Casual clothing brand Uniqlo has created the most captivating web calendar ever, featuring a random assortment of time-lapse tilt-shift imagery from locations across Japan and charming background music by Fantastic Plastic Machine. Highly addictive.
[Link: Uniqlo Calendar]
The Chiba Lotte Marines might suck, but their game posters rule. Sighted at JR Kaihin-Makuhari station, these retro movie-style posters depict the home team heroes defending the city from attack by villainous monster opponents.
Marines vs. Giants
Marines vs. Swallows
Marines vs. Bay Stars
Marines vs. Dragons
Marines vs. Carp
Marines vs. Tigers
[Link]
WAHHA GO GO, the latest nonsense machine by Tokyo-based multimedia art "company" Maywa Denki, is a manually operated device designed just for giggles. To activate the machine -- which looks like a skeletal humanoid with accordion-like lungs and a big toothy grin that takes up half its head -- simply spin the heavy metal disk mounted on its torso. WAHHA GO GO rears back its head, takes a deep breath, and exhales through artificial vocal cords to emit an uncanny laugh that invites you to laugh along with it (or at it).
+ Video
The stomach contents of famous monsters are revealed in this series of Brazilian ads for Cup Noodles (a.k.a. "genuine Japanese fast food").
Godzilla [+]
Kanegon [+]
Gomora [+]
Alien Baltan [+]
[Via: I Believe in Advertising]
See also: Hungry (for giant prehistoric beasts)?
Photographer Daikichi Amano's deliciously macabre portraits are a titillating blend of horror, dark humor, and animal parts. (NSFW.)
What will automobiles look like 50 years down the road? If they turn out to be anything like these concepts from the design studios of four major automakers, we are in for quite a ride.
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- Mazda Motonari RX
Mazda Motonari RX [+]
In Mazda's vision of the late 2050s, advances in molecular engineering have rendered metal-based manufacturing obsolete. The rise of ubiquitous computing and artificial intelligence drastically accelerates the automotive production cycle. Cars are cheap, lightweight (around 200 lbs, or less than 100 kg), and equipped with intelligent crash avoidance systems that eliminate traffic accidents. However, people still manage to get speeding tickets.
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The Mazda Motonari RX -- which takes its name from the legendary Japanese warrior Mori Motonari -- interfaces seamlessly with the driver to function as an extension of the body.
The vehicle drives sort of like a street luge. Acceleration and direction is determined by two armrest mounted control points, and the vehicle's exoskeletal frame shape-shifts in accordance with the position of the driver's arms and legs when enveloped in the seat.
Omni wheels
Four omnidirectional wheels allow 360 degrees of movement, and the tread expands or contracts to suit the driving conditions.
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A "haptic skin" suit consisting of millions of microscopic actuators enables the driver to experience the road psycho-somatically while receiving electrical muscle stimulation from the onboard AI guidance system (or other remotely located drivers).
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The vehicle's entire structure is comprised of a 100% reprototypable, carbon nanotube/shape memory alloy weave with a photovoltaic coating, which allows the vehicle to mimic the driver's body movements while powering the in-wheel electrostatic motors. [More]
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- Toyota Biomobile Mecha
In Toyota's vision of the late 2050s, cities have developed vertically due to limited area on the ground, leading the transportation industry to develop new vehicles capable of navigating vertical space.
Toyota Biomobile Mecha [+]
Toyota's Biomobile Mecha, a shape-shifting vehicle with nano-laser wheels, can read and adapt to changes in the environment and travel vertical pathways by means of biomimetic feet with powerful suction.
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In addition, the Biomobile Mecha is powered by pollution. A special skin derives energy from harmful substances in the air, so the vehicle never runs out of fuel (as long as the future skies remain polluted) and restores balance to the environment while it goes.
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The real-time strategic navigation planning system, which reads the environment via a 3D scanner, gives the vehicle "instincts" that enable it to autonomously adapt to the driving environment.
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Advanced nanotechnology enables the vehicle to expand and contract its structure horizontally and vertically as needed, allowing it to serve as a compact commuter, an aerodynamic performance vehicle, or even as a temporary dwelling. [More]
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- Nissan OneOne
In Nissan's vision of the 2050s, robots have become an integral part of our lives, blurring the line between humans and machines. The Nissan OneOne combines personal mobility with the family robot concept.
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Billed as the ultimate pet, the Nissan OneOne (pronounced "wan-wan," the Japanese sound for a barking dog) is a friendly, helpful member of the family of the future. Able to operate autonomously without a driver, the GPS-guided vehicle can help out by picking up the dry cleaning, fetching the groceries, and taking the kids to school.
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OneOne propels itself forward by flexing and relaxing synthetic polymer muscles in its "legs," much as you would if skating on roller blades.
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The vehicle can also assume various positions depending on the driving environment. It reclines to achieve greater speed, and it stands up to increase visibility and squeeze into tight spaces. [More]
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- Honda 124 (One to the Power of Four)
In Honda's vision of the 2050s, people have flocked back to the suburbs, fueling consumer demand for a truly flexible commuter vehicle.
Honda 124 [+]
The solar-hybrid powered Honda 124 (One to the Power of Four) is an energy-efficient, modular vehicle that can separate into four different fully functional units, each uniquely suited for specific driving conditions.
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A combination of robotics, artificial intelligence and molecular engineering (which enables the body panels to be reshaped according to use) allow each module to instinctively reconfigure itself and operate as a fully functional unit. Two of the modules are suitable for short-distance inner-city driving, while the other two are ideal for longer distances at higher speeds.
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Because the Honda 124 consists of multiple units that can be joined together, carpoolers can take advantage of HOV lanes and share commuting costs. [More]
Character designer and kaiju evolutionist Yasushi Torisawa produced a fantastic set of classic Toho movie monster illustrations for the summer 2008 edition of Uchusen magazine.
Godzilla vs. Biollante [+]
Hedorah [+]
Rodan [+]
King Ghidorah & Gigan [+]
The Green Gargantua [+]
The Brown Gargantua [+]
King Ghidorah vs. Gorosaurus [+]
Baragon [+]
19th-century obstetric training doll - Wada Museum [+]
In the 18th and 19th centuries, sideshow carnivals known as misemono were a popular form of entertainment for the sophisticated residents of Edo (present-day Tokyo). The sideshows featured a myriad of educational and entertaining attractions designed to evoke a sense of wonder and satisfy a deep curiosity for the mysteries of life. One popular attraction was the pregnant doll.
"Light-skinned" pregnant doll - Edo-Tokyo Museum [+]
Although it is commonly believed that these dolls were created primarily to teach midwives how to deliver babies, evidence suggests they were also used for entertainment purposes.
"Dark-skinned" pregnant doll - Edo-Tokyo Museum [+]
For example, records from 1864 describe a popular show in Tokyo's Asakusa entertainment district that educated audiences about the human body. The show featured a pregnant doll whose abdomen could be opened to reveal fetal models depicting the various stages of prenatal development.
Baby doll - Edo-Tokyo Museum [+]
Similarly, records of Japan's first national industrial exhibition in 1877 indicate a Yamagata prefecture hospital doctor named Motoyoshi Hasegawa showed off an elaborate set of fetus models illustrating seven different stages of growth, from embryo to birth.
Fetus model set (circa 1877) - Toyota Collection [+]
Although it is unclear whether the fetus model set pictured here is the same one Hasegawa showed in 1877, records suggest his model was a hit at the exhibition.
[Source: Geijutsu Shincho magazine, July 2001]
