Kawaii For The Holidays?

Christmas is only a little more than a month away. Have you gotten started on your Christmas shopping yet? I know some people who are finished with their lists. In fact, they finished months ago. But if you are like me, then you are probably the type who waits till the last minute to get gifts for everyone. Good thing for us, there is such a thing as online shopping. Whoever first thought of online shopping should be awarded some great prize! I mean, I do not even have to go anywhere to get gifts. They will be delivered right to my doorstep – or the recipient’s doorstep!

Speaking of online shopping, did you know that there are great places online where you could find kawaii items? If you do not know what I am talking about, then you should read my previous post about kawaii, or cute things (loose translation). Kawaii has been around for decades and I am sure that most everyone is aware of it although perhaps not by name.

Anyhow, I found a great article on online stores featuring kawaii items.

Sweet Kitty the Anime Store is located in Kent, Washington. You can visit the store in person at 18111 E. Valley HWY S. #103; otherwise, you can purchase items directly from the store at: SweetKittyAnime.com. The store specializes in Japanese items, and it carries brands from Harajuku Lovers to Hello Kitty. The store has the best selection of Sanrio products in Washington State. The owners love their customers and encourage visitors to come to the store. Below are some of the hot items that are in-demand.

ShopKawaii.com is the web store for both Kawaii Gifts and Kawaii Avenue since April of 2006. However, ShopKawaii.com is dedicated to our imported gifts. You can visit the stores personally at Kawaii Gifts, located at 5413-B Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Kawaii Avenue is located at 5413-A Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Thanks to Katrina-Kasey Wheeler for these wonderful pieces of information.

Japanese Car Makers And The F1

As I write this post, people in Japan are eagerly awaiting the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. In twenty minutes or so, the green lights will light up and the F1 cars will be revving up their engines, F1 drivers totally focused on finishing first. Though not many might be aware of it, Japan has a considerable role in the F1. I have already written a post on Nakajima, the sole Japanese driver. Then there is the Japanese Grand Prix. But there are also other Japanese players, namely two car manufacturers.

I just read a feature article on how Honda and Toyota play their own roles in the F1. I never really paid much attention to them, to be honest, but this article has changed my perspective.

Today, both teams are on the threshold of change. Which one surfaces victorious will help determine their programs for the future, for they each approach Formula One in fundamentally different ways.

“We all know that the Japanese culture is non-confrontational,” said Ross Brawn, the director of the Honda team. “Racing European culture is often confrontational. It’s finding the balance in all those different elements that to me is the fascinating thing of being part of this team.”

Blending the Japanese culture into how they perceive the racing world puts a whole new perspective. Honda and Toyota may not be as high profile as Ferrari and McLaren but the F1 will not be the same without them.

Japanese Night Race In The Books?

We’ve all experienced the hype about the first ever Singapore F1 night race. Some of you might even have experienced it yourselves. We had planned on going to watch it but certain things came up that disallowed that possibility. We had to content ourselves on watching the events unfold on TV.

Here’s another bit of news to you F1 enthusiasts out there, though. It is rumored that the big boss of F1, Bernie Ecclestone, is planning on making the Japanese Grand Prix into a night race as well. BBC
has this report:

And asked if more floodlit races were planned, Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 Live: “If we have more races in this part of the world, yes.

“We’re going to try to get Japan to do it. I hope when people see Singapore they realise it wasn’t a stupid idea.”

I am quite happy to hear this piece of news due to several things. For one, I know that a lot of people have always had this fascination for the country and its culture. For people who are interested in both the country and F1 racing, this turn of events is definitely a cause for celebration! Another reason is that we all know how technologically advanced Japan is. Perhaps it is even safe to say that they are the best when it comes to technology. If the Singapore night race was a success in many areas – including technology – can you just imagine how much better a night race in Japan would be?

