July 21st, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Bizarre, Technology | No Comments »
So summer is upon us (or already with us, depending where you are located) and you are running out of ideas as to how you can enjoy the great outdoors a little bit more?
Fear not, Jhypers. Here comes the Marugoto Tamachan [JP], a watermelon cooler and heater. That’s right, the machine doesn’t just cool watermelons, but for some reason it can also heat them up. And it’s portable, too. Japan, you have done it again.
Maker Joybond says the heating feature can be useful for keeping other stuff warm, too, for example beverages or food. The Marugoto Tamachan holds 14l and is sized at 50.2×35.4×39.2cm (weight: 6.3kg). Needless to say, the device is available in Japan only (price: $230). However, if you are REALLY desperate for one, Geek Stuff 4 U can procure and ship it to your doorstep.
May 14th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Bizarre, Clever, Culture | No Comments »
Let’s face it, clipping your toenails isn’t quite up there at your list of “things that I like to do at my free time”. It’s a chore, just like ironing your shirt and sorting your socks. Trust the Japanese to come up with the quick and easy solution to our toenail woes. Seriously, what would we do without you?
So that’s what the Kai Group just did. They look at the way we cut our toenails and reverse engineer the humble toenail clipper. More info and pictures after the jump.
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May 13th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Art, Clever, Culture, Technology | No Comments »
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.
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March 12th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Art, Bizarre, Culture | 3 Comments »
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!
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March 5th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Culture, Food and Drink | No Comments »
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!
January 14th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Bizarre, Culture | No Comments »
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 … (^_^)
January 13th, 2010 | Author: andy | Filed under: Culture, Japanophiles, Technology | No Comments »
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!
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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 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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