“The Tokyo Toilet Project” collaborated with sixteen architects to renovate public toilets in parks around the Shibuya District. The goal was to make people feel comfortable using public toilets, while also fostering a spirit of hospitality for the next person. Architect Shigeru Ban came up with this transparent design for the Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park and the Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park.
Photo credit: ISTANBUL HAVACILIK KULUBU 1995 UYE GRUBU
Even before Narita Airport opened its doors, Takao Shito’s family has been growing vegetables on the same plot of land for over 100 years. This farm was a small part of a village where 30 families lived, all surrounded by open fields. However, today it’s situated right in the middle of Japan’s second largest airport. He refused an offer of over $1.7 million for his land, and continues to live there. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Kowagarasetai
Japan-based Kowagarasetai, a special events company specializing in haunted experiences, was founded 2-years-ago during Halloween, and their latest creation will have you driving through, literally. Company founder Kenta Iwana heard that drive-in movie theaters were making a comeback and suddenly, this idea popped into his head. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: ガンダムチャンネル
The Gundam Factory Yokohama has just completed its life-sized mecha this week, and some eager fans have managed to capture some early shots for your viewing enjoyment. Not just a sculpture, this 59-foot-tall robot boasts 24 degrees of freedom, allowing it to walk, which may not sound very cool, but considering that it weighs in at about 25 tons, this is quite the feat. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
This segment from Spy in the Wild 2 – The North, a British nature documentary television series that is produced by BBC Natural History Unit, John Downer Productions and PBS, shows a robot spy macaque trying to blend in with the others. For those most part, the spy remains unnoticed, and thanks to waterproofing technologies, it’s able to take a dip safely without any malfunction. Read more for the video and additional information.
Limited to just 400-units worldwide, the Casio G-Shock MRG-B2000SH Shougeki-Maru watch draws inspiration from the traditional kabuto (helmet) worn by Japanese samurai. The watch was modeled after Shougeki-Maru, an original kabuto piece that was commissioned for MR-G, resembling what Japanese samurai wore when heading into battle. Each bezel is individually hand-carved by metalsmith Masao Kobayashi with an image of a dragon climbing to the heavens.
Photo credit: AB12, CC BY-SA 3.0
For those who don’t know, the Honda Motocompo is basically a folding scooter offered by Honda between 1981–1983 in Shetland White, Daisy Yellow and Caribbean Red variants. It was touted as a “trunk bike,” as its handlebars, seat, and foot-pegs fold into the scooter’s rectangular plastic body. What you ended up with was a box-shaped package measuring 46.7 in × 9.4 in × 21.3 in, making it is the smallest scooter ever built by Honda. Good news, as Honda recently trademarked “Motocompacto,” and described as a compact electric scooter. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: Viajero_Total
You may have seen photos of a building with an actual highway passing through it, and for those who have always wanted to visit, just head on over to the Gate Tower Building in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan. This 16-floor office building has an Ikeda Route highway offramp that passes directly through the building. More specifically, it passes through the 5th-7th floors of this building.
Director of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. Yasuo Miyakawa, whose subsidiary owns the Gundam company, always wanted to build a life-sized robot that actually moved. Fast forward to this July, and his dream has become a reality at the Gundam Factory Yokohama. The mecha is based on the RX-78-2 Gundam from the anime series. Read more for a video taking its first steps and additional information.
Set for release during Q4 2020 and priced at $120 USD, the SEGA Astro City Mini arcade machine is loaded with 36 classic games, including at least one – Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder – that never saw a home console release. Unlike other mini arcade machines, this one has actual microswitches, so you’ll hear the clicky arcade sounds as you play. In the back, you’ll find an HDMI-out, two USB-A ports, a Micro USB port, and a headphone jack. Read more for a video of a homemade version, additional pictures and information.