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entertainment (Page 6)

It’s Hello Kitty galore! Ms. Kitty takes over food department at Tokyu Toyoko Department Store

You may have read our previous report about Ms. Kitty taking on the tough job of being baked into small golden brown cakes. Well, it appears she was just getting warmed up for a huge number of engagements in the Shibuya area this week. When yours truly, a humble Hello Kitty fan, found out that Ms. Kitty would be appearing in various edible forms at the food department of the Tokyu Toyoko Department Store in Shibuya, I knew I just had to go and see Ms. Kitty hard at work. And wow, has she been keeping herself busy! Read More

Talk on the Phone but Still Feeling Lonely? Check Out These Vibrating Snuggle Dolls

Remember the boyfriend arm pillow? And the lap pillow in the shape of a woman’s lower body? (Or perhaps you actually have them?) Read More

What Ever Happened to the Shower? One-Person Karaoke Booths Are a Huge Success

Last November we reported on a karaoke booth for one to three people in Akihabara called Choi Kara, which was becoming a big hit in game centers.  Around the same time, another company opened One Kara, “the one-person private karaoke room.”  Similar to the Choi Kara in many ways One Kara also lets anyone sing their hearts out without fear of judgment.

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  • Apr 28, 2012

Horror meets baseball – Sadako delights fans with guest appearance at Tokyo Dome Stadium

With a new movie coming out, it seems that Japanese horror character Sadako from the “Ring” series is keeping herself quite busy these days. We’ve already reported to you about how she has collaborated with Hello Kitty. This time, she made a surprise appearance at a baseball game at Tokyo Dome Stadium to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Read More

Get Your 15 Minutes of Fame! (Good While It Lasted Anyway…)

Some clever people thought to capitalize on the value of having ‘followers’ on Twitter, theoretically allowing any normal person to surpass even Lady Gaga for a day. Read More

New iPhone Attachment Takes It Back to ’07, By Which We Mean 1907

Apple has had their share of run-ins over patent infringement these days, but it looks like Sanyo Transport’s recently released iPhone attachment may get an angry letter too – from the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company.

The iPhone 4S/4 Exclusive Bugle-Type Speaker certainly doesn’t win points for a catchy name, but it may hook you in with its low price, simplicity and heck even for its retro charm.

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  • Apr 11, 2012

Hello Kitty turns scary and cosplays as Japanese horror character – but still manages to be cute!

What happens when you combine one of the cutest, most beloved mascot characters in the world with one of the most terrifying characters in modern Japanese fiction and cinema? You get “Sadako Kitty”, or Kitty dressed up as Sadako, the character from the hit Japanese horror series “The Ring”. Of course, it’s Hello Kitty, so she’s still cute, but she does look quite different from her usual self. Read More

Is Fizz Saver the True Savior of Cola Fizz or Does It Fall Flat?

Now that it seems spring has slowly arrived and summer is around the corner, cold drinks are on everyone’s minds.  It’s especially hard to resist all the dirt cheap soft drinks that can be found in convenient 1.5L bottles.

But for most of us, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and what’s left of the massive bottle gets stored in the fridge.  Here it inevitably falls victim to the scourge of carbonated beverages everywhere – flatness – and ultimately is poured down the drain.

A new product called “Fizz Saver” has arrived on the scene to help keep your large bottles of cola alive a little longer.  I decided to try one out and see in the hopes of a bubblier tomorrow.

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  • Apr 5, 2012

Popular Japanese Anime enters the food world in soft green form – No, it’s not Jello-O but it still tastes good

The anime “Mobile Suit Gundam”, or Kido Senshi Gundam as it is know in Japanese, has been a hugely popular series for over 30 years with many spin-offs and affiliated products being produced during that time. The anime has been so popular, that the word “mobile suit”, the name of the large humanoid fighting machines that feature in the series, has become an accepted part of the Japanese language. Now the anime has become a part of Japanese cuisine as well, courtesy of a new food product from Sagamiya Foods Inc. Believe or not, they have made the “Zaku” mobile suit model into Tofu! Read More


  • Apr 4, 2012

Glam Up Your Car – With Gorgeous Fake Eyelashes!

