James's Feed Releases for August 2010

The Japanese government has apparently decided that they will use taxpayers’ money to fund private schools that teach students loyalty to Kim Jong-il’s North Korean regime: The ministry has ruled that foreign schools, such as international schools o...

Japanese police use a robot arm to take care of some suspicious luggage during an anti-terror drill in Roppongi: The drill was part of the preparation for November’s APEC summit in Yokohama. It was meant to show how Japanese police are ready for te...

This foundation will make your skin look so pretty that you’ll attract the attention of random white dudes: — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Wild monkeys in Japan usually avoid human beings, but it looks like a group of them in Shizuoka Prefecture have started attacking people: Wild monkeys inflicted biting and scratching injuries on 43 people from Aug. 22 to Aug. 25 in the neighboring S...

Asahi TV finds Rei, a cat in Japan that doesn’t get angry when a baby crawls all over him and does annoying stuff: This phenomenon is not limited Japan. Here’s a few popular American videos of babies testing the patience of cats: — Akihabara N...

A Japanese news show visits the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop in Kawaguchi, where kids can do a special “Let’s Decorate Your Doughnuts!” activity: — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Three Siberian tiger cubs at the Tama Zoo now have names: The tigers have been given athletic names: Keisuke (after soccer player Keisuke Honda ), Mao (after figure skater Mao Asada), and Ai (after golfer Ai Miyazato) — Akihabara News – Gadgetry...

Ichiro Ozawa, the shady “Shadow Shogun” who controls a significant part of Japan’s ruling party, has said some not-so-kind things about Japan’s ally: “I like Americans, but they tend to be simple-minded,” he said during a speech in the capital, usin...

“Mezamashi TV” visits Shinagawa Station to observe how people are using the new smart vending machine that can recommend drinks based on the appearance of customers: A few interesting points from the video: High school girls think it’s cool. Some c...

Sharp System Products has created this self-ordering system for restaurants that can be run on Apple’s Ipad: With this system, the pictures shown on the iPad can be exactly the same as those on the conventional menu. The system makes intuitive use o...

A 43-year-old man has been arrested in Saga prefecture after he was caught on camera stealing women’s underwear from a coin laundromat: The laundromat had a surveillance camera to prevent theft, but the man had a plan: he dressed-up like a woman and...

Starting this Friday, the Animal Planet network will begin airing “Blood Dolphins,” a TV series that follows around animal rights activist Ric O’Barry as he denounces what he sees as the “murder” and “enslavement” of dolphins. The title of the serie...

The “Mezashi TV” takes a look at some of the interesting features of Japanese “Print Club” [Purikura] photo booths: For years now, such photo booths made girls happy by washing out the colors in photographs to make one’s skin look smoother and light...

A truck driver has been arrested in Gunma prefecture for driving away after he hit and killed Alan Buckley, an English teacher from Ireland. According to the Mainichi/Kyodo reports about the incident, Buckley was apparently drunk and not wearing any...

Crowds of people gathered outside the HMV store in Shibuya the other night to watch it close its doors for the last time: The store was a local landmark that is credited with having helped popularize Shibuya-kei music: The first Japanese outlet of t...

One way to break into the entertainment industry in Japan: be so fat that your belly can be used in a commercial like this one for Fuji-Q Highland. — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Osaka’s Spa World Onsen/Water Park advertises itself using creepy male comedians doing creepy stuff: [hat tip to Ken Y-N of What Japan Thinks] — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Here’s a cat named Tomato. Tomato can “smile” when resting: If you want to meet Tomato, just visit the Nyancy Cat Cafe near Shiki Station in Saitama prefecture. Here’s its location on Google Maps: View Larger Map — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from...

According to this news report, polls showed that 10% of Japanese women wanted bras that actually made their breasts look smaller, so a company has created a bra that does just that: For some women, large breasts make them feel fat. Others feel like...

The Yomiuri reports that a mere 10% of suspicious deaths in Japan are followed-up with autopsies: Japan’s autopsy rate is the lowest among advanced nations, compared with 100 percent in Finland and Sweden and 50 to 60 percent in Britain, the United...

Nicolas Cage’s promotional tour for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” had him appear briefly on last night’s episode of “Za! Sekai Gyoten News,” where he got to speak English with the other guests: — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Danny...

Miss Universe Japan 2010 Maiko Itai poses in her “national costume”: The costume is a big more modest than the one used in the 2009 competition, which some Japanese called a “national disgrace” because of its trashy underwear-flashing design: The...

A political cartoon about Japan’s most recent apology to Korea: As Japan apologizes to Korea, a group of people from other colonized nations wonders when their colonizers will issue a similar apology. Most former colonial powers haven’t issued anyt...

McDonald’s Japan has temporarily cut the price of a Big Mac from 320 yen to 200 yen (until August 26th): This Fuji TV news report notes that McDonald’s move to cut the price of one of its most popular menu items is part of a price war between Japan’...