HOME |
RSS | 
One way to sell Christmas cards is to create an outlandish story about their origin. Brad McGinty III tells about his father’s failed 1955 business venture with a Japanese artist whom he shot in the face during World War II. The artist’s “misinterpreted” idea for a greeting card is now for sale at his site. Whatever you may think of the cards, the story behind them is priceless. Link -via Metafilter
You would think that Japan’s overpopulation problems would force them to hang on to every bit of inhabitable land they own, but these images show otherwise. Hashima Island, nicknamed Ghost Island, was abandoned entirely after the mine which had been running for over 80 years was closed in 1974.
The black and white photos add a sense of despair to the abandoned cityscape, and although Hashima Island has been covered before here on Neatorama, I think the beautiful photographs in this gallery warrant a second look.
This guy is known for making some serious head choppers. Artisans like Korehira Watanabe are fading into history, as their creations are no longer in demand and the inherent secrecy of their craft makes passing on the legacy virtually impossible. Watch this master in action and see the skills that may someday be lost to antiquity.
–via BuzzFeed
Jimmy
crack corn, that's a big rice cracker! A Japanese team (really) called
The World's Largest Rice Cracker Committee in Kioroshi, Tokyo, has broken
the world's record for baking the largest rice cracker:
"We made it. It's sweet revenge," he said, after a failed attempt to get into the record books last month with a cracker that fell three centimetres short of their target.
The group started making dough with 33 pounds of powdered rice on Tuesday and baked it for about an hour on Wednesday over an open fire, turning the giant snack every few minutes.
Japan takes its subcultures very seriously and while many of them, like rockabilly, goth and lolita, have some sort of equivalent in the U.S., Dekotora (the lavish decoration of a semi) doesn’t. You can find out more about this culture and see some amazing pictures of these blinged out trucks over on Flavorwire.
This production of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is not a fan film, nor is this a parody trailer meant strictly for the interwebs. This is a big budget motion picture, directed by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) and based on the Nintendo DS game series by Capcom.
Maybe the Japanese can make a decent movie adaptation of a video game series, since Hollywood never seems to get it right.
–via ComicsAlliance
Colonel Doolittle (second from left) and his flight crew.
The following is an article from the book Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Salutes the Armed Forces.
After Japanese air power struck a stunning tactical blow to the U.S. military forces at Pearl Harbor, a retaliatory strike against the Japanese was a priority for president Frankin D. Roosevelt, who challenged his general staff to devise a way to attack the heart of Japan.
PAYBACK PLANS
By mid-January 1942, a carrier-based air strike against Japan was accepted as the most plausible solution to FDR’s request. When Admiral Ernest J. King, chief of Naval Operations, was asked to evaluate the possibilities, he passed the idea to General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces, who then asked Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle to work out the details with the Navy. In the days immediately after Pearl Harbor, service rivalries took a back seat to striking a blow against the enemy.
B-25s specially modified for this mission are ready to go.
After preliminary test flights, the North American B-25 Mitchell bomber was selected for the mission. Eighteen B-25s flew from their Oregon home base to Indiana for modifications. The range of the unmodified Mitchell was only 1,300 miles on a favorable day, so additional internal tanks were added to allow for more fuel. At the last second, 10 five-gallon cans of gas were stowed in the radio operator’s seat. The heavy guns were removed, along with the highly secret Norden bombsight, whose classified technology couldn’t fall into Japanese hands. In the planned scenario, the Norden bombsight wouldn’t have been very accurate at the low altitude that would be flown anyway, so it was replaced with a simple metal aiming sight. Aircraft radios were also removed, since the mission would be executed under strict radio silence. These changes allowed each aircraft to carry just over 1,100 gallons of usable fuel, which under typical flight conditions would allow for a range of 2,400 miles. After all of these radical modifications, four 500-pound bombs barely fit into the bomb bay.
more …
This literary genre has apparently been developing for a few years, but I’ve just learned about it today. In 2007, Japanese romance novel writer who goes by the name Yume-Hotaru published one of his stories in short bits — small enough to fit into text messages. And that’s how they spread across the country. Now the keitai shosetsu or cell phone novel is a literary sensation in Japan. Here’s a CNN story on the subject from 2009:
As the name suggests, cell phone novels are written entirely on handsets and posted on sites like Maho no i-rando (Magic Island), the first and largest mobile novel portal in Japan. The site has a million titles, 3.5 billion monthly visitors and six million registered users, according to the company. Mobile readers instantly see new chapters as they are added, often adding comments about the direction they think a novel should take.
The diary-like stories are written and read mostly by young women in their teens and 20′s. Many authors use pen names and claim their stories are at least partially autobiographical. The novels often center on themes that are rarely discussed aloud in Japanese society — drugs, sex, pregnancy, abortion, rape and disease.
