We love Japan, and this is where we show it. From gadgets to toys, live-action to anime, hillsides to cities and cars to architecture, JHYPE loves it all.
Our good friend, Lisa Katayama of Tokyomango (and Boing Boing) fame recently wrote about the wonderful world of Kit Kat in Japan (and beyond). Lisa mentioned that “Sampling different flavoured Kit Kats has become a side hobby for some Japanese, and in turn Nestle produces unusual flavours for consumption — mostly in Japan, but also in other countries, presumably for Japanese tourists to take home as gifts. Some of the more curious flavors include soy sauce, grilled potato, and sports drink.”
My personal favourite would be the Cherry Blossom / Sakura flavoured Kit Kat. Marketing gimmick aside (for the cynics), they do taste awesome. Certainly beats the old chocolate milk, white chocolate or dark chocolate variety here in the local supermarkets. Anyway, enjoy the Kit Kat collection (from Flickr) and have a great weekend!
The name Inakadate usually doesn’t conjure up any specific imagery of Japan in one’s head. It has a population of around 8700 people and it is situated about 965km (600 miles) away north of Tokyo. Mount Fuji, vending machines, futuristic miniature technologies, karaoke, boxy cars, pokemon, anime, maid cafes, cosplayers, mechas … have nothing to do with this village in the Aomori prefecture. So why does Inakadate make it to JHYPE?
Every year, hundreds of volunteers and villagers in this rural town create rice field art by planting four different varieties of rice in late May across huge swathes of paddy fields in special patterns. Let’s have a look at some of the truly AMAZING works of rice crop art in Inakadate (and beyond).
Ladies, are you overly shy? Can’t get up the nerve to talk to that cute guy in your building? Hurtin’ bad after a break-up? If so, order Miterudake For Lady a self-help DVD that helps shy women gain (or regain) their social savvy.
“Miterudake” means “only looking” in Japanese and that’s just what this curious and kinda creepy DVD is all about: 51 young men staring into the camera lens for about a minute each, ending with a quick smile and a reassuring phrase.
Who would watch such a thing, you might ask? According to Avex, the manufacturer, Miterudake For Lady is aimed at the woman whose “heart was almost broken at love and interpersonal relationships.” Obviously chocolate and ice-cream do not work in Japan.
More after the jump. Including Miterudake for Men! (you know you want it, boys).
To help celebrate Meiji Chocolate’s 84th anniversary, Bandai had decided to make a special line-up of Meiji “Infinite” (Mugen) chocolate. The item allows one to enjoy the sublime thrill of breaking off a piece of chocolate from the bar, again and again, sugar & calorie free. Sweet! More info and pics after the jump.
Google’s auto-complete feature attempts to find the question users want to ask about Japan. And you’ll find all the answers to the above on JHYPE … (^_^)
Sorry for the slow updates as of late. The team at JHYPE had been in great demand outside the internet world for a change (i.e. working hard to pay off our christmas indulgences). We will eventually return to normality with more wacky and wonderful Japan.
To make up for it, may I present you the wonderful robots at last year’s IREX (International Robot EXhibition) at Tokyo Big Sight. Here are a few photos from the event. Enjoy!
In a salute to luxury brand Chanel, artist Tetsuya Noguchi has created some concept samurai armour suits designed to appeal to the fashion-conscious warrior. Made from resin, cashew lacquer, cloth and glass, the exquisitely crafted protective suits sport the iconic double-C logo, allowing the wearer to flaunt his superior social status while crushing the enemy on the battlefield.
You may be wondering why a group of nubile young Japanese Pop (J-Pop) stars make it to Jhype. Rest assured Jhype is still the place to be for all things worth hyping about from Japan. To be specific, we are only interested in one person in the group, Natsuko “Gal” Sone, or better known as Gal Sone.
Sone is known for her bleached chestnut hair, high-pitched staccato voice, thick makeup and girlie fashion, which make her a thoroughly trendy Tokyo “gal.” So what makes her “Jhype” special you may ask?
Let’s see, the fact that she can eat 6KG (no typo, it’s kilograms) OF CURRY SOBA IN 23 MINUTES. Or eat 10 plates of bacon and cheese pasta, 10 plates of gyoza (a staggering amount of 50 dumplings) and 10 plates 0f sushi (a mind blowing 100 pieces of sushi) against a group of 11 (ELEVEN!) people. More after the jump.
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