It even throws LED ground effects when producing steam. Seriously, even if you aren't drying up from the weather, it might be worth the $108 price tag to gut it for a PC case. [Japan Trend Shop via 7Gadgets]

This is Yotaro, the Japanese baby simulator. It looks like a big stuffed animal bear with a baby's face projected on to it. It's actually got a lot of complex stuff going on inside it, for better or worse. I just wonder why they didn't make it look more like a real baby if they were going for simulation. [Yotaro via DesignBoom]

The iPhone 3G commands the ranking with 24.6%, while the iPhone 3GS tops at 21.5 for number two. Dropping from 28.8% to 14.6% is the Sharp Advanced W-ZERO3. According to Impress survey, the reason of this huge advance in only one year is the app store and the iPhone's ease of use. I always thought that Japanese cellphones user interfaces were designed by the devil himself, so I'm not surprised. [Impress]

Currently, Robovie is designed to help the elderly complete their shopping rounds. At home, users enter their list into a special mobile device that Robovie senses upon entering the store. Robovie then greets the user and guides him/her through the store helping them find, carry and remember items from their list.

I can't tell you how many times I have wished that supermarkets had some sort of robot or GPS system that would guide me to wherever the hell they keep their pizza sauce and burrito shells. And carrying my groceries for me—well that's just a bonus. The whole thing might be even better if the larger carts were equipped with some sort of system like this, instead of a free-standing robot. I would love it even more if it scanned and weighed my purchases and allowed me to swipe a card instead of standing in line at the checkout. [Robot Watch via Pink Tentacle via PopSci]

Created at the Nagoya Institute of Technology of Japan (it had to be Japan), the camera you can see above was constructed using 158 lenses, which were attached in four rows, spanning 47cm in diameter. As each lens only cost $2.10 it's entirely realistic to try and top their record for next year's Guinness book, but bear in mind it took the team of students six months to build. Better organize some cheap labor. [Sankei News via CrunchGear]

Kokoro, the company which brought us those HRP-4C female androids back in 2005, will make these Actroids for Sogo & Seibu. Customers can record audio so the robots not only look like them but also sound like them, and "she also does the best work as a guide with her out-standing eye-catch effect!" Careful you don't fall for her eye-catch effect too hard, now. [Sankei News via PlasticPals and CrunchGear]

Entitled (autumn), the video was shot, as I said, around Mount Fuji and other beautiful Japanese locales. The music is trippy, the visuals crisp, and the people move about very quickly as clouds play about their heads. Enjoy. [Vimeo - Thanks, Sam]

All that crowd-baiting mugging and genital-constricting athletic gear evidently couldn't help the representative of humans everywhere, as he went down in the first to the remote-controlled robot's fierce uppercut. The robot, given the noble and awesome name of Genuine Great King Kizer, is the current model designed by Naoki Maru, who creates a new one double the size of the last every 18 months or so. The next one, obviously, is going to destroy Tokyo. [BotJunkie]

Do not share food or love in front of a sad, injured man. He's in enough pain without you rubbing it in.

On a train, never, ever feed your shoe beer. Dude can't hold his liquor.

During fits of train hail, under no circumstances should you swing at the ice chunks. They will multiply and occasionally crap, a la bird, onto other passengers.

Don't dive into a train. Because if you get caught be the doors, people will stand idly by while your body is ripped into two. Save such carnage for the beach, where the blood is easily cleaned up due to copious amounts of sand.

Sticking your fingers into your headphones will not block the sound from your ears. And please conduct such experiments at home.

Women should never talk on the phone, no matter what emotion they exude. It's a known pervert fetish.

OK, this is the one shot where I kind of feel bad for the strange man in the glasses. WTF hikers!

If you are grasping a handle and find you forgot to wear deodorant, lift yourself above the crowd. Wait, no, keep your arms up and make people smell it. Wait, no, lift yourself. [Adme via copyranter via boingboing]

Ring was deported from Japan twice: once in 2007 and again some time later after she slipped back into the country with her fake prints. Apparently, fingerprint altering procedures are becoming big business for shady doctors looking to make a quick buck. Japanese authorities claim that the practice is widespread in China, but if there is money to be made, I'm sure it is a problem all over the world.

In this case, prints from Ring's left hand were surgically implanted on her right—which makes me wonder why prints were not taken from both hands in the first place. Plus, the quality of the work suggests that $14,600 is a bargain basement, back alley price for surgery like this. Best to go top shelf when you're trying to do anything illegal. [BBC via The Register via PopSci]

The engines, built primarily by Aioi Works of Japan's Diesel United, Ltd, are available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all inline engines.

The cylinder bore is just under 38" and the stroke is just over 98". Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.

That means the 89 foot long 14 cylinder version produces 108,920 HP and 5,608,312 lb/ft of torque at 102 rpm. Not bad. It also weight 2300 tons with the crankshaft alone weighing 300 tons. Our only question — does it fit in a Fiero?

[bath.co.uk via TTAC]

A new kiosk by Toppan Printing Co Ltd, being tested in three of Japan's supermarkets now, allows shoppers to look up a QR code (then print it, or have it on their phone's screen), hold it up to the machine and receive a free product sample.

The bigger gimmick, however, is that you can then hold the actual product up to the vending machine and get a bunch of floaty infographics (we know, it's a little late once you've already purchased a product). But if the software was tweaked a bit, something like a can of Coke could become a bubbling mana potion in your hand. And as long as you consumed said drink while looking at yourself on the augmented LCD screen, well, nothing special would happen.

Or would it? [Tech On via UberGizmo]

According to a recent poll (results above/translation below) of Japanese children 12 and under, they really want...

