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In a move that no one saw coming, Digital World Tokyo is branching out into the analog realm with an actual bricks-and-mortar store. But, it’s not what you might expect—we’ve opened an English-speaking nail salon in Tokyo. No, really—an English-speaking nail salon in Tokyo! Yes—Tomoko Beauty is an English-speaking nail salon in Tokyo for reals. It’s called Tomoko Beauty Kichijoji.

Living with Robots is a fascinating five-part video series by the Financial Times all about our relationship with robots and the impact they might have on mankind in the future.

It’s a reasonable bet that most people who drop a new iPhone into a steaming bowl of ramen will head straight to the store for a replacement, but not Fukuoka-based Ken Yokota. Instead of crying over spilled tonkotsu broth, he went and designed a completely new way of attaching a Japanese-style strap to the slippery hunk of metal and glass.

I don’t think there’s any need to explain why sending a few ¥, $, £ or whatever you have is a good idea.

Our creative friends from Simplism have been in touch with a couple of case/protector suggestions for those of us unwilling to go bareback with Apple’s glassy beauty.

If you recall that we launched a new PR service specializing in mobile and, particularly, iPhone, iPad and iPod apps earlier this year, you may be interested to learn that the move to help local devs has been so successful, we’re already on stage two - helping Western developers break the Japan market.

Ahead of Friday’s iPad launch in Japan and many other places, I took a look at a few protective cases and screens from a small local company that are well worth considering, especially if you’ve already tried Apple’s surprisingly poor official case.

We don’t often cover new TV sets, but I couldn’t help noticing the latest round of Viera LCDs, due to hit shops here in July.

It seems that Nintendo is more eager than we thought to show the world its extra-dimensional new handheld.

A survey carried out just before Golden Week (fine weather all round – no showers reported) has shown some very interesting results about Japanese attitudes to piracy.

Most of us long-time Japan hands probably catch a few zeds on any train ride over about ten minutes, but what about that age-old problem of knowing where to get off? Solo iPhone programmer (by night, financial recruiter by day) Warwick Pearmund has a techy solution in the shape of his new GPS-based Wake Me Shake Train Alarm app.

Here’s a preview [PDF] of next week’s Metropolis Tech Know column, due to appear in the year-end double issue (822/3).

Anyone with even a passing interest in modern Japan will have heard of Tokyo’s Akihabara district, most likely through squealing newspaper or blog stories detailing just how weird and depraved the one-time electronics Mecca is…

Everything from tiny Ubuntu laptops to awesome pictures (well, I took ‘em…) of DoCoMo’s HQ in Tokyo – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

Everything from flexible robot skin to exploding laptop hard drives – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

It’s official - Japan is in the grip of the swine flu pandemic. Or, at least, its media is, but what about possible ways to tackle the disease?

Everything from 3D cameras to hardworking dung beetles – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

You’ve seen the pictures of people wearing face masks to prevent catching the H1N1 swine flu. If you’re going to wear a mask, why choose plain blue? People in Japan wear masks out in public all the time, for colds, the flu, and hay fever. Japanese mask-wearing citizens demand the finest quality, menthol cool wet-filtered, nonstick lipstick-ok face masks. From single-use to 7-day to designer…

This weekend sees the sticky old Golden Week public holiday period begin in Japan, with a mad rush to do exactly the same thing as everyone else and sit in traffic jams or visit incredibly crowded ‘attractions.’

In spite of general ill-informed nay-saying about the hardware’s prospects in Japan, the Tokyo-specific iPhone apps keep rolling in thick, fast and creamy, with the latest being a gem from Enfour and Gmap.

Everything from personal wind turbines to magic underwear that actually burns body fat – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

In the spirit of the amazing Kowa anti-pee pills, we bring news of another product helping Japan move toward ending the need for people to urinate entirely.

The world and his dog know how space-age Japanese toilets can be (well, not this one), so it’s no great surprise to see the latest model add a little something extra to the mix in the shape of personalised RSS feeds from the throne.

Teachers at a high school in Japan want school girls to pull down their skirts. The group of teacher-guidance counselors commissioned, published, put up, and distributed three posters advising girls to lower the hemlines of their school-uniform skirts. News outlets reported on the ‘Proper dress all at once together campaign’…

Anyone traveling in Tokyo knows how confusing the subway can be even if you can read Japanese, which is why we’re eternally grateful for Presselite’s new Tokyo Metro iPhone or iPod touch app. Best of all, we’ve got ten copies to give away.

When I visited NTT last October for a private demo of its new cellphone RFID loyalty-card system, it was still in its early stages of development, so there wasn’t a great deal to write home about at the time.

Battlestar Galactica fans on a budget might get a kick out of this Japanese Mama Chari (or ‘Mom’s bike’) named for their favorite pseudo swearword.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in Japan has probably heard of Sado (tea ceremony), Shodo (calligraphy) and maybe even Kado (flower arranging), but what about Kodo, or the ancient art of smelling stuff?

Check the bicycle brakes, the lights, don’t use your cellphone, learn the rules of the road. Ads from a bicycle industry association offers tips on riding safely on approved bicycles. High tech brake-accuracy testing is depicted in the TV commercials. But one safety feature that prevents injury…

If actual karaoke in the nasty ole world beyond your bedroom is a bit too scary, then how about doing it in front of a computer with any Tom, Dick or Taro looking in? Best of all, you can even do it in Japanese.

The infamous wild monkey of Tokyo continues to elude captors. The macaque monkey that stormed Shibuya train station in August 2008 is apparently living in an internet cafe. Frustrated authorities have requested assistance from experts in primatology and the government’s spy agency.  An expert…

NTT DoCoMo’s corporate videos have long been a Big Deal for the 800lb gorilla of a phone company, so it’s always worth checking out the latest to see the public face it wants to present to the world.

Banana gadgets, super-soapy shower slippers and ingenious uses for empty drinks bottles are among the zillions of products you didn’t know you needed, but now can’t live without, that are on display at this week’s International Gift Show in Tokyo.

Con artists continually update their techniques for fraudulently getting cash from elderly victims in Japan, but automatic teller machines are catching up quickly.

A lack of experienced hunters in Japan to cull wildlife that is damaging crops and rampaging in rural cities is forcing muncipalities to get creative. Some local governments are encouraging municipal workers to learn how to hunt. One rural town is providing weapons…

Ads for men’s magazines are commonplace on commuter trains in Japan. Sometimes pictures of Japanese politicians peer down from the hanging advertisements. US President Barack Obama may …

An innovative package for natto – the popular fermented soybean food – lets users start eating quicker by eliminating two steps from the usual preparation process. Previously, after removing the package lid, one would have to peel off the top film, stir the natto….

That crazy little monkey that’s been taunting Tokyo police since August 2008 has moved into a new home. It seems the wacky macaque monkey – dubbed Makawaii – spends its nights at an internet café. The impish ape first showed up – alone – at Shibuya train station in Tokyo in August, 2008. The critter dodged…

If you’re in the market for a new job this year and also happen to be in Japan or still thinking about it, then you might want to check out our new, free-to-use jobs board – you’ll find it up there near the top of the page.

Japan’s Crown Princess Masako made a rare appearance on Jan. 2 when she joined other members of Japan’s royal family for their annual public New Year’s welcoming at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Masako has been suffering from stress-related symptoms and mental…