Aokigahara (aka Suicide Forest)

Bordering the famed Mount Fuji in Japan is a dark, sinister forest known as Aokigahara, or "The Sea of Trees." Although from the outside it looks like your typical, run-of-the-mill forest, the inside …

Domo Kun: How to Succeed Without Really Trying

If you’ve ever wondered who or what Domo Kun is, wonder no more: he’s a stout, strange little creature who daydreams a lot, can’t speak other than the word “Domo!”, is roommates with a rabbi…

20 Strangest Japanese Candies

If their candy is any indication, the Japanese have a completely different philosophy about making candy than Americans. Ranging from useful to outright odd, their candy is often designed to serve a d…

20 of the Weirdest Japanese Films

Japan is known for its creativity and nowhere is that illustrated more colorfully than in the world of the cinema, particularly the horror venue. Japan has become as bloody and grotesque as any of …

Robot Fish Teach Children About Ocean Life

A Japanese marine biologist and educator named Masamichi Hayashi has developed a new aspect of education. He has created some one hundred life-like, hand-made fish bots constructed from all kinds of r…

Paper Airplanes Soar to New Heights in Japan

Being that most things in life are relative with the possible exceptions of being dead and pregnant, every sport has it limits, barriers, goals and records (and the hopes of breaking them). The world …

Japanese Store Offers a ‘Make Your Own Robot Double’ Deal

Folks who envy Japanese scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro and his robot twin could have nabbed their very own mechanical look-alike at a recent New Year special. Organized by a department store called Sogo &…

“Complaint Choir” in Tokyo Shares the Malice

In the digital age, if you have to voice a complaint, be it about another person, a store, or if you just want to vent, many people turn to blogs. This is apparently not good enough for a group of ind…

Hayao Miyazaki: Storyteller and Risktaker

“I’m not a storyteller,” says Hayao Miyazaki of his films. “I’m a man who draws pictures.” People who admire Hayao Miyazaki’s films may take issue with that statement. Not only is Mr.…

Japanese Man Pulls a Gender-Bender to Fool Cops

Would you go this far to avoid a traffic ticket? Yoshihiro Nishimura, a Japanese commuter caught driving without a license, decided to forgo his masculine pride and pretended to be a woman so as to fo…

Goodbye, Woman; Hello, Dolly!

What works for some people doesn't necessarily work for others. In the case of love, for instance, most of us choose to search for it by meeting new men or women at clubs, in chat-rooms, or even while…

Japanese Martial Artist Plays Nunchaku Baseball

Nunchaku master Hiroki is getting grabbing everyone's attention in Japan because of his unusual martial arts tricks. He has been showcasing his talent using his weapon and thus, so far, played sports …

Row, Row, Row Your Tub

Most people associate 'tubs' with showering, bathing, and even having hot sex. For the folks in Ito City, Japan, tubs are instead used to race down the banks of the Matsukawa River. Back during…

Japan’s Most Tantalizing Game Show Clips

Most societies have rules and regulations that prohibit obscene images from pervading their citizens' television screens. Thankfully, these same edicts have no place in the wondrous realm of Japanese …