Posts from — August 2007

Japan takes the crane game to new levels with a user controlled robot. Is this any less frustrating? I guess robots will permeate all aspects of life, not just the high-end applications.

Via Gizmodo

Technorati Tags: crane game, entertainment, Japan, robots

As if giant hot pots aren’t good enough, the Chinese have done it again - this time with a giant moon cake! This one is on display at a food market in Shenyang, Northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

The enormous mooncake weighs 12.9 tons and measures 8.1 metres in diameter. The moon cake is a traditional Chinese food that people enjoy on the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the eighth month in lunar calendar), which falls on the 25th September this year.

Technorati Tags: China, cuisine, culture, Mid-Autumn Festival, moon cake

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When I read about Toilet Paper Origami, I found myself thinking “how bizarre is this”, and yet at the same time, “why didn’t anyone think of this before”? Learn the techniques from the Origami Resource Center website and you’ll never need a magazine again…

Toilet Paper Origami at the Origami Resource Center

Via Craftzine

Technorati Tags: origami, Origami Resource Center, Toilet Paper Origami

The eatdrinknbmerry blog has an interesting and personal travel blog post on a trip to Yangshuo.

Visiting China is on my list of things to do and aside from all the fuss that is being made of the country’s potential influence, I still sense that a genuine and personal travel experience can be gained from there. Least of all that I should visit a country with which I have some sort of heritage with.

According to this blogger’s experience, Yangshuo sounds like a perfect place to visit with descriptions of welcoming hospitality, good food and the obligatory beautiful landscapes. But apparently, it doesn’t seem to be your typical Chinese town:

Technorati Tags: China, culture, travel, Yangshuo

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I’ve just heard about Manga : The Complete Guide which is a new book (set to be released in October 07) written by former Viz editor Jason Thompson. I haven’t flicked through it, but it sounds like a fantastic resource for both newcomers and seasoned readers on the genre.

The book will contain:

• Reviews of more than 900 manga series
• Ratings from 0 to 4 stars
• Incisive, full-length reviews of stories and artwork
• Guidelines for age-appropriateness–from strictly mature to kid-friendly
• Number of series volumes
• Background info on series and artists
• Profiles of the biggest names in manga, including CLAMP, Osamu Tezuka, Rumiko Takahashi, and many others
• The facts on the many kinds of manga–know your shôjo from your shônen
• An overview of the manga industry and its history
• A detailed bibliography and a glossary of manga terms

Jason Thompson has over ten years’ experience as a manga editor, working at SHOHEN JUMP magazine and other publications. His writing has appeared in Animerica and The Comics Journal.

Read an interview with Jason Thompson here

Get Manga: The Complete Guide at Amazon…

Technorati Tags: book, comics, culture, Japanese, Jason Thompson, manga, Manga : The Complete Guide

A participant rides a bicycle during an underwater sports meet at the Shengya Ocean World in Dalian, China, on August 5, 2007. Shengya Ocean World organized the meet, which featured soccer matches, bicycle riding, and walking with turtles.

Via Activate.us

Technorati Tags: China, Dalian, Shengya Ocean World, sport, underwater sports

I know the population in Japan can be pretty intense, but this slightly popular wave pool is crazy! I’ve never seen this many people packed into a pool before!

Its like a concert, except you might not have the same problem when you need to go to the toilet. You can just stay where you are and do it there…

Via Weird Asia News

Technorati Tags: culture, Japan, Tokyo, wave pool

In the rehabilitation center for disabled children in Thuy An, near Hanoi, children, whose parents fought in Agent Orange infected regions, are cared for.

Photo by Roland Schmid

Via Photo.net

Technorati Tags: child, Hanoi, photography, Thuy An, Vietnam