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cool (Page 190)

Japanese firefighters show off the awesome ninja skills we never realized they had 【Video】

KK Miller
Nov 18, 2015
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If you thought ninjas had died out during the fall of the Shogunate, then do we have a surprise for you. Introducing Japan’s modern-day ninjas who look strikingly like firefighters.

Japan
(awesome • cool • fire department • firefighters • ninjas • videos)

We check out the awesome Tokyo restaurant sandwiched between two active train tracks

Krista Rogers
Nov 16, 2015

Earlier this year, we shared news about a restaurant in Tokyo where you can dine between the train tracks of the busy Chuo Line. One of our Japanese-language reporters finally got the chance to visit the location for himself, and we’d like to share his thoughts about getting up close and personal with some trains!

Japan
(Akihabara • bars • cafes • cool • restaurants • Tokyo • trains)

Transforming kanji watches not so great for telling time, perfect for being awesome

Scott Wilson
Nov 15, 2015

With the advent of cellphones, wristwatches have become less and less common, meaning makers have had to get more and more creative capture the attention of customers. One perfect example is this Japanese watch company that has started selling watches that use transforming metal kanji characters to tell the time!

Japan
(cool • expensive • kanji • transform • watch • wristwatch)

These gorgeous photos of 19th century Japan might as well be a time machine 【Photos】

Casey Baseel
Nov 12, 2015

Take a trip back to 1800s Japan with this collection of breathtaking photographs.

Japan
(awesome • beautiful • cool • culture • history • photos)

Why not make your own crown? It’s surprisingly easy and you deserve it

Master Blaster
Nov 12, 2015

Hard day at the office? Money or family troubles got you down? Don’t you just want to slip away to a quiet corner of your home and toss on a golden bejeweled crown to make you feel like the king or queen you ought to be?

But high-quality crowns are expensive and hard to come by…or at least they were until a couple of cosplaying Twitter users shared how they made their own realistic looking crown in just a few steps.

Internet, Japan
(art • cool • cosplay • crown • twitter)

Japanese chefs discover their sandwich makers can also make pancakes, mochi, and more 【Photos】

Casey Baseel
Nov 11, 2015

Who knew the seemingly specialized kitchen gadget was so multitalented?

Internet, Japan
(cooking • cool • mochi • pancakes • sandwich maker)

Nissan builds an origami car to celebrate the fifth birthday of its Juke crossover 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Nov 11, 2015

It’s been five years since Nissan launched its compact Juke SUV/crossover, and the company is celebrating with a very special fifth anniversary edition: a full-size origami model.

Japan
(cool • Juke • nissan • origami • video)

Young martial artist slices through the competition, takes the internet by storm

Jamie Koide
Nov 10, 2015

Female fighters in Japan and all across the globe and are inspiring a whole new generation of young women to take up martial arts in what has traditionally been considered a male-dominated domain, like this adorable pint-sized warrior who’s starring in a new music video.

But another young female athlete found herself suddenly in the spotlight for her proficiency in multiple martial arts, catching the attention of viewers all across the world by channeling her inner ninja with an amazing video of her performing her best sword fighting techniques.

Internet
(cool • kids • martial arts • swords • U.K. • video)

Cracked smartphone screens could be a thing of the past far sooner than we thought

Jamie Koide
Nov 7, 2015

Every year, tech giants like Apple, Samsung and HTC give us more features and better, often bigger, displays to look forward to in our smartphones. But so far they still haven’t managed to come up with a way to tackle perhaps the most common problem users have, which is dropping your phone and cracking the screen.

However one research team at Tokyo University is hoping to change that by creating glass that is nearly indestructible. If the team achieves its goal, the glass could be used in everything from buildings to consumer electronics as soon as 2020.

Japan
(cool • glass • iPhone • science • Smartphones • techology • Tokyo University)

500 Type Eva Cafe releases exclusive lineup of Evangelion-themed meals, sweets and drinks

Oona McGee
Nov 7, 2015

November 7 means two things to Evangelion fans in Japan: the awesome Eva-themed bullet train makes its highly-anticipated inaugural run from Osaka to Fukuoka on the Sanyō Shinkansen line; and the eagerly awaited 500 Type Eva Café opens its doors to customers at JR Hakata Station for the very first time.

To add to all the excitement, Japan Rail West has just released the very first images of the café’s exclusive original menu. From specially marked toast to Eva sweets and an Angel curry, this themed collection of edible goods is the perfect way to celebrate the official launch of the Shinkansen Evangelion Project!

Japan
(anime • bullet train • cafe • cool • Neon Genesis Evangelion • Sanyo Shinkansen 500 Type EVA • shinkansen)

We bunk up in “bookstore hotel” Book and Bed Tokyo on opening night

Oona McGee
Nov 6, 2015

Ever since we heard about the opening of a bookstore-themed hotel with sleeping quarters built into its wooden bookshelves, we’ve been keeping a close eye out for updates, and were actually lucky enough to snap up a reservation to stay at the hotel on opening night!

