Shinkansen ver.2 from daihei shibata on Vimeo.
A friend of ours found this captivating video of one man’s Shinkansen journey from Osaka to Tokyo.
The creative twist he put into the video makes this Jhype worthy. Have a good weekend, Jhypers.
Have USD$3400 lying around? Feel the utmost urge to blow the cash on something completely stupid, yet uber cool? Not sure what to do with all that family inheritance? Neighbours next door just bought a new car and you need to keep up? Need a big toy to keep your 1:1 scale MGS Solid Snake company? Wonder no more as Bandai unveiled the Hyper Hybrid Model RX-78-2 GUNDAM for sale.
It’s a 1/12 scale version of the RX-78-2 Gundam and based on another 1/12 Gundam model Bandai introduced in 2006. Bandai said that the older model sold a solid 1,500 units, which begs the question – Where do these mad cashed up people come from? The new replica will be shipped with a beam rifle, a beam saber, and a shield. Completely bonkers, completely Japanese, we love it.
More information and pictures after the jump.
Aren’t these some of the coolest toys that you ever come across in life? It’s both educational and fun, it’s form follows function. It’s modern mecha meets cultural roots.
Japanese toy giant Bandai is set to release a series of nifty kanji figures that transform into the shapes of the animals they represent. The shape-shifting critters, called Mojibakeru (moji means “character” and bakeru means “to change”), come in six varieties — 犬 (dog), 虎 (tiger), 魚 (fish), 馬 (horse), 鳥 (bird) and 竜 (dragon) — and are available in black, white, yellow and blue.
Pictures of EVERY awesome transformation and information after the jump.
Frustrated that your eraser hampered your latest and greatest creation on paper?
KOKUYO has a clever solution to erase your frustrations away (Bad pun, I am sorry).
The 5-sided start shaped eraser has various widths, so you can choose the width best fit to the object you would like to erase.
They will launch the eraser on 13 may 2010.
More info can be found after the jump and on KOKUYO’s website.
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Play in HD for best viewing experience.
Japan, it’s the one magical word that will conjure up endless images of beautiful natural sceneries, neons, advanced technologies, geishas, kimono, kabuki, sumo, anime, idols, sushi and much much more.
Now take that image, add gold and chrome (lots of it), awnings, baffles, pipes, yet more neons, wings … and blend all of it into a massive truck. Welcome to the world of Dekotora!
Dekotora or Decotora (デコトラ, dekotora) is the local abbreviation for “Decoration Truck”. They are sometimes known as the Art Trucks [(アートトラック) ātotorakku] too. The truckers of Japan love to decorate their trucks with shiny stainless or golden exterior parts, beautifully painted landscapes, kabuki or manga characters,or pictures of celebrities. At night, their fluorescent handiwork come to life with colourful and bold neon and ultraviolet light displays. These decorations usually adorn the cab as well as the trailer, on the exterior as well as in the interior.
So let’s not waste time and explore the world of Dekotora!
A Sengoku warrior on horseback
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).
Tokyo/Glow from Nathan Johnston on Vimeo.
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.
More pictures of the luxe armour after the jump.
“Collectible Erasers” sounds like an oxymoron to most people outside Japan, but in the Land of The Rising Sun (or Rising Fun in this case) these are hot collectibles for those who are in and out of school. They are literally too cool for school.
Take a look at the above dimsum set for example. The fine detailing extends to individual grains of fried rice and four sets of chopsticks!
The sushi, snack food and cake erasers have to be seen to be believed. They look so good you’ll be tempted to take a bite, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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