Japanese Civil Servant Fined $11,000 For Smoking on the Job 4,512 Times in 14 Years
A Japanese civil servant in Osaka was recently forced to return 1.44 million yen ($11,000) of his salary after being found guilty of smoking during work hours more than 4,500 times in 14 years. When people say smoking is an expensive vice, they are generally referring to the cost of cigarretes, but in cities like […]
Man Climbs 4,100m Mountain in Three-Piece Suit and Leather Shoes
A popular Japanese tailor and adventurer recently went viral on social media after climbing Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia, in a three-piece suit and stylish leather suit. One of the last things you would expect to see at the top of the 4,095-meter Mount Kinabalu is a Japanese fellow wearing a pristine three-piece […]
Suction Cup Tug of War – A Bald Man’s Sport
The Japanese town of Tsuruta is famous for hosting a unique annual competition – a popular game of tug of war in which bald men attach suction cups to their heads and pull in opposite directions. The Covid-19 pandemic threw a wrench in all aspects of Japanese society, but it’s fair to say that social […]
Scientists Finally Solve Mystery of Japan’s Tiny Mummified Mermaid
For decades, the mummified remains of a creature resembling a small mermaid have been worshipped at a temple in Asakuchi, Japan, but scientists have long suspected that the mermaid mummy was actually man-made. Allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean, off the island of Shikoku, between 1736 and 1741, the famous mermaid mummy has been kept […]
SpoGomi – How Japan Turned Collecting Trash Into a Competitive Sport
SpoGomi, a combination of ‘sport’ and ‘gomi’ (Japanese for rubbish) is a popular competition in which teams of 3-5 people try to pick up the most trash of the highest quality in a set period of time. Japan recently announced that it would host the first SpoGomi World Cup in November of 2023, with teams […]
Lay Down Anywhere With This Wearable Beanbag
A Japanese garment company recently made international news headlines for its newest creation – a wearable beanbag that allows you to comfortably sit or lay down anytime, anywhere. When thinking about ultimate comfort, a giant beanbag that you can wear is probably not the first thing that comes to mind, but according to Takikou, a […]
Blind Computer Scientist Creates AI-Powered Suitcase For the Visually Impaired
AI Suitcase is a smart suitcase developed by a blind computer scientist to aid the visually impaired in navigating their surrounding more efficiently without the aid of white canes or guide dogs. 65-year-old Chieko Asakawa has been completely blind since she was only 14, following a tragic accident. A computer scientist and also the director […]
Racehorse Runs Entire Race Without a Jockey, Wins Anyway
The Tokay Stakes 2023 horse race at the Chukyo Racecourse in Nagoya, Japan was technically won by a racehorse that ran the entire race without a jockey. While it’s true that a jockey can’t really help a slow horse win a race, their role in professional horse racing is undeniable. The jockey plays many roles […]
Restaurant Serves Classic Miso Ramen With a Slice of Strawberry Shortcake
A restaurant in Osaka, Japan has built a reputation for serving traditional miso ramen with an unusual twist, like a slice of strawberry shortcake. Franken, a Japanese restaurant specializing in miso ramen, first made international news headlines last January, when it started selling a unique variant of sweet-and-sour red miso ramen with a cone of […]
Chu-hi-cha – A Unique Type of Tea Brewed From Caterpillar Droppings
Chu-hi-cha is the name of a new type of tea discovered by a Japanese researcher at Kyoto University. It involves brewing the droppings of caterpillars that have feasted on various plants. Tsuyoshi Maruoka came up with the idea of caterpillar tea during graduate studies at Kyoto University’s Faculty of Agriculture, while researching the mysterious relationship […]
Japanese Company Develops Device That Rates the Deliciousness of Soba Noodles
A Nagano-based company recently announced that it had created the world’s first noodle taste analyzer, a machine that can scientifically estimate the tastiness of soba noodles within seconds. Japan’s Nagano Prefecture is well-known for its soba noodles, a popular variety made with buckwheat flour. To honor the prefecture’s soba noodle production, local tool-maker Yatsurugigiken Inc. […]
The Hyper-Realistic Spherical Paintings of Daisuke Samejima
Daisuke Samejima is a talented Japanese artist whose amazing spherical paintings look like the view through a fish-eye lens, regardless of the angle you see them from. Painting a hyper-realistic rendition of an object, animal or human is difficult enough, but imagine doing it on a spherical canvas instead of a flat one. Apart from […]
This $100 Eraser Weighs Five Pounds, Could Be the World’s Largest
The Radar S-10000 measures 276 x 141 x 43 mm and weighs over 2.2 kilograms (5 pounds), making it one of the largest, if not the largest, commercially available erasers. Japanese eraser maker Seed was founded in 1915, making it one of the oldest companies in the business. Its most popular product line, Radar, was […]
Clothing Brand Specializes in Fashionable Hospital Patient Gowns
Lifte is a Japanese clothing brand that specializes in hospital patient gowns that are not only comfortable to wear but also look stylish. Fashion is probably the last thing on most people’s minds when they need to spend time in a hospital, but Japanese clothing brand Lifte claims that dressing well is one important way […]
Stone Watch – The World’s Dumbest Smartwatch
Smartwatch manufacturers are constantly trying to one-up each other with feature-rich devices, but one Japanese company prides itself on making the world’s dumbest smartwatch. The Stone Watch is not a smartwatch, it’s just designed to look like one. Created by Japanese capsule toy maker Tama-Kyu, the low-tech accessory doesn’t even tell time, let alone feature […]