japan watch

Platinum Gundam Protects Very Small Countries

Mounting cardboard boxes on our arms, legs, and head and running pretending we were Gundam is much easier these days since we get so many packages in the mail (FedEx/UPS Gundam ftw). But a Gundam made of platinum is pretty outrageous even for Japan. This $250,000 figurine was made by Takara Tomy and will go…

Gadgets Jason Chen Apr 3

Robot Picks up the Dead or Dormant. Wait, Dormant??

Among the robots Japan’s been making to help their elderly population, this body remover is probably the scariest. Sure, the Gundam maid robot looks mean when serving you tea, but does it remove dead bodies? We don’t think so. https://gizmodo.com/japans-makes-maid-robot-that-surprisingly-looks-like-gu-240846 And seriously, does is their population really dying at such a rate that Japan needs…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 19

Japan Watch: Akihabara Stores Using Porn to Sell Vista

We all knew Japan loves running Hentai games on Vista, so it’s no wonder that stores selling Microsoft’s newest OS are advertising to the same market. https://gizmodo.com/japan-watch-vista-handles-japanese-hentai-games-really-232623 Scope this ad, found in a shop in Akihabara, saying “Vista Aero function is not possible on XP”. Of course, Aero is a pun for “ero”, or “erotic”,…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 13

Gundam Razor Defends Earth While Making You Presentable

Although there’s no real benefit to having a Gundam razor as opposed to, say, a non-Gundam razor, you’ll still feel safe using a razor sanctioned by a 50-foot Japanese defense robot. Then again, actual Gundam pilots are only 13 years old, which means these haven’t actually been tested on real human beings. Wait, did we…

Gadgets Jason Chen Mar 9

Wonderful Shot Makes Your Pup a Pap

Wanting to see what your dog sees isn’t just weird, now it’s also a reality. By tying this Wonderful Shot Dog Camera to your dog, you can snap 3.5-megapixel shots by remote, or on a timed basis. By taking one shot every minute, you’ll be able to see exactly where your dog went in the…

Gadgets Jason Chen Mar 7

Raku-Raku Phone Helps Seniors Communicate Even Slower

With Japan’s population getting ever older, inventions like tea serving, dish-washing robots and voice-processing cellphones are becoming a reality. Since we already covered the robots, let’s focus on NTT DoCoMo’s Raku-Raku phone. This senior friendly device offers a “slow voice” function, which slows down words for easier comprehension, and a “clear voice” function, which is…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Sharp W-ZERO3 Gets a Solid Gold Stylus

Not only do the Japanese love solid gold Styluses for their most beloved gadget of the last century—the Nintendo DS—now they’ve got one for the Sharp W-ZERO3 as well. Made out of solid gold and costing 63,000 Yen ($536), this gold stylus is worth as much as the actual phone. Which means, if you’re anything…

Gadgets Jason Chen Mar 6

Metaphys Transforming Uzu Vacuum Emerges from Vapors

More than a year after baffling us over whether it was a vacuum or an art project, the Metaphys Electric Uzu Vacuum is finally available. It costs $243 when purchased from Japan, which is around the low end of what you can get a Dyson vacuum for. https://gizmodo.com/art-project-or-vacuum-cleaner-136473 You don’t get a neat British man…

Gadgets Jason Chen Feb 21

Dolphin MP3 Player Keeps You, Flipper and Jessica Alba Entertained

If you’re a long time reader, you’ll be familiar with the fact that the Japanese really love making everything waterproof. This Dolphin MP3 player joins cellphones, keyboards, and fingerprint readers in the realm of underwater entertainment. https://gizmodo.com/fujitsu-sells-waterproof-phone-with-tub-girl-233295 As for the player itself, it has 1GB of storage, lasts 8 hours on a charge, and costs…

Tech News Jason Chen Feb 20

Noob’s Guide to Akihabara

If you’re dying to head to Akihabara after seeing our own Lam groping dozens of cellphones, here’s a video for you. Essentially a complete noob’s guide to Akiba, it’s a good primer for people who know absolutely nothing about the area. Even if you don’t get any new info out of this, you can laugh…

Gadgets Jason Chen Feb 12

Best of the Best: Toys From Japan

Lisa Katayama, who regularly covers Japanese toys for Gizmodo, has a huge roundup of of the best things from Japan. Among them, a shiny golden bazooka that only works when holding a dog, David Beckham’s head, a gropey Japanese dude, and a fake marijuana plant. https://gizmodo.com/24k-gold-chinese-horoscope-cell-phone-strap-226386 Cool Toys for Grownups [Wired]

Gadgets Jason Chen Feb 8

Japan Watch: Vista Handles Japanese Hentai Games Really Well

We’ve got different priorities than the Japanese. The first things we do when we get Vista are installing it on a Mac, figuring out how SideShow works, and scoping out the Windows Experience. What do the Japanese do? They make sure they can run multiple instances of different hentai games. https://gizmodo.com/vista-on-intel-mac-with-parallels-not-quite-there-232596 So yeah, if you’re…

Tech News Jason Chen Jan 30

Japan Watch: Perfect Three-Minute Pasta Gadget

We’ve been making spaghetti the retarded way for years, but we should have known the Japanese thought up a better, and faster, way of doing everything. First, grab this gadget. Then, all you have to do is stick in the pasta, some salt, and pour in boiled water. Cap it, wait for three minutes, and…

Gadgets Jason Chen Jan 24

Japan Watch: Pockey Cellphone Strap

If you’re not a Japanophile (or an Asian), you may yet still be familiar with Pocky thanks to Penny Arcade. Not only can you enjoy Pocky in your mouth, now you can enjoy it in your ears with this Pocky cellphone strap that plays the Pocky theme. We honestly had no idea there even was…

Gadgets Jason Chen Jan 18

Japan Watch: Media Skin Cellphone

Remember that hot Media Skin cellphone we saw nearly two years ago from Tokujin Yoshioka design? It’s about to be released on KDDI and not NTT DoCoMo, which to most Americans means absolutely nothing. https://gizmodo.com/au-phones-media-skin-machina-hexagon-139091 The Media Skin, however, comes in black, orange, and white, has a QVGA screen, and some various other features we…

Tech News Jason Chen Jan 16

Platinum Gundam Protects Very Small Countries

Robot Picks up the Dead or Dormant. Wait, Dormant??

Japan Watch: Akihabara Stores Using Porn to Sell Vista

Gundam Razor Defends Earth While Making You Presentable

Wonderful Shot Makes Your Pup a Pap

Raku-Raku Phone Helps Seniors Communicate Even Slower

Sharp W-ZERO3 Gets a Solid Gold Stylus

Metaphys Transforming Uzu Vacuum Emerges from Vapors

Dolphin MP3 Player Keeps You, Flipper and Jessica Alba Entertained

Noob’s Guide to Akihabara

Best of the Best: Toys From Japan

Japan Watch: Vista Handles Japanese Hentai Games Really Well

Japan Watch: Perfect Three-Minute Pasta Gadget

Japan Watch: Pockey Cellphone Strap

Japan Watch: Media Skin Cellphone

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