japanese

Built-It-Yourself Cars

When I think about putting cars together, I think of two things: built-it-yourself model car kits and taking my car to the mechanic. The complexity of a "real" car is often what keeps novices away from tinkering with them - along with the fear of not being able to get it back together properly. Mitsuoka Motors, a Japanese auto company, just introduced the "K-4", a micro car for one that you can assembled yourself with the instructions they provide with it. The K-4 is ideal for those who want to be "hands-on" with cars, or just don't have need of a full-sized vehicle. It still takes about 40 hours to put together the 500+ pieces, but it looks to be easier than a conventional vehicle. The car is about 8-feet long and has a maximum speed of 31 miles per hour. Price (approx): $6,460.

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Tags: car, cars, do it yourself, hands on, japan, japanese, resources, vehicle

The $3,000 Mood Ring, er, Tube

by Anton Friant (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The University of Tokyo and Japanese company GS Yuasa have come up with this little gadget called the SHOJI (Symbiotic Hosting Online Jog Instrument) which purportedly examines a whole host of physical analytics (light, temperature, humidity, infrared radiation and ultrasonic waves) as well as human variables (presence, movement and tone of voice) and translates that information into a row of LED lights that visually represent the overall 'mood' of the room. While this may prove more of a dorm-room gimmick a few years down the road, Tokyo companies are hoping to use this technology to monitor the atmosphere inside branch locations without actually installing Big Brother.

Thanks to our pals over at Engadget for the heads-up!

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Tags: gadget, japanese, mood, technology

Mottainai Crystal USB Drive

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

This gem of a USB drive is made by SolidAlliance and is known as the Mottainai. The 2 GB memory stick looks like gold, although it is actually made of bronze, and has beautiful, multi-faceted crystals from Statsuma Kiriko embedded in it. Apparently, it was made "as a tribute to the Japanese craft industry," although we suspect the manufacturer didn't mind the idea of adding a little bling to computers, either. Price: $765.

[via SciFi Tech]

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Tags: computer, gadget, gem, japan, japanese, memory stick, MemoryStick, usb

An Unusual Golden Charm

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Apparently, this golden charm is one of the most popular cell phone accessories in Japan, with almost 3 million units sold. At this point, you're probably thinking that it looks a lot like something a dog might do on your living room rug. If so, you're right. It looks like golden poop and it is supposed to be a good luck charm.

If we absolutely had to pick one, we'd opt for the version that appears to be filled with gold dust and is slightly more tasteful than the alternatives. Under no circumstances would we want to take the catchers' mitt charms, which represents "catching money", because it would be too easily mistaken as a symbol of cleaning up after the previously-mentioned dog for our comfort.

[via Gizmodo]

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Tags: cell phone, charm, gold, gold poop, golden, japan, japanese, phone, poop

$1.28M Golden Rocking Horse

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

For the kid who has it all, Japanese jewelry designer Ginza Tanaka has created a 24-karat gold rocking horse. The toy was designed in honor of the birthday of Japan's Prince Hisahito and weighs about 80-lbs, significantly heavier than the normal wooden rocking horse that it is styled after. The weight does have an advantage in that it allows the chair to rock much more smoothly than other types of horses. Although the jeweler is willing to take orders for more, only one has yet been made and is valued at $1.28 million.

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Tags: gold, gold rocking horse, gold toy, golden, horse, japan, japanese, rocking horse, RockingHorse, toy, toys

Cuckoo Forest Clock

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Cuckoo clocks are not exactly at the top of anyone's must-have list for interior decorating, but they still have a certain presence - or at least a cute factor - that makes them appealing. The Cockoo Forest Clock, pictured here in Rust, is a far cry from anything that your grandmother would have hung in her living room. It is designed so that it looks like something from a Rorschach test, almost symmetrical and with a seemingly endless number of patterns to be found around the edges. It's intriguing to look at and comes in colors ranging from black and white to neon pink and the metallic silver. The non-metallic colors are slightly less expensive, but Rust and the other metallics are $453.

[via Tragically Hip]

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Tags: ckocls, clock, cockoo, cuckoo, cuckoo clock, japan, japanese, modern, rust

Mushroom Stool

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Clearly inspired by the squat, rounded shape of a wild mushroom, the Mushroom Stool was actually designed back in 1961 to be entered into a design competition in Japan. It was only in the past few years that the product has come to the market commercially, perhaps reflecting a chance in consumer tastes. The stool is made out of mahogany plywood that has been bent into the sinuous, twisting final product. It would be a beautiful accent piece to add to a room in which the primary wood is also mahogany, highlighting a desk or coffee table. The designer notes that the stool itself can serve as the base of a table, with a glass sheet placed on top. Price: $550.

[via AT]

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Tags: japan, japanese, mahogany, mahogany plywood, mushroom, mushroom stool, plywood, stool

Japanese Government To Sell Off Gold Coins

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Now here's a way to reduce public debt. Reuters reports that Japan's Ministry of Finance will auction off gold coins from its collection online next February. Nearly 2,500 coins will be sold on a Yahoo Japan Corp. site from February 3-19. The Ministry of Finance has around 32,683 modern gold coins and plans to sell them off by March 2008. An auction of 1,037 coins in October brought in around $4.83 million for the public coffers. The money goes to the government's general account budget and though it is a drop in the bucket it sell helps bring down Japan's looming mountain of debt.

Tags: debt, deficit, gold, gold coins, japanese

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