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Posted by Jamie Koide (Page 11)
Axent Wear, those cat-ear headphones with LEDs and external speakers, are finally going on sale!
- Jamie Koide
Oct 31, 2015 - Tweet
Think cat ears are only appropriate for cosplay and on Halloween? Think again!
Thanks to a highly successful crowd funding campaign, these amazingly awesome cat ear headphones are now, after what feels like an age since we first discovered them, hitting the market, and just begging to be worn just about anywhere.
Read More
- Internet, USA
- (Axent Wear • Brookstone • cat-ear headphones • crowd funding • indiegogo • music • neko mimi • technology)
Thai university trials “mobile phone lane” in effort to increase student safety
- Jamie Koide
Oct 30, 2015
I’m sure you’ve all been there: you’re walking behind someone who’s engrossed by their smartphone, constantly jabbing at its screen while strolling along, when suddenly they stop dead right in front of you and you have to take evasive maneuvers to avoid crashing into them.
You’d think that, as a country known for its impeccable manners, Japan would be immune to such inconsiderate behavior, but smartphone zombies are just as common here as anywhere else in the world. It really is a global epidemic.
One university in Thailand is taking steps to remedy the problem, however, introducing the first ever “mobile phone lane” for pedestrians who can’t seem to take their eyes off their cellphones while walking to and across campus.
- SE Asia
- (Bangkok • cellphones • Kasetsart University • manners • mobile lane • Thailand • Toyota Challenge 2015 • video)
Maru the cat enthrals us with his adorable animal costumes【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 29, 2015
Gearing up for Halloween, we’ve already seen our share of humans dressing up like cats, but how about some costuming felines? Of course, as we’re sure all you cat people out there already know, getting kitty dressed up in a ridiculous outfit is a lot easier said than done.
…Or is it? Turns out the owner of Maru, “the most famous cat on the internet” has devised an easy way to get even the most stubborn of felines to get into the Halloween spirit with these cute animal costumes.
Man flips out on train after being confronted for his rude behavior【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 28, 2015
Public transportation can be a cheap and convenient way to get around, but sometimes that means having to occasionally deal with rude strangers. For minor offenses, usually the best thing to do is ignore the situation and hope you’re not stuck with their unpleasant company your whole commute, but what happens when their behavior is so atrocious you and those around you can’t help but speak up?
In the best-case scenario, voicing your objection might urge them to re-think their actions, but for some, like this rowdy passenger captured on video in Shanghai, China, it may only serve to fuel their disorderly conduct.
Say Hello (Kitty) to my little friend — Sanrio’s famous mascot as a custom assault rifle
- Jamie Koide
Oct 27, 2015
Although most online first-person shooters these days allow players to customize their avatar to an extent, with only limited options it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd on the battlefield. You might spot someone with the occasional paid-DLC hat or weapon, but nothing we’ve seen comes anywhere close to the awesomeness of this Hello Kitty-inspired assault rifle.
But just who exactly is the genius behind this masterpiece? You might be surprised to find out they have closer connections to the gaming industry than you might have first expected.
- Internet
- (art • cool • cute • graphic design • Hello Kitty • Reno Levi • video games • weapons)
Taiwanese man gets his hair washed while driving a scooter, breaks the law【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 25, 2015
When we’ve got a lot on our plate and not a lot of time to do it in, many of us turn to multitasking. The amount of time you save by multitasking—if you save any at all—depends on the person and the tasks at hand, but some things like driving deserve 100 percent of our attention.
Over the years more and more countries are enacting laws against things like talking on the phone or texting while driving, but I’m sure many of us still catch the occasional person running an electric razor over their chin or doing their make-up in the car.
That’s nothing, though, compared to this young man in Taiwan, who made headlines last week for getting his hair shampooed while driving a scooter.
Japanese designer creates fun rubber bands sure to spice up any gift
- Jamie Koide
Oct 22, 2015
In Japan presentation is everything, especially when it comes to gift-giving and packaging. In fact, sometimes packaging can be a selling point all on its own, like with these mix-and-match Gogo no Kocha (“Afternoon Tea”) bottles by Kirin.
