I’ve been seeing this story going around this morning:

But a consumer safety group reported 40 incidents in which people, mostly children, had Crocs stuck on escalators from late August until early this month. One five-year-old girl broke her middle toe and three of her toenails were ripped off after her shoe was stuck on the [...]

Categories: apparel · japan

These pictures of japanese sewer systems are amazing (via mefi). I can’t really tell if this is one sewer system or a bunch or when they were built (I don’t think this was built 2,200 years ago), but it’s definitely where you expect to spend your post-apocalyptic years hunting down (or, if less fortunate being [...]

Categories: breakfast links · japan · the future

Apparently there’s a new craze sweeping Tokyo - kegadoru or Injured Idols (via tokyomango). Girls wearing surgical coats or maid outfits are totally out at the Akihabara maid cafes, now you have to be sporting eye-patches and bandages! This one’s a little … odd, to me. One cosplayer describes the confusing appeal:
One guy into the [...]

Categories: breakfast links · japan · the future

by ronin
While I make no promises as to the frequency and quality of my posts while Felix is out cavorting this week, I will, at the very least, try to not make too much of a mess. Continuing Kirk Unit’s Asian theme and combined with Felix’s love of all things 4-legged and furry, I [...]

Categories: animal rights · crazy · japan

So you’ll remember the travesty that is the the London Olympics logo, right? Well Tokyo just unveiled its logo for the 2016 Olympics (via darrenbarefoot) as part of it’s bid. They say that it represents a traditional knot used to decorate gifts, which after they told me I can see. But really, when I saw [...]

Categories: breakfast links · japan

This is pretty old news, but I just came across it, so leave me alone about it. Jeez. But check it - here’s a report about the trend of Maid Cafes that started in Akihabara, Tokyo and is spreading to more places and more than just cafe’s. They talk about bars and places to get [...]

Categories: japan

This video is awesome. It’s a flash mob style gathering of cosplayers in Tokyo, spontaneously bursting out in dance to a huge audience. I would have loved to have seen that! They’re dispersed by the fuzz, sadly, but it’s pretty great to see. It also makes me want to have a Donut.
I read a couple [...]

Categories: breakfast links · comics · japan

I’ve finally finished reading Mechademia: Emerging Worlds off Anime and Manga. This is the first volume of an annual publication for anime, manga and the fan arts. As the name suggests it promotes an academic view of these topics, which I think is a wonderful idea.
The variety of topics is pretty wide - anywhere [...]

Categories: books · japan · review

Ok, this is just wrong. Whether it’s a fake or not, it’s really just wrong. All Cthulhu references are appropriate. All, “please don’t ever show me anything with teeth in a can” comments also appropriate.
I know it isn’t monday and you aren’t emotionally prepared for art, but it’s a slow news day. So click [...]

Categories: breakfast links · japan

If you like movies and you like dvd’s, check out The Criterion Contraption. One man’s mission to watch and review each of the Criterion discs. I only have most of the Kurosawa discs in my collection, but they’re great. And this guy’s reviews are pretty serious, a ton of effort goes into it and if [...]

Categories: japan · movies