TOKYOMANGO

Cell Phone Handset is a Teddy Bear

This woman's not crazy. Her teddy bear is actually a cell phone. The Teddy phone was introduced by Willcom at the 2008 Good Design Expo. It's a concept, but the idea is that you can insert a sim card in the bear and hug it against your ear to make calls. You can set the paws to speed dial people (one for each paw, so four total), and the tail is used as the TALK button. You can even set it on vibrate. The estimated cost for this handset (?) is $500.

Link

(Thanks, Baker!)

Is the Internet Evil? Hiroyuki Responds

There's a really interesting interview with Hiroyuki, the founder of 2-channel whom I wrote a feature about in the June issue of Wired, translated into English by Japan Today. Yes, he has attitude, but I believe his stance that the Internet is just a medium, not the source of evil, is rational. He's a lone warrior fighting against the mainstream paranoia that the Internet is breeding crime. Some excerpts and a link to the entire interview below:

The suspect in the Akihabara rampage has told police he killed people because his messages were ignored on 2ch.

That case has nothing to do with us. I don’t believe he killed people just because he was ignored online. He says he doesn’t have friends. But it’s not surprising people like him don’t have friends. But that alone cannot be a reason for murder. It’s too simple to think the Internet causes such crimes.

The Internet is just a tool and all tools have side effects. Look at cars. Do you blame car makers when accidents are caused by speeding? I have my own logic to justify what I’m doing. People can submit information freely on the Internet. Anti-Internet people are just afraid of the unknown potential of the Internet which has a short history.

Link to interview (Thanks, Tim!)
Link to Hiroyuki feature on Wired

USB Dog Doing Sit-Ups

The humping dog was kinda funny, but I like the USB sit-up dog better. I was thinking about this, but I think I would be negatively distracted if a dog was humping my laptop while I worked. But a dog doing sit-ups might motivate me to work harder.

You can buy one here.

High-Speed Roller Skating Ninja Chase

If you ever wondered what it would be like to be chased by a bunch of ninjas on roller skates, this clip will show you. Scary-ish.

via Zaeega

Erina Matsui's Sci-Fi Self-Portraits

Wow, I love this person's art. This person = Erina Matsui, one of artist collective Yamamoto Gendai's future feature artists. This piece is called Food Chain-Star Wars! (2008). Matsui is famous for her provocative self-portraits.

Cool Electropop Music Video Featuring 8-Bit Kimono Women

Check out this cool music video for a song called Yosawya-san by Japanese electropop group Omodaka from Far East Recordings. I like how the whole time, they make it look like the little kimono-clad 8-bit ladies with the shamisen are the ones playing the song.

I posted another Omodaka video on Boing Boing.

 

(Thanks, Matt!)

Tokyo Beats Out Other World Cities in Michelin Restaurant Guide

It was a huge big deal when the Michelin Tokyo guide came out late last year for the first time in ages. First of all, everyone has much respect for the little green book that rates restaurants with stars. And second, it quickly became clear that the reviewers at Michelin believed Tokyo to be the city with the best food in the world by a far shot. Until the Japan edition came out, Paris was the cuisine leader with 65 stars. Tokyo got 191, including eight that got the highest 3-star rating.

I remember my mom telling me about this a while ago, and the AP has a good story about it this week.

Link

Sharp Announces New Technology That Fights Bird Flu

Sharp Electronics teamed up with London University biologist John Oxford to create a new revolutionary defense against bird flu, also known as virus H5N1. By releasing positive and negative ions simultaneously, the technology causes virus cells to instantly combine on the surface and become free radicals, essentially replicating the properties of fresh air. It disables microorganisms that yield pollution or airborne disesase.

Plastmacluster itself was developed in 2000 as an air purification method, and is used in Sharp air conditioners and air purifiers. This summer was the first time it was proven to fight the spread of bird flu. It successfully removed 99% of the bird flu virus in lab tests.

Link (Japanese)

Man Arrested for Keeping Poisonous Snakes in his House

About a month ago, a 41-year old port worker named Nobukazu Kashiwagi called an ambulance, claiming he had been bitten by a poisonous snake. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. When police searched his condo near Harajuku station, right in the heart of Tokyo, they found 51 poisonous snakes, including super-venomous cobras.

