Archive for July, 2009

Japanese company sells ice beer mugs

A news report introduces a company in Tokyo that is making and selling ice beer mugs:

The mugs are carved from blocks of ice and mailed to people who order them over the internet. They cost 580 yen each. Apparently one mug can last about an hour in the summer heat before melting.

Also included in the clip: An ice bar in Ginza. Read more about it here.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Harry Potter and the Japanese fangirl

Sanma Akashiya’s “Karakuri Terebi” held a contest last month in which 10,000 of Japan’s biggest Harry Potter fans competed for a chance to travel to the UK and interview the stars of the new Harry Potter movie. As it is a comedy show, they intentionally picked the strangest fans as finalists. A girl named Kana was the grand prize winner, and here are partially subtitled clips of her meeting Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter).

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Rupert Grint Interview

The best part of this interview is her obsession with Rupert’s eyelashes, which she touches with amazement. She also gets a sniff of his wonderful smell.
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Daniel Radcliffe

No sniffing here – only some really weird face-touching. Note that the person responsible for translating Daniel’s answers into Japanese made the subtitles say “this girl’s feelings are so real (genuine)” when Daniel was actually describing the situation as “surreal.”
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Note: If you liked this post, you’ll probably love these videos of Daniel’s 2007 visit to Japan and the post about his encounter with Japanese girls who want to kiss him. You may also like the Emma Watson interview in this series!

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)
• Find out more about Tractor Tires, electric underfloor heating, primary peritoneal cancer, IRS audit help, ford dealership locator, texas culinary academy, and chapter 13 bankruptcy rules.

If you don’t like this hamburger, you can get a refund

Lotteria’s marketing campaign for a new expensive fast food burger:

Under the campaign, set to last until the end of July, a customer who buys the new hamburger, priced at 360 yen, will receive a refund if at least half of the hamburger is left uneaten and returned to the store it was purchased from on the same day along with the receipt.

The store will first make another hamburger and if the customer is still not satisfied, the store will pay back 360 yen on condition that the customer fills out a questionnaire, according to Lotteria.

Customers will only be allowed to return the hamburgers once during the campaign period, while some stores may end the campaign early.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

A Japanese terrorist mastermind

On Saturday night, a new drama/comedy called “Karei Naru Spy” aired on NTV. It’s main storyline revolves around the wacky activities of Japan’s new super secret spy agency. The show is not particularly great, but it does have its amusing moments.

The main villain in the series is a Hitler/Kim Jong-Il hybrid known as “Mr. Takumi.” Here’s a video of him dealing with a butler that dares to tell the evil terrorist that he is mistakenly referring to octopus as “shrimp”:

And here is a scene showing one of Mr. Takumi’s henchmen blowing up a military truck in Pakistan (amusing for its low budget special effects):

The series is up on d-addicts, but English subtitles have yet to be released.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Protect yourself from armpit sweat

Hey Ladies! Fed up with embarrassing underarm sweat? Get yourself one of these pads and you won’t have to worry:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

A lizard with two tails

A clip from TBS news of a lizard with two tails that was discovered by a kid in Sendai City:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)