Japan

The ±0 Electric Kettle From Japan

I've been thinking of getting an electric kettle for some time, and I think I've found the most simple, beautiful one I could ever hope for. The small container's power cord is stored inside the base, explaining that one seam you see running around the base of the unit. I'll have to pick this up in Japan or ask Doug to send one back on his next trip. [+- via Core77]

10:30 AM on Fri Jul 4 2008
By Brian Lam
1,377 views, 27 comments

Latest by Meursault: I thought Muji was opening a store in NY City? It is the same designer and I'd be surprised (assuming that they did go ahead and open the store), if they didn't carry this. more »

robots

Anima Machines Robotic Art is Freakishly Organic

At Impress they've posted a review of a recent show titled Anima Machines by artist Choe U Ram that contains some of the most bizarre robotic exhibits you can imagine. Choe's work includes things like sophisticated glowing robotic flowers that respond to each other's behavior, and whirling bladed sculptures that look organic in their complexity and spin up when people pass nearby. It's pretty hard to describe actually... the metal, electronic and LED structures that were shown at the Japan's SCAI The Bathhouse Gallery are best ogled at in the photos below, and in the video that follows them. More »

5:11 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
By Kit Eaton
3,337 views, 16 comments

Latest by twilight-arc: There is also his web site: [www.uram.net] more »

laptops

What Doesn't Break a Toughbook Makes It Stronger: How They Test the Hell Out of Them

Deep in the northwest corner of Kobe, Japan, there's a factory hidden away among green rice paddies, and sleepy farming villages of tiled roofs. If you were to travel here, to Takatsukadai—the middle of nowhere—you'd find Panasonic's Toughbook plant quietly making notebooks with the world's lowest failure rate. Well, not so quietly, actually. They employ a regimen of over 500 different tests, smashing, dropping and soaking Toughbooks, with over a thousand sacrifices each year. This is where I learned how the old computer plant manages to pull it off, miraculously, almost all under one roof. More »

4:00 PM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Tim Hornyak
5,405 views, 46 comments

Latest by n/a: Legally, they cannot say they test the hell out of them (Anyone that's been in a DC Subway station should get that reference..) " Notebooks also go on racks at the Kobe factory, and are given massages. Using Panasonic-branded handheld massagers (what more »

death trap

Topia One-Seat Electric HUVO Prototype Might As Well Be Shaped Like a Coffin

With the arrival of Topia's one-seater prototype, I think it's finally safe to say the SMART car has something it can take in a fight. Called the HUVO, this diminutive electric car forgoes features like "well-being" and "sanity" for "lightweight" (330 lbs.) and "Jesus Christ watch out for that MINI Cooper!" To save weight and development costs, the HUVO is made out of materials that would make any contemporary golf cart proud; mainly plastic, ceramic, more plastic, and a bit of high-tensile steel plate. Although, as the headline implies, if HUVO goes into production Topia should probably just make the thing out of a nice, sturdy wood, and save your immediate family a step at the funeral parlor. More »

5:00 PM on Sat Jun 28 2008
By Jack Loftus
3,543 views, 38 comments

Latest by MarkB: USA math: Small + Different = Fear more »

kids

Konepan Bread Maker Turns Your Loaves into Bunnies

Going one better than the Jesus model (the original, not Giz's resident LEGO freak and sexy boy Diaz) is the Konepan, a bread maker from japanese toy manufacturer Megahouse. The kitchen gizmo, aimed at kids and recently-retired Giz writers, can turn your dough into 14 different shapes, most of them crazy, all of them fabulous. Teddy bears, elephants, ~~hemmorhoids~~ a bunch of grapes, snails, and what looks like an angry squirrel, take just 13 minutes to cook once you've followed the instructions of how to make them. No clue as to how much the Komepan costs, however. [Megahouse via TOKYOMANGO]

4:00 PM on Sat Jun 28 2008
By AddyDugdale
3,628 views, 14 comments

Latest by n/a: I guess the bread will be "protein enriched",judging from the Freudian slip Addy made in the last sentence...! more »

