Obsessed with watching Japanese trains go by? Now you can indulge your hobby regardless of bad weather or friends who just don’t get your hobby — whether you’re in Japan or not.
The website Tetsudonow (“railroads now”) has elevated trainspotting to a new level by allowing viewers to watch virtual trains zip around the major cities of Japan on a Google map mash-up. Twitter users in Japan were bubbling with excitement yesterday, with some tweeting that the illustrated trains move in real-time. If only. The site’s explanation says that the trains actually move in accordance with their weekday timetables, so the map doesn’t reflect delays, stoppages or weekend schedules.
The navigation tools do, however, let you see the routes of most major railways in Japan at any time of day. To hobbyists’ delight, the trains are all labeled with their actual line colors and approximate shapes, so you can tell a green Yamanote train from a snub-nosed shinkansen at a glance. Click on any moving train to see where it’s coming from and where it’s headed.
Now you can trainspot with a bag of popcorn in one hand and a Coke in the other from the comfort of your swivel chair with no one jostling or judging you. Us? We wouldn’t judge you.
Here are the latest Pulsations, links to fresh stories and visuals about Japan, shout-outs to fellow bloggers, and highly clickable stuff that we think you might enjoy.
In no particular order, they are . . .
Japan’s Latest Culinary Adventure: Mayonnaise Art (from Weird Asia News): Think creating designs by pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso is so yesterday? Try making mayo masterpieces on your beloved okonomiyaki.
Grand Pacific Le Daiba x Gundam Tokyo Front ‘Project Room-G’ (from Gundam Guy): This Gundam-themed suite is paradise on earth for Gundam fans. One fan, Gundam Guy, takes us on an incredibly detailed virtual tour through a “Room-G Special Type” suite.
Need something to perk you up at work besides coffee? Try Morning Rescue, a Japanese energy drink popularized by the anime “Puella Magi Madoka Magica.” What would you do if a group of men dressed in orange overalls smashed through your ceiling and popped up right next to you so early in the morning?
Doraemon, as most people reading this blog will probably know, is the loveable robot cat hero of the popular manga/anime series. Sparking the imaginations of children since 1969, the popular cartoon character has been featured in 1,344 stories and almost 2,000 TV anime episodes.
With a video tribute that celebrates the blue earless cat’s “minus 100th birthday,” Google Japan seems to be suggesting that the corporate monolith can bring us closer to the future and Doraemon’s time-saving capabilities. Real-life versions of Doraemon’s “bamboo helicopter” and cloak of invisibility — or at least people’s best attempts at them — are only a Google search away. Via Streetview, Google itself virtually whisks us around the world much like Doraemon’s “anywhere door.” These experiences are no longer just the stuff of cartoons, and the company has cleverly tapped into the popularity of the cat to show the parallels.
And with just the click of a magical hyperlink, you too can find out how the city of Kawasaki is celebrating the minus birthday of its most famous time traveler.
Here are the latest Pulsations, links to fresh stories and visuals about Japan, shout-outs to fellow bloggers, and highly clickable stuff that we think you might enjoy.
In no particular order, they are . . .
Hello Kitty Toilet With Pink Surprise (from Hello Kitty Hell): When we say there’s nothing that Sanrio can’t make pink and cute, we mean nothing. Rather, this blog post proves that there’s nothing they won’t try.
Japan’s Advanced Rubber Band Weaponry (from Tofugu): Japanese tourists visiting Hawaii or Los Angeles often include a trip to a shooting range, to experience that rare feeling of shooting a real live gun. They could, however, just invest in a rubber band machine-gun.
Spoon & Tamago highlighted an exhibition at The Open Space 2012 of Rhythmushi, a nifty little hand-drawn music app that has quietly been building a big fan base over the last two years. If you can’t make it to Shinjuku for the hands-on experience, enjoy the video demo here.
American indie-rock musician Ben Gibbard has released a song dedicated to Japanese baseball superstar Ichiro Suzuki. Gibbard, who is best known as the vocalist for the groups Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, says he wrote the song in honor of Suzuki years ago but that today was the “best day” to release it to the public — Suzuki, 38, was just traded to the New York Yankees after more than 10 years with the Seattle Mariners. Be forewarned: The song, “Ichiro’s Theme,” is incredibly catchy.
When the fastest-growing social-networking service in the world puts out a game that looks like a mash-up of Angry Birds, Bejeweled and Tetris, you might guess the game would do pretty well. Throw in a free sticker with your download, and you’ve got an instant hit. The acquisition of Korean game Birzzle looks like the first step in Line’s strategy to expand its properties beyond internet calling and messaging. Line has been downloaded over 42 million times in the last year, mostly in Asia.
Website Tech in Asia reports that Line Birzzle has blasted to No. 1 on app store charts in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Macau. It is available for download on Android and iOS operating systems.
Though Japan is still experiencing rainy season, the country is bracing for a super-hot summer. Predicted power shortages and another season of setsuden are raising the demand for products that can help beat the heat without electricity. Here are a few of the more unusual ones.
Forget icy glasses, frozen foam is where it’s at
Frozen beer: Kirin has invented a machine that creates frozen suds on top of your pint. Working rather like a softserve ice cream machine, the device adds a frosty froth to a glass of draft beer. The froth is actually made from beer so that it doesn’t dilute your drink as it melts. According to Kirin, there are currently 252 establishments serving it nationwide, and 91 of those are in Tokyo.
Fans: Old-school paper fans have enjoyed a bit of a revival 0ver the last few years, but why waste all that energy flapping your hands around when you can get your hands on a Kurukuru Eco Fan? This environmentally friendly toy fan from Takara Tomy has been so popular that the company has had to double the shipments of the product. Thanko, our favorite store for wacky gadgets, put out this petite little fan that resembles bladeless household fans and comes in at a very affordable ¥980. Thanko has also got a product for cooling the insides of your shoes. The USB Shoes Cooler produces a cooling breeze when inserted into footwear, promising to prevent your feet from getting all sweaty.
The booming of the taiko drums and the shouts from touts at carnival games and food stalls — you can almost hear the sounds of a Japanese summer festival when you look at Japanese artist Yumiko Matsui’s delightful paper sculptures. She is known for intricately crafting scenes with a whimsical take on familiar sights, from the stands at the festivals to the billboards in Shibuya. While you’re in a matsuri mood, don’t forget to bookmark the JT’s monthly festival listings.