Link – Thanks, Norma! | Photo: Flickr user .curt
The city of Kiryu, Japan employs the the E-KomiBus, a tiny electric vehicle that carries solar panels to charge the batteries during sunny weather.
The E-KomiBus (which, for reasons unknown, bears the nickname “MAYU”) is a totally electric and tiny little bus. It’s only 173” long (shorter than a 2012 Honda Civic), and runs on lithium ion batteries, which have a range of about 25 miles after charging 8 hours. With a top speed of 12mph, it’s ideally suited for driving through the narrow back streets not covered by conventional bus routes.
The university hopes that senior citizens and tourists (the two groups least likely to own driver’s licenses in Gunma) will use the E-KomiBus, which seats 10.
(Image source: Yomiuri Online)
Now this is super-sizing! Behold the Pizza-Size Burger from Burger King of Japan:
Wide is what you get with Burger King Japan's 8.8 inch (22cm) diameter Pizza-Size Burger. Note that only the buns are extra-wide, in between are four regular Whopper-sized beef patties arranged in a four-leaf-clover pattern. The fillings and toppings are also normally sized but at least they're provided in abundance.
So walk into one of these establishments, lay your head down on the lap of a woman, and let her massage and clean your ears. It’s a meticulous process conducted by professionals who are maintaining a long and rich tradition in Japanese society:
Beatific’s basic ear este service takes 70 minutes and costs ¥8,400 (about US$100). It begins with an ear wash, followed by massage of the ears, neck and shoulders. Then comes a meticulous ear cleaning, followed by more massage.
Other services include additional massage, facial, shave and “ear fortune telling,” in which, by looking at an ear’s unique characteristics, Takahashi claims to be able to divine a person’s past and personality in order to advise them about the future. [....]
Some Japanese are lucky enough to have their own in-house ear cleaner: among a Japanese mother’s many duties, keeping her children’s and husband’s ears clean is common.
Some unmarried women perform the task for their beaus, a few of whom may even return the favor.
Link -via Oddity Central | Photo: Beatific
Previously: Scrape Those Ears Clean!
In Japan, the goal of a TV game show is not so much to win, but to entertain the audience. This show that challenges players to climb a slime-ridden staircase is a case in point. Commenters at YouTube assure us that the stairs are made from a relatively soft material, so it doesn’t hurt as much as you’d think to fall on them. -via The Daily What
Can't get a girlfriend or a find a spouse? Maybe you're too perfect. That's the logic behind this strange Japanese fad of getting yourself some crooked teeth:
Dental Salon Plaisir says its Tsuke-yaeba -- or Stick-on Crooked Teeth -- will impart that desirable “imperfect” look to men and women alike, making them more attractive to the opposite sex.
The theory behind that slightly odd approach is that classic beauty tends to scare away timid suitors, whereas a more down-home look is easily approachable.
See also: Zombie Teeth
We’ve posted art from more than one person who takes everyday paintings or iconic images and adds fantastic monsters to them. It’s neat, but it’s not new. Back in the 1970s, Yokopro in Japan published postcards that did the exact same thing. The monsters are called pachimon kaiju. See a collection of them at How To Be a Retronaut. Link -via Everlasting Blort
Comments Off
Japan is well-known for its fascination with pop culture icons, which is why it’s not too surprising that even their subway posters feature immediately recognizable characters including Jesus, Superman, Marilyn Monroe and more. The one above reminds commuters not to forget their umbrella. See more at Flavorwire.
Glen Milner produced this short film about the ritualized life of a modern-day Geisha in the city of Kyoto, Japan. -via Nag on the Lake
Christopher Poole went to Japan in 2006 and shot this video clip of trollin' Japanese style. It's the best 3 second clip you'll ever see (after the Dramatic Chipmunk one).
Ha ha ha ha!
A new sushi restaurant in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan has taken to making some outrageously massive rolls and nigiri. They also serve up some absolutely tiny pieces with each order to absolutely mess with the minds of anyone enjoying their treats. In the picture above, regular sushi has been included to give perspective to the other trays. You can watch a video of it at the link, but be warned the dialogue is in Japanese.
Link Via InventorSpot
Got
a spoiled brat? When scoldings and time-outs don't work, scare 'em straight
with the horror train.
Yes, that's right: here's the Yokai Train, a scary summer "attraction" in Kyoto, Japan, featuring creepy monster aboard a train.
As the Yokai Train leaves the station, a spooky sounds can be heard coming from the speakers, and the monsters make their entrance. Some are dressed in white kimonos and wear white masks and triangular white crowns (which means they are dead), while others sport creepy masks and torn rags. Some of the older kids react pretty well to the yokai, but the younger ones cry and scream while their mothers and the other adults watch and smile. It sounds a bit cruel, but by the last station of the tour most children make friends with the monsters.
