Flying orbs. At first, you might think of the Tall Man and his army of flying sentinel spheres, equipped with zombie brains and a mini-arsenal of saw blades, drill bits and shooting lasers. But these flying orbs weren't conceived from the evil mind of a superhuman mortician—they were designed by Fumiyuki Sato, a researcher at the Japanese Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute—for something other than deadly deeds.
Without Japan, video games would not be very fun. Atari's early work was important, but Japanese developers, publishers, and hardware makers were responsible for almost every major advance in video games for the first 25 years of their mainstream existence. In recent years, it has often been said that they have become less relevant than Western developers. In the indie games movement— (our area of greatest interest here at Indie Games Ichiban)—Japan does not have anywhere near the presence th...
Fujitsu Limited has developed what they call the world's smallest Windows 7 PC, which will become available shortly on NTT DoCoMo, Japan's predominant mobile phone operator. The dual-boot device acts as both a smartphone and a portable personal computer that runs the Windows 7 operating system.
Shiny, pretty touchscreen vending machines have finally gone mainstream in Japan. My only question is... what's taken so long? The vending machine business can be quite lucrative (location, location, location), so all the more reason to make the interface as aesthetically appealing and user friendly as the iPhone AND as smart as a robot (read below). Features (translation via YouTube):
Androgynous. Stumpy. Creepy. The horror movie robot, created by the notorious Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, is projected to be available for around $8,000 later this year.
What's harder than returning Nadal's serve, hitting a Clemens fastball or tossing a Manning bros. level touchdown pass?
Ni no Kuni is a gorgeous hand drawn and animated game coming to the PS3 and Nintendo DS. The story is about Oliver, a 13 year old who has lost his mother. Wishing for her to come back, a magical toy tells him that this might be possible and they set off on a journey in a parallel magical world. In the trailer above, the PS3 is able to almost match the visual quality of the cartoon animations originally made for cut scenes in the DS game.
Finally, Jell-O shots hit Japan. You would think the land of pop, sickly sweet, and incredibly creative commercialization of endless innovative products would have long ago begun serving an alcoholic drink that is A) candy colored B) candy tasting and C) slides right down the gullet, easy as 1-2-3.
2017 has been a good year for Apple thus far. The new Kantar data is out, showing that from November 2016 to January 2017, the iPhone 7 has held steady as the top-selling phone in all the largest markets.
Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto's medium of choice is none other than your simple household table salt, fragile and completely ephemeral. Yamamoto creates beautiful installations with the medium, salt being a strong symbol in Japanese death culture (as well as several other cultures around the world: Hinduism, Catholicism, Egyptian and Aztec mythology).
Eat your heart out, Joey Chestnut. There's a new super-speed-eater in town, and she means business. 45-year-old Hatsuyo Sugawara downed an incredible number of 399 bowls of soba noodles in just ten minutes at the annual All-Japan Wanko Soba Eating Championship this past Sunday. The noodle queen calls herself a food fighter, and has been coined "the witch".
Maglev trains. Why are they so cool? Well, for starters, they float. The idea of levitating trains have been around since the '60's. The first commercially available levitator was introduce in 1984, Birmingham, England. The fastest known floating train is Japan's JR-Maglev, reaching speeds of 581 km/h.
From Japan hails this magical man and his homemade ocarina. First, this loveable vegetable musician plays "Song of Time", from the video game Zelda: Ocarina in Time, with perfect pitch and clarity. The catch, of course, is rather than a gourd pan flute or even a Nintendo, Mr. Heita uses a carrot. From Japan hails this magical man and his homemade ocarina. First, this loveable vegetable musician plays "Song of Time", from the video game Zelda: Ocarina in Time, with perfect pitch and clarity. T...
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Japanese game shows are legendary for being more extreme (and absurd) than their American counterparts. Chris Farley immortalized the concept in a classic SNL sketch, and MXC and Ninja Warrior have both achieved great success dubbed and subtitled on American television. A big part of their appeal is how demanding they are compared to U.S. game shows. Only a few people have actually won Ninja Warrior in its 23 seasons on the air, and MXC is a constant comedy of failure and pain.
Do you'll know a program software to detect unmask caller's for cellphones for abroad network's carriers, as i often travel abroad to Hong Kong ,Japan and Malaysia and i went switch to those networks via changing the States sim card to the local domestic sim card i often received unmasked/private number's callers calling myself but i have not way of finding out who is it?
Do you know a program software to detect unmask caller's for cellphones for abroad network's carriers, as i often travel abroad to Hong Kong ,Japan and Malaysia and i went switch to those networks via changing the States sim card to the local domestic sim card i often received unmasked/private number's callers calling myself but i have not way of finding out who is it?
In the wake of the recent tragedy in Japan, Southern Californians have been hyper alert to any news regarding dangerous levels of nuclear radiation drifting over from Fukushima. At this time, official statements from the California Department of Public Health and the EPA are assuaging the population that there is nothing to fear. While there has been some detection of radiation in the air, the current levels recorded are "thousands of times below any conservative level of concern". But despit...
