Category: Uncategorized

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Want to Grow a Bonsai Tree? There’s an App for That

Jan 24, 2013 by Jessica
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Saitama Prefecture might be known abroad for its connection to famous anime like Lucky Star and Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, but it’s better known in traditional art circles as a modern center for bonsai, the ancient practice of cultivating miniature trees. In fact, there is even a section of Saitama City called Bonsai Village that was once selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as one of the 100 most scenic towns in Japan.

The prefecture has now created a smartphone game called Twit Bonsai to promote Saitama’s bonsai attractions, and although you may think pruning a virtual tree sounds like the height of boredom, the app is gaining an unexpectedly enthusiastic following. Read More

“The Life and Sex Museum” Welcomes You, But Remember It’s Not a Sex Museum!

Dec 31, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Sex museums can be found all over the world exhibiting various kinky items. Japan alone has quite a few. According to Wikipedia Japan, there are six sex museums or hihokan in Gunma Prefecture.

This is much to the chagrin of the Life and Sex Museum who are listed among them, but don’t consider themselves a sex museum at all.

Thanks to Shigenobu Matsuzawa, the blogger scouring the heartlands of Japan for the oddest attractions like the bicycle theme park, we can take a virtual tour of this tribute to the miracles of life and sex and see what it has to offer.

But remember – It’s not a sex museum!

**That being said, a lot of it is probably not safe for work.**

Dec 29, 2012 by John Stuart Translations
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With shades of Minority Report, Japanese security services company SECOM unveiled an autonomous flying crime-prevention robot to the press on December 26. Basically a flying surveillance camera, the robot is the first of its kind in the world to be offered for private security use. Shuji Maeda, SECOM’s president, said he hoped to make the device available in 2014.
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Armed Forces of Ukraine Holds Beauty Pageant for Soldiers

Dec 24, 2012 by Steven
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Ukraine is known for being home to some of the most beautiful women in the world, and also these two.

It seems the gene pool is so refined in Ukraine that even their soldiers and gorgeous, and the military must know it because every year they hold the “Miss Trooper” contest, a beauty pageant to determine the most stunning soldier female soldier in the Ukraine army.

Dec 20, 2012 by Jessica
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Have you thought about what you would like done with your body after you die?

Of course, it’s uncomfortable to contemplate your own death or the death of a loved one, but we’ve all got to go sometime. In Japan, the vast majority of people are cremated and their ashes interred at a family grave. While this is certainly more space-efficient than the Western practice of burying the casket, room in the plot does eventually run out. Then the family is faced with the expensive choice of either expanding the existing plot if possible or finding and purchasing a new one. Then there are all kinds of hidden costs, like construction and maintenance fees. It’s a lot to think about.

With these concerns in mind, a new style of internment has been gaining popularity even in traditional Japan. It’s called a forest cemetery. Read More

16 Things I Learned From Dressing in Drag: Confessions of a One-night Crossdresser

Nov 3, 2012 by Jessica
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There are all kinds of men in the world, but I have arbitrarily decided that the kind of man that wants to try wearing women’s clothes at least once in his life are in the majority. I’m not talking about becoming a cross-dresser for life, but most guys would like to see what it’s like to go around in a dress at least for a little bit, right?

I am one of those men! In my 33 years on this earth, I have long thought that just once, I would like to proudly declare my desire to dress like a woman, and at long last, I seized my opportunity this Halloween to girl it up, and as a result I learned 16 things that men would never know unless they walked a mile in a woman’s shoes. Read More

Nissan’s New Safety Technology Wrestles Control of the Wheel from Drivers Facing Doom

Oct 22, 2012 by Master Blaster
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As the world inches closer and closer to driverless cars, Nissan released a video demonstration of their newest precrash system, the Autonomous Emergency Steering System. It utilizes an arrangement of camera, laser, and radar sensors to detect objects around your car and avoid potential collisions by commandeering the steering wheel.

In other words, if your car thinks it can drive better than you then it takes control of the wheel.

Oct 12, 2012 by Steven
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Among other things, the toilet is a place for peaceful introspection. It provides an isolated and quiet space for us to devote a few minutes from our busy schedules to just sit and think.

Some people seek to enhance the spiritually soothing properties of the toilet by adorning their bathroom in calming pastel colors or setting a bowl of potpourri or other aromatic atop the toilet’s porcelain tank.

One Japanese person, true to his culture, has taken excremeditation to new levels by installing a working traditional Japanese bamboo fountain on top of his toilet.

Oct 12, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Hot on the heels of its highly successful Super Mario spoof animal fur campaign, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has launched a brand new flash game that centres on kids’ videogame favourite Pokémon, exposing the cruel truth behind the trainer / pocket monster relationship and prompting us all to think a little harder about how we treat animals.