Actually, this explains a lot about Japan: Link
We’ve all heard of the kitty and puppy cafes sweeping through Japan, but for those of you who like more cold-blooded pets, there’s now a reptile cafe to satisfy the desires of those who live a petless lifestyle but still want periodic cuddling with their favorite critters.
Comments Off 
Who needs a generator when you’ve got the Nissan Leaf, an 100% electric car that can power your house for 2 days via the “Leaf-to-home” system, a converter that attaches to your home’s electric panel and allows for the car’s lithium-ion battery to provide power when it may be otherwise unavailable.With the people of Japan still recovering from the recent disasters, Nissan feels that a symbiotic relationship between electric car and home may be just the thing to keep the lights on when everything else around you is falling to pieces. Link -via PopSci Image via Tom Rafferty at Wikimedia
A robot that can learn, think and act for itself might make some people lose sleep over the possibility of a Terminator-esque robotic revolution, but scientists in Japan feel that this advancement in the field of robotics is a good thing, and may revolutionize how our mechanized workforces handle the tasks they’re designed to perform . Watch as this robot figures out how to do something it was never taught to do-pour a glass of ice water. Utterly fascinating to watch? Perhaps not, but this leap forward in artificial intelligence means science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact. Link -via Wired
Comments Off 
With the elderly population of Japan increasing rapidly there is a great need for adequate nursing care. That’s why companies there have been developing robots to help care for older patients. The new Riba II robot resembles a giant teddy bear.
Developed by the Riken research center and Tokai Rubber Industries, the new Robot for Interactive Body Assistance can now lift patients weighing up to 176 pounds, better than its previous load limit of 134 pounds.
It can also bend down and deposit or pick up patients on the floor. This is useful in Japan, where people often sleep on futon floor bedding or relax on floor tatami mats.
Riken says caregivers on average lift patients from floor bedding into wheelchairs 40 times a day, adding that the elderly nursing-care population in Japan will hit 5.69 million by 2015.
These mechanical marvels are examples of Karakuri, centuries old puppets from Japan that can perform simple tasks powered only by clockwork mechanisms. Their lifelike movements and beautiful look make them breathtaking to behold in action, especially considering they were made hundreds of years ago. A short video accompanies the article on Laughing Squid, showing one of the last remaining Karakuri builders in action. I’m off to build an army of puppet archers to defend my house!
(YouTube link) (Original video source/Nico)
Take a 150-year-old British story, soak it in the culture of cute Japanese anime, and run it through the technology of Vocaloid audio recording and animation software, and you end up with a cartoon production that resembles a Broadway musical! -Thanks, Daniel!
Comments Off 
Shiro loves small baskets the way Maru loves boxes. And 9-year-old Shiro has a patient zen attitude for wearing hats and other materials on his head, which leads to many photo and video opportunities. See photos and videos of Shiro and his feline family at the Basket Cat Blog. Link -via Metafilter
Naoshima is an island town which is home to some of Japan’s finest museums and architecture, yet those who have shaped the face of the island have made it less touristy and more like the Japan of yesteryear, albeit with a modernist twist. Simplicity is key in the construction and aesthetic of the island’s two biggest attractions: Chichu Museum, which incorporates installation pieces into the very structure of the building, and Benesse House, the hotel with no TV or internet access but loads of visual interest and a modern art style. Read more about it at the Guardian.
Comments Off 
In the aftermath of the devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, the Japanese city of Kobe needed something to symbolize its recovery and inspire the masses. Enter Tetsujin-28-go! (or his English-translation counterpart, Gigantor) to the rescue. The city banded together to raise funds for design and construction of the much-loved comics character, created by Kobe-born Mitsuteru Yokoyama in 1956. WebUrbanist has the history of the project, along with the inspiring story and lots of images of Gigantor’s construction. Link
Do you enjoy watching giant rubber monsters destroying cities and fighting with spandex clad superheroes who ride color coordinated motorcycles? Or the good old cinematic days of Giant Lizard vs. Giant Moth vs. Giant Gorilla vs. Giant Robot vs. all of Japan? If the answer is yes, then you are a Kaiju lover, and you probably didn’t even know it! Check out this great video from Kaiju Big Battel which will explain all you need to know about Kaiju culture at the link.
Extreme body modification has taken an interesting turn in Japan. These lovely people above have had saline pumped into their foreheads for about two hours, a process that creates a rather, um, well… it makes a lump. And if you press your thumb into your forehead while the saline is pumping in, it makes a bagel, which is awesome? I don’t get it. There’s an interview with the intrepid Ryoichi “Keroppy” Maeda, who introduced the technique to Japan over at Vice Style. Lots more pics, but probably NSF-the needle-sensitive. Link
| FEATURED ITEMS FROM THE NEATOSHOP | |
 |
Mustache Bottle Opener |
 |
My Cryptozoological Family - Family Car Stickers |
 |
Zombie Hand Bottle Opener |
View more: New Items &
Best Sellers |
|
