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Man or Machine? The state of Japanese robots today
The Financial Times has taken an interest in Japanese robotics and produced an interesting video highlighting recent developments. In particular, it examines the line that divides the socially...
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Star Wars Hanten: traditional Japanese coats with A New Hope, Master Yoda...
Japanese fashion brand Trove has created a series of what it calls Wa-Robe items (“wa” meaning Japanese). The most exciting of these are three Star Wars Hanten, coming in designs featuring Master Yoda...
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Barack Obama to visit Hiroshima
Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima in May, it was officially confirmed by the White House. This will make Obama the first sitting president to visit the city where the first nuclear weapon was used....
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Tokyo Olympic bid probed over mystery payment
Dogged by problems since preparations began, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics now face another potential scandal. The Guardian has revealed a mysterious payment made to a Singaporean bank account linked to a...
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Japanese travel agency H.I.S. cancels campaign matching female students with...
Japan has a troubled relationship with feminism to put it mildly. Remember Bijin Uketsuke, the “beautiful receptionist” app? Or the jeers Ayaka Shiomura had to endure in the Tokyo Assembly from her...
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Adultery dominates Japanese television and show business
The return to Japanese TV screens last week of the 32-year-old unmarried TV “talent” Becky was a major event for the entertainment industry. Her homecoming after weeks of exile attracted 24% of the...
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Beer Hour Stadium Foamy Head Dispenser serves a taste of baseball games in Japan
If you have ever attended a baseball or other sports event in Japan, you will likely have spotted the “beer girls“, also known as uriko. These happy-go-lucky ladies can be seen lugging large kegs of...
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Sexism prevails in Japan in beer commercials and song lyrics
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a political song and dance out of his apparent efforts to create a “a society in which women shine”. However, it seems not everyone got the memo that female...
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New Japanese Democratic Party logo revealed, but is it plagiarism?
On May 19th, Katsuya Okada unveiled the new logo of the newly formed political party, the Minshinto. The Democratic Party, as it is called in English, was formed out of the merger of two other...
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Sakuraman: wearable device offering on-demand, year-round cherry blossom viewing
After dazzling Tokyo with his Running Christmas Tree last year, everyone’s favorite gadget-creating foreigner is back with another inventive, gaudy device. Joseph Tame’s latest project is Sakuraman, a...
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Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe Famicom video game ironic after expenses scandal
The governor of Tokyo, Yoichi Masuzoe, is currently caught up in an expenses scandal that has been unfolding for the past few weeks in the pages of the press. Masuzoe — a former scholar and the most...
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Dragon Quest celebrates anniversary with massive chalkboard art in Shinjuku...
It’s the gift that keeps on giving: Tokyo’s station billboard promotions. We continue to see interesting examples, especially in Shinjuku, from the “huggable” to the “scratchable”. Many of these...
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Tokyo government launches campaign for young voters
This summer there will be an Upper House election in Japan and for the first time, those aged 18 and 19 can vote. To raise awareness of this new enfranchisement, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has...
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Elmo and Sesame Street-themed cafe now open in Harajuku
Themed cafes and pop-ups are the new bread and butter of Tokyo marketing. Following Sega’s Puyopuyo!! Quest cafe, the Sailor Moon cafe, and the Miffy cafe, this latest example turns to a foreign...
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Kirin Greeting Namacha campaign accused of racism
Oh, dear. A big Japanese corporation has done it again: made a marketing campaign that is causing offense to some. Kirin is promoting its recently relaunched tea product Namacha with a new online...
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S.H. Monster Arts Kou Kyou Kyoku Godzilla 1989 recreates rare kaiju look
As we get closer to the release of the new Japanese Godzilla movie, Godzilla Resurgence, this summer in domestic theaters, expect a heap of tie-in merchandise. So far, the best we have seen is the S.H....
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Tokyo Cheapo gives the lowdown on visiting the hedgehog cafe in Tokyo
This article by Lily Crossley-Baxter first appeared on Tokyo Cheapo. If cats and rabbits just don’t do it for you any more — how about a hedgehog? Roppongi’s latest animal cafe has these prickly...
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Japanese opposition politician mistakes British cartoon for Abe criticism
There is opportunism and then there is plain misunderstanding. A politician from the newly christened Democratic Party have seized on an overseas cartoon to support their belief that the other G7...
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Explore Edo in virtual reality
One of the big stories this year so far has been virtual reality. From a VR board game to virtual reality gaming centers around Tokyo, the fever will surely keep on building until the release of the...
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Kirin turns you into beer can voyeur
The latest bizarre marketing campaign by a Japanese beer brand purports to turn you into a voyeur spying on a beautiful girl’s life. Can Shiten shows the world from the perspective (“shiten” in...
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