Creating a real ghost in the shell
Yasuo Kuniyoshi is a man with an extraordinary plan. Kuniyoshi, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, has been attempting to produce an utter…
The archive
Recent articles — page 478
Browse recent articles in the Akihabara archive.
Is this a trend to transform Combinis into gyms?
Here is an example of ex-Combini shop transformed into a fitness gym. I hear it is a trend now, but I haven't seen any of them personally? If it is happening, why?
Filing Taxes in Japan Is a Breeze.
In Japan, you get a postcard in early spring from Kokuzeicho (Japan’s I.R.S.) that says how much you earned last year, how much tax you owed and how much was withheld. If you disagree, you go into th…
Listening to the Voices of Trees: The Bonsai World of Kawabe Takeo
“Trees are like people,” says Kawabe Takeo. “They have their individual personalities just like us. They are living things imbued with a natural life force and vitality that goes beyond anything we c…
Stupid Tourists?
What are things that foreign tourists should avoid doing, so that both locals and tourists can avoid problems? There have been a few cases of very srtupid tourists, like those who vandalised Mei…
5 Insider Otaku Spots in Akihabara
Planning a trip to Tokyo and overwhelmed by all the places to visit in the otaku capital of Akihabara? We sat down with some experts at sightseeing - Japanese language students currently attendi…
Robot volleyball machine helps Japan team practise attacks
To perfect their attacks, some of Japan’s top volleyball players are training against a robot that can mimic the tactics of opposing teams.
Brace yourselves! The original Tamagotchi is making a comeback
In 1996, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco changed the world of gaming with the release of the Tamagotchi. In the years since, the small handheld digital pet has gone on to gain cult status among toy afic…
82-year-old DJ thrills crowds on Tokyo's club scene
By day, Sumiko Iwamuro (pic) runs a Chinese restaurant, where she has worked for six decades making "gyoza" dumplings, while by night, she spins records at Tokyo clubs under the moniker DJ …
Deep Learning’s Rise Leaves Japan Playing AI Catchup
Japan joined the artificial intelligence race late. It was not until the mid-1980s, three decades later than countries like the United States, that researchers began pondering the idea of thinki…