Archive for November, 2006

Japan: Video, TV, MoviesVideo Series “Only in Japan”: Part 4 – Where’s Your Helmet?

Here we are again, with the fourth installment in the Stippy “Only in Japan” Video series. This time we will explore a mysterious trait of Japanese cyclists – the fact that they fail to see the safety benefits of using bicycle helmets! Note: If you have only tuned in to this series on stippy.com recently, [...]

The Biker’s Life, A Biker’s Mansion!

For those that can’t get enough of a supercharged 2 wheeled machine riding between their legs then the next best thing must be sleeping with it! In the country where land is scarce and parking spaces cost big bucks, people naturally tend towards buying bikes. Japan consistently has one of the highest per capita sale [...]

Book Review: “Target China’s ‘New Rich’ With Your Net Shop (ネットショップで中国の富裕層(ニューリッチ)を狙え!)”

Target China’s “New Rich” With Your Net Shop (click here to view the book on amazon.co.jp) The concept that Yang Mingyi (楊 鳴一) presents in this book is so amazingly simple that you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it first. Everyone can think of a product that they’d like to sell to the Chinese, [...]

Japan: LifeCalling an Ambulance in Japan

Just this past long weekend, I had the misfortune of having to call an ambulance in Japan for my girlfriend, who began writhing in pain and clutching her abdomen – all the while letting rip some of the most blood-curdling screams I had ever heard. After 2 minutes of this I made the decision to [...]

WOTD - JapaneseJ-WOTD: 鰻登り

うなぎのぼり (unagi nobori) * “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day” The eel, or “unagi”, not only has pride of place on the Japanese menu but, in the term unagi nobori, it also adds some rich flavour to the Japanese lexicon. Literally meaning “eel climb“, this delightfully descriptive term refers to something that is constantly [...]

Japan: Waiwai ArchivesWaiWai: Nukudonarudo vs McDonalds

There was a whopper of a battle between a sex service in Chiba and hamburger behemoth McDonald’s that left the call girl business far from lovin’ it. The sex service called itself Nukudonarudo, a play on words taken from nukeru, slang Japanese for ejaculation, and Makudonarudo, the local pronunciation of McDonald’s.

Only in Japan: Hello Kitty dressed as Paris Hilton

Hello Kitty herself (itself?) is pretty much an “only in Japan” fashion item. However, what do you get when you cross Paris Hilton (WARNING: Don’t click that if you are at work, or offended easily), MONO COMME CA and Hello Kitty? Well the “MONO COMME CA, Paris Hilton and Hello Kitty” collaboration pack of course. [...]

Japan: CultureMaid in Japan

Akihabara is a district of Tokyo that has traditionally been famous for the electronics which have for decades been synonymous with Japan. Because of this, Akihabara has also become well-known for its geeks – and now one of Japanese geeks favorite new hang-outs, the “Maid Cafe“. Read on for an explanation of wide range of [...]

Japan: Video, TV, MoviesJapanese TV and YouTube

In any look at Japanese culture a reoccurring theme is Japanese TV. Call it corny, crazy or just bizzare but which ever way you cut it, its interesting and can be a damn fine way to spend some quality veg out time. The very concept of a celebrity is taken to a new dimension in [...]

Japan: Video, TV, MoviesVideo Series “Only in Japan”: Part 3 – Orange Ball

UPDATE: Video no. 4 in this series is now available HERE. How the weeks fly by! Here we are on our third of our weekly series of “Only in Japan” videos. Once again Simon Adams takes us on a mission to unravel the mystery of the “Orange Ball”. They are round, colourful and embedded deep [...]