There are all sorts of fighting skills that come in handy for ninja, from hand-to-hand combat to proficiency with throwing stars, explosives, or supernatural ninpo spells. But more than anything, the definitive shinobi talent is stealth. True ninja must be so adept at infiltration that they can suddenly appear anywhere, even where you’d least expect them…like at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. We’ve still got a month-plus until the start of the 2026 MLB season, but the Brewers are already getting multi-hobby fans excited with the announcement of the team’s special theme nights for the year. If you’re a fan of the shonen shinobi saga, August 5 is the night you’ll want to circle on your calendar/ninja time-tracking scroll, since that’ll be Naruto Night, when the team will be giving away special Naruto Brewers jerseys! The Brewers will be giving away this NARUTO-themed baseball jersey on August 5 vs. the Pirates pic.twitter.com/UjCMRnZo4S— MLB (@MLB) February 3, 2026 The Naruto logo appears on the chest just below the left shoulder, and you get some stylish baseball and ninja iconography on the sleeves. The lower half of the shirt has layers of clouds rendered in the style of classical Japanese paintings in the Brewers’ navy blue-and-yellow team colors, and Naruto himself appears on the back. ▼ Under the normal MLB uniform family-name conventions, the back of the jersey should say “Uzumaki,” but they’re making an Ichiro-like exception for Naruto here.
Interestingly, the Brewers’ 6:40 p.m. home game on August 5 is against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who’d be a natural choice for fans of another shonen anime/manga mega-hit, One Piece to cheer for, but no collaboration between them has been announced. While this isn’t the first time for Major League Baseball to join hands with a popular anime franchise, past partnerships have often involved teams/cities with higher media profiles, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Miami Marlines have also announced that they’ll be holding a Naruto night too on May 22 when they take on the New York Mets, with a Naruto jersey of their own. So far only the Brewers have shown off their design, though, and they’re promising “anime-themed activations around the park” and a postgame laser show on August 5 as well. That’s not the only Japanese pop culture event the Brewers have planned this summer, either, as August 19, when they face the Seattle Mariners, will be Hello Kitty Night.
“Hello Kitty is taking over American Family Field this summer,” the team says of its home stadium. “Fans can take home a Hello Kitty bobblehead with the purchase of a special Theme Night ticket and enjoy themed fun throughout the game in this adorable all-ages celebration.” And if it sounds a little startling to say that Hello Kitty is going to be “taking over” territory, remember that one of her personas is, after all, “Red Dragon Archfiend Hello Kitty.” Tickets for the Brewers game can be reserved online here, and for the Marlins game here. Though not specifically mentioned in the American Family Field rules and regulations, it’s safe to assume that they will require Naruto fans to leave their real-world Flying Thunder God Kunai at home. Sources: Twitter/@MLB, MLB (1, 2) Top image: MLB Insert images: Twitter/@MLB, MLB ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Quiz 1: How many paying users does YouTube have across Google One and YouTube Premium as of Wednesday? A. 300 million B. 325 million C. 200 million D. 250 million
Quiz 2: What was YouTube’s ad revenue in the fourth quarter? A. $10.5 billion B. $12.0 billion C. $11.38 billion D. $9.8 billion
Quiz 3: Approximately how many hours of podcasts were watched on TVs in October? A. 700 million B. 500 million C. 1 billion D. 200 million
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
Tokyo police have arrested two Vietnamese men on suspicion of illegally purchasing popular Pokemon cards by creating fake accounts on a sales website. Police suspect the two resold the cards for profit. The police say one of the suspects, 39-year-old Do Van Cuong, runs a communications service firm in Tokyo. They say the two men accessed the official sales website for Pokemon goods from June to September 2025 and created 30 fictitious accounts using fraudulently obtained SIM cards. The website held lotteries that allowed the winners to buy one box of Pokemon cards each. Police say the two are suspected of illegally buying 4,500 cards in 30 boxes using the fake accounts. In October 2025, Do Van Cuong was arrested and indicted on fraud charges for giving false information when he bought SIM cards from a communications business company. Police say the suspects may have used some of the SIM cards obtained at that time to create the fake accounts. Police searched related facilities and seized more than 15,000 Pokemon cards. They say the two are suspected of making at least 4 million yen, or about 25,500 dollars, by reselling some of the cards. They have not revealed whether the two suspects have admitted to the allegations.
