It’s taken Masashi Teshima seven years (and the equivalent of $121,000) to build his Akira bike and while it’s not the only such project, it’s the only one to get Otomo’s official stamp of approval. Teshima’s cross-country ride—during which he’s raising money for autism research—will terminate in Tokyo, where it’ll then be displayed at an “art of Katsuhiro Otomo” exhibition.
Ever since the invention of the violin, people have been making subtle changes to the shape, the materials and the overal engineering to get the absolute best sound from the instrument. Thanks to modern science, it appears that the best sound one can from violin strings are ones made from woven spider silk.
Glass is awesome for so many reasons, but it’s just so damn… shiny. With everything else going on in the world, my day is totally ruined by getting glare on my phone so I can’t see what I’m tweeting. What a drag.
This is your first look at the live action Phoenix Wright movie
Check out actor Hiroki Narimiya as Phoenix Wright in the upcoming live action big budget Phoenix Wright movie, directed by Takashi Miike. The movie was filmed near Kyoto and is slated for an early 2012 release in Japan.
Mask-making is one of the most ancient art forms, and a Japanese company called Real-F has invented a way to 3D print incredibly, terrifyingly accurate masks out of your own face. Or someone else’s face if you’re looking to rob a bank or something.
I am totally saving up for one of these.
It doesn’t look entirely comfortable, but this little yellow tsunami escape pod is a better option than drowning in a flood. This little capsule supposedly can hold four adults as you float to safety… somewhere.
The meltdown at the Fukushima power plant in northern Japan was bad. Really bad. But if you’re actually talking “meltdown”, there’s no such thing as a good meltdown. But while some had hoped to get the plant up and running soon, estimates now are that a 3km radius around the plant will be completely off-limits and uninhabitable for decades.
The amazing levitation photography of Natsumi Hayashi
Japanese teenager Natsumi Hayashi used to just have a normal photo blog full of pictures of herself and her cats and her neighborhood. And then she started posting a photo a day of her or friends “levitating” and suddenly she’s a celebrity.
Natsumi of course can’t really levitate, but her pictures are stunning. In an interview, she said that using a timer, she often has to jump 100 times or more to get a perfectly natural looking levitation, but it’s worth the effort.
You can see more of her photos here and read an interview with her here
