Making Glass Dolls in Japan
A report from ATV news about a Hina Matsuri doll-making class offered at the Toyama Glass Studio:
According to the report, it’s the only place in the world where tourists can make their own Hina dolls.
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Classes will be offered until February 24th. The Glass Studio’s homepage lists 076-436-2600 as a contact number (there is no information about English-speaking staff).
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Categories: General Japan
Wild Boar Chases Bike
“Nanikore” finds a wild boar in Kumamoto prefecture that loves to follow around a motor bike:
The boar isn’t actually wild. Her name is Momo, and she’s the pet of the old guy who rides the bike.
When asked if he thinks Momo chases the bike or chases him, the owner confidently answers that Momo is following her master. One of the film crew members puts on the helmet and drives off to test that theory…
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Categories: Animal Videos
Fruit Peel Art
A news report about an event in Tokyo in which people turned fruit peels into works of art:
The event was led by Yoshihiro Okada, the author of the book “New Ways of Peeling a Tangerine” (available on Amazon.co.jp).
A few of his fruit peel art tutorials can be found on Youtube:
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Categories: Japanese Food, Odd / Strange
Japanese Media Stalk Former Gravure Idol
A washed-up celebrity fleeing to the Philippines to avoid arrest for amphetamine possession has been the top story on Japanese TV news broadcasts for days. Every major network sent reporters to snoop around Manila, interviewing random people who claim to have seen the woman. Finally, one managed to track her down on the street:
For the time being, it looks like she’ll be staying in Manila:
The Philippine immigration bureau said that Minako Komukai, 25, applied for an extension of her stay in the country on Feb. 8.
She arrived in Manila on Jan. 21 from Tokyo.
Her extended visa is valid until March 21 and may be extended every two months for a total of 16 months unless cancelled upon a proper request from the Japanese government.
But the Philippine immigration bureau and the police said they have to receive any official request from Japanese authorities about Komukai.
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Categories: Celebrity News
US Navy Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing in Soccer Field
A US Navy helicopter had to make an emergency landing in a soccer field yesterday:
The SH-60B Seahawk from Atsugi’s Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 51 was on a routine training flight when it made a controlled landing about 7 p.m. in the field, located on the west bank of the Sagami River in Hiratsuka City.
The crew followed safety procedures and no injuries were reported.
[...]
The incident is the second in the past week involving a helicopter based out of Atsugi. On Feb. 3, a sonar buoy generally used for submarine surveillance fell from a Navy SH-60F helicopter and crashed into a farm field four miles from the base. Following the buoy incident, the governor of Kanagawa prefecture expressed anxiety in local media reports and urged the Navy to try to prevent further incidents.
It has since made a safe return to its base after a maintenance crew checked it out:
A Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopter took off and flew to Naval Air Facility Atsugi on Thursday afternoon after being forced to land on a soccer field in Hiratsuka city the night before.
The Navy is investigating the incident that forced the helicopter to land at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, after its crew found a possible mechanical problem, according to a Navy news release.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the US Navy has made an official apology to Hiratsuka city.
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan
Playable Electric Guitar T-Shirt
Musical t-shirts from StrapyaNext are introduced to Japanese TV viewers, and then shown off to foreigners in Japan:
There’s are electric guitar, keyboard, and drum t-shirts, all of which can make sounds. The electronic bits are removable, so the other part of the shirt can be washed.
Most of the foreigners who see the shirts are very impressed. At the end of the clip, the three t-shirt dudes have a jam session with a professional pianist.
After some searching, I found that the shirts are available on Amazon: the Electric Guitar Shirt, Keyboard Shirt, and Drum Shirt are sold for between 20 and 30 dollars, considerably less than the 3,580 yen price shown in the TV report.
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Categories: Odd / Strange, Technology