The game, which mimics the style of the hugely popular videogame, has seen thousands of visits since its launch, and asks players to take on the role of captive pokémon as they battle with their abusive trainer for freedom. Read More

Rent a Piece of World Heritage for only $128 a Month!

Oct 11, 2012 by Master Blaster
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So, you’ve seen the stories about dirt cheap 1 yen land in Hokkaido but couldn’t be bothered to actually build something. Then you checked the aucion listing for the 1 yen house in Iwate, and upon seeing it quickly understood why it was 1 yen. Finally you looked into that medieval Japanese town replica complete with castle but found it outside of your budget.

Is there any deal out there that balances the stunning beauty and history of Japan with a reasonable price? Ainokura district says yes. They are offering one of their famous traditional houses for only 10,000 yen (US$128) a month! There’s just one catch, it’s haaauuunted…

…by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Oct 11, 2012 by Master Blaster
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So you’re a middle aged person living in Japan with a mind to tie the knot but can’t seem to find that perfect match. You went to a goukon and followed all the rules but still couldn’t land that potential spouse.

It could be because you’re a geek. Now, that’s not as bad as it sounds. Statistics that I just pulled out of thin air suggest that up to 31% of us carry the otaku gene. Some of our best and brightest are nerds, such as Mark Zuckerberg, Weird Al Yankovic, and Wayne Gretzky.

However, for the otaku, marriage can be as hard to complete as that level in Battletoads where you have ride the hover bike. This is why the town of Washimiya has set up the Otaku Marriage Hunting Masquerade Ball.

Oct 11, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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A refreshing bubbly drink is desirable in any season, but particularly in hot weather. Pour it over ice on a hot day and you have an excellent refresher.

While it comes after the hot and humid summer has passed, Soda Sparkle, the home soda machine that lets you take plain water and carbonate it, finally came to Japan earlier this year!

Oct 3, 2012 by Kay
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Okay, it’s a fact of life that cat lovers (myself included) can never get enough of cute cat videos, and to date RocketNews24 has certainly posted its share of articles on videos featuring adorable felines, ranging from the hilarious to the heartwarming. This time, for the viewing pleasure of our cat-loving readers, we present to you Chibi and Mimi, the “cat in the box” and the “cat on the box”.

Sep 26, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Perhaps irked by the fact that we humans are tweeting almost as much as they are, perhaps just victims of the information age like the rest of us, birds have taken to keyboards to share their thoughts through micro-blogging site Twitter. No word yet as to whether they’re just telling us what they had for lunch or the topics they’re trending…

A bird lover in Latvia has set up a twitter account just for his local birds, and let’s them do the typing, with the account having already attracted more than 2,000 followers. Read More

U.S. Marines Latest Robot Tested Outdoors, Japanese Net Thinks It Looks Like a Homo

Sep 13, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Robotics Company Boston Dynamics has recently uploaded a video their Legged Squad Support System (LS3) being tested in rugged outdoor terrain. The robot is designed to carry equipment for soldier over uneven landscapes.

It’s a pretty incredible feat of engineering with only one apparent flaw: It reminds Japanese Twitter users of Homo, a recent meme that has swept the nation.

Sep 12, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Comikets and ComiCons continue to escalate the chance of you bumping into someone dressed like a slime from Dragon Quest gets bigger and bigger. And hey, if you see someone dressed in shiny armor with a huge-ass sword or a half-naked goddess with her pet camel, you might just want to take a photo.

But hold your horses, Leibovitz: before you start snapping away at a bunch of guys dressed like dragon balls, there’s a code of conduct that you should adhere to. You wouldn’t want to tick her off at all by being all rude with your photography now would you?

Aug 24, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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If you have ever been outside your own country, you most likely have experienced some form of culture shock. In fact just visiting another city or town can make you aware of how things are done differently all over. In Japan, some things are so surprisingly different for foreigners that there is some uniformity in the shock value. Any Japanese with their eyes and ears open can be aware of what is most shocking to many foreigners. It is makes for fascinating conversation, “What is most surprising about Japan to foreigners? I heard…” This riveting subject matter prompts reflection, a moment of feeling good about one’s culture, sprinkled with the ability to and laugh at oneself.

Here is a list of 9 things foreigners experience when first visiting Japan (according to Japanese columnist Ryoko Kozakai over at Excite, at least):
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Create a Breeze and Beat the Heat with These Uchiwa

Aug 11, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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If you don’t live in Hokkaido, Japanese summers are hot and humid! A good way to stay cool, other than staying in a confined room where air-conditioned air is piped out from a room cooler, is to use a uchiwa. It only takes just a little muscle to keep a constant breeze and recently there are highly functional ones that will help send cool air your way!

Stainless Steel type, put it in the Freezer!

Aug 11, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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Did you do a double take too? Yes! The Olympic rings are six instead of five! But wait! That sixth ring is the moon! WOW! How beautiful! And it fit perfectly as the sixth ring, only for a moment though, caught in this picture perfectly!