One designer has recently discovered a recipe for success by combining minimalistic art with stationery, another thing Japan tends to do extremely well. The design, featuring rubber bands with tiny bows on them, hit the market earlier this month and is being praised for adding some creative flair to an otherwise boring, everyday object.
- Japan
- (design • mizuhiki • mizuhikiband • rubber bands • stationery)
Kitties wrestle before bedtime in their cat-sized futon【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 22, 2015
Cats have a reputation for being solitary creatures, but that isn’t always the case, as proven by a recent video uploaded to popular Japanese video-sharing site, Niconico Douga.
Taken by a proud cat parent, the video, which features two kitties turning in for the night in a cat-sized futon, is sure to put a smile on your face.
Japanese brand comes out with a comfy-looking kotatsu made for one
- Jamie Koide
Oct 21, 2015
Winter is undoubtedly the worst season to be alone in Japan. Soon singles will be starting the annual desperate search for the special someone to spend Christmas with and it’s not hard to see why. Having someone to cuddle up to during the upcoming cold, long months is far preferable to fighting off the chill by yourself.
Of course, not everyone wants to jump into a relationship just for a little extra body heat, and now thanks to one Japanese electronics maker and their kotatsu for one, singles just might be in for the warmest winter yet.
Thai fans approve of Miss Universe contestant’s tuk tuk-themed costume
- Jamie Koide
Oct 19, 2015
Tuk tuks aren’t the cheapest or the safest way to get around Thailand, but as one of the more iconic local and tourist symbols of the country, they’re worth taking for a ride around town at least once.
Decked out with flashing lights and homages to the Thai flag and royal family, they’ve even recently become a fashion icon in the least likeliest of places, like the upcoming Miss Universe Pageant.
- SE Asia
- (beauty pageant • fashion • Miss Universe • Thailand • tuk tuk)
Five things you should know before coming to Japan【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 16, 2015
According to statistic, anywhere from one to two million people visit Japan per month, and more foreigners are working and living here than ever before. That’s a lot of people hopping a plane over, and especially if yours is a one-way flight, preparing yourself mentally before you arrive in Japan is just as important as the physical things you pack with you in your suitcase.
Think you’ve done all your research when it comes to the Land of the Rising Sun? Check out this video on five things you should know before making the big move.
- Japan
- (culture shock • life in japan • rachel & jun • society • video)
Cat caught with grass up his nose adds a little humor to Japanese Twitter
- Jamie Koide
Oct 16, 2015
Over the past few days, this photo has become an instant Twitter favorite. But what exactly is going on with this cat? It appears he’s got some grass stuck up his nose.
Can you guess why? We’ve got the answer after the jump.
Dollhouse dumplings! Are these the world’s tiniest gyoza?【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 15, 2015
Every area in Japan has its own local delicacies. As a long-time resident of Shizuoka Prefecture, I can tell you one of the best things my area has to offer is Hamamatsu-style gyoza, or pot stickers.
You can find all kinds of places offering up this delicious dish inside or outside the prefecture, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen it get a miniature makeover. How do these tiny dumplings measure up to the real thing? Let’s find out!
- Internet, Japan
- (cooking • cute • food • Hamamatsu gyoza • miniatures • pot stickers • video)
Exchange student goes to Japanese salon for the first time, comes out totally transformed!【Video】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 14, 2015
When visiting or moving to another country, usually eating local food and going sightseeing is par for the course, but sometimes just doing everyday things the local way can be rewarding. After all, if you’re already taking the plunge to change your surroundings, it’s the perfect time to re-invent yourself, too.
This is exactly how one Australian felt after a trip to a Japanese hair salon with friends, which he learned was a surprisingly different experience than getting a shampoo and cut back home.