Apparently, the guy kept all the snakes in boxes. The one that bit him was a six-foot mamba from the African Savannah, one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. Kashiwagi is inviolation of the Law Concerning the Protection and Control of Animals, and was promptly arrested after he recovered. Nobody knows why he had so many poisonous snakes in his house.

Link

Guy Imitating the Bony Rapyuta Bot

Remember the cute bony robot soldier in Hayao Miyazaki's classic anime Rapyuta: Castle in the Sky? Well there's a dude in Japan who can do a perfect imitation of him without even wearing a robot suit. His name is Masaaki Okuyama, and he's a 28-year old salaryman at a cell phone company in Tokyo. Funny guy! This is a clip from a TV show in which people with quirky talents come on stage and are judged with a tower of lights by a panel of celebrities.

via Gizmodo Japan

A Stronger Japanese Beer from Kirin

Kirin is releasing a new sub-brand of beer in October. It's called Strong Seven because it has 7% alcohol content. This goes against the recent trend of making lighter beers with 3-4% rather than the standard 5%. It's cheap, too—a 350ml can is just 141 yen.

Since Japanese beer is so popular and yummy, I'm sure this will be a big hit among those who think it's a little too light. I don't know anything yet about its distribution in the US.

 

New Wii Game Turns You Into a Food Fighter

Major League Eating is a new Wii game coming out in Japan on October 14. It's like any other sports game, except the contestants must compete in an eating contest. The idea is to use the Wiimote to carry food to your mouth as fast as you can; along the way, you can pick up items like farts and burps.

The star of the game? Takeru Kobayashi, of course. Joey Chestnut, the dude who beat him for the last two years in a row at the Coney Island hot dog eating contest, is in it too. It's the first video game ever featuring the world's best food fighters.

No word yet as to whether you can shoose to be 22-year old cutsey super eater  Gal Sone. She's my favorite.

via Impress Watch (Japanese)

Pressure Point-Pushing Family of Pens

Meet the Tsuboi family. they're tall, they're skinny, they're healthy. Actually, these are a series of pens that double as pressure point pushers. The package includes one pen and a pressure point map so you can find the right spot for your ailment. From L-R: dad, mom, brother, sister, grandpa, grandma.

Product page (Japanese)

Today on BB: Yoda and Facebook, Vintage Game Patents, and Mona Lisa Remixed

On Boing Boing today, I wrote about how Hiroko Yoda was denied a Facebook account because she shares a name with a Star Wars character; vintage video game patents found via Google; Mona Lisa remixed by famous contemporary artists.

Yesterday, I wrote about extreme ironing—the best adventure sport ever; an awesome photo gallery of Israeli girl soldiers; and the World Air Guitar championships in Finland.

USB Drives That Will Make You Hungry

Solid Alliance always has these awesome USB drives that make me hungry. Pictured here are memory sticks that look like takoyaki (octopus ball), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), fried shrimp, and fried crab claw. Three of the items are making me drool, but there is one that I will never ever eat. Can you guess which one?

Product page (Japanese)

I Think Japanese People Should Be More Open: A Photo Exhibit

Photographer Keiichi Nitta is having a fun exhibit at the Constant Gallery in September titled "I think Japanese People Should Be More Open." I think the name of the exhibit and these three pics say it all. Make sure you check it out if you're in LA in September.

The Gallympics: Girls in Bikinis Competing for the Gold in Twister

Flashy men's fashion mag "Men's Egg" has a feature in a recent issue called the 2008 Gallympics. In Japan "gal" is a term used to describe those bleached-blond, fakely-tanned girls who walk around Shibuya in super-high wedge sandals and short shorts. In the Gallympics, these women compete against each other in sports like Twister, speed-eating bananas, and limbo.

Link

Mr.'s Pedophilic Pop Art (NSFW)

This giant anime girl head is the work of one of Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki artists. He goes by the name Mr. and was first recognized by the contemporary art scene while drawing characters on the back of shopping receipts.

Mr. is best known for his slightly pedophilic otaku-Lolita drawings and installations, like the series depicting a normal-sized man (always naked) with his miniature-sized anime girl toy. A slightly NSFW example after the jump.

