We spotted this cool Proactiv Solution vending machine in a busy concourse near Yokohama station.It’s quite large, with a touch-screen menu and another monitor displaying product information. Actual...

It’s one of the key sights of a Japanese summer: women shading their fair skin from the fierce sun with a parasol.But has anyone seen any men? Personally, I’ve yet to catch one myself though I’m...

Disgraced entrepreneur Takafumi Horie (aka Horiemon) has already surprised us recently with his entry into the porn business (yes, really).Now the founder of Livedoor seems to be throwing his energies...

J-Cast news is reporting that shimin noen (市民農園, or farms located near cities) have increased threefold over the last 15 years, up to 3,382 sites for fiscal 2008, with local governments and NP...

There’s been a real trend for “bijin” (beautiful girl) recently. This isn’t the professional model bijin but rather the “amateur” type, ordinary girls.It’s no secret that we’ve taken, ...

Fancy a romantic glass of wine with your loved one, looking down on nighttime Tokyo…a few feet from a tyrannosaurus?The Mori Arts Center Gallery in the Roppongi Hills is currently hosting an exhibit...

Camera fans and retro photography enthusiasts get ready!This autumn Fujifilm is releasing its new Cheki camera. Following on from the Instax Mini 7S and even the Hello Kitty version (yes, really!), th...

A current campaign by real estate Home’s is asking for your help in answering a challenge.The Home’s-kun Shijo Saikyo Nanmon (literally, “Home’s-kun THE Most Difficult Problem Ever”) takes t...

Posting this under the “Product Innovations” category might lead to angry accusations, so I apologize in advance!With their latest release, Suntory continue the trend of releasing super cheap, mas...

We all know there are many types of otaku (geek) and they don’t all spend their time playing video games or visiting maid cafes.The densha otaku (train spotter) is a powerful consumer in Japan. Rail...

We spotted this great LED light display at the basement entrance to the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro.The Hikari no Tokei (”Light Clock”) is created by Yugo Nakamura and Yukihiro Takahashi, ...

Maywa Denki’s fun musical toy, the Otamatone, has now got its own iPhone app!Just like the regular toy there are two versions, black and white, both available for iPhone and iPod touch.Touch the Ota...

Good news for designer t-shirt fans or anyone who knows an artist with potential.SNOW mag is teaming up with graniph to offer readers free t-shirts every month. But this isn’t just any old giveaway:...

Horse-racing has a reputation for being a sport enjoyed by only, well, old(er) men, right?No doubt with this stereotype in mind, the Japan Racing Association has been trying to re-vamp its image since...

Slightly bizarrely-named manufacturer King Jim seem to specialize in making handy little devices. Remember the Relet, the e-money card reader that lets you check how much you have charged on your Pasm...

Recently we were checking out some places for a client around town and we finally had a chance to go into the new Francfranc store in Aoyama.It’s…impressive. From the wooden facade to the chandeli...

Next week we’re heading over to our CScout NYC office and are keen to meet with potential collaborators for an ongoing project starting in the city soon.Our work with a sophisticated microbrewery he...

Okay, this is definitely *NSFW* but we thought it was pretty innovative.We saw over on TokyoKinky.com (NSFW) this post about the Count Machine Onahole (NSFW) — a masturbator that measures how many t...

Back in autumn last year we introduced one of Samuel Cockedey’s time-lapse videos.Now he’s made a new one, floating point, exploring Tokyo sites like Rainbow Bridge, Ikebukuro and Shinagawa in his...

At yesterday’s Tokyo Toy Show Takara Tomy demonstrated their great new cars, a sort-of combination of the previous Mario Kart Wii Q-Steer with their popular ChoroQ series.The ChoroQ Mario Kart uses ...