Traditional Okinawan festival Paantu, where residents are smeared with mud by Paantu gods to bring good fortune upsets bewildered tourists; Yahoo! and 2ch respond.

A man was arrested in Nara Prefecture for breaking the knee of an 18 year old biker with an iron bar after he was unable to bear the noise; netizens supportive.

A Chinese newspaper claims Doraemon has a hidden Japanese political agenda, and cautions its readers against the character; 2ch netizens respond to the news.

Bookstore promotes racist book "The Great Anti-Korean Age" on Twitter provoking immediate backlash, book goes viral as result; responses from Yahoo! and 2ch.net.

Part-timers working at a major Japanese sushi chain deep-fried some scissors during working hours and posted a picture of their exploits online; responses.

Mount Ontake, Japan's second-highest volcano, erupted yesterday leaving dozens of climbers dead and many others seriously injured; reactions from Yahoo! and Twitter.

At the 2014 Asian Games, 76 lunchboxes for athletes were found to contain salmonella and were disposed of by officials; responses from 2ch.net and Yahoo! netizens.

An 11-year old girl is found dead at her parents' home in Fukushima Prefecture in an apparent suicide; school says she was a happy child. Responses from mixi news.