November 26th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Architecture, Technology | 1 Comment »
House H is the latest project by Sou Fujimoto Architects in Tokyo. The house is an “experiment to find a balance between volumes, spaces and light”.
The non-designer crowd usually cringe at fancy designer phrases like this, but I have to say that Sou’s House H is pretty spot-on with that phrase.
There’re a lot of stairs in this house too, and where are the bedrooms?
More pictures after the jump.
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November 21st, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Culture, Technology | No Comments »
If ever you need proof of Japan’s pervasive mecha culture, you only need to look at the latest EXILIM EX-G1 from Casio. The styling is almost derived from the latest Gundam or Evangelion anime.
The EXILIM EX-G1 is Casio’s first foray into shock-resistant, waterproof, freezeproof, and dustproof digital cameras.
The EX-G1 claims to be the world’s slimmest shock-resistant camera, too, offering an interesting combination of rugged design with sleek lines to satisfy the taste of any intermediate camera lover – mecha fan or not. More info and pics after the jump.
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November 20th, 2009 | Author: van | Filed under: Bizarre, Culture | No Comments »
What is this? Why, it’s a guest post by JHYPE friend, Jasmine! – van
Hello Kitty. At a glance, she’s a black outline of a cat with six whiskers, two beady black eyes, a little button nose – and no mouth.
The official word from Sanrio is that Hello Kitty speaks from the heart; and as Sanrio’s global ambassador, she is not bound by language.*
Beyond that, there’s no pinning her down; she’s been everything from princess to witch to black egg (hello, Hakone!) and sumo. She has travelled all around the world, and even beyond.
Her merchandising is possibly even more diverse than Kitty-Chan herself. According to the London Times, there’s an estimated 12,000 Hello Kitty items on the market, with some 600 new items introduced each year.
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November 19th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Fashion, Technology | 1 Comment »
Let’s cut to the chase: these are Japan Self-Defense Force Sunglasses (or JSDF for short – we ♥ acronyms here in JHYPE) and, apparently, they’re officially endorsed by Japan’s armed forces.
Each lens boasts the ability to withstand an impact from an object up to 6.55mm (0.3in) traveling at 171km/h (or 106mph). Of course, those specs probably won’t mean much against a 9mm bullet speeding toward your eye at over 1,000 miles per hour, but that’s more of a concern for the JSDF than it is for us regular folks.
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November 17th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Bizarre, Fashion | 2 Comments »
Hole in one?
Golf, in Japan, is almost as important as its national sport (and pastime), Baseball. It’s especially popular among Japanese men in their mid 30s and 40s. Lately, though, golf is fast gaining popularity with the younger market.
This is evident from my last trip to Tokyo, where I spotted a sports clothing and apparel department store dedicated to golf, and golf alone, in the trendy area of Shinjuku.
Now in order to help the Japanese women find a new golfing mate, Triumph decided to offer to the ladies a new and “unique” bra that doubles as a golf-putting mat in order to combine pleasure and … pleasure. More bizzare pics and a video after the jump.
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November 16th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Architecture, Technology | 4 Comments »
Japan may be known for the wacky and wonderful, but it’s also known as one of the most stylish and cutting edge places on planet Earth. Take this Plastic Moon House for example.
Built in Tokyo, Japanese architects Norisada Maeda Atelier designed this house that includes a dental practice and swimming pool.
As you’d expect (err), the swimming pool is stylishly integrated on the top floor above the dental practice area on the ground floor.
Plenty of pictures after the jump.
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November 13th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Art, Technology | 1 Comment »
“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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November 13th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Architecture, Culture, Technology | 1 Comment »
I, for one, welcome our capsule overlords
When in Japan, you absolutely have to set aside time (say, about 9 hours) to have this particular unique experience at least once.
No, I’m not talking about buying used girls underwear from a vending machine – I’m talking about staying overnight at a capsule hotel.
Three years in the making, the 9h Capsule Hotel (designed by Design Studio S) is named that because you’re supposed to only stay there nine hours, and each room is so small you can’t even stand up in it. That’s right: it’s a capsule.
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November 12th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Bizarre, Culture, Fashion | No Comments »
It was only ever a matter of time before the catwalks (you see what I did there) were dominated by real cats.
Well, Japanese fashion house United Bamboo has begun seriously designing for cats.
To kick it off, United Bamboo has created a line of ready-to-wear (haute CAToure?) items for cats, designed to match their women’s fashions for the Fall and Winter season 2009 – 2010.
Jump through for a preview of what’s on offer…
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November 11th, 2009 | Author: andy | Filed under: Art, Culture, Fashion | 2 Comments »
Chances are good that even if you know only a little about Japan, you would have heard of Hello Kitty.
The fictional feline character from Sanrio is Japan’s answer (and eternal nemesis?) to Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse. And like Mickey Mouse, the merchandise range brandishing the Hello Kitty image is enormous.
This time around, Dr. Romanelli (trendy streetwear and fashion designer), Sanrio, and Medicom Toy Co, have come together to release three limited vinyl figures in the “Anatomy” series.
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