Archives: ‘Art/Culture’ Category

Yabafo: Building-mounted vertical free-fall ride

15 Oct 2007

namBa HIPS -- Japan's first building-mounted free-fall amusement ride, called Yabafo, will be integrated into an exterior wall of Osaka's 12-story namBa H!PS entertainment complex scheduled to open in December. From 74 meters (240 feet) up, the 6-person ride will provide passengers a panoramic view of the city before dropping them 60 meters (200 feet) down the side of the building at a top speed of 22 meters per second (50 miles per hour).

Designed by architect Shin Takamatsu (whose famed Kirin Plaza Osaka building located in the heart of Shinsaibashi will be closed and demolished after the end of October), the 18 billion yen ($157 million) namba H!PS complex is poised to become Osaka's newest landmark. At 86 meters (280 feet) tall and 12,000+ square meters (130,000 square feet) in area, the building will house a variety of entertainment facilities, along with separate floors for golf, beauty salons and restaurants. Yabafo, which is seen as the building's main attraction, is expected to draw an estimated 400,000 thrill-seekers per year.

[Sources: Namba Keizai Shimbun, namBa H!PS Construction Blog]

U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi virtual humanoid

12 Oct 2007

U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi Virtual Humanoid --

U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi is an interactive "mixed reality" humanoid robot that appears as a computer-animated character when viewed through a special head-mounted display. A virtual 3D avatar that moves in sync with the robot's actions is mapped onto the machine's green cloth skin (the skin functions as a green screen), and the sensor-equipped head-mounted display tracks the angle and position of the viewer's head and constantly adjusts the angle at which the avatar is displayed. The result is an interactive virtual 3D character with a physical body that the viewer can literally reach out and touch.

U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi Virtual Humanoid --

Researcher Michihiko Shoji, formerly of NTT DoCoMo, helped create U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi as a tool for enhancing virtual reality simulations. He is now employed at the Yokohama National University Venture Business Laboratory, where he continues to work on improving the virtual humanoid. The system, which currently requires a lot of bulky and expensive equipment to run, will likely see its first real-world applications in arcade-style video games. However, Shoji also sees a potential market for personal virtual humanoids, and is looking at ways to reduce the size and cost to make it suitable for general household use.

Here is a video of U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi.

The virtual humanoid will be on display at ASIAGRAPH 2007 in Akihabara (Tokyo) from October 12 to 14.

[Source: Robot Watch]

Mona Lisa from recycled train tickets

05 Oct 2007

Mona Lisa made from train tickets --

Employees at the Takashimaya department store in Osaka have created four reproductions of world-famous paintings using 320,000 old train tickets obtained from the nearby Nankai Namba station. The works, which include renditions of da Vinci's Mona Lisa (2.3 x 1.6 meters) and the Birth of Venus, as well as Renoir's Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, consist of "pixels" formed by overlapping the black and white tickets in intricate patterns. About 300 employees sacrificed their breaks and free time for 3 months to complete the masterpieces, which will be on display at Takashimaya until October 16.

[Source: Asahi]

Clannad canned bread in Akiba vending machine

04 Oct 2007

Canned bishojo bread -- A vending machine at Tokyo's Akihabara station is now offering a limited run of canned bishoujo bread in celebration of the new Clannad TV anime series that begins October 4.

Clannad, which was first released as an interactive love adventure game (visual novel) for the PC in April 2004, follows the adventures of a high school delinquent as he develops relationships with some of his female classmates.

The 350-yen ($3) canned Clannad treats -- available in chocolate, strawberry, green tea, butter, raisin, blueberry, and milk -- are manufactured and distributed by Pan Akimoto, who originally developed canned bread as an emergency food in the aftermath of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. In Akihabara, where cuisine like canned oden enjoys widespread popularity, the future of canned bishoujo bread looks bright.

A vending machine on platform 6 (for Sobu line trains bound for Chiba) will be dispensing the canned bread until the end of October.

[Source: Mainichi]

Photos: Rice paddy art harvest

01 Oct 2007

Art rice harvest --

On September 30, about 900 volunteers participating in a hands-on rice farming tour began the annual harvest of the Inakadate village (Aomori prefecture) rice paddy art, which this year depicted a pair of famous Hokusai woodblock prints created with four different varieties of rice.

Art rice harvest --

Art rice harvest --

Art rice harvest --

View more photos of rice paddy art HERE.

[Photos via: Inakadate Village, Mainichi, Sankei, Yomiuri]

Solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards

28 Sep 2007

Solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards ---

On September 27, Sanrio announced plans to begin selling solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards, which the company will make available through its online shop beginning October 3. Each of the 54 cards (2 jokers included) measures 58 x 89 mm and is made from 0.73 gram of 99.99% pure gold. Pressed to a thickness of 7 microns with precision rolling technology developed by the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, the cards are sealed in a protective laminate printed with colorful designs that depict Hello Kitty in royal dress.

Solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards --

The reverse side of the cards show Hello Kitty against a background featuring the Union Jack and apples, a reference to the fact that Hello Kitty was born in London and is said to be 3 apples heavy and 5 apples tall.

The cards are priced at 567,000 yen ($4,900).

[Link: Sanrio Online Shop]

PET bottle armor

27 Sep 2007

PET bottle armor --

It takes only a few minutes to down a soft drink, but the plastic bottle it comes in is designed to last for centuries. In the eyes of Kosuke Tsumura, designer for the Final Home brand of urban survival clothing and accessories, the durability and abundance of PET plastic bottles makes them an ideal material for clothing...and armor. At the request of the world's largest cola cartel, Tsumura made this suit of armor by slicing up PET bottles and sewing the pieces together with transparent nylon thread. The armor may not hold up well in combat, but it looks cool as hell and it won't biodegrade until long after you are gone.

PET bottle armor --

[Link: Tsumura-Room]

Interactive supermodel hologram ad

21 Sep 2007

Anne's Fitting Show, interactive holographic ad --

Anne's Fitting Show, an interactive ad display that allows shoppers to dress up a holographic incarnation of Japanese supermodel Anne Watanabe in World's "Untitled" brand clothing, has been set up on the first floor of the Takashimaya department store in Shinjuku. Anne, who is the daughter of actor Ken Watanabe, is shown in the flesh on the right (her holograms are on the left).

The 3D ad system features an external touch-screen control panel that allows aspiring fashion coordinators to select from 4 situations -- "Date," "Work," "Party" and "Holiday" -- and arrange 12 different fall/winter outfits for Anne's hologram, who walks around in the glass-enclosed booth showing off the selected clothes. The interactive 3D ad, said to be the world's first of its kind in the fashion industry, relies on Danish advertising media company viZoo's Free Format holographic film technology.

Anne's Fitting Show will be on display until September 24.

[Sources: Sankei Web, Shinjuku Keizai Shimbun]

Hifana: Connect (video)

20 Sep 2007

Hifana - Connect ---

J-breakbeat duo Hifana's video for "Connect" -- the title track from their latest CD+DVD -- stars KZO Machine and Cowman 3000 as funky robot shoppers for sale in a sweet TV shopping channel hallucination. Press "Buy" to get yours now.

Hifana are on the W+KTokyoLab label and the video is directed by +Cruz and WOOOOG, with animation and design by Mark Okon, Genki Ito and Ian Lynam.

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