Capsule Machine In Japan Dispenses Faces of Strangers
An unusual capsule machine in Shinjuku, Tokyo has been getting a lot of attention on social media for dispensing ID photos of total strangers for 300 yen ($2.30). Gachapon capsule toys are really popular in Japan, so popular that you can find them virtually everywhere, dispensing all kinds of collectibles, from small action figures and […]
IT Amulet Promises to Keep Computers Virus-Free and Working Smoothly
Japanese Shinto shrine sells low-tech IT amulets that promise to keep computers from freezing and restarting randomly, as well as free from viruses and malware. Kanda Myojin, a popular Shinto shrine in Akihabara, Tokyo sells a variety of amulets and prayers, but none as intriguing as the “computer function amulet”. Consisting of a small, CPU-shaped […]
Smart Chopsticks Use Electrical Stimulation to Enhance Food Flavors
Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings teamed up with researchers at Meiji University in Tokyo to create smart chopsticks that reportedly make food taste more savory. Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita has been researching electrical stimulation as a way to alter the way people experience food and flavor for years. In 2016, along with fellow researcher […]
Unique Tokyo Café Only Serves Struggling Writers Working on Tight Deadlines
The Manuscript Writing Café in Tokyo, Japan only caters to writers working on tight deadlines, providing the motivation and assistance required to make sure they meet those deadlines. Japan is no stranger to offbeat cafes that sometimes inspire worldwide trends. Remember cat cafes? That popular trend originated in the Asian country, as did, maid cafes, […]
Japanese Restaurant Goes Viral for Serving Dessert Shaped Like Pieces of Plaster
The Opuses restaurant at The Royal Park Hotel in Ginza, Tokyo recently got a lot of attention because of an intriguing dessert shaped like pieces of wall plaster. On the list of least appetizing things in the world, wall plaster ranks pretty highly, so most people wouldn’t call it the most inspired choice for designing […]
Master Welders Create 1mm Metal Die, Leave Internet Stunned
A team of welders from Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan recently showed off their skill by painstakingly welding the faces of a 1mm die. Photos of a metallic die barely visible on a person’s fingertip and a magnified up-close photos showing the elegant welding keeping all six facets together recently went viral on Japanese social […]
Japanese Couple Divorce and Remarry Every 3 Years to Take Turns Using Their Family Names
A Japanese couple who can’t agree on their last name has agreed to divorce and remarry every three years so they can take turns using their respective last names. Japanese law clearly states that couples must agree on a single last name to use after they get married, but what happens when two lovers just […]
Japanese Factory Lets You Knit Your Own Socks by Riding a Bicycle
Souki Socks, a small sock factory in Japan’s Nara Prefecture, has devised a machine that allows people to knit their own socks by pedaling on a stationary bicycle. Unless you’re a fan of knitting, making socks doesn’t exactly sound like a fun experience. This was the reality that the brilliant minds Souki Socks were confronted […]
Japanese Company Unveils Rideable Robot Goat
Japanese tech giant Kawasaki caused a lot of raised eyebrows at the world’s largest robot trade show in Tokyo, with Bex, a rideable robot goat. The 2022 International Robot Exhibition featured a lot of ingenious creations, but few as attention-grabbing as Kawasaki’s latest invention, a robot goat that can carry approximately 220 pounds of cargo. […]
This Indoor Nuclear Shelter Fits Even in a Tiny Apartment
A Japanese company is selling metallic shelters that can be installed in apartments and small houses, for protection against natural disasters and even radiation and missile strikes. You’ve probably heard of millionaires and doomsday preppers building their own luxury underground bunkers, but one Japanese company claims you can ride out the nuclear apocalypse from the […]
Office Worker Does Ab Wheel Exercises Every Day for a Year to Get Anime Character Body
A young Japanese office worker has allegedly been doing ab wheel exercises every day for the last year in order to attain the muscular body of his favorite anime character, Inosuke Hashibira. On March 1st, 2021, the 33-year-old office worker, known only by his Twitter handle (@InosukeWorkout) posted photos of his body on the microblogging […]
Meet Yakei, the Macaque “Queen” Who Became the First Female Alpha in Her Pack’s History
Yakei, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque at the Takasakiyama natural zoological garden, shocked staff by fighting her way through several strong males to become the first female alpha in the troupe’s 70-year history. The story of Yakei’s rise to power sounds like the plot of a Hollywood epic. Born into the 677-strong troupe B at […]
Onagadori – A Japanese Chicken Breed With Majestically Long Tail Feathers
The Onagadori (‘honorable fowl’ in Japanese) is a rare chicken breed known for its exceptionally long tail, which can reach over 10 meters, putting even peacocks to shame. Of the seventeen chicken breeds considered Japanese national treasures, the Onagadori is the only one to have “special” status. Ever since it received this status in 1952, […]
Self-Taught Artist Draws the Most Amazing Optical Illusions
Aria, a 25-year-old self-taught artist from Japan, specializes in 3D color pencil drawings that look ready to jump off of the sheet of paper they are drawn on. Despite what your eyes are desperately trying to make you think, Aria’s works are all two-dimensional. She just has this innate ability to draw a variety of […]
Japanese Boy Is Breaking the Internet With His Feminine Looks
Idegami Baku looks like she should be in a popular idol group, only she is actually a 19-year-old boy with perhaps the most striking androgynous appearance in the world. Men using makeup and photo manipulation technology to pose as women online has become a really popular trend in recent years, but no one does it […]