Category — Japan

Tokyo Times unwittingly spotted the real life sumo wrestler E-Honda from cult arcade and console beat-em-up game, Street Fighter. He’s not a bad likeness although maybe he could be a bit larger and his hand should be moving a lot faster.

From Tokyo Times

Technorati Tags: E-Honda, Street Fighter, sumo wrestler

Apparently, the latest fad among Japanese girls is the virtual boyfriend. Within two weeks of launching, virtual boyfriend site Webkare (Japanese for ‘Web boyfriend‘) already boasts over 10,000 members and over 3.5 million page views.

Webkare is a combination social-networking site and online game in which young Japanese women attempt to hook up with one of four anime suitors.

Players “interact” with their virtual crushes through short cartoon sequences that allow for very little actual interaction. Important events in the storyline are saved digitally in a memories album on the site.

Read more on Switched

Technorati Tags: culture, Japan, Japanese girls, virtual boyfriend, Webkare

Lisa Katayama on io9, advises on how to buy figurines in Tokyo. It’s a good article giving an insight into the world of figurines in Japan as well as a little history. Good if you’re about to visit the country and love these items.

In the last 10-15 years, Akihabara has turned into a giant playground for otaku to express their love for anime in any and every way—whether it’s dressing up as them, being served by them at restaurants, or collecting fan-made manga and figurines that depict them as porn stars.

Read more about how to buy figurines in Tokyo

Technorati Tags: figurines, how to buy figurines, Japan, Akihabara, Tokyo, toys

Here’s a great advertising idea for the sushi restaurant Sushi Roll. Stickers of sushi meals were bonded at the handrails of an escalator.

Not just a great way to advertise the restaurant (I guess they have a sushi conveyor belt), but also entices potential diners with what’s on the menu, with these photos of each sushi dish.

Check out these escalator riders gawping at the stickers:

Via I Believe in Advertising

Technorati Tags: sushi, sushi restaurant, Sushi Roll

PingMag ran a feature and interview with Haruo Suekichi who crafts these amazing steampunk-style Watches!

Reminiscent of Jules Verne and influenced by manga, Suekichi’s finely crafted watches are of a vintage futuristic kind. And what started with an unsuccessful attempt to hawk them at a flea market has turned into an enterprise whose analogue objects of desire are hard to get.

Read more on PingMag

Technorati Tags: gadgets, Haruo Suekichi, Japan, steampunk, steampunk watches, watches

This origami paper mobile might inspire some home made decorations with some origami papers and vintage beads. Anything to save some money in this credit crunch eh?

Via Craftzine

Technorati Tags: crafts, Japan, origami, origami paper mobile, paper mobile, vintage beads

Eco Zoo is a fantastic Japanese Flash site, easy to use and very smooth! It allows you to visit a series of animal characters housed at different levels in a simple tree.

Each character has a “pop-up” book which displays different scenarios in which you can learn some eco-tips. It’s worth a quick visit if anything!

Visit Eco Zoo

Technorati Tags: 3D Flash, animation, design, Eco Zoo, Flash, illustration

Ikuko Iwamoto has an intriguing range of Spiky Beakers. They seem to ward off any touching like sea urchins do with their sharp designs. But in this case, at least they might discourage any careless handling threatening to destroy them.

See more on Ikuko’s website

Seen on Coolhunting

Technorati Tags: ceramics, crafts, Ikuko Iwamoto, Japan, spiky ceramics