Archive for June, 2010

Tokyo Destroys Crow Nests, Kills Baby Crows

Tokyo MX TV shows us the Tokyo government’s efforts to control the city’s crow population:

In the clip we can see workers destroying a crow nest in Shiba Park. The baby crows are put into a sack and will be taken to an incineration center.

According to the video, Tokyo’s anti-crow measures have been successful in reducing the number of crows in Tokyo from 36,000 in 2001 to 19,000 in 2009. However, the biggest problem remains improper disposal of garbage – something that requires the cooperation of citizen residents. If we keep putting our trash out where the crows can eat it, they will keep breeding.

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

Live-Action AKIRA Gets a Screenwriter

Just a little update on the progress of Hollywood’s live-action remake of the classic Japanese anime movie AKIRA:

A live-action “Akira” film is on the way courtesy of director Albert Hughes (“From Hell,” “The Book of Eli”) and newly hired screenwriter Albert Torres. According to producer Andrew Lazar, the first film will cover the first three of Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira” manga volumes, with a hopeful sequel set to cover the next three volumes.

It seems that both the writer in the director don’t particularly have a lot of great films under their belts. It’s probably best not to expect much from this movie.

Heck, it might even be as bad as this:

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

Making Japanese Politics Look Cool

Hats off to the FTV news graphics team, who created this dramatic and exciting intro to their channel’s evening news coverage of the upcoming Upper House election:

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Killer Driver Attacks Mazda Factory

A former worker for a Mazda factory in Hiroshima visited his old workplace yesterday and went on a rampage with his Mazda automobile (the map above shows the 7 kilometer driving route of his 10 minute attempted killing spree):

The suspect, Toshiaki Hikiji, 42, of Asa-minami Ward, Hiroshima, said he had been fired by the firm around April and told police he intended to kill people out of frustration.

The incident occurred at around 7:40 a.m. at the firm’s Ujina factory in Minami Ward and adjacent Fuchu factory in Fuchucho when day workers arrived to begin their shifts.

Hiroshi Hamada, 39, a Mazda employee, was fatally struck at the Fuchu factory. Two victims remain in serious condition while eight others also sustained injuries, police said.

According to the police, Hikiji fled the scene after hitting the workers, and called the police at about 8 a.m. asking them to get him.

Hijiki also had a knife in his car, and he had originally planned to slash and stab some people after killing a few with his car. It is said that he wanted to copy the method used in 2008 Akihabara attack.

Hikiji apparently had only worked at the Mazda factory for a total of 8 days before quitting for unspecified personal reasons. Police are investigating to see if he had some sort of experience during that time that made him resentful towards Mazda.

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

Crab Shell Shedding Video

A cool time lapse video of a giant spider crab shedding its shell at the Enoshima Aquarium:

[via Pink Tentacle]

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

Leena: a Chinese Girl Who Became a Model in Japan

The Asahi’s English edition has an article up telling the story of Leena (梨衣名), a Chinese-born fashion model in Japan:

Backstage after her appearance, Leena spoke fluent Japanese and her gestures and conversational pauses were typical of a young Japanese woman.

“As long as I don’t say my real name, no one would know I’m Chinese,” she said.

Leena arrived in Japan when she was 10 from Shandong province, accompanying her father who is a mechanical design engineer.

She enrolled in public schools from elementary through senior high school.

She always looked up to her father and remembers him drawing designs by hand when she was little.

Because of that link, Leena entered Ibaraki University’s College of Engineering and took courses in robotic engineering and artificial intelligence.

While she at one time dreamed of winning the Nobel Prize, that all changed two years ago.

A friend at a cram school told her, “You’re tall, so you should become a model.”

Read the rest of the article here.

And, if you want to see more of Leena, here’s a her in a Japanese TV commercial:

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