Japanese Emoticons: In a World All Their Own

Japanese emoticons, which are also known as anime emoticons or manga-style smiles, are different from the myriad of others found everywhere on the Internet. For one thing, Japanese emoticons ar…

Japan’s Celebration of Spring: Penis and Vagina Festivals

Dating back more than 1,500 years, Japan’s rites of spring are deeply rooted in its agricultural past. As in all the world’s ancient cultures, such observances were believed to promote a succes…

Japan Battles with Footwear Company

Considered by many to be one of the worst fashion trends in decades both from the point of view of safety and appearance, the Trade Ministry of Japan has instructed the maker of Crocs to redesign the …

Extreme Japanese Censorship: Manga Comics and Homosexuality?

Japanese Manga censors have always collided with the public perception of artistic expression. The issue usually concerns “Loli Manga,” the adorable childlike characters that are depicted i…

Store in Japan Employs Colorful Language to Advertise Sale

Faulty translations make Japan one of the most humorous and downright weirdest places in the world, and we love them for it. Take, for example, this sign, found in a popular shopping district in d…

Toyota Robots Perform Symphony in Brass

The Japanese fascination for all things robotic has been a boon to all mankind in many ways. Japanese researchers have developed robots that can do just about everything under the sun, includi…

Does Slime Hold the Key to Human Intelligence?

Straight out of the plot of a wild, high-tech science fiction tale comes this news account of research in Japan concerning amoeboid yellow slime mold and its connection to human intelligence. I…

Boob Gadgets from Japan: Keeping ‘Abreast’ of Popular Trends

Perhaps as elusive as that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or even the fabled treasure of the Sierra Madre, the quest for perfect breasts, by enthusiasts everywhere, never seems to end. T…

Japanese Fugitive Spends Three Hours Trying to Turn Himself In

In a bizarre series of unfortunate events, a known fugitive on the Most Wanted list in Japan spent a solid three hours attempting to turn himself in before finally finding a police officer willing to …

The World’s Stupidest and Least Useful Robots

A topic that would seem to defy convention, the decision is not as simple as one might think. Japan’s love affair with anything robotic is renowned, but usually these creations have their dis…

Homeless in Japanese City Hired as Tour Guides

In an effort to curb prejudice toward the homeless in Sapporo, Japan, the city has hired a number of them to serve as tour guides. Sapporo, a major tourist district known for its cuisine and a …

Mother’s Café in Osaka, Japan: Button Up Your Overcoat

A land of many interests and odd predilections, Japan’s themed cafés are well known all around the world. Usual themes include gundams, manga, anime, cats, and subservient maids that wait upon …

Japan’s New Campaign: Let’s Love the Toilet

Japan is a sophisticated land of many odd fascinations. Perhaps most enduring is the country’s love for robots in all of their cyber manifestations. Somewhere up there on the list of Japan…

Japanese Company Creates $100,000 Diamond-encrusted Toilet

For a device that receives human excrement, you would think that aesthetics and value would be the lowest of priorities. But not in Japan, where they play host to a diamond-studded toilet valued at…