Pimp My Ride has nothing on these cars. The Japanese show us how far they can go with customised rides.

Via Ubergizmo

Technorati Tags: culture, customised cars, Japan

This is the Peeandgo, a golden urinal for women. It’s created by Chen & Karlsson and is inspired by traditional Asian squat urinals.

We’re kinda left scratching our heads over this one, although we suppose the gold does add a “touch” of class..

Via NotCot

Technorati Tags: Asian squat urinals, golden urinal, ideas, Peeandgo, Chen & Karlsson

This topless Korean American dude takes off his shirt to show us all how to prevent body odour, the “natural” way…

Via TokyoMango

Technorati Tags: ideas, Korean American, prevent body odour

Buddha-shaped pears – a divine creation? No, these pears are grown as Buddha figures by a plastic mold that’s attached to them whilst they’re still small enough.

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: buddha, buddha shaped pears

Chinese ingenuity shows its head again in 20 year old Chinese farmer Wu Zhongyuan, who has built a home-made helicopter using wood and a motorcycle engine..

Wu built himself the contraption using what he remembers of middle school physics lessons and “relevant knowledge [found while] surfing the Internet via my mobile phone.”

His single-seater conveyance has blades made from the wood of an Elm tree, a frame reinforced with steel pipes and uses an engine from a motorcycle — all for around $1,600. Wu claims the ‘copter can get him as high as 2,600 feet, though it seems he’s grounded for the time being as the Chinese government has forbid him to fly because of safety reasons.

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: China, ideas, home-made helicopter

Someone in China (not Japan?) customised this Gundam robot with jewels and it looks good, if a little feminine (nothing wrong with that!). I suspect the decoration came from all the phone decals that are common in Hong Kong and Japan, and probably China too.

You can see more photos of the Pink Gundam here

Seen on TokyoMango

Technorati Tags: China, crafts, customised cars, customised robot models, Gundam, ideas, Japan, phone decals

We spent a day at the Design Festa in Tokyo last May. It’s an amazing arts event full of lots of independent artists!

We covered alot of the Design Festa over 5 posts on our other blog MangoVine.net, which you can check out via the links below. The event happens every May and November and its worth timing a trip to Tokyo especially for it, if you’re interested in creativity!

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Personal Creativity at its Finest!

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Linh’s Big Hair

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Amazing Variety of Artist Work

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Performers and Entertainment

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Amazing Cardboard City Model

Technorati Tags: arts, crafts, creative, design, Design Festa, ideas, illustration, Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Big Sight

Passion and creativity really get you happiness in life. Such as in the case of crazy Japanese ironsmith Kogoro Kurata, who has built his own bulldozer with a little Fiat 500!

It doesn’t go very fast, but oozes miniature class – well, as much as a work vehicle can muster.

Via Gizmodo

Technorati Tags: Fiat 500, Fiat 500 bulldozer, ideas, Japan, Japanese ironsmith, Kogoro Kurata, miniature bulldozer

Shanghai designer Jiang Qian created a kinetic charger concept that takes the idea of those traditional Chinese baoding balls and uses them to harness energy to charge AA and AAA batteries.

The Roll Charger harnesses energy from the ball’s motion when they’re rotating in your palm and include LED indicators for when the batteries are charged.

Since the balls work like shiatsu massage and stimulate acupuncture points in the fingers, these would be great for your body and good for the environment too!

Read more on Treehugger.com

Technorati Tags: acupuncture, Chinese baoding balls, Jiang Qian, Roll Charger, Shanghai, Traditional Chinese medicine

Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa created these eye-catching juice containers.

The design imitates the texture, skin, and color of the fruit juices within the containers to create this clever and innovative packaging design.

The banana boxes have already made their way onto store shelves and we hope the others will too!

Via LostAtEMinor

Technorati Tags: cool packaging, design, drinks, industrial design, Japan, Japanese industrial designer, juice containers, Naoto Fukasawa, packaging