TOKYOMANGO

UFO catcher jeopardizes lives of prize blowfish

Why pay a 1000 yen for a baby blowfish when you can win one with your UFO catching skills? Blogger sosonko found this fugu UFO catcher in a Shimokitazawa game center. I agree with his sentiment that the existence of this UFO catcher is very wrong. For starters, blowfish are very sensitive creatures and need careful handling. They are easily agitated and even minor changes in the environment, such as switching off lights in the room can cause stress. When they are stressed, they may react extremely by blowing up or attempting to jump out of water. Even though it's cute, blowing up is not a good thing because it takes an extreme toll on their bodies and shortens their lifespan. (by Emily Co)

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Related stories:
Ice cream UFO catcher
Another ridiculous UFO catcher scenario

Blue Men with a uniquely Japanese twist

A couple months ago, TokyoMango reader Craig invited me to check out the Blue Man Group show in Tokyo. 

Blue Man Group was started in NYC 20 years ago by three guys. One of the guys had had a vision of painting his entire face blue and doing funny mute tricks since he was a kid, so he teamed up with a creative guy and a business guy to create an off-Broadway show. (The original blue men, Phil Stanton, Chris Wink, and Matt Goldman, are still involved in the organization—which makes it kinda cool, like a little family.)

The Tokyo production kicked off about a year ago—they built an IKEA-like blue warehouse-like building at the tail end of Roppongi Hills, re-engineered the program to fit a Japanese audience, brought over some blue men, and set up an elaborate stage that made cleaning up all the water and paint after each show relatively easy.

DVD helps geeks fight shyness by forcing eye contact with blonds

The Underwire has a funny article today about a Japanese DVD that helps geeks combat shyness. An excerpt: 

Nordic-looking blondes can be particularly terrifying to look in the eye. Take a deep breath, then hit Play. If you can get through the first 30 seconds without curling up in the fetal position under your desk, you're home free.

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YouTube manga girl Magibon explains fame, and parody videos

In a live interview on a Japanese TV show, Magibon explains how she became one of Japan's favorite YouTube stars. Also, some slightly disturbing Magibon parody videos after the jump.

Gallery of pimped out "dekochari" bicycles

Apparently, there is a subculture in Japan where young boys dress up their bicycles with steel boxes and horns and motors and bling so they look like delivery trucks in India. It's called dekochari, and Tony McNichol has a great photo gallery of them on his web site. I think this is the boy version of purikura—a way to show comraderie, creativity, and personal taste.