La MaMa Features “The Doll Sisters” Yet Again

For many people, Manhattan is the center of many world cultures and who am I to dispute that? Different places mean different things to different people. Anyhow, if you are interested in the Japanese culture and you are in the vicinity of Manhattan, you might want to pay the La MaMa Experimental Theater Club a visit anytime between October 23 and November 2 of this year.

They will be featuring “The Doll Sisters,” a legendary masterpiece that combines the use of puppets and a variety of Japanese performance styles. Expect to experience both ancient and contemporary performance styles as you watch the production.

Together with Atelier Asakura, La MaMa is holding the production in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Praemium Imperiale (Takamatsu no Miya Memorial World Cultural Award). This award is meant specifically for outstanding artists and has been in existence since 1989, at the orders of the Japanese Emperor. This award is so prestigious that it has been likened to the Nobel Prize for art.

This is not the first time that the production has been held at La MaMa. In October of 1978, Setsu Asakura directed a version of “The Doll Sisters.” Though it ran for only 5 days, the production became a hit and has since then been regarded as one of the best cultural productions.

What is the production about? News Blaze reports:

In “The Doll Sisters,” two sisters are paralleled by a doll character, who are revealed finally to be the two natures of the single woman. The younger, more passionate sister is obsessed with finding a man to love her; her older, more reserved sister is obsessed with the man who abandoned her. On the modern psychological level, the play explores opposing qualities, both innate and acquired, of being female. It has strongly feminist tones.

Japanese Designer Found A Model In Sarah Palin

Model meaning someone who shows off a product. And in this case, Vice-President hopeful Sarah Palin has become a model for Japanese designer Kazuo Kawasaki – albeit unintentionally. We have all seen Sarah Palin – she is on TV every single day – and I am sure that you have also noticed her fashion sense, including the eyeglasses that she wears constantly. If you have found yourself wondering where she got those glasses, then wonder no more. They were designed and made by Kazuo Kawasaki.

Dubbed the MP-704, these glasses are made of titanium, known to be ultra light and hypoallergenic. In fact, these kinds of rims have been in the market for many years now but ever since Sarah Palin came into the limelight, more people have become aware of them. As for Kawasaki, he is enjoying thousands of orders from all over the world because of the exposure that Palin brought to his product. If you are wondering if having Sarah Palin as a model is a good thing or not, take a look at these figures. Kawasaki says they normally make about 12,000 units of the MP-704 over an 18-month period. In the last 10 days, however, their orders have soared to 9,000 – with most of the customers coming from the United States!

Political beliefs not withstanding, I am tempted to find myself a pair of these glasses as well. They do look good and with the quality that they are supposed to have, it wouldn’t be such a bad buy.

Maid Cafes Enter The U.S.

Remember the post we had a while back on maid cafes in Japan? I thought that the idea was novel and quirky at the same time. Well, those of you who are in the United States and who are not about to visit Japan in the near future will have the chance to visit one of these maid cafes. A firm has introduced the American version of maid cafes in California, with the aim of sharing the experience across the oceans.

Japan Times reports:

Royal/T maid cafe, shop and art space debuts the “cosplay” (costume play) restaurant idea to U.S. audiences hungry for a taste of the latest in Japanese trends.

Launched this spring, Royal/T in Culver City, Calif., offers not only the maid cafe experience made popular in Akihabara, Tokyo, but imports and introduces “Japanese cool” in the form of art, music, fashion and cuisine.

Susan Hancock, owner of Royal/T, fell in love with Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara while a collector in New York and wanted to create a space to exhibit her passion for modern Japan.

There are certain differences from the original cosplays in Japan though:

While the cafe certainly caters to the anime and cosplay niche market, the venue equally emphasizes the art space and shop, thus veering from traditional genre cafes in Japan. And, unlike its Tokyo counterparts, Royal/T downplays the fetish aspect that Americans sometimes associate with cosplay restaurants.

Indeed, maids at this cafe will not blow on customers’ food or call them “master.” They will, however, eagerly chat about their favorite anime show and discuss the art collection.

