SkyCycle – Japan’s Sluggish Yet Terrifying Pedal-Powered Roller Coaster
Most roller coasters rely on speed, tight turns and steep slopes to get riders’ adrenaline levels up, but SkyCycle, a pedal-powered coaster ride in the Japanese city of Okayama is proof that roller coasters can be even more terrifying at low speeds. Located on a greenery-covered hill at the Washuzan Highland amusement park in Okayama, […]
Self-taught Artist Uses Face Paint to Turn herself into Real-Life Manga Characters
When it comes to recreating the characters of Japanese horror manga artist Junji Ito in real life, there’s no one better for the job than dedicated fan Mamakiteru. Mamakiteru’s Twitter bio reads “I want to live in the world of Junji Ito”, and since living in the artist’s manga is impossible, she decided to do […]
Restaurant in Japan Bans Japanese Customers, Only Serves Foreigners
A restaurant owner on Ishigakijima Island, Japan, has had enough of his countrymen’s bad banners, so he banned all Japanese customers, serving only overseas tourists instead. Yaeyama Style, a small ramen restaurant in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture should be packed this time of year, but owner Akio Arima says he only serves a couple of bowls […]
Increasing Number of Japanese People Are Renting Cars for Everything But Driving
Car-rental operators in Japan recently observed a very strange trend – a considerable number of their clients were renting cars but logging an unusually low mileage or not driving the cars at all. Renting a car is a very efficient and convenient way of getting from point A to point B, and operators prefer the […]
Japanese “Sheer” T-Shirt Gives You the Body You Always Wanted
The “Delusion Splash T-shirt” is an intriguing Japanese garment that cleverly uses shading to trick people into thinking that you look much better than you actually do. Japanese clothing designers seem to be on a quest to help consumers achieve the toned physique they’ve always dreamed of without actually stepping foot in a gym or […]
Woman Underwent Over 300 Cosmetic Procedures Because Mother Told Her She Wasn’t Pretty Enough as a Child
A 39-year-old former hostess and model from Japan recently went on national television and revealed that she spent over 30 million yen ($280,000) on cosmetic procedures in the last 21 years, after becoming traumatized that her mother had never been satisfied with her looks growing up. Tsubaki Tomomi had her first plastic surgery when she […]
Phone of the Wind – The Tragic Story Behind a Phone Booth Connected to Nothing and Nowhere
Outside the Japanese town of Otsuchi, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, there is a white, glass-paneled phone booth with a black rotary phone connected to nothing and nowhere. Ever since the tragic tsunami of 2010, which claimed nearly 20,000 human lives, thousands of grieving people have visited the booth to “call” their lost […]
Japanese Company Isolates “Young Woman Aroma”, Turns It into Popular Deodorant
Deoco, a range of women’s beauty products that allegedly captures the coveted “young woman smell”, has become a huge hit in Japan, among both older women who want to smell younger and lonely men who crave the fragrance of a younger woman. The story of this intriguing line of cosmetics began last year, when Japanese […]
This Human Mouth-Shaped Coin Purse Is Freaking People Out
A Japanese amateur artist decided to give the popular phrase ‘to put your money where your mouth is’ a literal sense by creating an ultra realistic coin purse shaped like a human mouth. Complete with stubble beard, soft pink lips and even realistic teeth and gums, the coin purse designed by Japanese music producer and […]
This Japanese Undershirt Instantly Turns Skinny Men into Buff Macho Dudes
Skinny Japanese men looking to get that coveted “slim and macho” look without putting in the work and breaking a sweat at the gym now achieve their goal pretty much instantly. All they have to do is put on the Super Macho T, a special undershirt that instantly gives them a buff physique. Developed by […]
Japan’s Fascinating Blackboard Art Trend
While most students can’t leave the class quick enough once the final bell rings, some art students in Japan stick around and pour their creativity into stunning blackboard artworks. A few years back, Hirotaka Hamasaki, an art teacher and graphic designer from Nara, Japan, went viral for his incredibly detailed chalk drawings. From recreations of famous […]
Shinjuku Tiger – Tokyo Living Legend Has Been Wearing a Tiger Mask for 45 Years
Yoshiro Harada, a newspaper delivery man from Tokyo, Japan, was only 24 years old when he decided to live the rest of his life as a tiger and became Shinjuku Tiger. Today, at age 69, he is considered a living legend of the business district. Born in Nagano Prefecture, Harada moved to Tokyo in 1967 to […]
The Skeleton Flower – The White Flower That Becomes Translucent When It Rains
Diphylleia grayi is not the most striking of flowers, in fact many people pass by it without even noticing its white, rounded petals. But that’s because they don’t know about its most impressive feature, turning translucent in contact with water. Native to wooded mountainsides in the colder regions of Japan, “skeleton flowers” bloom from mid-spring to […]
Ingenious Sprinkler System Turns Entire Japanese Hamlet into a Water Fountain
Kayabuki no Sato, a small hamlet in Kyoto famous for its traditional thatched roof houses, features a concealed sprinkler system that turns the whole place into a water fountain. Known as Miyama’s Thatched Village, Kayabuki no Sato has a higher percentage of thatched roof farmhouses than any other place in Japan. This makes it very popular with […]
Japan’s Famous Aquarium Toilet
If you love exotic fish and don’t mind hundreds of them eyeballing you while you answer nature’s call, you’ll probably love using this unique aquarium toilet in Akashi, Japan. Hipopo Papa (formerly Mumin Papa) Cafe, used to be known as one of the most popular dating spots on Hayashizaki Matsue Coast. It still is, but ever since […]