You are currently browsing all entries tagged with 'japanese'

Why Japan is Awesome #336: The Fish Tank Ice Bra with Wind Chime & Mint Leaf

  • May 15, 2012 12:28 am

Once again, the Japanese have proved their supreme awesomeness by inventing something that we didn’t even know we needed. In this case, it’s the perfect solution for keeping your breasts cool on those hot summer days. It’s Triumph Japan’s Super Cool Bra:

This “ice” bra that resembles two fish tanks dangling from your chest contains a “frozen gel” that will allow the wearer to enjoy “a cool sensation against her skin.”

Not only that, but the bra also contains a built-in wind chime and mint leaf to aid in the cooling process “by way of its refreshing fragrance and sound.”  Read more...

Japanese Monkey Man Holds World Record for Running on All Fours

  • May 7, 2012 11:21 pm

This is 29-year-old Kenichi Ito:

He has just earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest man on four legs. To achieve this title, Ito has spent the better part of the last decade walking and running on all fours like a monkey, hence the nickname his friends gave him—monkey.

But lest you think the life of a human monkey is all glitz and glamour, Ito currently does not have a steady job (apparently, “running fast on all fours like a primate” is not a skill that attracts many employers) and other downsides associated with his passion include almost getting your face blown off by a shotgun blast from a hunter who mistakes you for a wild boar.

My fellow Offender Justin has talked about wanting to find an obscure record to break so we can get into the Guinness Book. I guess we can cross running fast on all fours off that list. Any other suggestions?  Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #22: A Hotel for Sheep

  • April 12, 2012 5:05 pm

You can now check into Japanese’s newest five-star luxury hotel, or rather, your sheep can.

Yes, the Hotel Sheep Guest House is a new 30-room hotel just for sheep. I can only assume that a number of Japanese keep sheep as pets, otherwise, well, Japan may be an even odder place than I original thought.

The hotel has all the amenities from maid service to TVs in every room to ward off loneliness:

But not everyone is welcome here:  Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #915: Kiss the Interactive Girl

  • April 4, 2012 10:19 pm

For all of you whose unfulfilled life-long ambition is to kiss a girl, the Japanese have your back. Researchers at Keio University have created an “interactive poster” of a popular singer that responds “positively” when you kiss her…er…it.

And if that’s not enough, upgrades are already being considered that would allow the user to smell the interactive poster’s hair, taste her lips and even hear her say “I love you” as you approach her seductively.

To this I say, thank you, Japanese scientists. While other eggheads are working on boring things like discovering the cure for cancer or advancing nanotechnology, you always have your eyes firmly set on the cool shit. Check it out after the jump:  Read more...

The Loneliness of the Abandoned Japanese Sex Museum

  • March 31, 2012 7:05 pm

I’m sure it won’t surprise regular readers of our blog to know that Japan houses a “sex” museum (I’m sure one of many)—the aptly named, Mansion of the Hidden Treasure.

The museum opened in 1978 and stayed in business for 20 years when it sadly closed in 1997. But as the good folks at Abandoned Kansai found out—the museum has yet to be “replaced” by something else and, as the images below illustrate, the remnants of its former glory still linger.

And what I’ve concluded after taking a look at the following pics is that there may be nothing creepier lonelier than an abandoned sex museum:

 Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #1,005: Happy Kitchen Candy Hamburgers

  • March 25, 2012 4:51 pm

Have you ever eaten your typical fast food meal of hamburger, fries and soda and wished that your food could magically transform into candy yet still retain the taste of the original meal? Well, the Japanese are already on it with the Happy Kitchen Candy Hamburger set.

That’s right, it’s candy hamburgers, fries and soda but supposedly it still tastes somewhat like real hamburgers, fries and soda. Check out the video demonstration of how to prep this candy-infused meal:

 Read more...

Save the Pussies at These Japanese Cafes

  • March 13, 2012 9:33 pm

I previously blogged about Japan’s cat cafes—which are literally businesses where people can go to hang out and play with cats. But now, due to a new law set to go into effect in June, those cat cafes may be in danger of closing.