1. Video game software (over 450 kids said this)
2. Pretty Cure goods (over 100 kids said this)
3. Anpanman goods
4. Books (picture book, book, illustrated encyclopedia)
5. Kamen Rider goods
6. Bicycle
7. Toy car
8. Clothes
9. Stuffed animal
10. Video game console

Since many kids have consoles, they just want video games now—that's fair. But clothes? What self-respecting child under 13 wants clothes?? And have you actually ever seen a picture of Anpanman?

As translated by the esteemed Brian Ashcraft over at Kotaku. [はちま起稿 via Kotaku]

FF13のセラの服はしまむらで揃える事が出来るらしい [はちま起稿]

BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the you hate Japan-only gadgets, click here.

Bandai Tokyo Diorama Speakers: Do you know someone who is fascinated by Tokyo's Ginza district circa 1950? Or someone who constantly listens to the Godzilla Original Motion Picture Soundtrack? These speakers are the perfect gift for that person. Packed with LED lights and all sorts of moving parts, this is not your Kindergartner's diorama. $2000 [Bandai]

Bandai Gyoza Maker: Rolling a gyoza—essentially a Japanese dumpling—can be tough and is an art that is best mastered with practice. But who has time for practice or mastery? If you want to crank out neatly sealed gyozas every time, there's no better way than to do just that: crank them out. With Bandai's gyoza maker, perfect gyozas slide out a chute for your snacking pleasure. It's not the most authentic way to serve up this traditional treat but definitely the most efficient. $55 [GeekStuff4U]

Yamanote Line Watch: Is there someone close to you whose life is a little too stress-free? Who wishes they felt like they were doing something? Going somewhere? Get them the Yamanote Line Watch, a replica of signage on Tokyo's busiest commuter line, and give their life some hair-pulling purpose. [Seahope]

Sauce Dispensing Chopsticks: If you know someone who is proud of having recently mastered chopsticks, throw them a curveball by gifting them this sauce dispensing pair. They have the dual benefit of taking your chopstick game into the 21st century while also eliminating table clutter. This is a perfect gift for the person in your life who is defined as much by their laziness as they are for their love of Asian cuisine. $21[Oh Gizmo]

Fantasy Gift: 9h Capsule Hotel Pod: It's always nice to curl up in a nook (if not necessarily with a Nook) to take a nap, and the 9h luxury capsule hotel in Tokyo provides the nook of all nooks. Each pod is equipped with Panasonic control panels for setting the ambiance—presumably one that lessens the feeling that you paid money to nap in a coffin. Still, having one of them in your house virtually guarantees that no one jumps into bed to bother you while you sleep. [9hours]

Humping Dog USB Drive: Dogs always hump things—it's their nature—so why shouldn't they hump your USB drive? "Because they're too small!" you say. Real dogs may be, but this humping dog USB drive from Digital World Tokyo is a perfect perverted match for your Universal Serial Bus. In the end, though, do you really want to subject your ports to this little dog's dongle? We must urge you not to buy, unless you have a friend who really likes weird stuff. $32 [Digital World Tokyo]

Tuttuki Box: Are you or a love one embarrassed to prod and poke at things in real life? The Tuttuki LCD box lets you jab at miniature pandas, guys, and girls with a digital version of your index finger. If you know someone who is prone to stick appendages into holes, this is surely more adorable than the alternatives. $46 [Amazon]

Gundam Robot Slippers: Everyone can dance the robot. But for some people that's just not enough. Gundam Robot Slippers are the perfect gift for the hardcore robot enthusiast. Not only do they make your feet shiny and big, like a robot's, but the slippers emit a robotic crunching noise with each step. This benefits everyone: you sound more like a robot and the maker you've turned against is alerted that you're coming to destroy them. Gizmodo]

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite gift ideas for weird relatives in comments—include pic and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

For Japan's upcoming Apology Day, an interactive website by the name of Ayamari Bijin offers 31 different girls apologizing in video messages, along with stacks of photos of them looking "remorseful". You can even find out their blood types! The best thing is that as they're all speaking in Japanese, you don't have the flipping faintest idea what they're actually apologizing for. You could pretend it's for actually daring to ask for a cuddle after sexytimes last night. Or perhaps for squeezing the toothpaste from the wrong end.

Perhaps you're a more vanilla kind of guy, in which case you'd rather hear Japanese girls say how much they love you? Either way, if you can't speak Japanese, it's much of a muchness. For $25, the Hougen CD has 600 different girls saying "I love you" in their various Japanese dialects.

So what'll it be tonight, men? Apologies or confessions of love? [Japan Trends and CrunchGear]

The GZ-MG980, GZ-MS230 and the GZ-MS210 have been announced for the Japanese market under the Victor JVC branding, with US pricing and availability expected to be confirmed at CES.

With a 10.7-megapixel, 1/6-inch CCD sensor, the video on the GZ-M980 isn't quite full HD at just 720 x 480 resolution, though the 39x (F1.8 - 4.3) optical zoom and 80GB HDD are pretty decent. An SD/SDHC slot rounds it off.

Measuring in with similar specs, the GZ-MS230 misses the generous 80GB capacity of the former model, with just 8GB instead. The GZ-MS210 is the most basic of the three, with no internal memory—just two SD/SDHC slots. Japanese conversions pit these three at $690, $515 and $460 each. [CrunchGear]

The gadget's apparently based on a Japanese show about "a high school boy, his transforming cell-phone robot, and his six detective partners that fight against an internet-based criminal organization." Guess it might not be too upset if I compared it to a Transformer after all then. I'll still keep the "cute" remark and the $135 I'd pay for the phone to myself though. [XL-Shop via Technabob]