Too cute: Tiny robot busts out the dance moves
September 2, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Japan has robots in just about every flavor you can imagine. There are ‘bots to care for the elderly and ‘bots to cook you ramen. There are even robots to belt out the latest pop tunes.
But what if you prefer your entertainment a little bit more on the traditional side? Well, Japan has a robot for that as well. You guessed that, right?
Planet Cute rides in to save Japan from the suits
June 12, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
If you thought that the East Japan
earthquake and tsunami would shake the cute off this country’s young
hipsters, think again. Harajuku, Tokyo’s mecca for youth culture and fashion,
is as cute and colorful as ever.
That’s the message of the Mighty
Harajuku Project, started by Sebastian Masuda three days after the disaster,
and now entering its second phase as Masuda and others take their message that
the Harajuku kids are all right overseas.
Masuda, founder of the ultra-kawaii
6%Dokidoki boutique and café in Harajuku, says Japan’s youth aren’t about to
drop their love of kawaii (cute) because of the quake.
Danger: Tsunami of cute warns a nation
April 15, 2011 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in
Japan can attest that super-cute mascot characters are the visual punctuation
of modern Japanese life.
Unlike their commercial cousins (think
Hello Kitty), these diligent “working characters” aren’t here to make money.
Instead, they’re designed to tirelessly assist and inform from street signs,
packaging, instruction manuals and all sorts of places where attention needs to
be paid.
As we know all too well, coastlines
after an earthquake are most definitely among those places.
Art good enough to eat or food cute enough to display?
November 11, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Fake cream artist Osamu Watanabe
derives great pleasure from sugar-coating everything in sight.
Puffs of cream in billowy swirls alternate with glistening
strawberries atop a perfect round shortcake. Chocolate flows over smooth yellow
custard pudding, and candies shine jewel-like in piles.
You’d
be forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a top-end confectionery shop
when instead, you’re far more likely to find his creations in a gallery.
Click ‘View Gallery’ above for more pictures.
The Japanese farmers who wear cute clothes and make-up
November 8, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
She used to be a hip-hop dancer. She loved shopping and partying on Omotesando. She studied French at the prestigious Aoyama Gakuin University.
A simple life it was not.
And now, 23-year-old Yui Nakagoe is on her hands and knees among rows of tomato plants, ankle-deep in mud at the Girls Farm in Yamagata prefecture, more than 400 kilometers away from Tokyo and all that had been familiar to her.
“I actually wanted a job in one of the major trading companies,” says Nakagoe.
It would seem any trading company would be happy to hire an outspoken, extroverted young woman with language skills. And guts, to boot.
On this day, however, Nakagoe is out in the rain, working in the fields wearing hoop earrings, full make-up and expertly manicured nails.
Cute animals help out on Japan’s construction sites
October 7, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Drivers and pedestrians across Japan might be surprised to see tiny elephants, blue penguins and enormous frogs popping up on streets and roads carrying poles and signs.
But have no fear, there is little danger of running over these critters. They are in fact there for your own safety. Local construction companies are using them to clearly identify areas of danger and make the construction sites a little brighter in the process.
Click “View Gallery” above for more images.
Yokohama police mascots more cute than cop
September 7, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
In a country as obsessed with kawaii (cute) as Japan, the creation of official characters is serious business. So the fact that the police precinct of Seya, a homey suburb of Yokohama, debuted a pair of brand new mascots this month shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
What is surprising, however, is just how curvaceous these particular mascots are.
“As far as I know,” laughs officer Tanaka of the Seya Police Department, “these are the most cutting-edge police mascot characters in existence.”
Japanese photo booths widen eyes for extra cute effect
September 3, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Back in February we provided a guide to the perfect Valentine purikura. Now purikura machines have moved on to make life even easier, offering an option to create super-cute wide eyes.
Japanese schoolgirls: Cute, flirty, vulnerable psycho killers
September 3, 2010 by JapanGuide
Filed under Japan Today
Until a few
years ago, Wired magazine ran a column called “Japanese Schoolgirl Watch,” which
covered tech trends embraced by teenage girls in Japan. It was quirky and
amusing, showing Western readers how cutting edge and ahead of the curve this
group could be.