Okay, here are three four-choice quizzes based on the provided article, strictly adhering to the specified format.
Quiz 1: What is the primary suspicion against the two Vietnamese men arrested by Tokyo police? A. Stealing Pokemon cards from a warehouse. B. Illegally purchasing Pokemon cards by creating fake accounts. C. Defacing Pokemon card packaging. D. Hacking into the Pokemon company's database.
Quiz 2: Approximately when did the alleged fraudulent activity involving the fake accounts take place? A. January - March 2025 B. April - May 2025 C. June - September 2025 D. October - December 2025
Quiz 3: What was Do Van Cuong initially arrested and indicted for in October 2025? A. Fraud charges for giving false information when buying SIM cards. B. Reselling Pokemon cards without a license. C. Creating fake online accounts. D. Operating an illegal communications service firm.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
Japanese atomic bombing survivors, known as hibakusha, have stressed the importance of nuclear weapons abolition on the expiry of the world's only nuclear disarmament treaty signed between the United States and Russia. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New Start, which binds the two superpowers is set to expire on Thursday. Nihon Hidankyo, representing survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and its support groups held a news conference on Thursday. Secretary General Hamasumi Jiro noted that the treaty's expiry comes when what has been built in the international community is being ignored and politics are being driven by power and domination. He said that hibakusha are extremely concerned that the treaty's expiry could accelerate an arms race without any brakes. Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Tanaka Terumi said that the abolition of nuclear arms is not deemed a problem for the entire human race. He said that it is totally wrong that countries with nuclear arms believe their possession is a symbol of a superpower. Tanaka predicted that nuclear warfare may destroy humanity, should the arms race continue. He added that what is of utmost importance is to spread across the world the view that nuclear weapons are unlawful. Tanaka urged the Japanese government to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as early as possible, and work hard toward nuclear abolition. He said that hibakusha need to step up their efforts to push the government to move in that direction.
Quiz 1: What is the name of the treaty expiring on Thursday, concerning the United States and Russia? A. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons B. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) C. Hiroshima and Nagasaki Survivors Accord D. Japanese Nuclear Disarmament Pact
Quiz 2: According to Hamasumi Jiro, what is driving international politics currently? A. Diplomacy and cooperation B. Peace and understanding C. Power and domination D. International law and agreements
Quiz 3: What does Tanaka Terumi believe about countries possessing nuclear weapons? A. Their possession is a symbol of a superpower, reflecting strength. B. Their possession is a necessary deterrent against aggression. C. Their possession is totally wrong and a problem for the entire human race. D. Their possession demonstrates a commitment to global security.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: C
The fate of the first to board has long been a problem in Japan, but this could be the solution.
A curious thing happens in elevators – once you’re in there, and someone who wants to board is about to miss the closing doors, you’re able to extend a gesture of kindness by pressing the “open” button so they’re able to catch the lift they otherwise would’ve missed. In Japan, though, this act of kindness can work against you, because an unspoken rule of etiquette dicates that the person closest to the buttons is in charge of operating them for everyone, like some sort of unpaid staff attendant. That means when you let someone in after you, you’ll also be in charge of letting them out before you, as you hold the “open” button for others before stepping out of the elevator yourself. ▼ If you’re standing in front of this panel in Japan, you’re expected to press the open and close buttons as an act of courtesy towards others.
