What Jamie Found » Japan

Do boomerangs come back in space?

Jamie Barrows — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:19:07 +0000

Do boomerangs come back in space? That was a question that Japanese astronaut Takao Doi was trying to discover when he conducted the first ever boomerang throw in space.

Many people believed that gravity was necessary for the boomerang to return to the thrower. In which case, the thrown boomerang would not come back to be caught. But Takao Doi answered that question when he threw the specialy made paper boomerang and had it come back to him. So now we know. LOL

Read the whole story at Nothing to do with Arbroath: Japanese astronaut finds boomerangs come back in space

Jump rope at high speed

Jamie Barrows — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:43:27 +0000

Okay, I was never much of a jump rope enthusiast. I could do it, but I was never very good at it. And I could never go very fast.
The girl in the video above goes so fast, that the first time I saw it I was sure that the video had been speeded up.

Keeping a Crocodile as a pet

Jamie Barrows — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:18:16 +0000

JapanProbe posted an interesting article about a man in Japan that has a full grown crocodile as a pet. When he first got it, it was small and he could carry it around with him. Now, 23 years later, the pet is over 2 meters long. His owner takes him to work, around town, and even let his his daughter play with the crocodile.

Having see what alligators here in Florida can do, I’m not sure I would want to have one as a pet. Alligators are not nearly as aggressive as crocodiles, but are still very dangerous to humans. So a crocodile has got to be a lot worse. If you want to see what a crocodile can do, check out this video.

The video is in Japanese But I’m posting it here anyway because I think it is cool to watch this guy take his crocodile out for walks. So enjoy.

And for more information and an english summary of the content of the video, check out the original JapanProbe post: Crocodilian Pets in Hiroshima

Storm Troopers can dance too!

Jamie Barrows — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:52:57 +0000

Ok, here is another one of those pointless videos. Danny Choo is dressed up as a Storm Trooper and goes around dancing at different street corners in Japanese cities. Actually pretty funny.

Via Japan Probe: Dancing Shibuya Stormtrooper Video

Weird Concept cars from Japan

Jamie Barrows — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:47:21 +0000

The car above has got to be the strangest looking concept car I’ve ever seen. Usually concept cars will be overly sporty or invoke thoughts of raw power. It seems that for Japanese car makers, concept cars this year all invoke cartoonlike feelings.

The car above is being shown at the Tokyo auto show by Honda and is called PUYO. The name is meant to give the user feelings of softness. And the car is literally soft! The entire outer body of the car is made from a soft gel like substance. So it really is soft.

For more pics check out the article at Jalopnick: Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda PUYO Concept Car Has No Edges, Begs To Be Fondled

Not to be outdone, Nissan also has a cartoon car. They call theirs the Pivo 2. Check out this video of the car in action.

Via Linknotes: Pivo 2 concept car

Bread, fresh from the can?

Jamie Barrows — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:54:58 +0000

Last week I posted about the vending machines in Japan. Were you can buy anything from sodas, to eggs. I guess it didn’t occur to me that if you can buy eggs, you could also buy bread from a vending machine. But not just any bread. Bread in a can!

In Japan, you can just pop down to the corner buy a delicious can of warm bread. No need to set foot inside of a store again. You can get all your staples and dietary needs from vending machines.

Via Core77 by way of Gizmodo.

Japanese Vending machines – Everything from sodas to eggs

Jamie Barrows — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:24:27 +0000

Dark Roasted Blend has a great post about Japanese vending machines. In Japan you can buy nearly anything from vending machines. Batteries, sodas, groceries, even beer and cigarettes. Pretty much, if it is possible for a machine to dispense it, Japan has a vending machine capable of selling it.

This is something I noticed when I was in Japan. It seemed like there were vending machines on every corner. And many of them sold things like beer and cigarettes that are prohibited to minors. It seems that the machines are not required to enforce age limits on the purchase of controlled substances.

Check out the post for a whole lot of pictures of different vending machines, as well as some of the history behind them at Dark Roasted Blend – Vending Machines Craze in Japan

A Roller Coaster bridge

Jamie Barrows — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:53:15 +0000

DeputyDog has a great post about the kawazu loop bridge. The Kawazu Loop Bridge is a two storied spiral bridge along National Route 414 in Japan. The Kawazu bridge is one of the only bridges in the world with a double loop.

After looking at the pictures here, check out the original article for more photos.

DeputyDog: kawazu loop bridge

Insect Origami

Jamie Barrows — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 15:34:37 +0000

A Japanese artist named Taketori has created an amazing gallery of insect origami. Some of them are so lifelike that you almost expect them to move. Check out his gallery with tons more pictures here: Insect Origami.

Via Neatorama and Pink Tentacle

For more origami posts check out these links: Fish and sea life Origami and Starcraft Origami

Japanese DoroDango mud balls

Jamie Barrows — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:58:00 +0000

Would you believe that the picture above is nothing more than a hand shaped and polished ball of mud? DoroDango, which translates roughly as mud dumpling, is a traditional art form in Japan. The balls are made literally out of mud that is hand dried and polished in a laborious process. It seems that nearly any type of dirt is acceptable for making DoroDangos. All that is needed is dirt, water, and a lot of time. The balls are air dried, so there is no firing or baking involved.
Up until recently, the art form was mostly confined to Japan and was slowly dying out. A professor at the Kyoto University of Education, Professor Fumio Kayo, used it in a study on the play habits of children. In the process of his study, he documented the simple process of Dorodango, and published his instructions. Now the entire art form is seeing a renaissance of interest both in Japan and the US. Seeing the result, I can understand why.

If you are interested, you can read all about it at Interesting Thing of the Day: Hikaru Dorodango – Mud balls as art
You can also read directions on how to make your own here: www.dorodango.com