While my parents look at a computer as if it were powered by witchcraft, the elderly in Japan have become bored with robots. They prefer “everyday products adapted to their needs.” In the end, cute robots that were intended to help old folk maintain their cognitive abilities, monitor blood sugar and other vital functions have given way to the old ...

Not surprisingly, discarded chopsticks are a major source of refuse in Japan. In fact, an estimated 90,000 tons of wood is wasted each year there on disposable chopsticks alone. And now Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has decided to do something about it. The plan is to use the wooden chopsticks to create ethanol fuel that will help ...

We’ve heard of capsule hotels before, which usually means rooms with unusually small living quarters. Now this Capsule Inn located in Akihabara, the digi-center of Tokyo, takes the term a little too literally. The Inn features actual capsules which can be rented for 4,000 yen ($34) a night. Don’t be scared by the fact that it looks like you’ll be ...

This is no April’s fool joke, but the above picture shows a real product label of a device named PS3 that is made in the mysterious country of Koera. Strangely enough there is also an IMEI code. Jump to find out more.

These phone charms might looks delicious, but trust us, they do not taste as good as they look. We learned the hard way and had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery. The Japanese Food Phone Charm is a realistic-looking, novelty phone dangling strap that will make people wonder why you walk around with tempura attached to your phone. ...

In Issac Asimov’s Robot series of science-fiction novels, a recurring theme through out the books are the fictional three laws of robotics A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First ...

Sega finally officially confirmed the sequel in its NiGHTS series, Nights: Journey of Dreams. After a decade of waiting, Sega fans let out a huge sigh of triumph with the announcement that NiGHTS 2 is officially in the works for the Wii. Other than the logo and a small sampling of artwork, information is scant about the sequel. Much like ...

Fans of the Japanese form of graphic art have become a world wide occurrence. In Japan, it’s more than just a hobby, it’s life. A new service called ComCom, also known as Com2, by Japanese publisher Shinchosha, will deliver around 200 pages a month of the best in Japanese graphic art, directly to subscriber’s cellphones. These art publications are not ...

Why would anyone pay $4500 for a diamond-less and goldless keyboard? Well first of all you have to be a huge fan of the Japanese culture to appreciate the Wajimanuri (lacquer ware) technique used to paint over those keys.

Those Japanese are known for their prolific inventing. Though, being prolific doesn’t always mean being effective. As you can see from a few of the 12 pics Ueba.net collected, Japanese ingenuity always has its heart in the right place, but occasionally lacks a brain. Rain water collector Since 70% of the world covered in water isn’t enough.