Naomi Yotsumoto is the Asian Anna Kournikova

Naomi Yotsumoto is the most-talked about ping pong player in Japan right now, and it's not just because of her paddle-swatting skillz. The petite 29-year old Tokyo native is revolutionizing the sport by dressing provocatively and presenting herself as more than just an athlete. After creating plenty of buzz in local and international press because of her hot pink and rainbow-striped outfits (there is no dress code in professional ping pong), she now has her own TV show and a published autobiography. And as you can see in this video (from the national mixed doubles competition this year, where she placed second), she's really pretty good at what she does. And even when she doesn't win, the commentators never fail to spend a bunch of time fawning over her outfits and noticing how the crowd perks up when she walks in. Naomi Yotsumoto = the Asian Anna Kournikova = awesome at doubles, not so hot at singles, better known for her looks than for her athleticism.

Naomi Yotsumoto's main page via Design Corner (Thanks, Baker!)

TokyoMango on Boing Boing!

Guess what? Starting today, I'm going to be guest blogging on Boing Boing. As you all know, Boing Boing is the ultimate directory of wonderful things, so I'm honored to contribute to it and give many thanks to Mark, Cory, David, and Xeni for letting me infiltrate their lovely web space with my whatever-I-end-up-writing. I'll be doing this for the next two weeks, so check in once in a while to see how I'm doing. And feel free to send tips—I can always use some good ideas, and this time they don't necessarily have to have anything to do with Japan. Thanks!

Meet me.
Read BB.

Sneak Preview of Michel Gondry's Tôkyô!

Tôkyô!, the artsy triptych movie directed by Joon-ho Bong, Leos Carax, and Michel Gondry, is just out in theaters across the city it's named after. Here's a teaser segment from Carax's segment, which is called Merde. Looks awesome, right? It doesn't debut in the US til next month (in Austin), but it's definitely worth saving on your Netflix queue.

Does Yogurt Taste Good with Soy Sauce?

Yogurt and berries? Yes! Yogurt and Indian curry? Sure. Yogurt and salt? A common combination in Mediterranean cold drinks. But what about yogurt with soy sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, or tonkatsu sauce? To find out, a female reporter at Daily Portal Z tried every combination and illustrated her verdict with cartoons and kung fu (?) moves. Her conclusion? Soy sauce goes well with everything. But we knew that all along. 

Link

Kome Kome Club's Fantastic Voyage (Music Video)

I just found this crazy little music video for a popular 90s song by a band called Kome Kome Club (Rice Rice Club). It's called Roman Hikou (romantic journey in the sky) and it looks like this video may have been used as a Japan airlines promo for trips to Okinawa. Their other hit single, Kimi ga iru dake de, was the most popular song of the 90s. The band broke up in 1997, but this song is immortality awesome. And this video, well, it kinda takes it to a whole other level.

Haruki Murakami Book Covers, and his Upcoming Talk in Berkeley

Stonebridge Press' A Wild Haruki Chase has a great collection of international Haruki Murakami book covers. It's really interesting to see how different they are—the above two, for example, are both for Sputnik Sweetheart, a story about a woman who disappears in Greece. I can't tell what languages they are in, but the covers are both remarkably different (and much more sensual) from the US version and the Japanese version.

Mysterious Grave Robber Steals Ashes from Urns

Every August, millions of Japanese go to their ancestors' graves in honor of the obon holiday, when spirits of the dead are said to come back to earth. It's also one of three major stretches where the whole country goes on vacation (the other two: Golden Week and New Years). This year, dozens of families were horrified to find that someone had stolen urns from under the gravestone. The victims were all women, and some of the urns had been replaced with ominous notes that said: "I have it." As in, I have the remains of your wife, your sister, or your mother. Ugh. What a sick-o.

Link

Should Softball be an Olympic Sport?

Everyone thought the US women's softball team was gonna kick Japan's ass in the Olympic finals this week. Didn't happen. To everyone's surprise, Japan won 3-1.

The US women's softball team was like Misty May and Kerri Walsh in beach volleyball, but better—completely undefeated since 2000, with four Olympic gold medals under their cleats. Most of their victories were total sweeps, and the world was convinced that there was no fair match for them anywhere. This belief was so strong that the International Olympic Committee voted to have women's softball removed from the Olympics in 2012. The verdict's out: there will be no women's softball in London.