Generally, the lift operator is only mildly inconvenienced by this role, but there are times when it can be irritating. When you need to check out after staying on a high floor in a hotel, for example, you’re likely to find yourself holding the doors open for people who get on at lower floors, so by the time you reach the lobby the lift is so crowded you’ll be holding the doors open for everyone who gets out. That means you’ll be the last to line up and check out behind your fellow lift companions, despite being first in the elevator. ▼ What might be called the “fate of the first to board” is particularly painful in a hotel situation.
As a frequent hotel user, our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma has long pondered the inherent problems with lift etiquette, but has never been able to come up with any good solutions. The other day, though, something happened to him that that made him see the light…and it touched his heart as well. The event occurred when Masanuki was using crutches due to a foot injury, and a friend of his drove him to Starbucks. After getting out at the parking lot, a car pulled in right behind them, and when a couple got out of the car and headed towards the coffeehouse, they naturally passed by Masanuki, who was moving slowly due to his impairment.
Masanuki didn’t mind – in fact, he was pleased that they’d passed him as he didn’t want to hold them up along the way. However, when he entered the store, he saw that the couple hadn’t gone straight to the register as expected. Instead, they were looking at tumblers and coffee beans in the general goods section near the entrance. As he glanced at them, they turned, bowed slightly, and said to him: “Please go ahead and order“. The kindness of this couple took Masanuki by surprise, as he’d initially thought they were browsing the shelves for coffee beans. However, after they gestured for him to go ahead of them, they lined up behind him empty-handed, proving they were just lingering at the coffee beans, waiting for him to step through the doors so they could take their place behind him in line. When Masanuki finished ordering, he turned and thanked the couple and when they went up to the register, the barista, who’d seen what had happened, smiled warmly at the couple as if to thank them for being so considerate to a fellow customer. It was as if this one small kind gesture rippled through the entire cafe, spreading warmth and kindness to everyone in the vicinity. ▼ Masanuki was so touched even his drink tasted more delicious.
This pleasant feeling was the complete opposite of Masanuki’s experiences in a hotel elevator, where he can’t help but feel slightly disgruntled whenever his lift companions queue ahead of him at reception. While he can’t hold it against them, it’s the way things happen, after all, here at Starbucks, this couple had not only seen him but made him feel seen – instead of taking advantage of his situation, or simply turning a blind eye to it, they acknowledged his place ahead of them in the queue and stepped aside to let him through. Furthermore, the couple hadn’t made a big deal of things – instead of stopping in the parking lot or at the cash register, they held back and browsed in front of the merchandise, creating a cushion between them so he wouldn’t feel guilty or pressured by their actions. They made it seem natural and unfettered, in a way that acknowledged his situation without any sense of shame or pity. ▼ If only he could meet couples like this at the elevator.
Quiz 1: What is Snap’s primary goal regarding its revenue sources? A. To solely focus on ad revenue and maximize its earnings. B. To diversify its revenue sources beyond just ad revenue, including subscriptions and hardware. C. To decrease its revenue and attract a wider audience. D. To eliminate subscription services and rely solely on user engagement.
Quiz 2: How many subscribers did Snap+ reach by the end of Q4? A. 10 million B. 15 million C. 24 million D. 36 million
Quiz 3: What is the purpose of the newly created subsidiary, Specs Inc.? A. To focus solely on developing augmented-reality glasses. B. To handle all of Snap's advertising revenue. C. To manage Snap+'s subscription services. D. To oversee the company's earnings reports and financial planning.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
Japanese sake brewers have shipped out limited editions produced in the early hours of Risshun, the day that marks the start of spring in the lunar calendar. The special brews are valued for their supposed power to bring good fortune. One brewer in Asakuchi City in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, started preparing its early spring edition at the end of last year. At around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, workers started bottling the freshly made sake. They attached labels certifying it was bottled on the morning of Risshun. Before they were shipped out, the boxes of sake were purified in a ritual by a priest from a nearby shrine. The brewery's president, Fujii Nobuhiko, says this year's special edition has a pleasant aroma. He hopes it will be enjoyed by Japanese sake fans as well as young people who have never tried it before.
