Mikoshi is a large portable shrine used in traditional Japanese festivals; but the folks at Akihabara, Japanese otaku centre, had different ideas.
Instead of the traditional setup, the folks created a mikoshi in late April decorated with a PC, anime figurines, manga, video games and misc gadgets.
A mini-festival was then held with female cosplayers (mostly) parading the mikoshi to “drive away the economic downturn and unpleasant incidents.”
Habitat 67 is a famous housing complex in Montreal, Canada. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie and built in 1967 as part of the Universal Expo, the project is still hailed for its futuristic design after 40+ years…
Shoichi Nakagawa resigned on Tuesday (Feb 17) as Japan’s Finance Minister following his embarrassing behaviour at a news conference during the G7 meeting in Rome…
Nakagawa was slurring his words and appeared to be out of focus; he later apologised for his behaviour, but denied he was drunk and attributed the situation to overdosed of cold medicine instead (which is later revealed as a possible combo of both)… obviously the apology and explanation were not enough to save his job.
A calf with heart-shape birthmark on his forehead has become a sensation in Japan as Valentine’s Day approaches. The calf was born on January 25th at Yamakun farm in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan… [image from Xinhuanet (Cn)]
Also check out some pics of a heart-marked chihuahua that made headlines in 2007.
Japanese chocolate manufacturer Lotte is teaming up with popular ramen shop Menya Musashi to create a chocolate flavoured ramen (chocolate as garnish to be precise).
The name of the dish is Ghana Miso and will be available until February 15th in honour of Valentine’s Day, where Japanese women would give give men chocolate as an expression of love or friendship [via Cscoutjapan]
Some fun and offbeat news from various sources…
China – How many beer bottles can you carry in one hand? This man did 15… (pic) [Stareastasia]
Hmmm… The top 10 everything of 2008 [Time]
Japan – Rent a pet, rent a friend, rent a relative… rent a husband? [BBC]
Japan – Japanese learns English from Obama speech textbook [Reuters]
Japan – Calculator speed freaks [Japanprobe]
Nigeria – Police are holding a goat on suspicion of attempted armed robbery [Reuters]
Peru – Court ruled that workers cannot be fired for being drunk on the job [Reuters]
USA – 1,200 New Yorkers and the 8th annual No Pants Subway Ride [Youtube]
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is issuing a 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar banknote (~USD33) as the country’s hyperinflation continues to worsen…
Vietnam is planning to set up an official matchmaking agency to arrange marriages between Vietnamese women and foreign men [via BBC]
Cross country arranged marriages are not uncommon in Asia, and its popularity is ever increasing for the past two decades. Women often see it as a route out of chaos and poverty, while men seeking foreign companions for various reasons.
Chinese women used to be the wife-in-demand, but Thai and Vietnamese are catching up in recent years. Their husband-to-be are usually from relatively well being places like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan etc.
The boom however opens loopholes for illegal syndicates to cheat ladies into prostitutions or other illegal activities; and it’s also quite common that the men they finally met are not fitting to the descriptions provided by the agencies.
The Vietnamese government says it hopes the plan will help prevent the abuse of Vietnamese women by criminal organisations or by their new husbands.
