Man Steals Lawn Ornaments to Lift Loneliness

Lawn ornaments can be a charming addition to any front yard – and for one Japanese man, they also make great conversational partners. Osamu Kimura, 52, is accused of stealing dozens of ceramic do…

Baby Buddha’s Bulging Basket Bothers Believers

A rare and beautiful type of algae called marimo grows in some lakes in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Marimo forms soft green globes that sit in clusters on the lake bottom. Combine th…

Drinking Beer Out of a $50,000 Mug?

There's nothing better than a frosty mug of beer on a hot summer day. One Japanese company is betting that customers will blow $50,000 for the privilege of drinking their beer out of pure gold. …

Japanese Scientist Creates Robot Twin

Hiroshi Ishiguro, a senior researcher at ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Japan, who has created a robot that looks and moves exactly like himself. Created to fill in …

Japanese Fight Crime… With Flowers?

Neighborhoods with rising crime rates usually turn to neighborhood watches, security cameras, or increased police patrols to bring their rates down. But in Japan, one neighborhood has turned to... tul…

Wriggly Rain Falls on Japan

“Partly cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 59 degrees; 70 percent chance of amphibians.” Some people in Japan probably wish they’d heard that forecast from their TV weatherman not long ago, so they…

Nightingale Droppings: Japanese Beauty Secret Revealed

Although prized for centuries in Japan for the beauty of its spiritual melody, the noble nightingale is known for something else, which may prove to be a bit surprising and is not for the faint of hea…

The Pekoppa Toy: Buffer Against Loneliness

The Sega Toys Company Limited has come up with one of the newest hits in Japan with its creation of the weird Pekoppa Toy. Perhaps reminiscent of the campy killer rhododendron of Little Shop of Horror…

Olive in Your Cocktail? Try a Toad Instead

Despite the name, no one’s ever found a filet mignon in a bottle of Beefeater gin. Likewise, you can swig Wild Turkey all day and never run the risk of choking on a wishbone. In fact, it’s fair to…

Chopsticks Bra Promotes Conservation

Edible panties are a tried-and-true gag gift, but lingerie designer Triumph International has taken it to a whole new level with their miso soup and rice themed bras. My Chopsticks Bra is a bid…

Rented “Friends” Pad Wedding Guest Lists

“Help!! Our wedding’s not expensive enough!” When’s the last time you heard someone say that? How about never? The problem with weddings in the Western world is usually too high a price, no…

Full-Scale Gundam Threatens Tokyo!

Up until now, it’s taken a very active imagination to picture a Gundam as imposing as its creators originally conceived it be. But the job just got much easier. Gundam are various types of me…

Bizarre Belt Helps Japanese Lose Weight

People will go a long way to lose weight, making themselves look very silly for a slightly slimmer waist. Evidence of this can be found - where else - in Japan, where Boneless Belts help to lift an…

Tokyo Gets Served… Cosplay Style

The idea of being served by a maid may be frivolous according to some but it is not weird; at least not all by itself. But some Tokyo cafes and dry cleaners have taken the concept way over the top in …