Sure, one person's deposits into an airplane toilet don't weigh much, but what about the pee from 200 people? Japanese airline ANA thinks full bladders lead to airplanes being weighed down by excrement, so it is implementing a wacky ...READ»
This morning Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized profusely to the Japanese people for making vehicles that have not excited domestic buyers. He was also contrite over the company's projected loss of $5 billion for the year, and ...READ»
A raw caramel craze is sweeping Japan. At the same time, fishermen in the Sea of Japan are tormented by invasive swarms of Echizen Kurage (Nomura's jellyfish), a giant jellyfish that weighs 450 pounds and measures two meters ...READ»
Plasma televisions are already on the outs with consumers due to their energy-sucking tendencies, meanwhile LCD screens have closed the gap on picture quality and are more energy efficient. But as many TV buffs know, organic ...READ»
Earlier this year, electric vehicle infrastructure company Better Place tested out its EV battery switch technology in Yokohama, Japan. Apparently the Japanese government was so impressed that it gave Better Place cash to conduct a ...READ»
Waste cooking oil doesn't have to go down the drain; it can be used to make candles, according to the creators of the Filt waste oil candle.
Filt's Tokyo office sits on top of the popular Chubby cafe. Periodically, Filt ...READ»
Bullet train companies have probably been salivating ever since Obama allocated $8 billion for high speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So it comes as no surprise to learn that Central Japan Railway Co. ...READ»
Instead of giving each factory the same efficiency overhaul, Panasonic has developed simulation technology to help facilities come up with tailored power-saving and emission-cutting solutions.
The technology, created as part ...READ»
We might still be anxiously awaiting the arrival of solar-powered cell phones in the U.S., but Japan already has at least one on sale as of June 4. Sharp makes some lofty claims about the performance potential of the ...READ»
Nintendo, never content to create gaming products that are simply for gaming, is taking its portable DS system to school. Partnering with program developer Sharp System Products, the company that turned the Wii into a home gym is ...READ»
Good for more than just illusory feats of strength, Coca-Cola Japan's new 520ml I LOHAS mineral water bottles can be easily crushed into a 12 gram piece of plastic--that's 40% less plastic than similar PET bottles. ...READ»
Japanese officials are about to test a cellphone-based tracking system in an attempt to combat future pandemics. It's a bit like trying to solve the problem with good design, just with much less civil liberty.READ»
Tokyo-based manufacturer Nakabayashi has come up with a unique solution to the problem of excess used printer paper: an in-house machine that turns used A4-sized copier paper into toilet rolls. Nakabayashi's massive 600 kg machine ...READ»
Talk about white whales: Every year, the Japanese try to overturn the
commercial whaling moratorium, and every year, anti-whaling nations
lobby for a permanent ban.
This year, things might actually change, thanks to beneficiaries ...READ»
Car companies can't make hybrid vehicles fast enough, but the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle still reigns supreme. Toyota unveiled the third-generation Prius today in Tokyo, Japan, with a slew of new features to ...READ»
Ever find yourself with a water-soaked low-battery phone? Sharp and Japanese network KDDI have a solution: the world's first solar-powered waterproof cell phone. The phone, scheduled for a June release in Japan, can nab one minute of talk time or two hours of standby power from ten minutes of sun.READ»
Next week, when car designers convene for the Detroit Society of Automotive Engineers Congress, Honda will unveil two strap-on robotic prosthetic devices that help the wearer walk or squat without ever getting tired--a miracle for ...READ»
Wouldn't it be great if your bathroom knew when you were entering the room and adjusted the bathwater temperature accordingly? Panasonic's HE-KU37CQS water heater gets close to doing just that.
The sensor-equipped heater, ...READ»
Lots of buildings have green roofs covered in vegetation and soil, but this building design from Graft Architects is the first I've seen that has a green hill. The apartment complex, constrained by restrictions in height and ...READ»
Number nerds, rejoice! Pi -- that magical, mystical number
representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter --
gets the attention it deserves today (ahem, 3.14). The world's most widely known mathematical ...READ»
In all the fuss about the new Amazon Kindle 2 yesterday, it was easy to forget that the "upgraded" device still has a relatively small paperback-sized screen and can only cope with greyscale imagery. And that's where Fujitsu's new ...READ»
Japan is known for being one step ahead, with its advanced technology, crazy vending machines and quirky fashion. So a futuristic new scheme for parking bicycles in Tokyo, although a welcome development, isn't out of the ...READ»
Do you think Japanese are more trusting of corporations, company blogs and more trusting in general? If Japanese ARE more trusting, is there really a need for company blogs in Japan (ie. companies or CEOs trying to explain themselves)?READ»