42gb dvd

Japanese Researchers Make 42GB DVD That's Compatible With Nothing

Dudes in the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials in Tohoku University just developed a 42GB DVD that's backwards compatible with nothing. The new tech uses a V shape in the pits—current pits are just pits—which allows nine times more information to be held on the same sized disc. The downside is that current CD and DVD drives cant' read it, so you'll have to purchase all new tech in order to use this. It's also not capable of being adapted to Blu-ray drives, so there's little to no incentive for the industry to add this in to this generation either. But nice work (in theory), Japanese researchers! [Crunchgear]

2:00 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By Jason Chen
3,378 views, 37 comments

Latest by n/a: Great job japanese researchers...now lets start building a new system around a DVD. more »

this post is dedicated to Benny Goodman who smokes fags--cigarettes--like me

Having Trouble Buying Cigs, Babyface? Here's the Solution

Psst. Remember those face-recognition vending machines that sell cigarettes in Japan, but only if you're old enough? Well, underage fag-fans of Japan, here's how to get your hands on a packet of cancer sticks if you're still young enough to remember the main working function of the breast. More »

7:05 AM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By AddyDugdale
13,572 views, 26 comments

Japanese TV show not really

How I Survived a Japanese Game Show: So Far, Lame But With a Touch of Gadget

The new ABC show this week, How I survived a Japanese Game show, combines the Japanese entertainment staple with an American reality TV series, featuring your usual cast of Jerry Springer rejects. Besides the weirdness and bright vibe typically found in such gameshows, there is the tech. The premier episode featured a conveyor belt that contestants had to run on with plate of mochi on their head. You either run long and fast enough to feed your team member and earn a point, or fall into a pit of flour. It's kind of hard to explain, but we have a video. More »

9:00 PM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Brian Lam
9,011 views, 47 comments

Latest by Somadis: Freaken Japanese! more »

toilet

Secret Planet Killer: High-Tech Japanese Toilets

Japan's second most dubiously famous technological predilection (behind panty-vending machines) is its highfalutin' toilets, which warm, wash, blow dry and deodorize your bum, just to cover the basics. Japan is also well regarded for taking the lead on going green—average energy consumption per person is half ours. Tragically, the Japanese desire for a pampered and squeaky clean butthole is killing that ethos—and the planet. More »

9:00 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By matt buchanan
7,760 views, 33 comments

kick in the pants

Japanese ISP Institutes Upload Cap of 30GB… Per Day

While everyone is up in arms about US ISPs such as Comcast instituting bandwidth caps that'll keep you from downloading all the sweet, sweet data that you want, what about telcos in Japan? Well, they're going to start instituting caps as well. Oh, the horror? What is it, 25GB a month? 50GB? No, actually. NTT Communications is going to start instituting an upload cap of 30GB… per day. I'm pretty sure if I was uploading at max speed at all times I couldn't hit 30GB a day. More »

3:17 PM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Adam Frucci
6,445 views, 41 comments

Latest by n/a: "I'm pretty sure if I was uploading at max speed at all times I couldn't hit 30GB a day." yeah cuz you don't have the upload speeds they have in Japan :P Wonder if this will do any harm to file more »

iphone 3g

iPhone 3G to Sell Out in Japan Within Hours

According to Softbank's founder, Masayoshi Son, the iPhone 3G will sell out completely within hours of its debut in Japan, despite its contract-binding $214 (8GB) and $316 (16GB) price. I wonder if it will be the same in the rest of the world. Apparently, the rumors are that the iPhone 3G will start selling first thing in the morning in the UK and the US, although there are no official times yet. [Impress via Tokyomango, BGR]

8:30 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By jesusdiaz
3,931 views, 30 comments

docks

Wooden iPod Dock is Wholesome, Er, Wooden

Available for both iPod classic and nano, Marubeni Infotech's wooden docks are coming out in Japan next month. In two finishes: American Walnut; and Scandinavian Birch, (*thwack!*) they have a USB connection and two piddly little 1W channels. Costing $100 and $90 respectively, they're kinda cool, if you're allergic to plastic. Bonus shot after the jump. More »

8:00 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By AddyDugdale
1,505 views, 6 comments

solar power

Japan to Build Huge Solar Power Plants to Power Sharp Factories

The city of Sakai in Japan is going to have a glittering new "green" addition in 2010, when Sharp and Kansai Electric Power build two massive solar-electric power plants there. In a bid to make Sharp's factories more eco-friendly, the two plants will generate 10 megawatts and 28 megawatts of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by 10 kilotons yearly. Apparently the "Sakai City Waterfront Mega Solar Power Generation Plan" will be among the biggest like it in the world, and is part of a bid by Sakai to become a leading eco-friendly city. Smashing, and means Sharp gadgets can be bought with a clearer conscience. [Crunchgear via Dvice]

