"Spash" is a new chewing gum with a center that squirts out when you first chew it. The Lotte Company  gum is airing  Spash TV commercials that features the mother-daughters man-in-drag 1960s-style pop singing group named Yajima. Read more.

The Supremes

The life-size mechanical clown mascot in front of the landmark Cui-daore restaurant in Osaka since 1950 retired July 8 when the business closed it’s doors for the final time.

The restaurant had been popular with tourists because of Cui-daore Taro, the bespectacled drum-beating clown, and its novel menu.

Taro is not the only life-size figure for Japan storefronts.

This celebrity, Tatsuo Umemiya, created a plastic replica of himself for placement in front of his pickled vegetable (tsukemono) stores, probably because a giant pickled eggplant did not appear inviting.

Orange and pink Sato-chan’s guard drug stores.

Colonel Sanders in Japan has a large wardrobe. This outlet in Akihabara has the colonel dressed (more…)

The Blue Shield

The one-man shelters that many of Japan’s homeless construct from heavy blue tarpaulins can be found in parks, under bridges, and along river banks.

An April 2007 Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare report shows there are 4,213 homeless in Tokyo’s 23 wards, and about 18,500 homeless nationwide. The country has a population of 127 million people. The average age of homeless in Japan is 57.5 years.

The numbers of homeless living in these locations:

Urban parks: 5,702
River bank: 5,653
Highway: 3,110
Station: 910
Other Facilities: 3,189

The Washington Post details how the homeless can get back into the system, and states that compared to US standards of homelessness, being homeless in Japan is “not a bad gig”.

Sometimes the homeless in Japan lose their sturdy do-it-yourself shelters, due to the cops, or the weather. The stories below reveal how some homeless people have opted for improved conditions. (more…)

Experiment Confirms Transparent Swimsuit Concern

Swimsuits that can be "Photoshopped" see-through may distract Japanese Olympic swimmers at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The Shukan Post quotes a spokesperson for the Japan Swimming Federation. The spokesperson says that following the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, official swimsuit manufacturers were asked by the JSF to "ensure their products would not become see-through when filmed in infra-red." Asics, Descente, and Mizuno are the official suppliers to Japan’s swim team. Speedo’s high tech LZR bodysuit, which the team may be allowed to wear, is also susceptible to digital manipulation. Descente developer Toshiharu Tsubouchi told The Shukan Post the Descente swimsuit utilizes polyurethane for adhesiveness, and adds "depending on the way light shines on it, the color can brown a bit. That may make it look a little bit transparent." He points out a tight fit is essential for athletes, thus some body parts will bulge out more than others. Shukan Post Via Daily Mainichi: Faustian swimsuit gives Japanese swimmers the edge while revealing the points more: Japanese denied ‘high-tech doping’ Speedos Japanese swimmers could do U-turn on bodysuits

The Wine Advisor reads the bar code on the bottle label and offers food recommendations to match the wine. The electronic scanner terminal is installed over wine racks at the 10 newest Peacock supermarkets in Japan.

Newsweek International reports the machine recommended roast beef, Maribo and Samsoe cheese and pain de campagne to go with a Bordeaux. This digital sommelier is also available in Queen’s Isetan.
source: When The Sommelier’s A Machine

Track Your Meat

A computer terminal in many AEON supermarkets offers domestic meat traceability, and tells you the animal’s birthday, where it was born, its birth weight, what it grazed on, and maybe even its favorite TV program.

Too Technical

Let Asimo shop for you.

Anime Voice of Toilet Information

Stations on the Yurikamome Line in Tokyo each use a different anime voice actor for all the electronic information kiosks in a given station. Map, fare adjustment, and toilet locator audio guides are provided.

The 16 voice actors and the stations they represent are profiled here.

Strap-on this handy spare wheel holder and you’ll always have a big wheel when you need it.

But that’s not all! The Viva Hula can also be used as a mini-scooter! Just tilt your tummy to steer through crowds.

And the Biba Fura’s patented Swiveltation® technology helps you lose weight!

About JPY 4,000. Learn more here , and see the video here.

Hidden microphones and cameras are increasingly being used for corporate spying in Japan.

The Daily Yomiuri reports competition has lead to increased snooping.

And many Japanese companies are not sufficiently protected.

So who ya gonna call?

Well information leak control officers at the Tokyo-based, non-profit, Japan Information Leak Control Management (JILCoM) will check for hidden devices.

Bugging devices can be bought for 30,000 yen to 80,000 yen in Akihabara, Tokyo, or Nipponbashi, Osaka.

Other companies that offer bug inspections: NEC Facilities, Ltd. in Tokyo and NTT-Neomeit in Osaka.

Nippon Express Company’s moving services division began offering bug sweeps in January 2008, because many firms have their new offices inspected when they relocate.

Images: Top, Perfect Security ; bottom, Wireless Tsukamoto

Disposable deodorizing high-absorbent polymer “pet toilet sheets”.

A friend’s who’s family is often too busy to walk the dog told me about this time-saving product. Convenience is emphasized in the marketing.The few similar items found online outside Japan are marketed with emphasis as a training aid, to eventually have the dog relieve itself outdoors.



(left, center: training pads U.S., UK; right: Polymer mesh )

• Rakuten Pet sheets
• Rakuten Pet Sheets Details
• Fresh n Clean
• Simple Solution Training Pads

The Daily Yomiuri reports that a ?disaster relief vending machine? which can be enabled to dispense goods for free during a natural disaster, has been installed outside a police box in Maebashi.

And the Maebashi machine is not the only one. There are 20 similar vending machines in Shizuoka.

In fact, vending machines that become free-of-charge after a disaster or major quake have been available nationally at least since 2003.

When an earthquake of 5 or higher on the seismic intensity scale, or a similar disaster occurs, and if the anti-disaster headquarters is activated, the items in the special vending machines will be offered free of charge. An emergency power supply keeps the machines operating.

Seishin venderDydo