Japan

Universal Studios Japan will host life-sized Attack on Titan statues

Attack on Titan’s Titans are gigantic, hulking monstrosities with a penchant for gobbling up the remnants of Humanity – so what better thing to do than recreate life-sized versions of them for our viewing pleasure? Universal Studios Japan will be doing just that next year. Attack on Titan: The Real (Oh, Japan) is a collaborative…

Tech News James Whitbrook

Bandai are turning Stormtroopers into beautiful Matchlock Samurai

Earlier this year we saw Bandai’s ‘Samurai Taisho’ Darth Vader, a Japanese take on a Western icon, at the Tokyo Toy Show. Now the Dark Lord of the Samurai is being joined by some henchmen in these wonderful Stormtrooper figures! All Images credited to Tag Hobby Bandai revealed two more figures in their ‘Star Wars…

Tech News James Whitbrook

Japan is getting a Godzilla Blu-Ray complete with a Red Godzilla figure

I am very jealous of this. Amazon Japan is selling a special edition of Godzilla on Blu-Ray that not only comes in some lovely steelbook packaging, but with this spectacular red Godzilla figure. That’s one hot Kaiju right there. The figure is a repaint of Tamashii Nations’ gloriously articulated 2014 Godzilla from their S.H Monsterarts…

Tech News James Whitbrook

The meticulous process of making a Japanese wooden doll is impressive

I’m not exaggerating the tiniest bit when I say I want to fly to Japan right now and park myself right in front of this man’s hand made wooden doll shop in Japan and just watch him work. Imagine the earnest smell of the woodworking, the sound of the lathe spinning and the beauty of…

Sploid Casey Chan

Inside Muji’s Beautiful, Affordable Prefab Houses

The Japanese retailer Muji has built a cult following by offering nearly any object you could want in your home for not much money and proportionately great design. Now, the company is offering one more item to its line of 7,500 housewares: Actual houses. And there’s a very good economic reason for the ambitious new…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

The true Power Rangers are coming to the West for the first time ever

If you were a child of the 90’s, looking at the picture above will probably elicit the response of ‘Yeah, Power Rangers!’ – but you’re only kinda-sorta right. These are really the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, and they’re making their way to the west for the very first time. Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger was the 16th Super…

Tech News James Whitbrook

Watch the biggest firework ever explode into a 2,624-foot ball of fire

You are looking at the biggest firework ever fired, weighing a total of 1,014 pounds (460 kilograms)—a new world record. According to NHK, it exploded over the city of Konosu—in the island of Honshu, Japan—into a breathtaking rosette about 2,624 feet (800 meters) in diameter. The fireworks shell measured four feet (120 centimeters) in diameter…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

You probably get pretty frustrated when you catch your parents printing out Google Maps directions even though they have a smartphone, but the notion seems less ridiculous when those same maps are coming off of a 3D printer as a way to let the visually impaired safely navigate a city by foot. Japan’s Geospatial Information…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Gundam Is Coming To America. All Of It.

Bandai Japan is partnering with anime distributor Right Stuf to bring out the entire mecha anime franchise, including Turn A, Gundam ZZ, The Origin and a few other versions that never made it to America before. The original 1979 Gundam series and Turn A will lead the charge with a spring 2015 release. [Via The…

io9 Rob Bricken

These Halloween Disney Bearbricks are creepy for all the wrong reasons

Disney and Medicom are collaborating on a new range of Bearbrick toys for Halloween this year, taking 9 characters and dressing them up in Halloween costumes. The results? Petrifying, but perhaps not in the way Medicom expected. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, Pooh, Chip and Dale all get makeovers for the holidays in the…

Tech News James Whitbrook

Realistic Japanese doll dispenses drinks when you squeeze her breasts

Check out the latest hit at Japanese parties: $5,000 latex dolls that pour drinks from their nipples when you squeeze their boobs. It looks disturbing. What’s going to be next, Japan? Male and female android fountains wandering around parties serving drinks from their lower naughty bits? But of course. SPLOID is a new blog about…

