Cool Van Gogh Mosaic Made from Polo Shirts
A giant reproduction of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait, made out of polo shirts, is now on display in the lobby of the Marunouchi Building, near Tokyo Station. The 10 by 10 meters mosaic was created using 2070 polo shirts, of 24 different colors. The unique creation is part of a campaign by Onward Kashiyama […]
Karube Shrine – Where the Japanese Go to Worship Breasts
A shrine dedicated to women’s breasts may sound amusing to us foreigners, but for the Japanese, this is a truly sacred place. Located in Soja City, in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture, Karube Shrine is dedicated to Chichigamisama, the Goddess of Breasts. She is believed to help with safe child births, the production of breast milk, and […]
Queen Elizabeth – Japan’s Most Famous Love Hotel
Love hotels are part of Japan’s tradition, and the Queen Elizabeth is regarded as the most popular of them all. It’s not because of the great service, but more because of its wacky design. Shaped like the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, this weird-looking hotel is located in Kanagawa, not far from Tokyo. Apparently the rooms […]
Japanese Game Character Receives Real Life Birthday Parties
I’m a big video-game fan myself, but I’d rather go out and look for a real date, than stay home and cook sexy Lara Croft a birthday cake. Love Plus, a Japan-only video-game, for the Nintendo DS, takes the idea of dating a virtual character, a bit further than other relationship simulators. Very similar to […]
Baby Crying Festival Held in Japan
No mother likes it when her toddler starts crying, but at the Naki Sumo baby crying contest wailing is actually encouraged. Held every year, at the Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo, the baby crying festival is a 400-year-old tradition, believed to keep rug-rats in good health. Amateur sumo wrestlers hold the babies high in the air, […]
Onbashira – Japan’s Riskiest Celebration
Held every six years, in the Nagano area of Japan, Onbashira Festival is believed to have continued uninterruptedly, for the last 1200 years. Onbashira, literally translated as “the sacred pillars”, is a Japanese tradition that symbolizes the renewal of Suwa Grand Shrine. It consists of two phases: Yamadashi and Satobiki, the first held in April, […]
Make Your Own Edible Insects with GUMMIX
Produced by Japanese company Megahouse, the GUMMIX kit allows kids and grown-ups to make their own jelly insects, as pranks or food decorations. GUMMIX is part of the Megahouse 2010 Shokking lineup, and consists of special gelatin powder and insect molds. It’s as simple as it is fun. Just mix the gelatin with fruit syrup, […]
Japanese Invent Bionic Potato-Chip Grabber
Yup, leave it to the Japanese to invent something completely useless, yet totally cool. This time it’s a grabbing device for potato chips. Potato chips may be delicious, but you can’t really enjoy them without getting grease all over your fingers and then the keyboard. Well the Japanese have finally come up with a solution […]
Temari Balls – Mesmerizing Artworks Made of Yarn
The folk art of Temari Balls began in China, but it was introduced in Japan roughly 600 years ago, where it flourished and evolved into a true art-form. Legend has it, the first Japanese Temari Balls were made from old kimono threads, by mothers who wanted to make their kids something to play with. Silk […]
World’s Fishiest Wedding Cake
I’m all for originality, but replacing a wedding cake with a smelly tuna seems a bit too much. But in a country like Japan, where people fight each other with neon lamps, anything goes. A wedding-planning company in Kanagawa has been offering tuna fish instead of traditional wedding cakes for over ten years now. The […]
The PL Peace Tower – World’s Coolest Tower?
The PL Peace Tower in Tondabayashi, a town close to Osaka, Japan is by far one of the most “bizarre yet cool” buildings I have ever seen. One of the many structures located in the PL Holy Land, the PL Peace Tower was built back in 1970, using the newest construction technique at the time. […]
Giant Gigantor Unveiled in Japan
Two weeks after the Tokyo Gundam statue was dismantled, a new robot statue was unveiled in Kobe, Japan. This time it’s the Tetsujin 28-go aka Gigantor. This mean looking machine was set up in Wakamatsu Park, Kobe and unlike the RX78 Gundam statue it will remain here permanently. The funds for the construction of Gigantor […]
Rice Field Art in Rural Japan
You may think crop circles are cool, but they nothing compared to the rice field murals found in villages like Inakadate, Japan. Using purple and yellow-leafed rice, combined with the more traditional green variety, the villagers of Inakadate create true agricultural masterpieces. This all began in 1993, when people thought of doing something spectacular, to […]
World’s Most Amazing Paper Craft Castle
Wataru Itou, a talented art student from Tokyo, spent 4 years of his life building this trully incredible paper castle. Named Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle on the Ocean), this paper craft castle features electric lights and even a moving train, made of paper. It is set on exhibit at Uminohotaru, a service […]
Gundam Meets Hello Kitty
With the unveiling of the real-life RX78 Gundam in Tokyo, people have been going crazy over this Japanese icon, but some of them have really lost their minds. Like the guy who made this girly, pink Gundam action-figure. All I can hope for is that a girl is behind this, maybe she was inspired by […]