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This brand new toy from Takara Tomy is actually a petite, super cute air filter. It's just under $150 but only available in Japan for concerned parents who don't want their babies breathing in dust and pollution while they sleep.
Link (Japanese)
Check out this Storm Trooper dancing in the middle of Shibuya crossing. This is actually blogger Danny Choo.
(via Gizmodo Japan)
Defense trading company Yamada Corporation's in big trouble for operating a multi-million yen slush fund with which they wined and dined JDA (Japan Defense Agency) officials. At the hub of this scandal is Motonobu Miyazaki, a 69-year old former manager of the company who branched off to start his own gig but allegedly played 200 rounds of golf with Former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya.
I know Mr. Miyazaki. He once uninvitedly poured beer down my shirt in Vegas and made me cry. Maybe I'll tell that story later...
Link
The Beauto is a new house-cleaning robot that you can build yourself using a software and kit created by Japanese robot maker VStone. When completed, it runs on 4 AAA batteries. You can also add parts and hack them easily to become battle-bots or moving display cases for your favorite stuffed animal.
Product page (Japanese)
Your toilet seat should match your shower curtains, too. Starting in November, for just two months, furniture and interior design company INAX is selling these awesome toilet lids in 11 different colors. Of course, no Japanese toilet seat is marketable without a bidet system installed, so it is fully capable of shooting warm water up your ass. It even has a fully automated toilet seat that automatically shuts after use so you don't have to get yelled at for leaving the seat up. Oh! And also, it has a self-cleaning nozzle.
It retails for 156,000 yen, a little under $1,400.
Press release (Japanese, via Impress Watch)
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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