Okay, here are three four-choice quizzes based on the provided article, strictly adhering to your specified format.
Quiz 1: What is Risshun, according to the article? A. A festival celebrating the sake brewing process. B. The day that marks the start of spring in the lunar calendar. C. A type of Japanese rice used in sake production. D. A ritual performed by brewery presidents.
Quiz 2: Where is Asakuchi City, the location of the brewery mentioned in the article? A. In the Kansai region of Japan. B. In the Kanto region of Japan. C. In western Japan, specifically Okayama Prefecture. D. In northern Japan, known for its rice cultivation.
Quiz 3: What was done to the boxes of sake before they were shipped out? A. They were purified in a ritual by a priest. B. They were inspected by the brewery’s president. C. They were marketed with special advertisements. D. They were sealed with official stamps.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
A source says Tokyo Electric Power Company is planning to once again restart the No.6 reactor at its nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture as early as Monday, February 9. TEPCO reactivated the reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant on January 21, but shut it down about 29 hours later after an alarm sounded while control rods were being extracted. It was the first TEPCO reactor to restart since the 2011 accident at the company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The source says TEPCO identified a fault in the alarm settings for a device that controls the movement and speed of the control rods. It adds that TEPCO believes it can resolve the problem by changing the settings. It is making final arrangements to extract control rods and restart the reactor again as early as next Monday. The company had initially planned to resume commercial operations at the plant on February 26. In the wake of the problem, TEPCO has indicated it will likely review that schedule. The source says TEPCO will submit a revised schedule for resuming commercial operation to the Nuclear Regulation Authority. It also says TEPCO plans to announce the results of its investigation on Friday.
Quiz 1: When is Tokyo Electric Power Company planning to restart the No.6 reactor? A. January 21 B. February 9 C. February 26 D. Friday
Quiz 2: What prompted TEPCO to shut down the reactor on January 21? A. A fault in the control rods B. A schedule review C. An alarm sounding during control rod extraction D. A revised schedule submission
Quiz 3: What was significant about the January 21 reactivation? A. It was the first TEPCO reactor to restart since Fukushima Daiichi B. It resulted in immediate commercial operations C. It was planned for February 26 D. It involved submitting a revised schedule
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
In-home trespassing, public urination, and other bad manners bring an end to a local tradition.
If you’ve got even a little bit of interest in traveling in Japan, odds are that on multiple times over the past few years you’ve seen a photo taken from the exact same vantage point as the one above, with a five-story pagoda in the foreground, a grove of cherry blossom trees at its base, and off in the distance, Mt. Fuji, with its peak shrouded in snow. It’s such a concise concentration of traditional Japanese beauty that it almost doesn’t seem real, like it’s a collage put together for anyone who needs a splash image that says “JAPAN!” for a report or presentation, but the spot where those photos are taken actually exists. Arakurayama Sengen Park is located in the town of Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture, where a walking path leads up from the suburbs to a shrine with a viewing deck offering sweeping views that stretch, unobstructed, all the way to Japan’s tallest mountains. Arakurayama Sengen wasn’t always a poster-park for the whole country, however. As a matter of fact, 10 years ago Fujiyoshida held the first Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival, in an attempt to drum up publicity and attract leisure-travel visitors to the area. 10 years and countless social media photos later, though, the situation has changed dramatically, and with less than two months left before the start of sakura season, the municipal government has announced that they’re cancelling this year’s cherry blossom festival.
As for why, you can probably guess from the above photo, taken during a previous Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival: overcrowding and overtourism. With around 45,000 residents, Fujiyoshida isn’t some tiny hamlet, but it’s not a big city by any means either, and the population density is pretty low. The surge in visitors, both Japanese and foreign, is funneling so many people into the neighborhood that it’s negatively affecting the people who live there. Complaints from residents regarding tourist behavior have included: ● Chronic traffic congestion ● Tourists not giving way on sidewalks, forcing children walking to/from school to walk in the street ● Trespassing on private property ● Littered cigarette butts ● Urinating or defecating in residents’ gardens ● Opening residents’ doors and entering their homes without permission to use the bathroom ▼ We’re going to need the help of a team of specialists to determine which of those last two is worse, but their preliminary stance is that they’re both appallingly asinine.
