Miniature Worlds By Takanori Aiba

You may remember John Farrier’s post about the Bonsai Tree Castle, which was created by Japanese artist Takanori Aiba. Well Takanori’s art certainly doesn’t stop there, and would you believe that the rest of his miniature worlds (structural sculptures) are even more fantastic than the tree castle?! With a style ripped straight from mythology and every minor detail accounted for, these tiny kingdoms look like a great place for fairy folk to call home.
Link –Via: Booooooom, Via: Neatorama

Making of the Godzilla Suit!

The complete thirteen minute documentary by Godzilla expert Ed Godziszewski chronicling the evolution of the iconic Godzilla suit for the first Toho movie made in 1954. Numerous rare, behind-the-scenes still images of the Godzilla suit and of Japanese special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya and his team at work. LINK: Youtube

Moonsault Scramble Roller Coaster Front Seat

Moonsault Scramble from Fuji-Q Highland. Now defunct. Reportedly pulled 6.2 G's! Crazy! Sorry for the low quality, this video is VERY old! LINK: Youtube

Takeshi Miyakawa: Candelier

Candelier', created by japanese-born, New York-based designer Takeshi Miyakawa, is a chandelier composed entirely out of wax, burning itself into nonexistence during normal use. Miyakawa conceptualized the work from his use of artist Nova Jiang's 'Creatomatic' software program. The application randomly juxtaposes images of two everyday objects, promoting free association and creativity: 'The 'Creatomatic' uses the technique of surprise to overcome habitual ways of thinking and short-circuit rational control.' LINK

Designer Builds Functional Sound System from 5,000 Recycled Beer Cans

Japanese designer Yuri Suzuki teamed up with Mathew Kneebone to create an incredible beer can sound system for Red Stripe’s “Make Something Out of Nothing” project.

Suzuki and Kneebone were commissioned by Red Stripe, Jamaica’s most popular beer, to use their talents and create a work that reflects Jamaican DIY culture. The two came up with a sound system inspired by the towering, bass-driven sound systems that started out in the ghettos of Kingston and nowadays provide the rhythm of Jamaica street life. Because they can’t get their hands on expensive materials needed to build sound systems, Jamaican reggae groups often have to improvise and make them from scratch, using all kinds of stuff that doesn’t usually serve as components. This inspired the artistic duo to create their own DIY sound system from recycled Red Stripe beer cans.

Most of the 5,000 tin cans used for the project were collected from this year’s Notting Hill Carnival. The final piece, which measures 2.5 meters high and 2.5 meters across, has speakers hidden inside the cans as well as a can microphone. Jamaican singer/songwriter Gappy Ranks tested the DIY can sound system and was impressed with the sound quality and the design of the musical structure. LINK, Via: Youtube

Chrome-plated Universe

Recently astronomers used the Suzaku orbiting X-ray observatory, operated jointly by NASA and the Japanese space agency, to discover the largest known reservoir of rare metals in the universe. Suzaku detected the elements chromium and manganese while observing the central region of the Perseus galaxy cluster. The metallic atoms are part of the hot gas, or "intergalactic medium," that lies between galaxies.

Thumbnail: "The Robot (3) 20102007 Inspired by Hajime Sorayama by Emile Noordeloos."

Exploding stars, or supernovas, forge the heavy elements. The supernovas also create vast outflows, called superwinds. These galactic gusts transport heavy elements into the intergalactic void.

More on this at the LINK: Youtube

Cool Ceramic Knives Display Cutting Edge Artwork

Minova-Cera (a division of TYK Corporation) is one of Japan's leading manufacturers of ceramic knives, trading on their location in Japan's famed "City of Blades". While Mino ware cutlery has been warmly received in kitchens throughout Japan and beyond, the company thought something was missing.

As Minova-Cera designer Tatsuya Kawai put it, "White alone is no fun," and he's since carried this theme forward to the production of new Minova-Cera knives with exquisite multi-colored artwork decorating their formerly plain white ceramic blades.

The patterns, which combine traditional and modern Japanese styles and subjects, are rendered in bright, glowing colors that remain colorfast throughout the life of each knife.

