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The clever minds at prestigious Keio University in Tokyo have created a new device that makes the rear seat “disappear” when reversing, and have released a new video demonstrating how, with its help, the sometimes arduous task of reversing into a space could soon become a breeze.

Tinkering around with a modified Toyota Prius, the university’s graduate research team have been putting their latest technology through its paces by having a driver with a particular fear of reverse parking give the maneuver a shot both with and without the device installed…

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Middle-Aged Man Reviews Cute and Girly DS Fashion Game: “This Game Opened My Eyes to Style!”

While browsing online store Amazon, you’ve no doubt stumbled upon a few interesting or downright strange reviews of products written by fellow shoppers. Some of the reviews are both well written and informative, helping us make the best purchasing decisions possible; others, meanwhile, might cause us to wonder how the human race has survived this long, or make us consider contacting the authorities.

One review on Amazon Japan, however, has caught the attention of hundreds of shoppers and has become something of a talking point online.

The review, written by a self-professed middle-aged man, is of a videogame that sees gamers select clothes for, dress and style young women as fashionably as possible, and is intended mainly for the younger female audience.

This male reviewer, however, was incredibly taken with the title, going so far as to say that it has changed the way he sees the world…

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Japanese Man Perfects, Battles Most Useless Machine 【Video】

In the early 1950s, American mathematician and engineer Claude Shannon built a device that looked like a simple wooden casket with a single switch on the side. When the switch was thrown, the lid would rise slowly and a mechanical hand would emerge from beneath. The hand would slowly reach over to the side of the box, flip the switch off and retreat back　into the box, whereupon the lid would snap shut.

Shannon called the device the “Ultimate Machine,” and since its invention, it has been reconstructed and revised under a number of different names, such as the “Useless Box”　or “Leave Me Alone Box.” While all of these iterations are entertaining in their own right, a recent video by a Japanese university student has the internet buzzing that, more than 50 years later, Shannon’s Ultimate Machine may have finally been perfected.

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This bridge located in Xi’an, China connects the villages of Huang and Xuejia.  Completed in 1983, it proved to be an essential tool for the economic well-being of each village by facilitating local trade.

However, water erosion caused two major collapses in 2008 and 2010 left it in the state you see now.  So far, attempts by local officials to repair the bridge have been unsuccessful, leaving residents with little choice but to roll the dice and tread carefully across the thin strip of concrete still spanning the river.

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Mister Donut Limited Edition Lamb French Cruller Doughnut

Mister Donut is the largest doughnut franchise chain in Japan with over 1,300 stores nationwide.  Even more popular than Krispy Kreme and Doughnut Plant, the chain has been serving sweetened, fried pieces of dough to the people of Japan for over 40 years.

Starting October 22, Mister Donut fans are able to enjoy a limited edition French cruller doughnut featuring a smiling white chocolate lamb. Named “French Ura,” this adorable doughnut will only be sold at the chain’s Tokyo Solamachi shop for 189 yen (US $2.37).

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Have you ever looked at a guy and thought: “Gee, he looks loaded!  He must make a lot of money!”

It’s often the case that guys like these aren’t as well off as they seem. While they look like they live lavishly, they may not necessarily have the finances to support such a lifestyle.  Japanese website Niconico News recently did a survey inquiring into why guys make some costly lifestyle decisions even if they know they should be trimming the fat. Read More

Revolutionary Speakers Made Entirely of Rubber, All the Bass without those Pesky Magnets

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At this year’s CEATEC Japan, Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd. unveiled the first ever speaker made entirely of rubber – or should I say “smart rubber.”  With this technology what appears to be an ordinary strip of latex can be wired into a speaker.

There already is a range of modern products such smartphones using miniature speakers to produce decent quality sound. However, smart rubber speakers stand above with one thing they don’t have – good bass.

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In a news story over on the Asahi Shinbun Digital, despite the Japanese coastguard coming to the aid of a Chinese freighter that had caught fire, the Chinese government has yet to issue a statement of thanks.

Chinese netizens, however, have taken to their keyboards to show their gratitude and express their joy upon hearing about the act of humanity despite relations between the two countries being so bad at this time.

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Starbucks Japan Unveils Posh Leather Cup Sleeves as Part of Charity Drive

Starbucks Japan has teamed up with Spanish luxury leather designer Loewe to produce a range of sexy leather sleeves for its paper coffee cups, it was announced yesterday.

The limited-edition sleeves are part of a programme designed to provide financial support to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that stuck north-eastern Japan in March last year.

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ANGFA Co Ltd is a Japanese company that develops health and anti-ageing beauty products like medicinal shampoos for the scalp.

Wanting women to know the importance of good scalp care, which is reported to help keep hair beautiful five and ten years down the line, on October 19th this year the company launched a campaign called “Scalp D Hair Care ‘Scalp Revolution”.

The first part of this project focused on, would you believe it, the smell of women’s scalps.  The research included verifying the strength of the smells of the scalps of 500 men and women between the ages of 20 to 30.  They also took part in surveys and interviews with body odour care specialists.  The results were posted on a special site. Read More

Simple Trick to Rid Your Home of Cockroaches for Good?

Are you often visited by cockroaches?  Do you hate having to do battle with these quick menaces for the sanctity of your home?