- Japan
- (fashion • hair salons • life in japan • study abroad • video)
Second-year Japanese high school student creates amazingly realistic dioramas
- Jamie Koide
Oct 9, 2015
When I was in high school I thought I was pretty good at drawing, only to take a look at some of my work 10 years later and realize how hideous most of it looked. In fact, it’s more than a little embarrassing how proud I was back then over a couple of notebooks of ugly doodles.
But unlike myself, there are some really creative young artists out there producing top-notch work in between classes and studying. One recent example currently circulating the Japanese web is a collection of intricate dioramas put together by a second-year high school student.
- Internet, Japan
- (art • cool • dioramas • high school • miniatures • twitter)
Disney plans to release augmented reality coloring book in the not-too-distant future
- Jamie Koide
Oct 9, 2015
At some point in our childhoods, most of us probably owned a few coloring books to keep us entertained on rainy days or while traveling.
Although coloring is still a great way to boost a child’s imagination and improve motor skills, as digital technology continues to develop, fewer children are turning to coloring books to pass the time.
So in order to make coloring “cool” again, Disney decided to do a little research into what they could do to breathe some life back into this old pastime favorite.
- Global
- (augmented reality • coloring • cool • Disney • inventions • kids • research • technology)
Google’s Street View takes privacy to a whole new level in Japan【Photos】
- Jamie Koide
Oct 8, 2015
Since 2001, the Google Street View truck has been rolling through neighborhoods all over the world, taking photos of our towns and city streets in order add to its parent company’s enormous library of 3D street-level images**.** In the search for the perfect panoramic image, however, Google doesn’t always have time to wait around for the streets they’re mapping to clear, leading to the occasional unintentional photobomber.
Luckily, Google also has a pretty advanced facial technology recognition system, used to blur out the faces of those caught on camera as a way of protecting their privacy. The only caveat is that sometimes it works a little too well, and to hilarious results.
- Internet, Japan
- (facial blurring • funny • Google • mapping • privacy • Street View)
Chinese mushroom picker discovers monstrous beehive
- Jamie Koide
Oct 4, 2015
Now that it’s October, fall is slowly beginning to creep up on Japan, which means seasonal favorite dishes including pumpkin, sweet potato, and mushroom will again be arriving on dinner tables across the land in no time. As for the lattermost, people from the countryside are more likely to pick or grown their own rather than buy mushrooms from the supermarket, and some varieties like matsutake can easily retail for a few hundred dollars.
Unfortunately matsutake and other kinds of mushrooms don’t fetch quite as high of a price in China, but while one man was gathering mushrooms, he stumbled across something that was worth much more: a giant bees’ nest.
Free magazine shows us Japanese grandpas and grannies who are rocking this age thing
- Jamie Koide
Oct 2, 2015
Walk into any supermarket or inexpensive restaurant in Japan, and you’re sure to notice the racks of free, pennysaver-like magazines for visitors to take. They really come in handy when you’re looking for new employment opportunities, new and used vehicles, or you’d like a coupon to try out a new restaurant or salon.
But this time, one free magazine in Nagano Prefecture is shaking things up by offering a stylish look into the lives of some of the older residents around the area. If you’ve ever seen those Japanese grannies rocking purple hairdos, you’ll know right away what a brilliant idea they’ve struck upon, and they’ve even put up some promotional videos on YouTube to prove it!
Cooking pizza in a burning cardboard box, and other unconventional recipes
- Jamie Koide
Oct 2, 2015
Cookpad is easily the largest community cooking website for getting new Japanese recipes to try out in the kitchen. Started in 1997, it grew to be so popular that two years ago it expanded its user base by launching an English version.
It goes without saying that you can find a dish for pretty much anything you have lying around in your kitchen, but because most of the recipes are posted by amateurs, you might have to weed some of the stranger ones out by taking a look at their reviews.
Fortunately there seems to be a whole crew of users willing and waiting to take a hit for the team and try out the latest recipe, including a recently posted recipe for making pizza that requires putting the uncooked crust and toppings inside a box and setting the box on fire. How does it measure up? One net user decided to photograph and review the process.
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