Japanese company ispace has raised $90.2 million in a Series A funding round, an amount it’s calling the “largest ever” Series A in commercial space financing. The funding comes from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, Development Bank of Japan, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Konika Minolta and others, and will help the company continue its progress towards a very… Read More
Category: Japan
Honda is working with Chinese AI unicorn SenseTime on self-driving car tech
Honda is putting the focus on artificial intelligence after it announced a partnership with SenseTime, a Chinese startup valued at over $1 billion, that will power its autonomous cars of the future. SenseTime, which raised a $410 million funding …
View More Honda is working with Chinese AI unicorn SenseTime on self-driving car techBreathe new life into your old clothes with a ‘transplanted’ piece
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Who says your clothes have to be uniform? A campaign in Japan has figured out how to rejuvenate old clothes as one-of-a-kind pieces.
“Second Life Fashion” takes old clothes that have been damaged or torn, and combines them with other clothing parts to create a brand new piece.
Here, a shirt with a ripped sleeve has been patched up with a sleeve from a plaid shirt, creating an entirely new item.
Image: second life fashion/supplied
All you have to do is send in a picture of the clothes you want repaired. Once the company confirms that they can fix them up, you simply send them off to be transformed — and surprised with the piece you’ll receive later. Read more…
More about Japan, Second Life Fashion, Transplant For Clothes, Fashion Transplant, and Green Ribbon Project
View More Breathe new life into your old clothes with a ‘transplanted’ pieceYou can start learning actual Japanese for less than $40
Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.
Trying to learn how to speak Japanese by solely watching anime with subtitles is like trying to learn how to play guitar by playing Guitar Hero. Yo…
Pikachu gets his highest honor yet, becomes Japan city ambassador
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Turns out those speaking skills came in handy for Pikachu after all.
The famous Pokémon has been appointed ambassador for the Japanese city of Osaka, Taro Kono, Japan’s minister for foreign affairs announced in a tweet.
At the ceremony, Kono also appointed Hello Kitty to the role.
I have appointed Pikachu and Hello Kitty as Ambassador to promote the City of Osaka for the 2025 Expo host citypic.twitter.com/mCkiCl5T5j
— KONO Taro (@konotaromp) November 29, 2017
Pikachu is the leading character of the Pokémon series, and Sanrio’s Hello Kitty has been a beloved icon for decades. Read more…
More about Japan, Nintendo, Pokemon, Pikachu, and Hello Kitty
View More Pikachu gets his highest honor yet, becomes Japan city ambassadorEarthquake-proof, book-filled home is a bookworm’s dream
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This wall-to-wall bookshelf has an additional neat trick — it’s made to withstand earthquakes.
The clever design from Japanese architects Shinsuke Fujii features a home with ample — and we mean ample — shelf space, covering one wall of the house.
But to keep its contents from falling off in the event of an earthquake, the shelf leans inwards at a slant.
Best of all, the lean means you won’t even need a ladder to reach its top. Simply climb it and stand on each rack to get what you need.
Image: SHINSUKE FUJII ARCHITECTS Read more…
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View More Earthquake-proof, book-filled home is a bookworm’s dreamWhy this New Zealand politician’s speech from 2013 has gone viral in Japan
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Words can wield power for a long time after they’ve been spoken.
A speech regarding same-sex marriage made by former New Zealand National MP Maurice Williamson has found popularity four years after it was delivered, as a rational rallying cry for marriage equality in Japan.
A clip of Williamson’s speech has now gone viral in Japan with over 170,000 retweets at the time of writing, picked up by BuzzFeed.
So, why now? The Twitter video was posted as a direct response to remarks made by the General Council Chairman of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, Wataru Takeshita. He was widely criticised for recently saying that he was “opposed” to the idea that state guests’ same-sex partners should be invited to events hosted by Empress Michiko and Emperor Akihito. Read more…
More about Japan, New Zealand, Marriage Equality, Same Sex Marriage, and Speech
Why choose between pizza or a burger when you can have this glorious combination?
Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds?
The Margherita-style Stretchy Pizza Burger (yes, that’s its actual name), is definitely one that’s gonna fulfil all your fast food cravings.
SEE ALSO: Trump in Japan: A well-done burger for lunc…
Someone has reinvented the scarecrow and it’s absolutely terrifying
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‘Super Monster Wolf’ is a robotic wolf in Japan, covered by fur and is baring its fangs. The robot detects wild animals with sensors when they approach and flashes its the red LEDs of its eyes. It also has 18 types of sounds, including a wolf’s growl, a human voice and a gunshot. The robot is going for a whopping $288. Read more…
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View More Someone has reinvented the scarecrow and it’s absolutely terrifyingJapanese pawn shop app Cash acquired for $62.2M by DMM
DMM, one of Japan’s largest Internet and e-commerce conglomerates, announced today that it will pay 7 billion yen (about $62.2 million) for pawn shop app Cash. Launched this summer, Cash’s software automatically appraises an item’s value based on user photos and offers a cash advance using it as collateral. Read More
This ‘slippery stairs’ Japanese game show deserves worldwide recognition
Hello powerful TV executives, please make this game show go international.
A Japanese show is gaining recognition after a short clip was uploaded to YouTube this weekend. The concept is pretty simple: somehow get up these ridiculously slipp…
Unsending your texts is finally coming to Line, one of Asia’s top messenger apps
Finally, you can unsend that embarrassing text on Line messenger.
The app, which is hugely popular in Japan and Thailand, will start allowing users to retract messages that they’ve sent to friends, reports SoraNews24.
The feature will be available in…