Hand Grenade alarm clock in Forbrukerteknologi

This month, Daniel Rees of the Norwegian publication Forbrukerteknologi did a piece on the Hand Grenade alarm clock we featured previously. Thanks to Daniel for the great coverage.

Matryomin theremin delivers eclectic sound with style

Japanese theremin maker Mandarin Electron has been producing some amazing handheld devices worthy of Wayne Coyne, Gnarls Barkley, and (hopefully) Leon Theremin himself. Aptly named the Matryomin, and created by master thereminist Masami Takeuchi, this is art designed to make more art.

Embedded inside a handmade Russian matryoshka doll, the pitch-only theremin can be easily manipulated through the soft wood to produce delicate electronic and eclectic sounds that give the doll the appearance of singing to the touch of the player.

Theremins were conceived by the Russian inventor Leon Theremin in 1919, so the Matryomin is as much a tribute to Russian ingenuity as it is a strong eye-catcher for a musical performance. Now, combined with a Japanese sense of style and design, it’s reached a new level on a small scale. The Matryomin runs on four AA batteries, with rear controls, and is incredibly lightweight at 500 grams. Below is a video of the creator at work:

Mandarin Electron homepage
Buy the Matryomin in the Online Shop

Misty Garden aroma humidifier brings moisture with silence

Now that it’s moving back into the dry wintertime, Japan is gearing up for another big season of new and innovative humidifiers. The last couple of years have seen great design and features (such as minus ions and aroma), but the Misty Garden is designed for those who don’t want the sound a humidifier brings.

Designed for the Okudake Eco series from Japanese company Mikuni, Misty Garden is a large filter cut in the shape of a flower garden and placed in a flower pot holder. By pouring in water, and aroma if desired, moisture is added to the air in an easy and stylish way that doesn’t create noise or require any power. The filters can also be removed and placed in the container of your choice.

Buy the Misty Garden in the Online Shop

CScout Japan recruitment: Bloggers, researchers, writers needed

In the last year, CScout Japan Co. Ltd. has expanded tremendously, and we’re getting bigger every day. That means we need good people to help and grow with us: Bloggers, researchers, writers, geeks, and those with a deep interest in all aspects of modern Japan to help us build our online presence, work on client projects, and inspire us.

The Job(s): We’re now looking for fresh voices, opinions, and insight into Japan backed by a strong writing style. This means research (in Japanese), posting blog pieces, and some work for our clients as well. Total: 15-20 pieces per month, plus additional work as needed.

Requirements: You must live in Tokyo with a proper visa, have a decent understanding of the Japanese language and culture, and possess a good eye for what’s cool/trendy/emerging in the areas of design, technology, marketing, fashion, music, etc.

Payment: You won’t get rich, but we’re willing to pay well depending on what you can do, based on your experience, skills, and all that fun stuff. If you don’t feel that you have what we need yet, but still want to get involved, we also accept a limited number of internships which can evolve into paid work.

To inquire: Send relevant info about yourself along with some writing samples (Preferably on related topics) to contact (at) cscoutjapan.com with “CScout Recruitment” in the subject line.

Mizu no Genso premium water empties wallet, bladder

Japanese aren’t strangers to premium products, ranging the food, beverage, and tobacco spectrum. Mizu no Genso 水の元素 (Elements of Water) from Irom Pharma may not say “premium” on the label, but the price and the packaging says it all. $3 for 300ml as opposed to a 500ml Volvic for $1 is quite the jump. This is water for the aficionado who just wants pure, unadulterated H2O.

Mizu no Genso is no ordinary water. It’s free radical (electrolyzed) water containing only hydrogen and oxygen, with non of that fancy mineral content. Adding to the healthy image, we happened to pick this up in a pharmacy next to the register, giving it nice credibility. The girl at the counter said she tried it and said for us to be sure to “be close to the restroom” after drinking it, because it goes right through. Yikes.

We aren’t scientists, so we don’t know much about electrolyzed water. What we DO know, is that this is a brilliant concept from the marketing side:

Phase One: Electrolyze water
Phase Two: ?
Phase Three: Profit!

UPDATE: I did a blind taste test with four people drinking Mizu no Genso, regular mineral water, and tap water. Tap water was guessed 100% correctly and our premium choice came away with 75%. Hmm…

UPDATE #2 It seems that the water is also saturated with hydrogen gas, though (scientifically) I still have no idea what that means in practical terms.