“In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of domestic and foreign visitors [to the park], and harmful overtourism has gone beyond tolerable levels, deeply impacting the living environment of local residents,” says the Fujiyoshida municipal government in its statement cancelling this year’s event, with mayor Shigeru Horiuchi personally adding: “For the city of Fujiyoshida, Mt. Fuji is not just a mere tourism resource, but a part of our lifestyle. However, the flipside of that beautiful scenery is that our residents’ peaceful lifestyles are being threatened, and I strongly feel that this has become a crisis situation. My first priority is to protect the living conditions and dignity of all of our city’s residents. For that purpose, we have made the decision, after 10 years, to bring the Sakura Festival to an end.” It’s worth noting that the Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival wasn’t a single-day event, but rather a blanket term applied for a period of about two weeks when the sakura were in bloom. These kinds of quasi-festivals usually consist of things like an extra advertising/promotional push by the local administration and vendors selling snacks and souvenirs at the venue, resulting in an overall increase in visitors over the course of several days (Fujiyoshida has experienced an increase of around 200,000 extra visitors during its Sakura Festivals in recent years). Also, while the canceling of the Sakura Festival means no use of the event name or associated promotion by the city government, the cherry blossoms themselves will still bloom, and the park will still be open. Even with no festival taking place, the local authorities recognize that there will still be an increase in incoming tourists once the flowers start to blossom, and so security and traffic direction staff will be deployed around the neighborhood during the first half of April, and temporary parking areas and public restrooms will be set up as well. Finally, yes, it is ironic that in the very same press release in which Fujiyoshida is announcing “We’re cancelling the Sakura Festival because too many people have been coming,” they also included the absolutely stunning photo seen at the top of this article, showcasing the very view that’s been drawing tourists to the town. It highlights a complicated aspect of Japan’s current tourism situation, which is that locals are proud of what makes their communities special, and are, in principle, very happy to share that with visitors…as long as those visitors are considerate to the people who live there. That last part clearly hasn’t been happening in Fujiyoshida, though, as aside from traffic congestion, their complaints aren’t so much about the number of visitors as they are about the number of visitors who are acting like jerks. The cancellation announcement of this year’s Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival doesn’t make any mention about the city council reconvening next year to discuss brining it back, so even if it’s not necessarily gone for good, it looks like it’s going into extended hiatus at the very least. As Japan’s popular sightseeing spots grow increasingly touristed, it’s going to be more and more important for visitors to remain courteous towards the surrounding community, or else we’re likely to see a rush of places coming to the same decision as Fujiyoshida did for their own local traditions. Source: Fujiyoshida City via Norimono News via Livedoor News via Jin Top image: PR Times Insert images: PR Times, Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Quiz 1: What was the initial word displayed in Anthropic's Super Bowl commercial? A. Welcome B. Betrayal C. Innovation D. Opportunity
Quiz 2: According to Sam Altman, how does OpenAI plan to implement ads within ChatGPT? A. By directly influencing the conversation flow with product placements. B. By randomly inserting ads throughout the chatbot's responses. C. By placing labeled ads at the bottom of answers related to the current conversation. D. By blocking specific topics and then inserting ads.
Quiz 3: What was a key reason Anthropic's commercials sparked such a strong reaction from Sam Altman? A. They humorously highlighted the potential for intrusive advertising in AI chatbots. B. They accurately depicted OpenAI's current advertising strategy. C. They praised OpenAI's commitment to AI safety. D. They accurately reflected the subscription prices of Anthropic's Claude chatbot.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
