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Do you really need more proof that Japanese people love toilet jokes? This photograph, taken by nanotechnologist Kaito Takahashi, won the Most Bizzare Award at a conference on electrons, ions, and photo beam technology a couple years ago. He took it using an electron microscope at 15,000x magnification while working at a lab in Shizuoka. And even though it's actually a photo of an integrated circuit, he decided to call it "Small Toilet."
Are you a serious hardcore Hello Kitty fan? I'm not. But if you are, and if you have $5K you want to spend on the ultimate Kitty collector's item, you can get these solid gold playing cards starting October 3 via Sanrio's online store. They're pressed to 7 microns with Mitsubishi Materials' precision rolling technology, etched with royal mouthless feline kings and queens and jacks, and then sealed with a protective laminate. Crazy! But then again, after seeing the Hello Kitty Wedding Video, I don't put anything past the hardcore fans. I mean, imagine how much THAT cost.
Kihachiro Onitsuka, founder of Asics and namesake for its popular sub-brand Onitsuka Tiger, died today at the age of 89. Asics was originally founded as Onitsuka Co in 1949.
Check out this Reuters photo of demonstrators in Burma (Myanmar). Here, security forces shoot at the demonstrators, who are fleeing. The guy lying on the floor is 50-year old video journalist Kenji Nagai. This was taken shortly before he died from the bullet wounds that have him lying on the ground. He was 1 of 9 that died in Yangon that day.
Check out this new Nissan Rogue ad from Chiat Day (ad agency in LA). Apparently they spent 8-months—which included a photo shoot in Mexico—to perfect it. You've probably seen it already if you're a Heroes fanatic like me.
Do you guys remember this tilting marble game? It's really hard for a marble, imagine what it's like for a SUV maneuvering through crowded city streets.
Anyway, the ad is awesome and you should watch it.
In 2008, Chronicle published my book: Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan.
I am also the founder of The Tofu Project, a boutique program that helps Japanese entrepreneurs and creators think deeper, tell better stories, and go out into the world in a much bigger way. We work with companies like Mixi, Japan Airlines, and Salesforce.com.
Sometimes I try to explain Japanese culture on CNN, BBC, CBC, WSJ, ABC (so many acronyms!) or in person at places like the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, ETech, and Ignite!
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Send tips to mango [at] tokyomango [dot] com