Does this week's upset change this? The Americans hope so. Star pitcher Jennie Finch is determined to get the gold back in 2016, so she—along with the rest of her team, the Japanese team, and every other softball enthusiast in the world—is lobbying hard to reinstate the sport.

Link

Why We Fold Origami at the Dinner Table

At lunch the other day, my mom, aunt, cousin, and I all folded little boats out of the paper wrapping on our chopsticks and turned them into chopstick stands. As you all know, origami is a traditional Japanese art form that people of all ages enjoy, and which has inspired high fashion and astronauts alike. Fact: if you sit at a casual dinner table with a bunch of Japanese people, it's likely that most of them will fold their chopstick case into some kind of origami creation. I do it every time. This morning, I am contemplating why we do this, and here are some reasons I came up with:

1. It's fun.
2. We have fidgety hands. (I do, at least.)
3. We are culturally inclined to make things compact.
4. It's a conversation starter—everyone knows how to fold something. In this case, it was a group activity, and then we discussed the quality of our boats.
5. Resting chopsticks directly on a table isn't that sanitary.

Haley Ishimatsu is a Good Diver

They finally showed the Olympic women's diving competition tonight on NBC. I'd been waiting to see Haley Ishimatsu, the 15-year old Japanese-American girl, since a few weeks ago when they did a quick segment about her on NPR. Apparently, she can do a back 3 1/2 somersault pike, which is this crazy dive that only a handful of other people in the world can do. Anyhow, she placed tenth in the qualifiers but didn't win. The commentators pointed out that her splash is too big when she hits the water. Interesting...

Someone said that it's easier on younger athletes to compete in the Olympics because they're just competing on excitement and adrenaline, whereas the older ones have a lot more at stake, and think about things more. I wouldn't know, because even though I dabble in all kinds of sports, I am nowhere even close to making it into real competition. :(

Bath Salts that Look and Smell like Gum

Most of the classic gum flavors I think of when I look back at my childhood were made by snack company Lotte. Green Gum, Black Black, Ume gum, Blueberry gum... now, the Korean/Japanese company has teamed up with Bandai Namco to release a series of bath salts packaged like a piece of gum. Of course, each strip of bath salt smells and looks just like the original gum flavor, so people who think chewing is bad for your teeth can relive the deliciousness while soaking in a muscle-relaxing aromatic tub.

Press release (Japanese)

 

Americans Suspected of Attacking Japanese Whaler with R/C Planes

There's a lot of buzz about the warrant for arrest issued by the government for three Sea Shepherds—two Americans and a Brit—who are suspected of planning an attack on a Japanese whaler using remote controlled planes. Sea Shepherd is a radical Washington-based non-profit that protects whales, dolphins, and sharks and offers rewards of up to $10,000 to people who offer hints on where to find Japanese whaler boats and Scottish seal killers. As this Operation Musashi logo implies, they're serious and ready to fight!

In addition to trying to bomb the boat with radio-controlled planes last February, the Sea Shepherds are accused of damaging the propellers with rope and launching smoke candles onto the deck.

This reminds me of the dolphin slaughter video from last year. Can't we just all get along?

Link

Toy Stopwatch Challenges You to Find a Precise 5 Seconds

Asovision, the division of toymaker Bandai dedicated to pointless but inexplicably humanly addictive games like the Popping Edamame and the Human Player, has a new stopwatch toy out called 5 Second Stadium. It's basically just a simple stopwatch that challenges you to press the button at exactly 5 seconds—no more, no less. The reward? Simply the satisfaction of knowing how close you got. It sounds stupid, but I could totally see myself playing it over and over with friends for a good laugh, or to kill time. Understanding and marketing simple pleasures like this is one of the specialties of Japanese gadget manufacturers.

5 Second Stadium main page

Rokkaku, Awesome Japanese Restaurant in Honolulu

Last week, for my mom's birthday, we went to this awesome Japanese restaurant in Ala Moana shopping center called Rokkaku. We weren't planning on going there—the Korean cold noodle joint was closed—but it was the nicest surprise meal I have had in a long time. I ordered ox tail soup, which came with pink multi-grain rice, homemade tofu, and plenty of ginger, cilantro, and scallions to garnish it with. Sooo delicious! I can't remember what everyone else ordered, but everything was perfectly presented, tasted authentic, and we all left feeling happy.

