular demand -- Lawson Store 100 starts their own free upsize campaign to match its parent convenience store -- Japan Super Budget Dining – What's the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Lawson? External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
3 days ago
- SoraNews24
Lawson overloads some of its popular foods by doubling their amount for its 50th anniversary
Will our reporter be able to finish one of their dishes in a single sitting? When I was younger, I'd always end up still feeling a little peckish even after polishing off a regular-sized meal, so my food orders would always skew towards the larger portions. It became sort of an ingrained habit, where my eyes would always immediately drift towards the large size in the store or on the menu. Unfortunately, my stomach hasn't seen fit to keep up with my desire for more food, and I'm often left feeling stuffed about 70 to 80 percent of the way through my meal. I know I should just order the normal size, but… it's difficult. However, with Lawson's 50th anniversary campaign this month, it's time to throw those worries to the wind and gorge to my heart's content, as they are running a 50 percent extra campaign with no added cost. In times past, Lawson used to have a 47 percent increase, but amid a world full of shrinkflation, they have quietly increased the amount to a round 50, which is something food lovers the nation over can feel thankful for. The campaign is spread out over the four weeks of June, with new food items joining the lineup each week, and will end on June 30. Someone who shares my love for huge portions is our Japanese language reporter P.K. Sanjun, who thoroughly enjoyed the second week's additions of the Katsu Curry and the Abura Soba with Spicy Soy Sauce (also called mazesoba , a style of brothless ramen where noodles are tossed with a savory soy sauce-based dressing, often enriched with lard or oil). P.K. loved both items so much, he was keen to give Week 3's offerings a try, which went on sale on June 16. Among the selection were things like a chicken cutlet bento, a ham cutlet sandwich, and sausage curry, which—while decent—didn't trigger his desire to run to the top of a cliff and scream 'This! Is! Amazing!' into the sunset. However, there was one product lying in wait for P.K.. One that would astound him with its presence, and shock him with its value for money: The Meat Sauce Spaghetti (646 yen [US$4.46]). Lawson hasn't done anything fancy with the meal; it's a simple doubling of both pasta and sauce. Simple though it may be, it has transformed a once-humble meal into a monster dish weighing over 800 grams (28.2 ounces), and packing more than 1,000 calories. Holding it in his hand, P.K. was amazed by how heavy it was. How was it possible for a convenience store meal to be this heavy? Cracking out his scales, the entire dish came to an impressive 838 grams. With so much food, heating it up in the microwave required doubling the cooking time to a whole six minutes. As he watched the pasta rotate in the microwave, P.K. found himself apprehensive about the meal to come. Would he truly be able to finish everything? Half-expecting that a bigger size would mean a blander taste, P.K. was pleasantly surprised to find that the sauce had a rich quality to it. As nice as it was, with so much food the flavor did get a little monotonous after a while, so he would recommend any partakers to add some Tabasco or grated cheese to mix it up a little bit. Getting halfway through, P.K.'s stomach started to complain and threatened to return-to-sender if he persisted in shoveling more food into his mouth, leading him to decide to save the other half for the following day. P.K., well known for his attempts to eat crazy amounts of food, was defeated by an unassuming bowl of pasta, but he still came away from the experience feeling completely satisfied. For the price, the amount you get is absurd. The Meat Sauce Spaghetti is without a doubt one of the powerhouses of the campaign; just the weight alone is enough to shock you. Even among the lineup for Week 4, starting in the evening of June 23, there is nothing heavier than this meal so it's definitely worth a try. Just remember to not eat beforehand if you want to down the entire thing in one sitting. Related: Lawson Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
5 days ago
- SoraNews24
Final Fantasy IX gets its own pop-up store in Osaka and Tokyo for 25th anniversary
Final Fantasies grow up so fast, don't they? It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since we first met Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, and the rest on the epic adventure that merged the classic elements of the early Final Fantasy series with the more modern game console tech of the time, making Final Fantasy IX one of the more unique and memorable installments. And in honor of it, Square Enix is preparing pop-up stores full of limited-edition merchandise. There will be two stores, with the first opening in the Daimaru department store in Umeda, Osaka, from 2 July to 7 September. After that, it will move to the Daimaru in Marunouchi, Tokyo, from 25 July to 11 August. A wide range of goods, from stuffed toys to clothing and accessories, will be sold, all featuring characters and themes from the classic role-playing game. ▼ From top left: Zidane plush toy (4,400 yen [US$30]), Zindane shoulder bag (11,000 yen), Vivi plush pouch (3,960 yen), FFIX 25th Anniversary T-shirt (4,620 yen), FFIX music box 'A Place to Call Home' (2,750 yen), Vivi shoulder bag (9,350 yen) ▼ From top left: Vivi mug (3,520 yen), Mini acrylic stand collection (660 yen each), Vivi pouch (3,300 yen), FFIX 25th Anniversary acrylic keychains (1,100 yen each), FFIX 25th Anniversary magnet collection (660 yen each), Zidane Form-ism figure (6,930 yen) Other titles and franchises will also have items for sale at this pop-up store. ▼ From top left: FFXIV character canvas board (3,300 yen), FFXIV character sticker set (2,200 yen), FFXIV Sugar Riot sticker set (2,200 yen), FFXIV Doman Mahjong T-shirt (6,160 yen) ▼ From left: Dragon Quest Special Metallic Item Gallery: Roto's Armor and Helmet (9,900 yen), Kingdom Hearts II Form-ism Sora figure (7,480 yen), NieR: Piano Journeys (3,630 yen) The shop will be decorated with artwork from Final Fantasy IX and there will be special areas to get your photo taken among the various displays. ▼ Illustrations such as this one of Zidane will be hung on the wall. ▼ Standies like this one of Puck and Vivi allow you to get your picture taken among the characters. The two Daimaru department stores will also have a special Final Fantasy IX collaboration section featuring clothing and accessories based on the game. Specific items aren't mentioned yet, except for this Vivi top in the promotional image. Also, anyone who makes a purchase of 5,000 yen or more will get a randomly chosen Final Fantasy IX rubber coaster for free. It's sure to be a great chance to get some rare merchandise celebrating a great episode from this long-running game franchise. We can only hope it'll be as big as the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VIII was. You all remember that? When everyone came together and expressed their undying love for Final Fantasy VIII last year and Square Enix held all those huge events? That happened, right? Well… I really liked that one at least. Event information Final Fantasy IX 25th Anniversary at Square Enix Pop-Up Store Daimaru Umeda, 13th Floor Exhibition Space / 大丸梅田店 13階特設会場 Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Umeda 2-1-1 大阪府大阪市北区梅田3-1-1 Date: 2 July – 7 September Hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Daimaru Tokyo, 11th Floor Event Space / 大丸東京店 11階 催事場 Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi 1-9-1 東京都千代田区丸の内1-9-1 Date: 25 July – 11 August Hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Website Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
