Tokyo Marui comes to play with replica sniper rifles, pistols and grenade launchers May. 25, 2013 - 06:26AM JST ( 22 ) Despite being a country where firearms are incredibly rare and licenses to own them notoriously difficult to obtain, there nevertheless remain thousands of gun nuts… Read
New Yorkers get pumped up for bike sharing Lifestyle May. 24, 2013 - 09:19PM JST ( 0 Comments ) In a parking lot near the East River in Manhattan, Adriana Alltari gathers her courage, lifts her feet off the ground and wobbles away on New York's latest mode of public transport: a bicycle. Alltari,… Read
The secret slang of Japanese cabbies Lifestyle May. 23, 2013 - 05:57AM JST ( 17 Comments ) Like many people who moved to Tokyo in their youth, most of the time I’ve spent in Japanese taxis has been directly preceded by heavy drinking. In the country’s urban centers, people primarily get around… Read
Tommy Bahama Ginza - Shop, dine and chill out at Tokyo's newest resort oasis Lifestyle May. 22, 2013 - 07:20AM JST ( 1 Comment ) Probably like the majority of the Japanese, I wasn’t familiar with Tommy Bahama before they opened their spacious two-story store with bar and restaurant in Ginza last month, the brand’s first flagship store in this… Read
Transmitting info via sense of touch: Researchers create new hope for visually impaired Lifestyle May. 21, 2013 - 05:45AM JST ( 0 Comments ) NHK, Japan’s public service broadcasting corporation, has created a technology which offers hope to the visually impaired by making use of the sense of touch in relaying information to the brain. The technology promises to… Read
Attention, bargain-hunters: Japan's goods more affordable Lifestyle May. 20, 2013 - 06:17AM JST ( 0 Comments ) Attention, bargain-hunters around the world: Japanese goods - from cars to televisions - are going on sale. Credit Japan's drive to pump cash into its economy to stimulate growth. The extra money flooding its financial… Read
The lowdown on Japan’s cosplay industry Lifestyle May. 19, 2013 - 06:20AM JST ( 3 Comments ) These days, cosplay functions as a 40 billion yen industry and has a large impact on Japan’s economy. Now, before moving on, please allow me to clarify that "cosplay" to Japan does not only refer… Read
Struggling with maths? Plug in to improve Lifestyle May. 18, 2013 - 06:00AM JST ( 2 Comments ) Applying painless but targeted electrical stimulation to parts of the brain that play a role in number manipulation may in future be a way to help people who struggle with maths, scientists say. Researchers who… Read
New school swimsuit in Japan conservative and surprisingly cute Lifestyle May. 16, 2013 - 06:33AM JST ( 7 Comments ) The worst time in PE for many girls is the few weeks when everyone is forced to learn how to swim. When you’re a self-conscious young lady, having to wear a bathing suit in front… Read
Japan gets tough on law-evading hallucinogenic herbs Lifestyle May. 15, 2013 - 06:13AM JST ( 28 Comments ) In recent years, the use of law-evading hallucinogenic herbs has been becoming more popular among young people in Japan. These herbs have properties similar to those of illegal drugs like cannabis, however due to their… Read
The mindset of workers who will always have low salaries Lifestyle May. 14, 2013 - 06:14AM JST ( 7 Comments ) Despite Japan’s famously strong work ethic, even offices here have some employees who coast through the day, oblivious to their more industrious co-workers who exasperatedly wonder how their paychecks remain so similar when their levels… Read