http://www.materiamagica.com/towne/change/index.php?change_id=2555

http://www.dannychoo.com/detail/mac/eng/image/21592/Transformers+Alternity.html

http://www.angrymimi.com/2009/07/akiyama-mio-cosplay-goodness-8/

http://www.angrymimi.com/?p=751

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PinkTentacle/~3/XdoU2M9g9Aw/

http://www.pinktentacle.com/?p=2819

Engineers from Osaka University hope the lovable Wakamaru robot — a high-tech android designed for domestic and office work by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — can breathe new life into an age-old tradition. The bug-eyed yellow robot is being prepared for participation in the dramatic Osaka Tenjin Festival, an enormous 1000-year-old event that runs through the streets and rivers of Osaka each July.

In addition to dressing the robot in a costume fit for samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune (a.k.a. “Ushiwakamaru,” Wakamaru’s namesake), the engineers are teaching the robot how to perform the Osaka-jime, the festival’s customary rallying call and clap. Wakamaru, who will play cheerleader during the festival’s boat parade on the Okawa River on July 25, will act as a modern-day version of the traditional omukae ningyo (”greeting doll”) — a type of doll that parishioners used to place on their festival boats to greet the floating Shinto shrines as they drifted past.

Professor Satoshi Kinsui, who heads the Osaka University Center for the Study of Communication-Design, says, “We hope Wakamaru can liven up the festival with a splendid performance.”

[Source: Yomiuri]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/iSdxsEnfw8M/Bizarre_Tanuki_Heart_Charm_Shares_The_Love_Saves_The_Planet

What better way to show your love for That Certain Guy than to give him a stylized Tanuki raccoon dog charm sporting a pair of grotesquely swollen testes? Actually, ANY way is a better way. The folks who set up Tanukin Heart are taking their shot regardless, and we wish them all the luck in the world.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/iSdxsEnfw8M/Bizarre_Tanuki_Heart_Charm_Shares_The_Love_Saves_The_Planet

What better way to show your love for That Certain Guy than to give him a stylized Tanuki raccoon dog charm sporting a pair of grotesquely swollen testes? Actually, ANY way is a better way. The folks who set up Tanukin Heart are taking their shot regardless, and we wish them all the luck in the world.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/0l6jt2n2ZkI/Beetle_Queen_Conquers_Tokyo

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary by entomologist Jessica Oreck (and shot by Sean Williams, the cinematographer of Frownland) about the affinity for insects in Japanese culture.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/hBPeG_SyFIM/Reactive_T_shirt_from_Japan_is_totally_cool

This is a totally cool reactive T-shirt from Japan.

There is a sound bar on a placard on the T-shirt that reacts to sounds, music, and noise. The sound bar is hooked up to a sensor that contains 4 AA batteries and is stored within an inside pocket.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/n-xrGO-oEtU/Japans_naval_chief_plans_visit_to_China

The Chief of Staff of Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), Admiral Keiji Akahoshi, is to visit China for the first time, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD).

read more

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/jnpsrFRig4s/Election_Fans

Did anyone else pick up a freebie fan at the elections on Sunday? The elections proved to be a disaster for the ruling LDP. There will have to be a lot more than fans to cool down the heat on August 30 no doubt!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/PpJvD5IJxzE/Video_Emperor_Akihito_and_Empress_Michiko_spotted_in_Vancouver

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visits Vancouver, Canada's Japanese Language School.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/1Mi72Q1MG9s/Atomic_bomb_roof_tile_fetches_only_45_former_owner_to_donate_200

A roof tile damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was sold at auction Saturday for £45 (about ¥6,700) amid criticism from survivors and relatives of victims in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. John Watts, 81, said he had been given the roof tile by the priest of Sairenji Temple when he visited Hiroshima in 1952.

read more

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/0l6jt2n2ZkI/Beetle_Queen_Conquers_Tokyo

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, a documentary by entomologist Jessica Oreck (and shot by Sean Williams, the cinematographer of Frownland) about the affinity for insects in Japanese culture.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/hBPeG_SyFIM/Reactive_T_shirt_from_Japan_is_totally_cool

This is a totally cool reactive T-shirt from Japan.

There is a sound bar on a placard on the T-shirt that reacts to sounds, music, and noise. The sound bar is hooked up to a sensor that contains 4 AA batteries and is stored within an inside pocket.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/n-xrGO-oEtU/Japans_naval_chief_plans_visit_to_China

The Chief of Staff of Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), Admiral Keiji Akahoshi, is to visit China for the first time, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD).

read more

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/jnpsrFRig4s/Election_Fans

Did anyone else pick up a freebie fan at the elections on Sunday? The elections proved to be a disaster for the ruling LDP. There will have to be a lot more than fans to cool down the heat on August 30 no doubt!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/PpJvD5IJxzE/Video_Emperor_Akihito_and_Empress_Michiko_spotted_in_Vancouver

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visits Vancouver, Canada's Japanese Language School.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/japundit/~3/1Mi72Q1MG9s/Atomic_bomb_roof_tile_fetches_only_45_former_owner_to_donate_200

A roof tile damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was sold at auction Saturday for £45 (about ¥6,700) amid criticism from survivors and relatives of victims in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. John Watts, 81, said he had been given the roof tile by the priest of Sairenji Temple when he visited Hiroshima in 1952.

read more

http://www.japanator.com/elephant/post.phtml?pk=10524

It's not uncommon for Japanese ads to spice up their content with exotic foreigners, but one wonders what Honda had in mind when they filmed this ad for this year's Honda Stream. Watch it after the jump.

Did they knowingly hire people that spoke English with an accent, or were they just pulling folks off the street to dress up in funky clothes and thumbs-up at the camera? I also love how the woman just turns toward the camera to announce that the product was "ECO-CAR GENZEI," meaning that it was covered under a tax incentive program promoting eco-friendly vehicles.

I strongly suggest that this video be archived to test against future experiments in robotics and android technology, as a benchmark for bridging the Uncanny Valley. If in the far future your robot maid can tell you that your flying motor-car is ECO-CAR GENZEI without you screaming in fear for your life, then the valley has been bridged.

http://www.japanator.com/elephant/post.phtml?pk=10527

We let you know back in March that Gokusen would be coming to a close with a feature film, and now that film has finally hit theatres. Tokyograph reports that the film's opening weekend grossed roughly 490 million yen and was seen by over 402,000 fans. A Toho distributor commented that the film was expected to make 400 billion yen by the end of its run. Not too bad for Yankumi and company.

I am always reserved about specials and feature length films adapted from dramas, because they more often than not seem to pale in comparison to the original series (for god's sakes, if you enjoyed Zettai Kareshi, do not EVER watch that special). I have to admit I'll probably try to get my hands on this movie after it comes out on DVD, if only out of curiousity. Interested, or were three seasons of the drama more than enough for you?