Mizu no Gen at Irom Pharma

New Block Tokyo Tower from Gakken Toys

There have been a few offerings this year Tokyo Tower models, the most intricate of which being the Tokyo Tower 2007 from Sega Toys.

While not as cool as the Sega model, Gakken Toys is now offering a Tokyo Tower model you can build yourself called the New Block Tokyo Tower.

The New Block Tokyo Tower lights up, but can also be modified to become a hot-air balloon, bridge, or skyscraper. While not as tall as the massive tower in the background of our photo, this model is quite large and seems to be aimed more at kids. Either way, if I actually had the space in my place (and I’ll never get rid of the Beerbot) I might consider getting one just for the cool box.

New Block Tokyo Tower homepage

Mecha Mushi miniature bug helicopter from Taiyo

The Mecha Mushi from R/C toy maker Taiyo is a bug-shaped helicopter designed for indoor flying. It has an internal battery which is charged by a connection to the remote, and a light foam body which is actually quite stable. Maybe this is good for passing out memos/pink slips around the office without having to get up?

A 30-minute charge will get you a 6-minute flight around the room controlled by infrared controller. Below is some video I shot at the Tokyo Toy Show back in June.

Buy the Mecha Mushi online

Limited Edition premium vices come to Japanese cigarettes

Taxes are an interesting thing. Like most restrictions on free trade, they end up encouraging creative ways to innovate while complying. The large beer tax in Japan gave way to Happoshu, a cheap substitute that creatively skirted the law by not technically being “beer”. In response, high-priced beer brands decided to innovate and go the premium route, and have been extremely successful doing so.

Tobacco is no different. As taxes increased in the last year by about twenty cents, many people are deciding (to their credit) to quit or cut down. Now tobacco companies are going the premium route that beer has taken, creating better blends, sharper packaging, and premium-quality giveaways.

Seven Stars has taken the popular side-slide box from the Alphabet series of cigarettes, and put out a limited-edition package that looks quite nice compared to their usual bland fare.

Peace, another typically bland brand, has gone all-out and created a popular premium blend that stands in stark contrast to the standard Peace. Including a stylish booklet and lighter, the Peace Infinity aim to stand out by being longer and modifying the filter with textured paper and an interesting “aft filter” that looks cool, but may not actually do anything. Who knows. The Infinities go for ¥350 a pack compared to ¥300 for regular Japanese smokes.

The Parliament Platinum premium tobacco’s highlight is the flashy box, quality cut, and (most of all) the cool lighter that comes with each box. These are ¥500 per package, which makes them the most expensive we’ve seen so far. However, they’re constantly sold out when we look around, and seem to be quite popular (I have no data on this).

The point isn’t that these are “cool” or that they’re necessarily better (stay away kids!), but that more restrictions lead to innovations in many ways. While not made available in mass quantities, these offerings also boost the core brands and give them a modern edge, just as Suntory Premium Malts has done for the standard (and not so delicious) Suntory beer.

Baby Climo minus ion air purifier from Takara Tomy

Air purifiers and humidifiers are big wintertime sellers in Japan, but they certainly aren’t the big clunky things I had in my childhood. We’ll have more as humidifier season falls upon us, but the last couple of years have shown us models with great design and functionality that are sleek and silent enough to look great in a modern living room…

…or nursery. The Baby Kurimo Climo (Clean Mobile) is an upcoming air purifier from Takara Tomy that is made especially for babies. The design is simple and kid-safe, and (importantly) cute as hell. Minus ions are dispersed into the air as your child sleeps or plays, and can include aroma as well.

Buy Baby Climo online

“The ministry of agriculture is not in charge of Gundam”

…or so says Ministry of Agriculture official Tsutomo Shimomura after discovering that one of its bureaucrats contributed 260 times to the Japanese-language Wikipedia entry on Gundam, the long-running anime series on giant robots, mobile suits, and epic battles between giant robots and guys in mobile suits. Of course, he used ministry computers.

From Yahoo News:

The agriculture ministry verbally reprimanded five other bureaucrats who contributed to entries on movies, typographical mistakes in billboard signs and local politics. The six employees together made 408 entries on the popular Internet encyclopedia from ministry computers since 2003.

Of course, in our opinion, a government bureaucrat who spends his time producing real, practical information (such as that related to Gundam) is far more useful than one who spends his time doing government business. Besides, isn’t Gundam the Ministry of Technology’s turf?

The story in Japanese HERE