Southern All Stars, My Favorite Japanese Band, to Semi-Retire

Some of my all-time favorite music is created by a five-man pop-rock band from a beach town near Tokyo. They're called the Southern All Stars, and their music kicks ass across multiple generations the way the Rolling Stones do in the Western music world. They debuted in 1978, and on Saturday, they kicked off a concert series spanning two weekends that precedes a long indefinite break.

Keisuke Kuwata is the band's 52-year old lead singer, and you can see him here singing Ellie, My Love, a 1979 hit single that Ray Charles covered a decade later. His wife, Yuko Hara, is also in the band, and the guitarist is my friend Hayato's uncle. I've always, always wanted to see these guys live, but sadly it looks like I might never get to. My dad once bought me a concert DVD and I watched it all the time. Check out a video of one of his more provocative songs after the jump.

This Week on MangoBot: I Predict China's Future

On my io9 column, I talked to a couple of experts about the social, political, and economic future of China.

I'm a total sports nut. Olympic season makes my bones shiver with excitement. But this year, I took my mind off record-breaking swim relays and super-twisty gymnastics routines for a minute to consider the host country's techno-socio-political future. The opening ceremony confirmed my theory that China is breeding robots. (We already know that the cute girl who performed the patriotic song was lip-syncing and that the fireworks shown on TV were fake. I'm pretty sure that the 2008 drummers who kicked off the five-hour technological spectacularity were androids, too.) But what else is up in the giant nation that many believe will be the next world superpower? I called some experts and came away with a list of five predictions for China's next half-century.

Keep reading "Coming Soon from China: Dystopic Futures, the Next Steve Jobs, and a World Full of Drumming Androids"

Where's Lisa? Surfing and Chasing Whale Sharks on Maui

If you're wondering why I haven't been updating TokyoMango, it's because I'm on vacation in Hawaii with the family. Yesterday, I learned how to surf. (I'm JUMPING off, not falling off, in this photo.) Today, we went on a little 2-hour snorkeling trip to Molokini, and were lucky enough to encounter a 30-foot whale shark! Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. They don't eat people, just algae and stuff. The captain of the ship—he grew up on Maui had never seen one before—told us to jump in and grab his fin, so I did. There's something inexplicably amazing about chasing a giant creature through the middle of the ocean. I crave to do it again but I know it was a chance of a lifetime. Check out the video after the jump!

Airlines Displays Memorabilia from 1985 Plane Crash

The biggest airborne tragedy to ever hit Japan took place in 1985, when a Japan Airlines flight en route to Osaka from Tokyo crashed into a mountain ridge shortly after takeoff, killing all but four of its 524 passengers. It happened exactly 23 years ago, during the Obon holiday, and is the deadliest single airplane crash in history. Kyu Sakamoto, the guy who first sang the now-famous "Sukiyaki" song, died on the plane, as did the grandfather of one of my best friends from middle school.

Today, there are still about 2,700 items found at the crash site in Gunma that have not been claimed by relatives of the deceased. These include watches, glasses, keys, camera lenses, and a calculator—small things. Starting next Monday, Japan Airlines will be displaying some of these items at Tokyo's Haneda Airport as part of a campaign on air safety.

Link

Pop-the-Edamame Cell Phone Strap

A while ago, I did a post about bubble wrap mania, a phenomenon by which normal people become seriously obsessed with bubble wrap and the sensation of pushing and popping those little air-filled plastic bumps. Well, apparently, pushing edamame out of their pods is another fun sensation worthy of being commercialized. These fake foamy edamame have little alien-or-smiley-faced pods inside of them that pop up pleasantly and then tuck back in so you can do it over and over. Perfect for those with restless fingers, OCD, or who just love edamame.

Product page (Japanese)

Kitajima Wins World Record in 100M Breaststroke

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima beat the world record in the 100m breaststroke earlier today in Beijing with a time of 58.1 seconds. Yay! Pictured next to him is a devastated Brendan Hansen—he held the world record until seconds ago.

Kitajima was already a national hero—at Athens four years ago, when he won two golds, for the 100m and 200m breaststrokes. I think it's safe to say that Kosuke Kitajima has the fastest breaststroke in the world ever. It's the second gold so far for Japan, with Masato Uchishiba winning the gold in 66k Judo yesterday.