At the moment, circling around tumblr, is an intriguing yet simple method to rid your home of cockroaches – possibly forever – and it wouldn’t cost you a dime.  It certainly seems plausible, but whether it truly works or not remains to be seen.

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Our Team Sample a New Strawberry Rice-Cake Flavoured Milk Drink: “Tastes Like Green Peppers…”

Japan is no stranger to exciting, original or downright odd beverages. Just 20 feet from this writer’s apartment, in fact, there’s a vending machine that sells cans of grape jelly or caramel pudding flavoured “drinks”, and convenience stores stock an enormous array of beverages from green tea or chilled coffee to butterscotch milk and melon soda.

Still, it’s better than row after row of tremor-inducing caffeine-packed cola and the illegitimate offspring of child’s cough syrup and lemonade that is Dr Pepper, I suppose…

On the 15th of this month, however, dairy experts Meito brought Japanese consumers something altogether more challenging- a milk-based drink that’s designed to taste not just like strawberries, but classic Japanese favourite strawberry daifuku mochi rice cakes!

But no sooner had the delicious-sounding beverage found its way into stores than internet users starting leaving rather odd comments on message boards about the drink’s taste…

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Japanese Company President Decides All Chairs Get Replaced by Exercise Balls

Located in Kyoto is the headquarters of hair styling product maker Nakano Pharmaceutical. This company is well-known for something besides their high quality hair care gels and sprays and confusing name.  They are one of the few companies to almost completely eliminate everyone’s favorite sitting device, the chair, from their facilities.

In its place staff and visitors are treated to a wobbly seat on those large plastic balls often seen in Pilates classes.

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Towel Jenga: Super Patient Pooch Lets Owners Stack Towels on His Head

Before I was five years old, I’d been chased, bitten and cornered by dogs no fewer than three times.

From then on, whenever we went on to the park or were out for a family stroll, the mere sight of a dog– be it leashed, unleashed, right in front of me or 100 metres away– would have me clinging to my parents’ legs, begging them to turn back.

If only we’d had a dog like this loveable little Shiba-inu, who lies patiently while his master rests towel after towel on top of his head, I’m sure it would have taken me far less time to get over my fear of dogs.

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Any anime or manga fan will tell you that the sight of characters suffering sudden, sporadic nosebleeds when they’re sexually aroused is not uncommon in Japanese-created works.

A male character catches a glimpse of a girl undressing, a girl has the object of her affection wink seductively at her, a character trips and finds his face inches from a female character’s ample bosom; the result is always the same- a flushed face followed by a gushing nosebleed.

The idea is that sexual arousal causes an increase in blood pressure, which in turn sets off a nosebleed. It’s certainly true that arousal or embarrassment can cause us to flush– I can clearly recall my face bursting into flames when I was 12 years old and the girl in my class whom I was madly in love with was dared to kiss me on the cheek– but could it really cause a nosebleed?

NicoNico News turned to a medical professional to find out whether there’s any truth to the anime phenomenon, or whether it’s just an old wives’ tale…

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A sun bear cub residing in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo was videoed having a frustrating time dealing with the door to its den.  It would seem the handle to the door was juuuuust out of reach of the bemused bear cub.  Even standing on its tip-toes it can’t quite make it. Then it starts spinning around, gets dizzy and falls on its back.

Prepare to go “Awww” hard.

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  • Oct 23, 2012

Ms. Kitty the Restaurant Entrepreneur at Work in China! We Visit Kitty Lover’s Dream Eatery in Beijing

I’m sure most people will agree that Hello Kitty, born nearly 40 years ago in 1974, is a creation that Japan can be proud of. She is now franchised in over 70 countries around the world. And once again, our beloved Ms. Kitty, the busiest and most famous cat in the world, is hard at work, this time at a restaurant in Beijing, China.

Yes, China is no exception when it comes to Hello Kitty’s popularity, and one of our reporters from Pouch recently had the chance to visit a Hello Kitty themed restaurant in the fashionable Sanlitun area of Beijing. And just in case you’re wondering, sure, we all know rip-offs are big business in China, but this shop is a legitimate operation officially recognized by Sanrio. So, let’s see what the aptly named “Dreams Restaurant (夢幻主題餐庁)” is like. Read More

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Nissan’s New Safety Technology Wrestles Control of the Wheel from Drivers Facing Doom

As the world inches closer and closer to driverless cars, Nissan released a video demonstration of their newest precrash system, the Autonomous Emergency Steering System.  It utilizes an arrangement of camera, laser, and radar sensors to detect objects around your car and avoid potential collisions by commandeering the steering wheel.

In other words, if your car thinks it can drive better than you then it takes control of the wheel.

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Knife Resistant Shirt Presented at Anti-Terrorist Convention

As a high ranking anti-terrorist agent in my fantasies off-time I’m often attacked by knife wielding maniacs.  This is why when I read Gigazine’s coverage of the recent Special Equipment Exhibition & Conference for Anti-Terrorism (SEECAT) 2012 in Tokyo I saw something that really piqued my interest.

On display at the Tanizawa Corp. booth was a sporty looking sweater that also prevents damage from knife slashes.  It could be the most comfy looking piece of armor I’ve seen.

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