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Hide your daughters! Kagoshima’s suave new bear mascot is winning hearts all over

Master Blaster
Dec 25, 2015
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Meet the bear that’s making women say: “I wanna fall prey to him!”

Internet, Japan
(bear • Greboo • Ikebear • Kagoshima • mascot • Tales of Greboo • television • yuru-kyara)

Japanese kids’ show a big hit overseas for strangely moving Rube Goldberg machine story【Video】

Master Blaster
Oct 30, 2015

I often enjoy watching the educational programming of NHK’s E-Tele in the mornings with my family while we get ready for the day. It’s full of fun and educational shows that teach everything from English to geography, and Pitagora Switch (Japanese pronunciation of “Pythagora Switch”) is a big crowd favorite. It showcases cute little machines similar to Rube Goldberg devices where a ball travels along an array of painstakingly arranged cups, springs, ramps, pulleys and whatever else they can cram in to get to the other end.

My two-year-old daughter always gets a kick out of its blend of physics and fun, and now apparently so does much of the Western world after a segment of the show posted onto YouTube has received rave reviews on Reddit for its unique combination of story-telling and Rube Goldberg machinations.

Japan
(NHK • Pitagora Suicchi • Pitagora Switch • Pythagora Switch • reddit • Rube Goldberg device • television • video)

Sony unveils bizarre new TV remote control with built-in speaker, met with confusion and LOLs

Jamie Koide
Sep 2, 2015

It’s amazing how much technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Companies continually strive to outdo one another by bringing us the latest modern conveniences and seeking to create new and unique gizmos that we won’t want to live without. That said, there are times when we seem to rely on technology more than we need to, and when it feels like companies release new devices without much of a goal in mind besides trying to be different..

Internet, Japan
(electronics • remote control • Sony • speaker • technology • television)

Super Mega Important Debate – Japanese TV: is it just plain awful? 【Poll】

ロケットニュース24
Aug 29, 2015

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Super Mega Important Debate is back! This weekend, we’re putting Japanese TV under the spotlight and asking you, our good-looking and never-shy-to-venture-an-opinion readers, whether you think the TV shows broadcast in Japan are wonderfully entertaining or a big bag of steaming horse poop.

Japan
(debate • Japanese TV • opinion • poll • Super Mega Important Debate • television)

Don’t want to pay your NHK TV licence fee? Beat Takeshi doesn’t think you should have to

Evie Nyan
Feb 27, 2015

In Japan, it’s mandatory to pay for a TV licence if you own a television set or device that can receive a broadcast signal. The money goes to NHK, Japan’s national broadcasting service. It’s much the same deal as in the UK, where your television licence funds the BBC.

But what if you don’t even watch any BBC or NHK channels? Should you still have to pay? Actor, director and outspoken comedian Beat Takeshi doesn’t think so – in fact, he’s calling for the option to “opt-out” of accessing Japan’s NHK’s programming for people who don’t want to pay the licence fee.

Japan
(Beat Takeshi • fee • NHK • television • TV licence)

Fuji TV faces harsh criticism over “ticker” counting down to Japanese hostages’ murder

Evie Nyan
Jan 23, 2015

As we reported earlier in the week, Islamic State militants are currently holding two Japanese nationals hostage. The militants have said that the men will be executed within 72 hours unless the Japanese government pays a ransom of US$200 million, something that seems highly unlikely to happen.

With this being a rather sensitive subject, many people were extremely shocked and angry when Japanese morning television show Mezamashi Television went on air with a “ticker” onscreen counting how much time had passed since the demands were made.

Japan
(hostage • television • terrorism)

“Emissary of Hell” Spider-Man and his giant robot appear in American comic for first time!

Master Blaster
Jan 10, 2015

Some of you may recall us looking back on Japan’s version of Spider-Man from the late 1970s that was so over-the-top it made the old Adam West Batman series look like brooding British melodrama set atop a dew-soaked Northumberland farm.