Fun!

Cosplay Restaurants

Establishments that have themes are quite popular around the world but trust the Japanese to go all out when it comes to theme restaurants! Have you ever heard of Cosplay restaurants or maid cafes? These are theme restaurants which feature maids or butlers (the latter is dubbed butler café, obviously) – elegantly dressed.

Cosplay restaurants started in the Akihabara section of Tokyo around the year 2000. The idea behind these theme restaurants is for the maids or butlers to provide personalized service to the patrons – service that one would get from a personal maid or butler at home. Though the Cosplay restaurants started in Tokyo, they have spread out to other Japanese cities and even other countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Mexico, and Canada!

A visitor to Japan should not miss the chance to have his or her own personal maid or butler at one of the Cosplay cafes – especially if you cannot afford to have your own at home! Just to clear things up, though, there are definitely NO sexual overtones to the maids and butlers at these cafes. They are there to bring the most relaxing experience to their patrons and to provide them pampering and care while dining and drinking. That’s it.

In certain cases, a customer can actually pay extra to have the maid or butler play cards and similar games with them or to have a picture taken. The time allowed for such activities are limited, though, and one would have to pay more for extra time – marks of the good Japanese business sense!

Miuro: Music Robot

Are you tired of having to crank up the volume of your stereo or computer just so you can hear your music from wherever you are in the house? Then the Miuro is the gadget for you. Miuro is fondly called the music robot and it promises to add a new dimension to your listening pleasure.

Shaped like an egg, it is 14 inches long and comes in white, black, yellow, and red. Miuro is made by ZMP Inc. in cooperation with Kenwood – giving you the assurance of high quality sound.

So what makes Miuro better than other music players? Aside from the fact that it can roll around and groove on its own, it can stream music wirelessly from the PC. It can also be connected to your iPod. What I really like about this gadget is that it is equipped with a camera, a sensor, and a remote. These things allow the user to “beckon” to the Miuro wherever he is (within range of course) and it will come to him – cleverly avoiding obstacles in its way.

It doesn’t stop at that though – once it locates the user, the Miuro positions itself so that it will be at the optimal distance for the best sound quality. THEN, it moves around to the beat of the music! Now, all that is hard to beat!

So how much does this thing cost? Prepare about $1000 (maybe a little under it).

New device for portable karaoke

The Japanese love to karaoke. It could probably even be considered as the national pastime. This love for singing in public (to the usual detriment of the ears of people within listening distance) could only mean that the Japanese will try to develop gadgets that would take karaoke to different platforms.

Take for example the portable karaoke handset that was developed by Logictec. The device, which could be attached to MP3 players like the iPod is the answer to karaoke lovers who just cannot wait to go to karaoke clubs to get their groove on. By attaching the device to the earphone plug of a digital music player you can now sing along with the music in the player. An added bonus is the built in FM radio transmitter that would beam the signal to a nearby radio, effectively widening the range in bad singers can irritate people.

Toshiba to use Sony’s Cell processor on its TVs

Flat screen TVs are probably the most sought after electronic equipment in the world today. Everyone wants to jump into the digital age and dump their oh-so-primitive CRT TVs for the space and electricity saving plasma or LCD displays. With digital broadcasting already in place in many countries (or about to be implemented in some) now is a great time to get those TVs.

But Japan’s Toshiba is upping the ante in terms of technological competition. The company is now going to use the Sony Playstation 3′s much vaunted Cell processor in their TVs. The addition of the chip is expected to bring more visual and graphical bang to Toshiba’s TVs. The company has already released prototypes of its TVs with the Cell processor attached to it and it has extended the capabilities of HD TVs by incorporating new features like multiple windowed channels that are shown all at once. This allows you to choose the channel much like flicking through thumbnails on your computer. Standard broadcasts are also enhanced to near HD quality. It also offers a much improved interface that is commonly found in media center computers.

No word yet on when these TVs will be made available to consumers.