Sploid Omar Kardoudi

Hand-Colored Photos Turn Early 20th Century Japan Into A Dream World

Nobukuni Enami, also known as T. Enami, was a photographer and studio owner in Yokohama from 1892 until his death in 1929. He made thousands of stereoviews, lantern-slides and postcards in his lifetime, which are essential in the pictorial history of the Meiji and Taishō eras. The resort village of Hakone on Lake Ashi Morning…

io9 Vincze Miklós

How To Get A Job As a Professional Nerd

Greetings, my stalwart stamp-lickers! Get ready for the dream-crushingest installment of “Postal Apocalypse” ever! It’s actually a miracle that this installment got finished, as basically I’ve been staring at Pretty Guardians Golden Girls for the last two hours. Top image: Shutterstock/Ollyy. No, that’s not me. I don’t know how to tie a bowtie. On the…

io9 Rob Bricken

Don’t Call It Sony: This Is VAIO’s New Prototype Tablet PC

Remember when Sony decided to sell off its entire PC businessin one fell swoop? It looks like that wasn’t the end of the company’s iconic VAIO designs. Today at Adobe’s MAX design conference, the new VAIO Corporation showed off a brand new tablet computer aimed directly at pros. It’s a beefy machine with a 12.3-inch…

Tech News Sean Hollister

The Naruto Manga Is Ending Next Month. Believe It!

After 15 years, nearly 700 installments and over 200 million volumes sold, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga will finally be coming to an end next month in the November 10th issue of the Japanese Shonen Jump anthology. There are two things worth mentioning here: 1) With Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga ending also shortly, that leaves only…

Books & Comics Rob Bricken

Learning From Mount Ontake How To Survive An Eruption

A sudden pyroclastic flow erupted in Japan on September 27th, sending hikers fleeing to the dubious safety of mountain lodges. Here’s an update covering your questions on what happened, why we didn’t predict it, and what you could do to survive. Top image: Nagoya City firefighters (orange) and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel (camo) climb…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

The Secret History between Marvel and Super Sentai Shows

We already know that Toei’s Japanese Spider-Man show gave us one of the weirdest versions of Spider-Man ever, but did you know that Marvel played an incredibly important role in the evolution of the Sentai genre as we know it? https://gizmodo.com/the-10-most-bizarre-alt-universe-versions-of-spider-man-1635890437 Youtubers ToyBountyHunters multiple-part series on the history of Sentai shows in Japan, It’s Henshin…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook

Japanese Volcano Violently Erupts, Sending Hikers Racing To Safety

Mount Ontake violently erupted without warning Saturday morning in Japan. Unbelievably, hikers not only survived, but recorded the pyroclastic flows racing towards them. Here’s the science of what happened. Top image: Mount Ontake eruption at 11:53 am on September 27, 2014. Credit: AP Photo/Yomiuri Shimbun/Toshihiko Kawaguchi https://gizmodo.com/violent-eruption-traps-hikers-at-mount-ontake-japan-1639813357

io9 Mika McKinnon

Here’s The Science Of The Violent Eruption That Stranded Japanese Hikers

This is the science behind Mount Ontake’s violent eruption in Japan on Saturday morning. Unbelievably, many hikers survived, documenting their perspective of the pyroclastic flow and trekking out of the volcanic wasteland. Left: Hikers evacuating after the eruption. Credit: @mori____mori. Right: Aerial view of the Mount Ontake eruption. Credit: NHK The eruption occurred mid-morning on…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

7 Weird and Wonderful Japanese adaptations of Western Characters

Over the weekend we took a look at Square-Enix’s take on Darth Vader for its Play Arts Kai figure line – and it was great! In celebration of the awesome silliness that can happen when East meets West, here’s 7 of the times Japan has adapted western franchises in its own weirdly endearing style. https://gizmodo.com/not-even-darth-vader-can-escape-the-madness-of-play-art-1637344431…

Tech News James Whitbrook

Universal Studios Japan will host life-sized Attack on Titan statues

Bandai are turning Stormtroopers into beautiful Matchlock Samurai

Japan is getting a Godzilla Blu-Ray complete with a Red Godzilla figure

The meticulous process of making a Japanese wooden doll is impressive

Inside Muji’s Beautiful, Affordable Prefab Houses

The true Power Rangers are coming to the West for the first time ever

Watch the biggest firework ever explode into a 2,624-foot ball of fire

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

Gundam Is Coming To America. All Of It.

