Japan Blog » Youth

Kids’ shoes that are eco-friendly

Maki — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:01:01 +0000

Talk about corns and feet and the first mental picture you’ll probably get is that of painful, swollen calluses on your toes. But in Japan, corns and feet have a new meaning — one that is eco-friendly.

Moonstar, a shoe manufacturer in Japan, has recently partnered with Kuraray in releasing a new shoe line for children. The Biomass Hadashikko are the first shoes to be made from corn. The manufacturer uses biomass technology in producing the shoes, which reduces the total carbon emission when compared to using fossil fuel.

The shoes do not scrimp on comfort, too. using Comfort Saver technology, Moonstar claims that children will be assured of sensations that are akin to actually walking barefoot without sacrificing ample support for the soles that active children need.

Japanese schoolchildren go on countryside trips

Maki — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:23:08 +0000

I recently read that most Japanese city schools are now making their students do home stays in the agricultural, fishing and mountain villages as part of immersion programs into their country. The practice is actually increasing and I think this is a positive development and a better option than sending children to tourist spots.

According to reports, a lot of educational benefits are being seen from students who actually experience nature first hand. The villages and towns, on the other hand, see a business opportunity in the said tours. This is something that they also need because of the dwindling population in these areas.

The practice of making nature excursions has increased over the last five years and this has spread mainly by just word of mouth. I am just hoping that these immersion programs also bring to light the plight of less fortunate people in Japanese society and not just focus on nature.

Japan’s “Pimp Pusher”

Maki — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:36:07 +0000

The Japanese aesthetic is wonderfully quirky and one of the most unique point of views in the world. Just take for example this really funky watch. The Pimp Pusher watch from Tokyo Flash is a wonderful fashion accessory that is not only useful it’s also a great conversation piece. The watch has 72 surface mounted LEDS. These LEDs tell time by lighting up one light for the hour, which is located in the left column. It then also turns on one light for every minute that passes. So for, example, it 3:15, 18 LEDs will be turned on on the watch face.

But where does the “Pimp” come in with this Pimp Pusher watch. Well, between 6 PM and 1 Am, which is considered Pimp Time (go figure), rows of the LED will light up at random in order to catch the attention of people around you. Maybe the light display is a technological equivalent of showing your mating feathers or howling like a banshee like howler monkey in heat.

Be warned though, the watch may look very cool, but telling time will require constantly exercising your math skills. All for the name of fashion, eh?

A love for Sentai

Maki — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:41:58 +0000

One of my fondest childhood memories was excitedly anticipating 6pm on a Saturday. No, it’s not because my mother was going to prepare a favorite dish. It’s when Goranger is shown on one of the local channels. Goranger was one of the first Sentai series to come out of Japan. They were also one of my favorite heroes. It’s been almost three decades (!) since I’ve seen Goranger but I still have a soft spot for it. It practically defined my childhood.

Sentai are one of the quirky genres that can be categorically confirmed as purely Japanese created. If you’re confused about what Sentai is then just look at any of the current iterations of the Power Rangers, because the Power Rangers are absolutely Sentai. The Sentai phenomenon spawned so many different titles and heroes that only the most hardcore sentai fan would even recognize all of them. But a common theme does run through all of the sentai series and heroes — the preference for distinctive colors to identify individual heroes, distinctive designs on the helmet, a group of four or five, and unique abilities for each sentai hero. With the emergence of Super Sentai, other conventions became established — separate vehicles that could either form into a robot or enter a robot and a first battle with a villain that culminates with the robot battle.

Adults watching a sentai series now may find it quite silly. But in our childhood, they were the pinnacle of cool. I admit, they are still the coolest things I’ve seen on TV, and I still secretly long to become the Aka Ranger.