5:10 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Kit Eaton
2,502 views, 14 comments

Latest by johnnyabnormal: @pevans34: That, and the coastal dwellers wouldn't want to repair them all the time when the flyovers start riding ATV's on the panels. :) more »

racism

EMobile's Japanese Ad Equates Obama with a Monkey to Sell Phones

In this Japanese EMobile ad, a monkey politician stands before a crowd chanting and holding up signs calling for change. Yes, that's right, a fucking monkey standing in for Obama is selling phones in Japan. I guess it's to be expected coming from a country that thinks blackface is hilarious, but seriously — this is pretty ridiculous. [Animal NY via Boing Boing Gadgets]

5:39 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Adam Frucci
8,621 views, 123 comments

mind control

Wake up! First Sun Warrior of the Morning Challenge Kit Turns Waking Up Into Crazy Anime Game

Japanese toy company People has released a new age alarm clock that supposedly helps kids wake up by turning them into Ultraman. It's called the Okiro! Asa Ichiban Taiyou Senshi - Charenjaa Kitto (Wake up! First Sun Warrior of the Morning - challenger kit) and was manufactured for the Japanese Ministry of Education “early to bed early to rise” program. The $38 kit comes with the extravagant eye shield and helmet; a series of talismans and message cards (no doubt world-saving secret missions); and a 27-day program that will involve your child taking orders from "the commander." More »

5:00 PM on Sat Jun 21 2008
By Jack Loftus
5,027 views, 11 comments

Latest by GadgetPlay: @MrBubbuls: "um then whats the star pieces and stuff for and ay i ask why 6 why not you know WHAT EVER TIME I SET IT TO WAKE ME THE F^*K UP?" Well played, @MrBubbuls! more »

ultraman

Gigantic Ultraman Made Out Of Thousands of Tiny Ultramans

Hobbymedia spotted this gigantic Ultraman at the Tokyo Toy Show 2008. It's a gigantic Ultraman that's made up of tiny little Ultramen. Or mans. The whole thing looks to be about the size of 10 average Japanese attendees if you stacked them up correctly. What's also interesting about Tokyo Toy Show is that they've got three separate bathroom categories, men, women, and defecating toddlers. [Hobby Media] More »

7:30 PM on Fri Jun 20 2008
By Jason Chen
8,788 views, 21 comments

Latest by n/a: Wouldn't that make him UltramMEN? more »

rpg piggy bank

Tomy's Piggy Bank Comes With Built-In RPG

Japanese kids and otaku need slightly more motivation than the rest of us to save money, and to that end, Takara Tomy has made a piggy bank with an RPG game built right on there. It's called Bank Quest (was Final Bank Fantasy taken?) and you can buy weapons and armor for your dude from the savings you place inside. That reminds us of the RPG Toilet we saw in Japan one time that rewarded us for the size, weight and consistency of he deuce we dropped. Wait, that might not have happened. [Akihabara News via Boing Boing Gadgets]

6:30 PM on Fri Jun 20 2008
By Jason Chen
2,024 views, 14 comments

Latest by Hello_Newman: It shouldn't be an RPG, it has to be a WW2 simulator where you're dropping bombs to stop the Nazi war machine. Save money by dropping as much tonnage as possible over nazi airfields. Crapping is the winning strategy here, more »

toys

A Quick Glimpse of Tokyo Toy Show 2008

For those of us not lucky enough to be at this year's Tokyo Game Show, here's a quick highlight video running through some of the more interesting products. Our favorite has to be the AeroSpider by Takara Tomy. It's an R/C car that can burn donuts on 90-degree surfaces (like walls) and then top off the act by driving completely inverted on the ceiling. We're sure that parents will just love it. [CScoutJapan via bbGadgets]

9:45 AM on Fri Jun 20 2008
By Mark Wilson
2,474 views, 12 comments

Latest by n/a: Must have Mini RC Hover Craft! more »

Gizmodo

Lightning Review: Lego Egg Timer

Gizmodo Team

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