Japanese Craft using Lacquer Real Japanese lacquer is an organic substance made from the sap of the urushi tree (Rhus verniciflua). The sap is collected by scratching the tree and it then is refined …

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Kumu (written ??, in Japanese) means to connect or unite. And it’s the name of Noriko Konuma’s new gallery space nestled in the Bakurocho neighborhood Northeast of central Tokyo. True to their name, …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 1 comment

Regular readers will recall the iDoll, a mini robotic doll prototype by Hakuhodo and Yukai Engineering. In another effort to promote the prototype and expand its commercial prospects, the designers h…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Vending machines in Japan often amaze foreigners, because of the range of products they offer. The saying goes "the only thing you cannot buy in a vending machine is another vending machine"…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

This article is written by Pierre-Antoine, co-founder of Aniwaa and post-doctorate researcher at Tokyo Institute of Technology ( ) on the topic of 3D printed interfaces for virtual reality applicatio…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

Foreigners coming to Japan think they can only find Japanese style rooms with Onsen and local, delicious Sushi shops at “really traditional places” like Kyoto. Tokyo, with it’s flashy lights and nois…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 1 comment

Takeshita-dori Street, Harajuku, Tokyo Green and pleasant Harajuku is Tokyo's most established center of street fashion. While other areas rival it in terms of hip, Harajuku still reigns when it come…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

You know what’s more embarrassing than falling on your butt in front of everyone in Japan? Not knowing how to say butt in the first place.

You know what’s more anxiety-inducing than giving a speech …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

the main lobby of the newly renovated Grandbell Hotel Shibuya | all photos by Nacasa & Partners

Want to stay in room that only comes to life when the lights are turned down? What about a room…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 9 years, 3 months ago | 0 comments

These small cleaning robots are getting more and more popular, especially among girls and women who stay alone.

You can even control Cocorobo from your iPhone and ask it questions A new Japanese rob…

posted by  Yubi | 9 years, 3 months ago | 2 comments