It kept pretty close to the original storyline of Spider-Man, like how a motorcycle racer got his spider powers from an alien along with a spaceship that transforms into a giant robot to battle the evil Professor Monster, and shouting out, “I’m the emissary of Hell!” in Japanese before doing so.

It’s been a while since those good times but now the Japanese fans that still remember the series are tickled to see Spidey’s old war machine Leopardon has returned in the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man!

Japan, USA
(Comics • Leopardon • Spiderman • television)

Japanese viewers help the CSI: NY team unravel a murder… With basic vocabulary… YEEEAAAAAHHHH!

Master Blaster
Nov 10, 2014

We now join CSI: New York Season 8, Episode 17: Unwrapped already in progress…

Dr. Sheldon Hawkes is busy trying to piece together fragments of a porcelain figure recovered by detectives Messer and Flack. With any luck this figure may be a clue to the mysterious murder of Kelvin Moore, a successful accountant who was trying to give back to his community.

When the figure is complete they find it’s in the shape of a cat. Not only that, it has a strange symbol on the bottom that no one on their team nor all of their technology can appear to decipher.

It’s at this point that viewers in Japan start screaming at their TVs, “It’s NEKO ya dummies!”

Internet, Japan, USA
(CSI • neko • New York • television)

Japanese variety show stumbles into interview with a Grand Master of Freemasonry

Master Blaster
May 27, 2014

Around the world no other club has been the source of wild speculation and urban legends as Freemasonry. This is mostly due to the club’s secrecy on what exactly they do along with its illustrious membership including voice actor Mel Blanc, MLB pitcher Ty Cobb, and circus promoters the Ringling Brothers.

Although very little is known about the Freemasons, one Japanese comedy program, by a sheer stroke of luck, was able to infiltrate their Japanese Grand Lodge and speak with their newly inducted Grand Master.

Japan
(Freemasonry • television • You ha Nani Shi ni Nihon e)

Tokyo University and NHK on the verge of touch-o-vision: Television you can truly feel a part of

Master Blaster
May 27, 2014

On 23 May, NHK announced that it has been working with Tokyo University to create a way to not only transmit images over long distances but to also send the sense of touch. Using this, viewers would also become able to actually feel whatever appeared on screen with their own hands.

This system makes use of Tokyo University’s newly developed device which can measure the dimensions and hardness of an object in three dimensions simultaneously. On the other end, NHK has been hard at work on a Touch/Force Display which would allow viewers to get tactile feedback from the images presented on screen.

Japan
(NHK • technology • television • Tokyo University)

Samsung offers us TV the way it’s meant to be seen: on a 110-inch monster screen

Master Blaster
Jan 3, 2014

You know that feeling when you’re watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and think to yourself, “this is great, but I really wish I could see Lisa Vanderpump’s face seven times its actual size”?

As luck would have it, just a few days ago, Samsung began selling a 110-inch UltraHD4K monster of a TV. That means your dreams can be a reality as long as you live in the right place and have the necessary funds–and we have a feeling it’d be totally worth it because as well as boasting amazing picture quality, this thing is absolutely enormous.

Global, Korea
(110 inch • Samsung • television)

American casting for Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers) TV series receives harsh Japanese criticism

Rachel Tackett
Oct 8, 2013

Starting this November, the first episode of a new romantic young adult series, Boys Before Friends, will be released to American audiences. The series is based on Japan’s hit manga, Hana Yori Dango (aka Boys Over Flowers). Already, the series has inspired the creation of anime, novels, and live action television dramas from Japan, Korea, and China. However, what should be a highly anticipated American adaptation of this much appreciated manga is encountering a lot of skepticism, especially from the Eastern side of the globe. It makes sense that some changes have to be made to implement an American setting for this Japanese tale, but how much change can the story endure before the tone of the original is totally lost?

Japan, USA
(adaptation • Boys Before Friends • Boys Over Flowers • Hana Yori Dango • manga • television)

Through the Predictability of Television Watch a Girl Seamlessly Age Four Years in 30 Seconds!

