Archive for February, 2010

Inject drugs into your baby doll

A baby doll for little Japanese kids who want to play doctor:

But it now, and you get a free cute surgical mask!
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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Leonardo Dicaprio wants you to buy Japanese tires

Leonardo Dicaprio is starring in commercials for eco-friendly Bridgestone tires:

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Fun factoid: Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is the grandson of the founder of Bridgestone Corporation. Hatoyama is currently in hot water over $13.8 million his mother, heiress to the Bridgestone fortune, donated to his political organization.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Mr Bean in Tokyo

No, this headline is not about the comedy character. Apparently there is a chain of soy milk restaurants in Singapore called Mr Bean and they have just opened their first location in Japan. Here’s a clip from Japanese TV about it:

Japan’s first Mr Bean is located at Tokyu Shibuya Station in Tokyo. The company plans to open 3 stores in Japan this year.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” breaks sales records in Japan

Variety reports on some record breaking sales in Japan:

DVDs and Blu-ray discs of the Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It” racked up $18 million in sales on the title’s first day of release in Japan — a new record, according to the Oricon rating service.

DVDs accounted for $11.3 million and Blu-ray discs $6.7 million on Jan. 26. This smashes the previous DVD opening-day record of $6.2 million held by the Hayao Miyazaki toon “Ponyo,” which was the bestselling DVD of 2009.

Apparently in an effort to make as much money as possible through disc sales, Sony is not letting stores rent it out. (How can they do that?)

As you can see from the commercial above, American TV commentator Dave Spector has been appearing in commercials promoting the documentary.

Also active in promotional activities has been Orianthi, the guitarist who plays on stage with Michael in the film. Below are two clips of her appearing on Japanese TV and giving guitar performances:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

World Investors Travel Cafe

The weather man for NTV’s “Real Time News” visits the WorldInvestors Travel Cafe in Roppongi:

The cafe is a place where important businessmen are supposed to meet and talk about important deals. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening the cafe hosts live webcasts about business and financial news, with discussions by experts such as the Russian woman shown in the clip above.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)