Tokyo Glow, a stop motion short film
March 1st, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Art, Japanophiles, Video | 1 Comment »Tokyo/Glow from Nathan Johnston on Vimeo.
Tokyo/Glow from Nathan Johnston on Vimeo.

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.
More pictures of the luxe armour after the jump.

Gyaruru - Natsuko Sone (centre)
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.

Somebody’s finally discovered a practical use for lazy cats. The video after the jump absolutely made my day. Japan, you have done it again.

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.

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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