The new changes to Japan’s Animal Protection Law are meant to limit “the public display of cats and dogs” in 24-hour pet stores where the animals are often kept in small cages under bright lights that are never turned off. But these changes may also severely restrict the hours of operation of the cat cafes, thus placing cat lovers in a misfortunate position and denying them the opportunity to spend time with their feline friends. So with that in mind, I present the following letter, written from my heart, asking the Japanese government to exempt cat cafes from this new law:  Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #391: The Speech Jamming Gun

  • March 6, 2012 10:04 pm

If you’ve ever been in a movie theater next to people who wouldn’t stop jabbering during the whole film and wished that you had a gun that could silence those annoying Chatting Cathy’s, the Japanese are already way ahead of you.

I give you the portable “SpeechJammer” gun:

Invented by Japanese scientists Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada, the device can silence people from over 30 meters away. Here’s how it works:  Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #881: New App Lets You Control Your Dreams

  • February 22, 2012 10:50 pm

Japanese ad agency Hakuhodo has released a new app that allows you to control what you dream about. 

Here’s how it works: the app gives you 8 different scenarios you can choose from including a walk in the forest or the beach, becoming rich, flying and even making a love connection with that special guy or gal you have your eye on. After selecting the type of dream you want to experience, just go to sleep while the app runs in the background, and when enough time has passed and you are in REM sleep (and most susceptible to dreaming), the app triggers a soundtrack that will encourage your subconscious mind to dream about what you want to dream about.

The app is free and you can get it here. If any of our Japanese-speaking readers want to give it a try, let us know how well it works.  Read more...

Kristi Yamaguchi: Making Asian American Sports History 20 Years Before, Well, You Know Who

  • February 21, 2012 9:55 pm

Twenty years ago today on February 21, 1992, Kristi Yamaguchi became the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the ladies singles category. Her performance brought her worldwide celebrity and an immense sense of pride within the Asian American community. Not unlike another Asian American athlete experiencing his own fair share of worldwide celebrity and Asian American pride at the moment.

But sadly some things haven’t changed much in 20 years. China may represent the growing “yellow peril” these days, but back in 1992, it was Japan in the role of the threatening Asian superpower. And Yamaguchi wasn’t immune from the ensuing racist backlash against Japan.

In the aftermath of her Olympic victory, there was much talk of how her Japanese heritage would prevent her from winning commercial endorsements and if you thought some of the media’s reporting on Jeremy Lin has bordered on racism (“chink in the armor” anyone?), on the heels of her victory, the media criticized Yamaguchi for everything from not being able to speak Japanese to fellow Japanese figure skater Midori Ito (conveniently ignoring that Yamaguchi was an American, born in California) and taking the victory away from a “real” American (that would be fellow skater Tonya Harding).  Read more...

Why Japan is Awesome #39: Hello Kitty Hooters

  • February 8, 2012 12:01 am

When I think that the Japanese can’t get any more perverse inventive and awesome than they already are, they’ll do something that surprises even me. Who else would have thought to bring the magic of Hello Kitty and the magic of Hooters together in one bouncy package? Not since Reeses brought together chocolate and peanut butter has there been a more bizarre yet totally logical mash-up.

So this Valentine’s Day, if you are in Japan and one of the first 1,000 customers to show up at Hooters and order parfait, you will get a Hello Kitty Hooters pin.

 Read more...

EDIBLE BYTES has had some spicy adventures.

  • February 4, 2012 12:32 pm

As a child, I was coddled, shielded from anything and everything that could bring me even the slightest measure of discomfort. That meant learning to ride a bike; roughhousing at school; and sports in general. There was even an embargo on spicy foods.

So really it must have been a delayed reaction to the latter that I started to love spicy food because honestly, I don’t think I actually fancy its ‘taste.’ What appeals to me more is the sense of achievement – however small – that comes with consuming something other people shudder at tasting.  Read more...