I love watching the Olympics, and cheering for the Japanese team is super fun because I feel like I understand the heart and struggle they put behind all their efforts. I was just talking to Alyssa about this the other day while watching the US play Japan in women's volleyball, but even though we both grew up between the two cultures, we subconsciously root for Japan when they go head-to-head because that's where we were raised, and where our roots are the strongest.

Bento Baby's Supercute Sushi Roll Bodysuits

TokyoMango reader Nami sent me this awesome little Zen Baby bodysuit from her clothing line Bento Baby. Each outfit comes in sushi packaging, which makes for a super cute gift. I gave one to my cousin's daughter Gracie, and she tried to eat it. She likes sushi. Yummy. More pics and info after the jump.

How to Hit High Notes in Karaoke

A lady who came to my book signing demonstrated her awesome singing skills and a trick in my book by singing while holding a wine bottle. The reason this works is because holding a heavy weight tightens your muscles, including your vocal cords.

Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan [Amazon]

Stalker Judge Arrested for Sending Weird Emails

What do you do when you work for the judiciary branch of the government and you find out that the person who has been sending you freaky stalker-ish emails was a judge? The guy in this pic, Yoshiharu Shimoyama, is a 55-year old judge at the Utsunomiiya District Court. He was convicted of sending over a dozen anonymous sexual emails to a twenty-something year old subordinate.

He must have defended his case pretty well, though, because he only got a six month sentence, and also got it suspended for two years. There is still a possibility that he might be impeached. I mean seriously, this guy presides over the district and family courts there. Would you really want some stalker weirdo dude deciding whether you should have custody of your kid? The Mainichi quotes the presiding judge over his case as saying: "It was a truly shameful crime that ran counter to the people's trust in judges and the judiciary."

Indeed.

My Darling is a Foreigner: A Manga about Dating a White Guy

My Darling is a Foreigner (Darling wa Gaikokujin) is a funny manga that came out in 2002 about what it's like to be married to a foreigner in Japan. I know, it sounds like it will be drenched in prejudice, but it is actually a hilarious account of the quirks of Japanese culture and how they are perceived by others, and of co-habitation in general. It's actually an autobiographical comedy based on the lives of author Saori Oguri and her white husband Tony Laszlo, a Hungarian-American journalist. Tony is a mellow but hard-working guy who isn't afraid to complain to the waiter about bad-tasting wine and likes to sneak to the fridge to get chocolate ice cream when Saori's not looking. Saori, the manga artist, is sometimes embarrassed by him and often annoyed at little things, like how he doesn't do dishes right away or how he stacks them in the dish rack the wrong way—but mostly she finds his quirks endearing and his insights on the culture fascinating—fascinating enough that they're the subject of her best-selling manga. Anyway, I gave my aunt a copy of parts 1 and 2 of this manga (there are a total of 3, apparently, written over a span of several years) because the white guy looks like her husband. I'm in Hawaii right now visiting them!

Japanese Beer is on the Rise

Japan has four major beer companies. Kirin, Suntory, Asahi, and Sapporo. All four companies are reporting increased profits this past quarter. I think in the US we mostly see Asahi and Sapporo. Which one do you like? (Image: Sandeep Makam)

Man Arrested for Stealing Electricity

A broke sweaty Kyushu man was arrested on Saturday for stealing electricity from his neighbor's house. His had been cut off, so he snuck onto the property next door and drew an extension cord from one of its outlets on Friday night. Then he plugged in his fan an cooled off for a few hours, and presumably fell asleep. Then the cops came the next morning after the neighbor noticed the cord.

Link

Angry Escalator Goes in Reverse, Injures 20

Gizmodo has a great video of a convention center escalator that suddenly starts going in reverse at a Tokyo convention center. (Is it Big Sight? I can't immediately tell.) It's an interesting look at how people respond to unexpected, random disaster. 20 people got injured, one with a broken leg, which was the worst of the bunch.

Link

Long-Lasting Japanese Snacks for Emergencies

If you're stuck in a disaster situation like an avalanche or an earthquake, you definitely need snacks to stave off hunger and keep you from getting depressed. Morinaga, one of Japan's major snack companies, is releasing canned emergency versions of two of their most popular brands, Marie cookies and their delicious Milk Caramels. Unlike their normal convenience store versions, which have expiration dates within maybe a year, these last for 3-5 years.