I’m sure many girls dream of having long, gorgeous eyelashes, and fake eyelashes are one way to achieve that. I know there are some quite outlandish fake eyelashes out there – some using materials like feathers or rhinestones – that are sure to catch the eye. Well, they do say the eyes are the window to the soul, so I guess “dressing up” your eyes is as good a way as any to make a statement. But it seems that fake eyelashes are not just for girls anymore, or just for humans for that matter. Read More

An In-Depth Look At Japan’s Premier Horror Idol Group, Alice Juban, Sinister Sisters Who Enslave Salivating Supporters

It’s a hard road to become a successful pop idol group these days, especially in Japan where the AKB48 divisions have a stranglehold on the market.  What’s left of it generally goes to the Korean invasion.  When the pop scene reaches a peak like it is at now, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish one act from the other.

Every day when you flip on the TV or thumb through a magazine there are gaggles upon gaggles of young girls and guys with almost identical clothes, hairstyles, songs, and dances all vying for your attention.

Applying the Tony Montana formula of success to idol groups; you got to get the attention first.  Then when you get the attention, you get the fans.  Then when you get the fans, you get the money.  The girls in Alice Juban (Alice Number 10) are doing just that in a way that would make Scarface proud – with chainsaws and hockey masks.

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  • Apr 1, 2012

It’s a Wonderful Disney Life! Beautifully animated Japanese TV commercial receives critical acclaim from around the world

We’ve all come to expect the best of everything from the folks at Tokyo Disney Resort who operate Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Now, they’ve come up with a delightful TV commercial that is gaining very high praise from not just viewers in Japan but from overseas as well.

Here’s what the Tokyo Disney Resort official website says about the TV commercial that is attracting so much attention.

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Take Your Relationship With Your iPhone To Strange New Levels With Bandai’s Smartpet App and Robot Dog Body

They say that dog is man’s best friend. However, as the number of smartphone users continues to grow that title may soon be challenged, especially if you consider Bandai’s newest iPhone development, Smartpet.

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Fun Do-It-Yourself Mini Cherry Blossom Kit

Who doesn’t love cherry blossoms (sakura) and cherry blossom season? That exquisite pink everywhere. Refreshing, energizing, even. It’s fun just to wander around checking out the different parks with cherry blossoms. Sadly, time flies and the petals blow away… Read More

Lil’ Miss Environmentally Friendly Can Wash Away All Your Unwanted Toilet Sounds

Let’s face it; using public toilets is never a pleasant experience.  Putting aside all the legendary messes you have encountered, even if the restroom is immaculate you still have to worry about yourself.  As stealthily ninja-like you try to be on the can it is virtually impossible to do it without making any embarrassing sounds.

This is especially true of the fairer sex who often do a courtesy flush but in these ecologically sensitive times it’s hardly a sensible use of a gallon of water.

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  • Mar 24, 2012

Marriage in Wonderland! Now you can have a real life fairytale wedding in the land of Magic and Fantasy

Dreaming of a truly one-of-a-kind wedding in a magical setting? Well, there’s exciting news for people who want just that. Now you can get married at the ultimate fantasy lover’s venue — none other than the land of magic itself, Tokyo Disneyland. Read More

Free Umbrellas With A Purpose

Since March 8, you may have been seeing umbrellas around Tokyo printed with graphics for a new Xbox 360 and PS3 mahjong game.

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  • Mar 24, 2012

It’s Disney Magic! Turn yourself into a Disney Princess

What small girl hasn’t dreamt of being a Disney Princess? Now you can actually make it happen, at least in the digital world. Read More

Daiwa House To Sell “Vegetable Factory” Capable of Growing 10,000 Heads of Lettuce Per Year

Produce prices are almost impossible to predict, mostly because of crops ruined by El Nino, global warming, or whatever cause de jour we hear about in the news. The rest of the time we’re hit with stories about E. coli in our spinach or other edible plants being the subjects of genetic manipulation.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to avoid all of these problems?

Japan’s largest homebuilder, Daiwa House has come up with a solution to all of these produce related problems wrapped up in a 30 cubic-meter wonder box.  Dubbed the “agri-cube”, this little veggie factory lets you grow 23 different varieties of edible plants from lettuce to basil.

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Japanese City on the Verge of Bankruptcy Puts Name Up For Sale

They say the only thing you have after losing everything is your name.  Not so, says the Izumisano City officials who in the dying moments of their failing economy are considering a plan to sell their naming rights off amongst other ideas.

Residents of the Osaka Prefecture city will be pleased to know that they wouldn’t be selling it to just anyone with money, so the threat of the name becoming Poopiehead City is minimal. From June till the end of November they will be accepting proposals from both foreign and domestic businesses interested in unique ways to advertise using their city’s government and resources.

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