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Wow - we’re really getting into the hard tech news now, eh? Completely ignoring the 18 insanely dull new phones DoCoMo just announced, I bring you our famous Pikarin-kun logo done up in finest colored glass beads instead.

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…

What seems to be a transcript of police questioning of Tsuyoshi Kusanagi has been published on a blog. Kusanagi of the singing group SMAP, and star of dozens of TV commercials and the weekly SMAP SMAP TV program, was arrested April 23 at 3 a.m. The singer/actor had been prancing naked and…

Masaki Sumitani, the leather-clad performer known as Hard Gay, who was ubiquitous on TV a few years ago then dropped off the flat screens, has been hosting his own sex-talk TV show for the past year. Broadcast after midnight, pinup model Linying of Joytoy joins HG in candid sex conversations with…

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.

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’…

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…

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…

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…

The macaque monkey who’s been eluding police capture since August this year could use some holiday cheer. It’s cold in Tokyo now, much different from that hot summer morning when the cute wild ape jumped the wickets and…

A new pill offers relief for women who have to run to the toilet often. Lady Guard is the first OTC pee reliever in Japan…

Now that it’s winter, police continue to use their resources investigating reports of loose monkeys in the city, with sightings regularly reported on Japan TV news programs.

Hey kids, see this sweet candy? You probably want some, right? Here you go…no, can’t have it! Put it back behind the counter. It’s dangerous. And don’t let grandma buy it either.

During the week, this man sits at a desk in a company in Tokyo. On weekends he wrestles. But he is not a-pro wrestler. Not a semi-pro wrestler. No, there is a new category – according to this man - that is ….

In honor of the much-televised locker-room celebrations sports teams worldwide love so much, Bandai has found a way to turn spraying carbonated beverages from a filthy pastime into the very embodiment of cleanliness.

Can you guess what these little plastic eggs are for?

It’s exactly three months since a wild monkey decided to make his home in central Tokyo, so to mark the almost-anniversary our pals at Lets Japan have put together a scarily detailed dossier on the simian’s schedule over that period.

Take a look at that photo - yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you; and no, you don’t need to do one of those cartoon double-takes on the whiskey bottle in your hand before throwing it over your shoulder. It really is a portable wooden room that is designed to be set up inside another room.

Female attendants on JR Tokai line trains are being issued personal protection cayenne pepper spray devices.

How many monkeys are there in Tokyo? According to a TV station on monkey-watch, there may be more than the original one mad-monkey of last summer. The tale of the monkey in the city began Aug. 20, 2008 ….

Yutapon’s the name, getting your feet warm in bed’s the game.

Sure, many of you already know the benefits of our private-label friend-finding site, We Heart Tokyo, but did you know just how much there is going on behind the scenes to make sure every last member finds the perfect match?

Anyone who has been following Emru Townsend’s story of his battle with leukemia will know by now that he got his bone marrow transplant back in September – it was fantastic news.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about Kashimura’s new range of ¥350 ($3.50) travel adapters for AC plugs apart from the fact that each one lights up blue when the juice is flowing.

Vegans should probably look away now – researchers at a Japanese agricultural institute are so concerned about global warming putting livestock off their food they’re testing ways to make them eat better.

With the tiny amount of stuff I’ve been posting recently, it hardly seems like a holiday is in order, but Hawaii calls and we’re answering with an enthusiastic Mahalo…

So, there we were on a jetfoil in Tokyo Bay the other day, cruising back from a DWT jaunt to Kozu-shima when we spotted this rather attractive monolith in the ocean just to the southeast of Haneda airport.

Worrying news from the Nikkei this morning as the august organ reports that Japan has made concrete plans to exploit methane hydrate deposits on the ocean floor 1km down in a wide area off its coast.

Picture. Thousand words. Etc…

Japan has long enjoyed the reputation of being home to some remarkable craftsmen in fields as diverse as ceramics and woodblock prints, but today’s mail brought the first piece of art I’ve ever seen that’s designed to be bashed around by kids at meal times.

Heck - it’s nothing to do with either Japan or technology (at least, not directly), but it is an absolutely stunning piece of animation work by a bona-fide genius.