1. Animated stereoviews of old Japan: Meiji-period stereoview photographs by T. Enami, presented as animated GIFs to create the illusion of three dimensions.

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2. Nocturnal Gundam: A glimpse of the Odaiba Gundam after dark.

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3. Monster mummies of Japan: A look at some of the mummified monsters found at temples and shrines around Japan.

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4. Pregnant dolls from Edo-period Japan: 19th-century dolls designed to teach the anatomy of pregnancy.

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5. World Sand Sculpture Festival: Photos from the 2009 World Sand Sculpture Festival in Tottori, Japan.

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6. All-purpose tanuki testicles: Ukiyoe prints by Kuniyoshi depicting the remarkable versatility of oversized tanuki (raccoon dog) testicles.

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7. Anatomy of Japanese folk monsters: Cutaway diagrams from Shigeru Mizuki’s Yōkai Daizukai, an illustrated guide to yōkai anatomy.

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8. Ultrasonic bath: Video and photos of a futuristic human washing machine unveiled at the 1970 World Expo in Osaka.

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9. Giant robot spider in Yokohama: Photos and video of the first La Machine sightings in Yokohama.

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10. iREX 2009: Photos from the 2009 International Robot Exhibition held in Tokyo in November.

Have a Happy New Year! See you again in 2010.

“Fairy tales and legends” is the theme of this year’s World Sand Sculpture Festival now underway at the Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori prefecture. On display (until May 31) are 19 massive works crafted by world-class sculptors from ten nations. The artists used around 2,700 tons of sand and took about two weeks to complete their works. Can you identify the fairy tales and legends depicted in these sand sculptures?

The Netherlands (front) [via]

The Netherlands (rear) [via]

Germany [via]

India (front) [via]

India (rear) [via]

Spain [via]

USA (front) [via]

USA (rear) [via]

Czech Republic [via]

Russia (front) [via]

Russia (rear) [via]

Australia (front) [via]

Australia (rear) [via]

Canada [via]

China [via]

Unknown [via]