Kabuki Shojo

Capsule Hotel

Photo Source: Link

Heard about the capsule hotels of Japan? It's one of those weird Japanese concepts where you feel like you are witnessing a manifestation of a futuristic idea. You know, the type mentioned in books and movies, possibly one where a beefed-up guy wearing an eye-patch is saving the world from robots. Just thought I would throw that in there.
Capsule hotels are what it sounds like. These are hotels that rent out rooms which are basically man-sized containers to willing customers. So you end up with bedding on the floor and a TV and/or radio. And of course, most spots have a panel that lets you set up an alarm and control the lighting in that tiny space. Read more

Oooh human so soft!
I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend finishing up Resident Evil 5 which might explain my reaction to this story – what is that woman hugging something from the Demon Seed movie?

After my initial 'arrrgh', I realized that the robot actually makes sense. Sort of. The robot in question is a 4 feet 3 inch model which is basically a giant android baby. A gargantuan scary one at that. Named Diego-san, this invention will help its creators understand how babies learn various skills. The focus is on how little ones pick up behavioral aspects like gestures and expressions. Read more

Grr, who ate the boss' lunch?
You know what's interesting about anime and manga that detail diabolical plans for world domination and what not? Lovable henchmen, that's what. Show me a story that has an evil genius hellbent on taking over the world and, more often than not, he will have a charismatic minion who distracts most of us from the rest of the story. Or worse, have us rooting for him throughout the tale. Of course, creating likable henchman is not an easy task; many have epic fails when overtaking such a venture. Well, let's check out those that make it to this list.

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Obama Figurine

It seems like there was a new round of 'weird Japanese products' making its way to my inbox this past week. By inboxes I meant in email form from a good friend with a bit too much time to spare and not the product itself. But then, I must admit that the dissection keychain would be worth owning.

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I was looking for a hilarious Dutch TV ad about Commando, that over-the-top Arnold Schwarzenegger flick, when I came across these Japander ads. In case you were wondering, Japander refers to instances when well-known Hollywood folk take part in a Japanese ad, you know, for a lot of money and all that. Some of them are merely cute while others are really bad. Bad in a 'I can't believe they did this' way.

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Kon Hated Sad Stories
There's one sad story doing the rounds this week. It's the case of a Japanese couple who recently had a child through artificial insemination and were told to register the child as illegitimate simply because the 'official' father had recently had a sex change.

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click to see video

The Internet has skewed some of our cultural perspectives, especially thanks to its tendency to foster irony and kitsch well into realms of absurdity. This includes exchanges of bizarre pop entities from foreign nations in such high volumes that they lose a lot of what makes them strange. Take, for instance, the recent development of American perceptions of Japanese culture. At its worst, ironic Japanophilia results in a series of blunt punchlines about anime, vending machines and the inability to differentiate R sounds from L sounds. Of course the whole of modern Japanese culture isn't as broad and simple as that, but the cacophony of the Internet makes us forget that sometimes. So, when an odd bit of pop detritus like "We Are Ninja", the novelty electronic dance hit produced by avant-pop group Frank Chickens in 1984, hits our screens we're quick to dismiss it as just another crazy video from the Far East. Given its time, place and creators, I'd like to argue that "We Are Ninja" is anything but.

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Erotica from Edo period

Photo Source: Misty Keasler via Wired

When reading up on the weird and wonderful cultural aspects of Japan, I'm sure you have come across love hotels.

It's been mentioned in a number of the manga I read and of course, it gets pride of place in the 'strange facts about the world' articles. So what are they? Are they really as bad as all that?

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A Christmas tree made of sardines? How does that work? Well, it's not quite how you imagine it. There's no dodgy seawater plant towering above everyone, a tree which consists of tiny dangling fish, twisted into awkward shapes. Rather, think of sardines in a huge fish tank that swim around in fancy little formations creating a …. Christmas tree!

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I was talking to a friend about McDonald's in Japan and we wondered about their menus. After all, McDonald's (and other such franchises) tweak their menus (and premises and wahtnot) according to the taste of the local folks so what could we expect from this quirky Asian nation?

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