Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Yakuza who frequent the Enryakuji temple on Mt Hiei, a traditional and historical temple are no longer allowed. While the temple is in a location that’s fairly remote, the amount of yakuza in the largest crime family, “Yamaguchi Gumi” located a distance away in Kobe with 78,000 members spread out! This is partially happening because of the Olympus Camera Company problems and scandal that involve yakuza. (FT – Enryakuji)
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A video piece about a sword maker. There’s only 30 of these artisans in Japan and Korehira Watanabe has been doing this for 40 years. The skill and craftsmanship to do something like this over a lifetime is always admirable. Watch and hopefully learn something from the video. It reminds me of the upcoming film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Handmade Portraits: The Sword Maker from Etsy on Vimeo.
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Rcycling plant in Japan. Panasonic Eco Technology Center. PETEC. It’s cool to hear of things like this where appliances get recycled and turned back into resources. The things that’s neat about this is that manufacturers and designers actually go and see how easy their product is to dismantle and recycle. Further, this leads to efficiency later down the road. A quote in Triple Pundit says, “The plant, which salvages just about every material one can think of, is a model for “recycling-oriented manufacturing” that will surge in the coming years as raw materials become more expensive and difficult to source.” Recycling Oriented Manufacturing. That’s Cool.
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Hiko blogs about Trendy Magazine and lists their 30 hot items in Japan for this year. He offers some analysis as well. Thanks for the transcription. (Hiko – Top 30) Nikkei Trendy Top 30 Hit Products of 2011 in Japan 30. Asahi W Zero Cocktails – alcohol free cocktail soda pop 29. Maru Maru Mori Mori – The ending theme song to a popular drama on Fuji TV, the first time in 34 years a child’s song has sold more than 200,000 CDs 28. JINS Air Spectacle Frames 27. Attonon – a cream you can buy that hides cuts and bruises (?!) 26. Maa-Pika – Toilet disinfectant 25. Nestle Cocoa D’Or – Special edition hot chocolate for adults 24. Microwaveable Fried Chicken – In the never ending and surprisingly high quality range of instant dinners in Japan, a number of makers have come out with high quality microwaveable precooked fried chicken 23. Radiko Radio – Internet based Radio has been a big boom, led by radiko.jp web page and Internet radio apps. 22. CN-SG500 Hand Held Travel Navigation System 21. K-Pop music 20. Tablets (iPad 2 in particular) 19. Sofina Primavista – Long keep base cosmetic UV cream 18. Honcho – Korean health supplement drink aimed at women 17. Tanita Empoyee Cafeteria Low Fat Cookbook – popular with dieters 16. Shot Note – Stationery notepads designed for photographing and storing as memos on smart phones 15. Ponzu Jure – A new line of vinegar based dressing/sauce 14. Sunshine Aquarium – a new popular aquarium in Ikebukuro that got 600,000 visitors in first two months of opening 13. Cardboard Box Fighting Machine Plastic Models (LBX Series) – a popular line of toys 12. Toning shoes – shoes designed to tone your body just walking around in them 11. Linear/Railway Museum – a popular JR railway museum that features Japan’s new upcoming maglev high speed trains 10. Kamen Riders Transformation Belt (DX Orz Driver) – popular children’s toy in power rangers tradition 9. Loxonin – recently available without prescription painkiller/headache medicine 8. PHS Phones With Flat Rate Unlimited Calling to All Carriers 7. Makkori – A cloudy version of the popular Korean drink Jinro 6. Daihatsu Mira E:S and Mazda Demio13 Sky Active – high mileage compact cars 5. Nissin Cup Noodle Company Mixed Rice Meals 4. Sanyo Gopan bread maker 3. “Energy Saving” Fans 2. Facebook – thanks to a lot of help from Dentsu, and also in part to promotion by Nikkei Trendy… 1. Smart Phones
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When we last posted a photo of Yu Darvish, the comments weren’t about baseball, they were by females enjoying his looks. Yet, the reasons behind Yu Darvish news these days isn’t just about looks or baseball. It’s about his quandary. To get Japanese players to America requires high fees. Just to talk to player there’s a cash deposit to the Japanese team, about 25 million, then there’s the salary negotiation, especially for a blue chip player like Yu Darvish. It’ll be high. The problem for him isn’t his ability, but it’s his predecessors, who in recent years haven’t fared so well. Daisuke Matsuzaka is one. Darvish’s record is quite stellar in Japanese baseball. The WSJ writes, “In 232 innings for the Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish struck out 276 batters, posted a 1.44 ERA and won 18 games to only six losses.” The site also explains how MLB teams are evaluating players. It’s not just speed of pitch, record, and so forth. It’s how they can translate lifestyles in the clubhouse, how they can handle the US baseball itself which is a bit different, the strike zone, and the field conditions. (WSJ – Yu Darvish)
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