As 2006 comes to a close and Pink Tentacle celebrates its first birthday, I’d like to thank all the readers for making this a rockin’ first year for the site! In 2007, Pink Tentacle will continue to probe the less explored regions of the Japanese web in search of excitement. In the meantime, here’s a quick look back at the site’s top 10 stories of 2006 in case you missed them. Enjoy!

10. AIST develops 3D image projector — Coming soon: eye-popping signs and ads that float in mid-air. (Watch a short video of this technology demonstrated at SIGGRAPH 2006.)

9. Hiroshima engineers develop robotic carp — Robocarp!

8. Asimo: ‘Help me, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ — For many, the only thing more amazing than a robot climbing stairs is a robot falling down the stairs. Poor Asimo. This video spread like wildfire just as Asimo’s new commercials were set to debut in the UK. However, rumor has it that Asimo is playing us all for fools, deliberately taking a dive to generate buzz for the commercials before their release. Even so, Asimo may never live it down.

7. Eco-friendly bra doubles as shopping bag — Just say NO to plastic bags (and YES to braless grocery shopping).

6. Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid — Toyama owes its economic existence to the bioluminescent firefly squid, a fishery product that also fuels the local tourist industry. Local residents recently worked with Solid Alliance to develop a USB drive modeled after their beloved glowing beast.

5. Dekotora photo galleries — Wild Japanese art trucks!

4. Gallery of fantastic creatures — Roam the hallways of Hajime Emoto’s Museum of Fantastic Specimens.

3. Through the (zero-reflection) looking glass — Is this glass truly invisible?

2. Actroid DER2 fembot loves Hello Kitty — Fembot for rent. She ain’t cheap, fellas, so start saving your yen.

1. Device uses waves to “print” on water surface — AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin) writes on water. Check out this short video of AMOEBA in action.