No, this isn’t a roller coaster, just a pedal-powered attraction located at the Washuzan Highland amusement park in Okayama, Japan. It’s called the SkyCycle, and the ride consists of tandem bikes attached to a metal rail situated 50-feet above ground. The ride itself, aside from the height, isn’t very terrifying, but there are no safety rails, so should there be any emergencies, you’ll be required to hold on for dear life, literally.
Here’s an oldie, but goodie of a real Japanese samurai using a katana sword to slice a baseball in half. Just for reference, it takes a major league baseball player around .380-seconds to react to a pitched ball thrown at 100 mph from 60-feet away. Isao Machii is standing just 30 feet away from a pitching machine yet still manages to slice a baseball in half.
Photo credit: LCA Studios USJ
Super Nintendo World is coming along nicely, a theme park area under construction at Universal Studios Japan is planned for completion just in time for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Multiple versions of this themed land are also proposed for other Universal Studios theme parks around the world. Here’s a first look at what one area is going to look like, giving us a sneak peek at what looks to be a Super Mario World-style building. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Japan’s Nissin, most famous for their instant ramen, has come up with a new product that aims to make their noodles much healthier. It’s called “All-In Noodles,” and they basically coat the noodles with nutrient-rich cores to infuse them with 13 vitamins, 13 minerals, a nice helping of protein, as well as dietary fiber. Read more for additional pictures and information.
The Godzilla franchise, created and owned by Toho, is recognized by Guinness World Records to be the longest continuously running movie franchise. It’s been in ongoing production from 1954 to the present day, with the film franchise alone consisting of 35 titles – 32 produced by Toho and three Hollywood films. So, it’s no surprise that its creators would partner with ESP guitars for a limited edition electric guitar, priced at a crazy $52,486 USD.
Keio University researchers in Japan have developed a prototype robot tail, called Arque, for humans. When worn, it can be adjusted to the wearer’s body and allow them to stay balanced when moving quickly or handling heavy objects. Thanks to a modular vertebrae design, it can easily adapt to the wearer’s height and weight. The prototype must be anchored to an external pressurized air system, so this version is not fully mobile. Read more for a video and additional information.
Japan’s NEC Corp. tested a prototype “flying car” that looks just like a giant quadcopter drone on Monday after spending months designing it. The hovered in the air for an unmanned test in front of a group of journalists and will hopefully move on to manned flights soon. This prototype measures 3.9 meters by 1.3 meters, and weighs in at 148 kilograms.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has just released a new video of their Hayabusa2 spacecraft touching down on Asteroid Ryugu on July 11th. The footage was captured with its monitor camera, Cam-H, pointed past the craft’s sampling mechanism. This camera was created through a collaborative effort between JAXA and the Tokyo University of Science, and installed with the help of public donations. Read more for the video and additional information.
Sony’s Reon Pocket may not be the first portable air conditioner, but it’s most certainly the latest. This device is designed to fit inside your shirt to keeps your body cool (or warm) and one model can be controlled using a smartphone app via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with just any shirt, so that’s why the company has also created a specially modified shirt with an inner pocket at the back of the neck. Read more for a video and additional information.
The opening ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics may be in one year, but the medal designs have just been unveiled. Nearly 80,000 tons of mobile phones as well as electronic devices were collected from all around Japan, and will be used in the handcrafting every gold, silver and bronze Olympic and Paralympic medal awarded to athletes at next year’s games. There expect to be approximately 5,000 medals handed out between the two games.