TOKYOMANGO

Pico Iyer: Japan is at once an old lady in a miniskirt and a wise old man

Most of the things I buy at Best Buy are really bad. Like the DVI-to-MiniDVI adapter that the guy in the laptop aisle pointed me to—it didn't work on my new MacBook. Or the DLO IntelliTune iPod dock for my car. I almost crashed twice listening to Obama reading me Dreams from My Father (yes, he voices his own Audiobook. Awesome!) because other radio frequencies kept butting in. I returned both. But there is one good thing I bought at Best Buy, and that was this super cute Nintendo DS carrying purse. I love it. It fits all my cartridges, the charger, some lipstick, a credit card, keys, cell phone, and my DS, of course. And it was only $10.

The hottest new item for sale on Rakuten? Man-bras. The company featured in this video perfected the best-selling man-bra, and found a surprising customer base among the ordinarily quiet cross-dresser community. I think it's great, even though the reporter looks a little silly.

Also, this has nothing to do with Japan, but a little girl in India married a cute dog because her village believed it would rid their family of evil spirits. Video after the jump.

This is a great/horrible clock depending on how you look at it. The Countdown Clock, made by Sega Toys, caters to the freelance writer/designer/whateverer and tells time in relation to an ominous deadline. Instead of setting a conventional alarm, you set a deadline (date and time), and the clock starts ticking toward the dreadful end. Kinda reminds me of Kevin Kelly's life countdown ticker that counts down to the day he predicts he will die. Except you can buy the Sega Toys version for $10 on Amazon Japan.

via Impress Watch (Japanese)

Remember the survey conducted last year that showed that the Japanese have the least amount of sex in the world? Well, the government decided that 12-hour work days have a lot to do with it—so much, in fact, that companies like Canon are encouraging employees to go home early to procreate. Canon made it company-wide policy for its workers to go home early twice a week to make babies at the encouragement of Keidanren, a corporate group including 1300 companies. The birthrate in Japan is 1.34, way lower than what's needed to sustain population numbers:

The 5:30 p.m. lights-out program is one simple step toward helping address the population problem. It also has an added benefit: Amid the global economic downturn the company can slash overtime across the board twice a week.

Link (Thanks, Jess!)

Super cute Nintendo DS purse

Most of the things I buy at Best Buy are really bad. Like the DVI-to-MiniDVI adapter that the guy in the laptop aisle pointed me to—it didn't work on my new MacBook. Or the DLO IntelliTune iPod dock for my car. I almost crashed twice listening to Obama reading me Dreams from My Father (yes, he voices his own Audiobook. Awesome!) because other radio frequencies kept butting in. I returned both. But there is one good thing I bought at Best Buy, and that was this super cute Nintendo DS carrying purse. I love it. It fits all my cartridges, the charger, some lipstick, a credit card, keys, cell phone, and my DS, of course. And it was only $10.

Man-bras a big hit; and the girl who married a dog

The hottest new item for sale on Rakuten? Man-bras. The company featured in this video perfected the best-selling man-bra, and found a surprising customer base among the ordinarily quiet cross-dresser community. I think it's great, even though the reporter looks a little silly.

Also, this has nothing to do with Japan, but a little girl in India married a cute dog because her village believed it would rid their family of evil spirits. Video after the jump.

Sega Toys' clock counts down to your final moment

This is a great/horrible clock depending on how you look at it. The Countdown Clock, made by Sega Toys, caters to the freelance writer/designer/whateverer and tells time in relation to an ominous deadline. Instead of setting a conventional alarm, you set a deadline (date and time), and the clock starts ticking toward the dreadful end. Kinda reminds me of Kevin Kelly's life countdown ticker that counts down to the day he predicts he will die. Except you can buy the Sega Toys version for $10 on Amazon Japan.

via Impress Watch (Japanese)

Canon offers employees time off to make babies

Remember the survey conducted last year that showed that the Japanese have the least amount of sex in the world? Well, the government decided that 12-hour work days have a lot to do with it—so much, in fact, that companies like Canon are encouraging employees to go home early to procreate. Canon made it company-wide policy for its workers to go home early twice a week to make babies at the encouragement of Keidanren, a corporate group including 1300 companies. The birthrate in Japan is 1.34, way lower than what's needed to sustain population numbers:

The 5:30 p.m. lights-out program is one simple step toward helping address the population problem. It also has an added benefit: Amid the global economic downturn the company can slash overtime across the board twice a week.

Link (Thanks, Jess!)