Kirby’s Adventure – 1993 Developer Interview
—How did you come up with the idea for the adorable character of Kirby? Sakurai: Just after I joined Nintendo, they were accepting game design plans for “a game that anyone could enjoy.” That go…
Akihabara · Tokyo · Japan
Akihabara & Japan
Articles, practical questions and conversations about electronics, anime, Japanese culture and everyday life in Japan.
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Japan's Paper Culture
With Japan’s rich traditions in paper, it’s no wonder that paper is such a big part of Japanese culture. The development of washi-making techniques from families that have made paper for generat…
Kanazawa’s Empty Spaces
Japan’s secondary cities are facing population loss to the ever-expanding megacities of Tokyo and Osaka, and abandoned structures throughout the smaller cities’ domestic cores attest to this de…
Hayao Miyazaki Prepares to Cast One Last Spell
“I believe that the tool of an animator is the pencil,” he tells me. (We speak through an interpreter, Yuriko Banno.) Japanese pencils are particularly good, he notes: The graphite is delicate and re…
Experience the real and virtual Akihabara
This tour is a combined real and virtual tour, so it is being branded as a “hybrid experience.” To put it simply, participants will move around Akihabara physically, but they will experience eac…
Mozu Studios creates impressive tiny rooms full of details
led by a young japanese artist, mozu studios creates incredible tiny rooms that are full of details. the initiative started as a class project where mozu did a tiny replica of his own room which took…
This New Pokémon Card Shop Is Claiming To Be the Largest in the World
Tokyo‘s Akihabara district is now reportedly home to the largest Pokémon card store in the world. The Pokémon Card Specialty Shop Hareyua 2 first opened this summer and claims to not only have the bi…
Art Student’s 407-Piece Hand-Carved Wooden Clock Literally Writes The Time
Suzuki Kango is a 22-year-old senior student in product design from Zao City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, close to Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, where the university is located. After h…
Farming on the Moon
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to link up with several public and private sector organizations to launch research and on creating sustainable food sources on the Moon. Space Fo…
Prominent Akihabara game centre Adores Building 2 is closing forever
Closing forever on Wednesday June 30, Adores Akihabara Building 2 is the recognisably bright red building that sits next to Akihabara Station. The first two floors of the building make up the arcade …
Japan Post Deliveries from the Sky
Japan Post is joining forces with Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory (ACSL), a domestic drone manufacturer, to start delivering mail by air. Japan Post Group announced its plans to collaborat…
Spotlight: The Story of Japan’s Schindler, Chiune Sugihara
Sugihara was born in the rural town of Mino in Gifu Prefecture on the first day of the 20th century. He spent his early years living with his family in a borrowed temple. As a youngster he dreamed ab…
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Arduino in Japan and Akihabara?
Arduino, arguably the most popular micro controller platform, is popular in Japan too. Japan has a wide range of made-in-Japan and made-for-Japan micrcocontroller platforms. They …
Samurai Nicknames, Monikers, Aliases, and Pseudonyms
When I studied abroad in Japan I was not the only Adam in my program, so in an effort to differentiate my friends dubbed me “Megane,” due to my spectacular specs. Nicknames are quite common in Engli…
Japan's First Specialist Robot Store! The Original Akihabara Robot Shop "Tsukumo Robot Kingdom"
"Tsukumo Robot Kingdom" is Japan's first specialist robot store. As a robot specialist, they've obviously got robots, and there are also other attractions such…
Shopping for a "plus size" in Japan
Living in Japan is an everyday challenge for me. As a 180 cm tall girl I probably have average size in my home country Germany, but in Japan I am considered as chubby, very tall and “meda…
7 Interesting Facts About Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is an engineering marvel and record-breaker. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge also called the Akashi Strait bridge or Pearl Bridge is one of the world's longest s…
Are there any onsens (natural hot springs) located close to Akihabara?
If I go to akihabara in the afternoon or an evening, is there any onsen that I can access easily?