While frightening the birds away, about 60 scarecrows along a stretch of the Route 280 Bypass in Aomori are attracting the attention of passing motorists. The scarecrow display, which includes one modeled after sumo wrestler Asashoryu scandalously playing soccer (pictured right), is part of Kakashi Road 280 (kakashi means “scarecrow”), a recently established annual September […]

To help commemorate the 10th anniversary of the release of Final Fantasy VII, Suntory has announced plans to begin selling its vitamin-packed Final Fantasy VII Potion carbonated drink in special aluminum cans featuring depictions of Cloud, Sephiroth and other characters from the game. Sixteen different character cans will be available at a price of 191 […]

People in Japan this Saturday Sunday evening will be treated to a “space fireworks” show consisting of three balls of red light in the sky, each glowing as bright as the moon.
These luminous orbs will be the result of three clouds of lithium vapor released into the ionosphere by a rocket launched in an […]

Since early this year, Yamakawa Jozo, a soy sauce brewery based in Gifu prefecture, has been selling a type of Tamari soy sauce specially designed for use on ice cream. With the sauce’s rising popularity and a growing number of restaurants using it on their dessert menus, the company sold 5,000 bottles (70 ml for […]

This video clip from Japanese TV program “Best House 123″ shows the top three glow-in-the-dark sea creatures selected by Hokkaido University professor Yoshihiro Omiya, a specialist in the study of bioluminescent organisms.

3. Firefly squid: This blue-glowing squid, Japan’s most famous bioluminescent creature, measures 5 to 7 centimeters long and is often found at […]

Garbage Bag Art Work trash bags aim to transform Japan’s unsightly neighborhood garbage collection points into instant works of disposable art. Produced by design agency MAQ, the bags come in three patterns — trees, fish and flowers — and they are colored to match Japan’s official color codes for various types of waste, each of […]

In these video stills from a Japanese TV news report, law enforcement officers engage in hand-to-hand combat with a mock terrorist armed with a curry-rice banner — the kind commonly placed on sidewalks in front of restaurants. The training exercise was designed to test the response to an invasion by foreign terrorists coming ashore at […]

Here are ten time-lapse videos shot in Tokyo…
1. 35 years of Shinjuku construction: 1969 to 2004 in 10 seconds.

2. Roppongi Hills construction: April 2001 to July 2003 in 35 seconds. (Watch the slower version here.)

3. Yamanote Tour: Circle the Yamanote Line in under 4 minutes. (Watch the slower version here.)

4. Lightning Tokyo: Electrical storm […]

Nothing says “fill ‘er up” quite like these custom fuel doors on itasha seen in the parking lot at Comiket last weekend.
Got high-octane?
This is the gas tank!
Please insert gently
Regular fuel prohibited
The gas tank is on the other side
Suiseiseki’s face is a little… heehee heehee… high-octane
High-octane
Creamy, thick high-octane vehicle

Lots more photos from the parking lot: 1, […]

Toyota’s new guide robot, formerly known as ‘DJ Robot’, has officially been named TPR-Robina, according to an August 22 Toyota press release. Photos reveal a slightly more professional look (no more scowling eyes) to go along with the droid’s improved ability to avoid obstacles and operate autonomously, while agile, jointed fingers enable TPR-Robina to grasp […]