Minova-Cera decorative ceramic knives are now available, sold at a cost of 19,800 yen (around $240) each. The knives come in attractive and secure white packaging but a custom lacquered wood box is available at extra cost for those intent on presenting one of these heirloom quality knives as a gift. (Via: Walker Plus)

Steve Levenstein
J A P A N O R A M A
LINK: InventorSpot.com

The Japanese Popstars Feat. Green Velvet - Let Go

Music video to accompany The Japanese Popstars' new track 'Let Go'. Featuring techno artist Green Velvet on vocals, and follows on from their 'Destroy EP'.
Created over an intensive 20 day period in September 2010. LINK: Vimeo

Japanese Precision

They've sure got this precision marching thing finely tuned. LINK: Youtube

Strange Japanese Sea Creatures

Exotic creatures lie at the bottom of Japan's Suruga Bay, including spider crabs, chimeras and lantern sharks. LINK: Youtube

Japanese Electronic MahJong Table

Automated MahJong table.. everything from shuffling, stacking, die rolling, and score keeping. LINK: Youtube

THE BOAT SHAPED LIKE A GIANT ZIP

“When Moses thought of parting the sea you can bet he never thought of using a zip. Japanese artist Yasuhiro Suzuki though has created a motorboat designed to look like a giant version of the fastening, with the wake it leaves behind in the water meant to represent its teeth. Suzuki made a scale model of his design back in 2004 but has only now unveiled the full-sized vessel. Describing his creation, the artist said: ‘This work is a boat modeled after a zipper tab. ‘As the vessel glides through the water, the wake looks like a zipper coming undone, suggesting the image of the sea opening up. ‘The Zipper Ship will travel to and fro between Takamatsu and Megijima [in Japan] and will also carry passengers.” w/ photos. LINK, Via: Youtube

Cutest Japanese stopmotion crocheted beachside critter ukelele video ever

U900, "Diamond Head" Japanese Ukulele Duo! Features a crocheted bear and a bunny on a beach, and is the very definition of kawaii. They has a myspace, too. (thanks, Susannah Breslin!)

Update: Mark previously blogged an earlier video from these cuties, "Walk, Don't Run." Via: Boingboing

RC Car Runs On Sugar, Just Like You

Last week Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claimed that they had a soda-powered RC car in the works, and they have delivered on that promise with the "Ene Pocket." LINK: Gizmodo, Via: Youtube

30 vs 30,000

(YouTube Link)

A few years ago, Alex ran a post on the Japanese hornet, a particularly large and “mean flying machine.” As pointed out, the hornets prey on smaller honeybees, but can often be baked alive by a swarm. Interesting, but that’s not what happens here as 30 hornets lay waste to a colony of 30,000 bees.

Via: Digg, Via: Neatorama

Japanese Baby Simulator Is 1,000 Times Creepier Than a Normal Baby

This is Yotaro, the Japanese baby simulator. It looks like a big stuffed animal bear with a baby's face projected on to it. It's actually got a lot of complex stuff going on inside it, for better or worse. I just wonder why they didn't make it look more like a real baby if they were going for simulation. [Yotaro, Via: DesignBoom, Via: Gizmodo, Via: Youtube]

World War 2 Japanese Super-Submarine Found In Hawaii

According to Dr Hans Van Tillburg, "[the I-201 submarine] was nothing like anybody had in the Second World War. It had a streamlined body and conning tower and retractable gun." They just found it in Hawaii. [National Geographic, Via: Daily Mail, Via: Gizmodo]

WW2 Japanese Super-Submarine Gallery

Early power-assisted bicycles

Japanese bicycle maker Shukuno Rintendo produced a special series of power assisted bicycles in the late '90s. One had a small turbine which produced 4.4 horsepower of thrust, another could generate enough thrust for a whole 50 meters!
Link, Via: WebDigger

Yamakoya: The Japanese Bookshelf Cabin

The gold prize winner in this year’s JCD (Japanese Commercial Environment Designers Association) design awards for ‘communication design in the commercial environment’, Ben Nagaoka’s Yamakoya is a great example of creating space within a space.

Yamakoya, which means ‘wood-log cabin’ in Japanese, is a structure designed specifically for private research focusing on local history within the Ina-Higashi Elementary School library in Japan. Built into the corner of the library, it comprises of open shelving, storage space, a 4-person table for group work and smaller private areas designated for individual study. LINK

Japanese Arcade Game Lets You Flip a Table in Anger

Gaming is all about escape. You know, to a distant planet or to the Super Bowl. Or, in this Japanese arcade game's case, to a world where you have the balls to flip a table when people piss you off.

Yes, "Cho Chabudai Gaeshi," or "Upending the Tea Table Game" is an incredibly boring-looking arcade game where you "pound a soft table for combos and then upend it for the finishing move." It's based on a Japanese saying about flipping a tea table, which basically means you've had enough.

I'm looking forward to the American port of this, "Punching Through a Sheetrock Wall in Anger Game." Should be a hit! [Kotaku], Via: Gizmodo, Via: Youtube