Coming next: Fireproof Pocky!

Link

Stuff Korean Moms Like

Alyssa just sent me a link to a funny list called Stuff Korean Moms Like. It's a parody of Stuff White People Like, and I find it pretty entertaining. I don't have a Korean mom, but one could probably do the same thing by picking up stereotypes from most cultures.

Here are some of examples:
- saving wrapping paper
- never saying I love you ("The three magic words that a Korean Mom will say only 5 times to you. 1) When you are born. 2) When you get into Harvard. 3)When you marry someone who graduated from Harvard. 4) When you buy her a house. 5)When you have a son.")
- stealing napkins and condiments
- interpreting dreams
- scrubbing...their skin off.

Link

Apocalyptic Art Portrays Tokyo as Abandoned Dystopia

If Tokyo were to meet the apocalypse, or turn into a zombie-infested dystopia like Manhattan in I Am Legend, it will probably look a lot like this amazing Photoshopped image of Shibuya  created by blogger/illustrator Tokyo Fantasy.  Except in Tokyo, there would probably be giant cockroaches and lizards and crows romping the abandoned streets, and the lone warrior destined to save the world will be Ken Shimura. Or maybe Ichiro.

Tokyo Fantasy (via Pink Tentacle)

New Japanese are Older, More Ethnically Diverse

We're seeing two different population trends in Japan these days, one that indicates that we will live longer than ever, another that points at an increasingly multi-ethnic country. This year, life expectancy for men and women are at record highs—79.19 and 85.99 years, respectively, according to a recent government report. Japanese woman have the highest life expectancy rate in the world. (For men, Iceland and Hong Kong are a little bit ahead.)

On a separate note, a survey found that 1 out of 30 babies born in Japan in 2006 had a non-Japanese parent.

Lady Murasaki Bot Recites Tale of Genji

Roboticists in Kyoto take books-on-tape to a whole new level with this purple talking robot. Modeled after 10th century noblewoman Lady Murasaki Shikibu, she reads you her famous novel Tale of Genji via an internal MP3 player while making relevant gestures from her era to emphasize dramatic moments.

Link

Drunk Man Dies under Bookstore Shutter

A Tokyo man died late into the night Saturday when a bookstore worker accidentally closed the storefront iron shutter on him. 51-year old Hideo Hiruma was found trapped between the shutter and the ground around 2am. I think he may have fallen asleep drunk under the store awning, and the storekeeper just closed the thing without looking, never suspecting that a human might be immediate underneath. A fair assumption under normal circumstances, I'd think. But people fall asleep in random places all the time late at night in Tokyo. The trains stop running anywhere between midnight and 1:30am, even on Saturdays, so people who get drunk, live far, don't have enough cash, and finish drinking at a half-assed hour have to somehow kill time until the first train starts up the next morning. I once called the cops from my cell phone at 2am because a guy was sleeping (passed out drunk) at a parking lot entrance in Meguro. Sooo dangerous.

Link

New Toyota "Winglet" Bot Walks Through Airports

Toyota's newest robot is a Segway-like transportation tool that called the Winglet. Weighing just under 22kg, it's portable and compact and intended to help lazy people get around in airports and supermarkets just by leaning in the direction they want to move in. Call me crazy, but I'd rather be sitting in a motorized wheelchair than standing on this thing which makes you two heads taller than the next person and only goes 4mph. (The Segway is at least 3x faster.)

It will be a lot cooler, I think, when Toyota does what it plans to do next with it, which is to enable it to store shopping info or go back to a battery charging station on its own.

Link

This Week on MangoBot: Mac Funamizu's Gadget Designs from the Future

Mac Funamizu is a tech geek, designer, and futurist who has created quite a lot of buzz among design circles for his innovative gadgets from the future. The 38-year old Tokyo native has always loved Apple, Google, and Starbucks, but he always felt inconvenienced by the extra steps involved in using them. (Why mouth off a complex multi-conditional order of coffee when you could just customize your cup of joe online? Why doesn't Google Maps give you more than just a topographic image of what you're looking at?) At first, his ideas were just rough sketches in his Moleskine. But then he started posting his neat, provocative ideas online, and now developers are contacting him to try and make some of them a reality.

Keep reading...