If you're like me, just the idea of skydiving triggers nearly-pee-in-the-pants petrification. But with a little imagination, plus Google Image Search and a projector, and all of us ninnies out there can pretend to do the real thing:
Planning a trip to Japan? Your basic sushi etiquette isn't quite enough. You'll need to know the right things to say, the right way to kneel, and the right way to consume. Click through for AskMen's top 10 rules on authentic sushi eating.
Shinya Kimura is an artist. And his art is the motorcycle. Though a legend in Japan for some time now, the motorcycle engineer first came into the American public eye as a contestant on Biker Build-Off, a Discovery Channel channel show featuring custom bike builders. Kimura has been accredited with originating the popular, vintage style trend of customized bike building (think Pimp My Ride meets retro Harley Davidson).
Sadako Sasaki was a Girl from Japan who apperently survived the dropping of the A-Bomb over Hiroshima unharmed. But when she turned twelve it became obvious that she had leukemia as an aftermath of the A-bomb. As she was in hospital friends visited her and one of them folded an Origami Crane for her telling her the story of the 1000 cranes that grand you a wish. Hoping for cure she began to fold. At this point stories begin to vary some say she made it and continued as nothing happen after 10...
New buildings, decorations, wasabi crop and asian pear tree. Inside the mystery box we have:
Happy Birthday FarmVille!!!!! Adoptable Party Duck
Ever play a 3D hand held game tied to a gorgeous blond model? Yeah, it happens all the time, so boring. But the video does give a nice look at the 3D aspect of the system. In the video you can see how it adapts to the players movement of the device.
Japan rules cosplay culture, and these superfans are no exception to the rule. Tokyo Fashion hits the streets, Fruits style, capturing these top-notch, über stylish fashion homages to the infamous Lady Gaga.
Take a tour of the ISS (International Space Station), just posted on YouTube this week. The ISS is an international project, including the five participant space stations: American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA).
If the letters on your laptop keyboard are faded or dirty, cover them with strips of washi tape. A high-quality, decorative tape made of rice paper based in Japan, washi tape is an extremely versatile craft tape known for its eye-pleasing decorative patterns and low-adhesive quality that makes it easy to unstick, reposition, and reuse again and again.
If you've ever popped the hood of you car and went, "I can do that," then you're about to get your chance. A Japanese company called Modi-Corp has unveiled its plans to release a kit that will let you put together your very own electric car. Granted, it's not that impressive of a vehicle. Actually, the "Pius" is just a one-seater and somehow strangely classified in Japan as a "motorized bicycle." The "car" will only be able to reach top speeds of up to 21 mph, making it more of a go-kart than...
Major banks and the financial global elite are now confirmed to have as much as $32 trillion in hidden assets stashed away in offshore accounts that are subject to little or no taxation. As a result, around $280 billion is estimated to be lost in tax revenues. In other words, the multi-trillion dollar banks and elite families are avoiding any taxation while forcing United States citizens to foot the bill. Amazingly, the $32 trillion stashed away represents the overall GDP of the United States...
Can't help but smile at this goofy, endearing nerd "master" (Vitalijus Rodnovas) guiding his copy-cat protege robot (coined Waldo). The rig allows Waldo to mimic Rodnovas' body movements in actual real time.
Kogoro Kurata, master ironsmith, known for his massive, impressive metalworking. His creations are awe-inspiring. Any blacksmith or engineer would agree.
Pen Spinning lives in a similar world of the unassuming arts of Cup Stacking and Dice Stacking. All three performing arts truly require a great deal of practice and skill.
Here's a DIY dream. Solar-power, recycled bottles, snap'n'go toy car! Simple. How easy to transform trash into toys.
Pachinko originated in Japan as large casino machines that were similar to video slot machines. Players gambled on them for prizes. They were then adapted and became popular in the US as handheld kids' toys made of cardboard, a couple of BBs, some plastic and a rubber band.
One of the biggest video games events of the year is about to happen in Japan tomorrow, when the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) kicks off. If you've never heard of it, just think of it as the E3 of the East—a video game extravaganza open to both businesses (Thursday and Friday) and the public (Saturday and Sunday). And even though it hasn't officially started, TGS has already released some grand announcements, specifically about Nintendo's future lineup and a precipitous drop in their share prices.
For as much money as they've made from North American video game audiences over the years, Japanese game developers don't seem to have very much faith in them. Dozens of great titles from their 40 years in the industry have appeared in Japan and across Europe, oftentimes even in English. But they never make it over to America, like Mother 3, Last Window: Midnight Promise, Dragon Force 2, and Tobal No. 2 (that one didn't even hit Europe).
In case you haven't noticed, I absolutely adore video games. Most of my friends don't, so to get my fix of knowledgable video game conversation I have turned to podcasts. They're free, they feature the smartest people in games journalism, and can be enjoyed while doing just about anything. Working. Walking the dog. Crying yourself to sleep. Whatever you're into.
Japan's Shoichi Uchiyama is a hardcore advocate of insect cuisine. His selling point? A heavenly nutty flavor, the delicious texture of shellfish, AND high in nutritional value.
We are embarking upon a new year. As usual, some of us will make "resolutions." There isn't anything wrong with setting goals for the year. It's actually a good idea. It may help focus the energy we bring to life.