These Halloween Disney Bearbricks are creepy for all the wrong reasons

Realistic Japanese doll dispenses drinks when you squeeze her breasts

Hand-Colored Photos Turn Early 20th Century Japan Into A Dream World

How To Get A Job As a Professional Nerd

Don’t Call It Sony: This Is VAIO’s New Prototype Tablet PC

The Naruto Manga Is Ending Next Month. Believe It!

Learning From Mount Ontake How To Survive An Eruption

The Secret History between Marvel and Super Sentai Shows

Japanese Volcano Violently Erupts, Sending Hikers Racing To Safety

Here’s The Science Of The Violent Eruption That Stranded Japanese Hikers

7 Weird and Wonderful Japanese adaptations of Western Characters

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Holds a Record Low Price as Bone Conduction Headphones Stock Quietly Clears Out on Amazon

Avast Premium Isn’t Flashy — But It Might Be the Smartest Cheap Antivirus Right Now

Data Centers Create Heat Islands Stretching 6 Miles, Study Finds

Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition Smartwatch at 41% Off Is Flying Off the Shelves on Amazon

Aragorn Is Officially Being Recast For ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

DJI Slashes $500 Off the Mini 5 Pro Fly More Drone After Avata 360 Launch, Bundled With RC 2, Batteries, and More

Artemis 2 Day 3: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Illumination Is Officially Learning Nothing

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Japan

Universal Studios Japan will host life-sized Attack on Titan statues

Bandai are turning Stormtroopers into beautiful Matchlock Samurai

Japan is getting a Godzilla Blu-Ray complete with a Red Godzilla figure

The meticulous process of making a Japanese wooden doll is impressive

Inside Muji’s Beautiful, Affordable Prefab Houses

The true Power Rangers are coming to the West for the first time ever

Watch the biggest firework ever explode into a 2,624-foot ball of fire

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

​Gundam Is Coming To America. All Of It.

These Halloween Disney Bearbricks are creepy for all the wrong reasons

Realistic Japanese doll dispenses drinks when you squeeze her breasts

Hand-Colored Photos Turn Early 20th Century Japan Into A Dream World

​How To Get A Job As a Professional Nerd

Don’t Call It Sony: This Is VAIO’s New Prototype Tablet PC

The Naruto Manga Is Ending Next Month. Believe It!

Learning From Mount Ontake How To Survive An Eruption

The Secret History between Marvel and Super Sentai Shows

Japanese Volcano Violently Erupts, Sending Hikers Racing To Safety

Here’s The Science Of The Violent Eruption That Stranded Japanese Hikers

7 Weird and Wonderful Japanese adaptations of Western Characters

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Holds a Record Low Price as Bone Conduction Headphones Stock Quietly Clears Out on Amazon

Avast Premium Isn’t Flashy — But It Might Be the Smartest Cheap Antivirus Right Now

Data Centers Create Heat Islands Stretching 6 Miles, Study Finds

Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition Smartwatch at 41% Off Is Flying Off the Shelves on Amazon

Aragorn Is Officially Being Recast For ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

DJI Slashes $500 Off the Mini 5 Pro Fly More Drone After Avata 360 Launch, Bundled With RC 2, Batteries, and More

Artemis 2 Day 3: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Illumination Is Officially Learning Nothing

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Gundam Is Coming To America. All Of It.

How To Get A Job As a Professional Nerd