Master Blaster
Apr 11, 2013

Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main! was a beloved weekday children’s program that combined anime and live action to entertain and educate children about cooking and nutrition. Its star, Haruka Fukuhara, played the lead role of Main-chan and for the show’s four-year run stood as a paragon of kawaii (cute) on Japanese TV.

However, as of 29 March Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main! was taken off the air much to the dismay of thousands of fans. One fan responded to this by uploading a pseudo time-lapse 30-second video to YouTube showing Ms. Fukuhara age from 10 years old in 2009 to the 14-year-old she is now.

Japan
(Haruka Fukuhara • television • video)

Fuji TV Introduces Awkward “Digital Announcer,” No One Sure if They’re Supposed to take Her Seriously

Steven
Oct 3, 2012

Fuji TV proved itself the forerunner of equal opportunity employment for digital labor earlier this week when they announced they had brought CG character Lune Anri on board as the network’s newest announcer.

Japan
(anime • Fuji TV • Luna Anri • television)

Mindreading App (Shut Up and Take More Of My Free Will Away)?

Danielnishina
Jun 15, 2012

At first glance, this tech news report seems to be telling us of an intriguing augmented reality app that’s scary good. When you point your camera at an object, it can automatically read your mind about what you’ll want to do next on the internet with respect to that object, like get a coupon for it or research about it on Wikipedia. Which would bring to mind various questions, such as, is it like auto-fill/auto-complete, remembering what you or others have done before, taken a few steps further? Is it selectively taking you to a website that’s ultimately aiming to get your money? Is it inviting you to give up your free will and just be satisfied with the website it saw fit to jump you to? How does it know what you want to do? Read More

Internet, Japan
(app • business • fujitsu • qr code • science • smartphone • technology • television)

Life-sized Anime Figure Draws Criticism for Price, Creepy Face

Jessica
May 21, 2012

A life-sized figure of manga and anime character Fujiko
Mine has been drawing criticism from fans on the Web. Comments have ranged from “Why did they make her like that?” to the more succinct, “Who the hell is that?” Apparently, she’s looking a bit off-color. Read More

Japan
(anime & manga • figures • Fujiko Mine • Lupin the Third • television)

It’s a Wonderful Disney Life! Beautifully animated Japanese TV commercial receives critical acclaim from around the world

Kay
Apr 1, 2012

We’ve all come to expect the best of everything from the folks at Tokyo Disney Resort who operate Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Now, they’ve come up with a delightful TV commercial that is gaining very high praise from not just viewers in Japan but from overseas as well.

Here’s what the Tokyo Disney Resort official website says about the TV commercial that is attracting so much attention.

Japan
(cute • Disney • entertainment • television • TV commercial)

74 Year-Old Resident Evil Addict’s Reflexes “Too Quick for Safe Driving”

Master Blaster
Feb 24, 2012

Shiro Suzuki has been eagerly practicing to beat his high score of 178,270 in the Mercenary Mode of Resident Evil 4 (called Biohazard 4 in Japan). Most who have played the game would agree that this is an impressive score, whereas hardcore gamers may scoff at the number.

What makes Mr. Suzuki unique, however, is that on 10 February, 2012, he celebrated his 74th birthday.

Uncategorized
(entertainment • Resident Evil • septuagenarian • sports • television • The Mercenaries • video game)

Toyota Introduces Increasingly Impressive Cast for Live-Action Doraemon Commercials

Mac Denny
Nov 20, 2011

Toyota made waves by casting Japanese heartthrob Satoshi Tsumabuki as Nobita-kun in its live-action Doraemon commercials two weeks ago, but fans of the adapation of the popular cartoon were in for an even bigger shock the following week.

Toyota rolled its second wave of live-action Doraemon commercials off the line on November 18 with film star Jean Reno playing the role of Doraemon.

Japan
(anime & manga • entertainment • television)

A Day in the Life of a Cosplay Photo Buff

Mac Denny
Sep 3, 2011

I slung my camera over my shoulder, ready to invade the world of cosplay for the first time at this year’s summer Comic Market 80 at Tokyo Big Sight.