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Happy New Year, Japan: Kamikaze Plane Cards From 1937
Japan is just a few hours away from celebrating New Year, the biggest date in the calendar. These New Year cards from 1937 mark the first ever Japanese flight to Europe, which took over 51 hours in the Kamikaze plane. More »Cybiko: "Make for Happy Best Time!!!!"
Oh oh Cybiko! Presumably born of an illicit union between a walkie-talkie and a Palm Pilot, this 2000-era gadget was for kids who wanted to send messages to nearby friends. But could it also make men erect and cows flatulent? More »Gaming In the Streets
Only in Japan would you find an arcade with the theme of playing in China's "backstreets." Called Your Warehouse, the whole complex is basically eight stories of rusted scum...that actually provides amenities like towels to sweaty DDR players. [Kotaku]Sushi Machine Arranges Rice Real Nice*
I don't know how to make adorable sushi rolls for bento. If I did, I'd be munching on a super saiyan's face right now. More »This Camera Sees Color as Well As You Can
Japan's PaPaLaB made the first practical camera capable of seeing color as well as the human eye by attaching a special filter to a recalibrated $140k industrial camera. Uses: Archives of fine art and telemedical imaging. [Tech On via Engadget]The Japanese Snuggie Devolves Humans Into Giant, Two-Legged Tadpoles
Say hello to the Japanese Snuggie. The Two-Legged Sleeping bag. The Human Larva. Say hello to...this. There is no pitchman charismatic enough, no paid spokesperson straghtfaced enough, no model poised enough to give this the informercial it so clearly deserves.More »
Augmented Reality Used By Red Cross To Target Japanese Nerdlingers
Man alive, even Japan's Red Cross Society is technologically-savvy. Commuters rushing through Akihabara station recently were treated to an augmented reality campaign urging them to donate blood. Anime girls in short skirts = instant win for the blood bank. More »Dead or Alive, You're Learning With Me
An ornery-looking bipedal educational robot, intended to teach Japanese schoolchildren about humanoid machines, is unveiled at the Nippon Institute of Technology. Lesson one, for the children: robots are nothing to be afraid of. Lesson two: except this one. [PlasticPals]This Isn't a PC; It's a Really Cool Humidifier
Normally, I don't find humidifiers exciting, but this one makes for an exception. More »Japanese Baby Simulator Is 1,000 Times Creepier Than a Normal Baby
You know what they say: nothing prepares you for parenthood like a creepy stuffed bearchild that cries real tears. Or something like that. More »Surprisingly, iPhone Takes Over the Weird Japanese Smartphone Market
According to Impress, the iPhone has taken over 46.1 percent of the Japanese smartphone market. This is extremely surprising, because the Japanese are known for being impervious to alien cellphones, preferring their weird mobiles. The two top spots are Apple's: More »Robovie II Helps You Load Up On Beer and Frozen Pizza at the Supermarket
I have to admit, a robot that would help you buy groceries at the supermarket would be awesome. But I think that Robovie II could be even better. More »Tell Us What You'd Shoot Using a Camera With 158 Lenses
The Guinness World Records doesn't just award insanely tall men and disgusting long fingernails, you know. Sometimes they happen over to our side of the crazy pool, to give recognition to things like the camera with the most lenses ever. More »For a Post-Christmas Treat, Order a Looky-Likey Android From Japan
What would you spend $225,000 on? An animated android, styled after yourself? Starting in January the Japanese store Sogo & Seibu will begin taking pre-orders for these "Actroids." They may not walk, but they can move their upper bodies. More »Canon 5D Time Lapse Video Is Perfect Viewing Material for Lazy Sunday Afternoons
This time lapse video out of Japan (Mt. Fuji, Iwate Prefecture, et al) enhances my calm while upholding my personal belief that HD video on DSLRs is one of the best things to happen to cameras in recent history. More »World's First Robot vs. Human Pro Wrestling Match Ends in KO
In one corner, we've got a spry, three-foot-tall robot, prone to floating like a butterfly and doing its damnedest to sting like a bee; in the other, a medium-sized Japanese pro wrestler in shiny silver short shorts. WHO WILL WIN?! More »Japan's Subway Etiquette Posters Warn of Drunkeness, Cuddling and Crying Women
Since 2008, Japan's subways have kindly asked that you do certain things at home, the beach or in your yard—anywhere but the train. But without reading the text, these images leave a lot of room for my misinterpretation... More »Chinese Woman Fools Scanners By Surgically Switching Her Fingerprints
Unfortunately for Lin Ring, her $14,600 surgical fingerprint switching procedure was able to fool the scanners, but could not prevent immigration officials from noticing the scars on her fingers. More »Augmented Reality...Wait For It...Vending Machines!
America is so lame. When you buy a soft drink from a vending machine here, and all you get is diabetes. In Japan, however, you get the whole augmented reality experience. More »Whatever You Do This Christmas, Don't Buy a Japanese Child a Console
PS3? Wii? Xbox 360? If you were to buy any of these systems for a Japanese child this Christmas, they'd be sorely disappointed. Game consoles are the LAST thing on their list—literally. So what do they want? More »YouTube Microwave Makes Cooking Hot Pockets More Entertaining
The Castoven is a microwave with an LCD screen in the door. It automatically plays a video as long as the cooking time you specify. Because god knows you can't go two goddamned minutes without being entertained. [Castoven via CrunchGear]