After emerging from the beautiful space this morning, we can happily say it’s one of the most atmospheric places to stay in Tokyo. Actually, we wouldn’t mind shacking up here permanently! Come with us as we take you through all the gorgeous features and unusual details after the break.

Japan
(accommodation • books • cool • hostel • hotel • Tokyo • travel)

“Amazing Kyoto” shows us sides of Japan’s old capital we’ve never seen before — in two languages!

Jamie Koide
Nov 5, 2015

Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years, is one of those cities that looks beautiful no matter what time of the year it is**.** But out of all the seasons, autumn is by far the most popular time to visit, and now that the leaves are beginning to change people are also starting to plan trips to catch a glimpse of Kyoto’s gorgeous fall scenery.

If you happen to be one of those tourists, we have just the book for you, a unique insight into city by foreigners who now call Kyoto their home, called Amazing Kyoto.

Japan
(books • cool • Discover Kyoto • foreigners in Japan • Japan travel • Japanese culture • Kyoto • Kyoto Fan)

LED potion lamp heals us with its array of colors, sets perfect adventure mood

KK Miller
Nov 5, 2015

Growing up with video games, there are a number of make-believe items we’d love to pull out from a bag to make our everyday lives better. Even just an ordinary potion could mean going from a sloth-like laziness to the get-up-and-go of a hummingbird. Sure, there have been plenty of elixirs concocted by drink makers that turn out to be delicious and colorful, but there’s another potion hitting the markets that we are looking to add to our stash to raise the hit points of our mood, since it’s an LED potion lamp!

Internet
(cool • interior • lamp • LED • potion • ThinkGeek • video • video games)

Anime studio’s new Tokyo office building has the ultimate amenity: a natural hot spring!

Casey Baseel
Nov 4, 2015

There aren’t a lot of cushy jobs in the anime industry. Aside from the pressure of having to please fickle fans and meet strict deadlines, most animators in Japan earn a pitiful salary.

Still, almost all anime professionals are also fans, and at the end of the day, being able to contribute to the art form that they love must be worth something. Plus, the employees of one particular anime studio get to enjoy the ultimate after-work perk: a dip in the hot spring that was found in their office building!

Japan
(anime • awesome • cool • hot springs • onsen)

Japan has vending machines for just about anything, including emergency care

Jamie Koide
Nov 4, 2015

In the case of a cardiac arrest, every second counts, which is why over the past decade Japanese health organizations have deployed a large number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public areas, with the current count somewhere over 300,000 units.

Eventually the country would like to see that number expand to one in every building, but for the time being the first priority is AED accessibility, leaving some foreign tourists surprised to find that AEDs in places that might seem a little odd at first: like vending machines.

Japan
(AED • cool • emergency care • medical treatment • technology • vending machines • YouTube)

Yanmar reveals state-of-the-art tractor – You may never look at farm equipment the same

Audrey Akcasu
Nov 3, 2015

Chances are you’ve never looked at a tractor and thought, “Man, that’s cool!” But then, chaces are you haven’t seen one like Yanmar’s new limited edition tractor, currently on display at the Tokyo Motor Show. The tractor is stylish, functional, and looks like it might transform into a giant robot, should an enemy attack you.

Japan
(cool • design • Ken Okuyama • Tokyo Motor Show • tractor • Yanmar)

Talented Thai artist provides peek inside the secret world of miniature people【Photos】

KK Miller
Oct 31, 2015

We never stop talking about the different ways that people pay tribute to Studio Ghibli. Artists and designers create some amazing work that stems from the themes and ideas that the famous Japanese animation studio put on the silver screen.

One photographer from Thailand was struck with Ghibli-fluence after watching The Secret World of Arrietty and wondered, “What would life be like from the perspective of miniature people?” Take a look after the jump to see the secret world of tiny people not named Arrietty.

Internet, SE Asia
(Arrietty • cool • miniatures • photography • photos • Thailand)

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)

Bookstore-styled Tokyo hostel has 1,700 books to read, bunks in the shelves to sleep next to them

Casey Baseel
Oct 27, 2015

Last summer, we heard about what sounded like the perfect place for lovers of travel and literature: a hotel in Tokyo designed like a bookstore and filled with reading material. It might sound like a fictitious flight of fancy, but Book and Bed Tokyo is very much real, and with its grand opening just days away, not only have pictures have surfaced of the unique accommodations, we now know how much it will cost to stay there and a little more about what kind of books it will have.

Japan
(books • cool • hostels • hotels • Tokyo • travel)

Nintendo taxis?! Peruvian cabs outfitted with Mario Kart 8 setups for rear passengers to play

Casey Baseel
Oct 27, 2015

Japanese taxis are pretty nice. They’ve got those cool doors that swing open and shut at the touch of a button, and the lace doilies they usually have across the rear parcel shelf add a nice touch of class.

Still, we’re finding ourselves feeling a little jealous of taxi patrons in Peru, where one company isn’t just providing swift transportation, but entertainment with a fleet of cabs equipped with Nintendo Wii U game consoles for passengers to play in the back seat during their ride.