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Save the Shavings with Chocolate Pencils (Jan 6)
Ever notice how much pencil shavings look like those chocolate curls you see on delicious cakes? This set of assorted chocolate pencils from Nendo comes with a sharpener so you can save the shavings and feed your cravings!


Maternity Insanity? Japan's Baby Inboard Campaign (Jan 5)
Japan has taken the "Baby On Board" trend and backed it up a little - now pregnant women can call attention to their delicate conditions with Maternity Marks.


Japanorama's Top Twelve Twisted Topics of 2008 (Jan 1)
2008 may have been a tough year economically, but it's been a great year comically, at least where weirds news and articles about Japan are concerned. 2009 is sure to bring another year's worth of fun & frivolity from the farthest east. For now though, let's enjoy a dozen of the weirdest & wildest from Japan - and Japanorama!


Paper Airplane Set to Soar from Space Station (Jan 18)

Fed up with folding tiny paper cranes, a team from Japan's Tokyo University has crafted the highest of flyers: a paper plane that will be launched from the International Space Station and then descend to earth... eventually... hopefully... read more »


Elder Driver Badges 'Leaf' Japanese Seniors Cold (Dec 30)
Anyone driving in Japan will soon notice curious badges on many of the other cars. Both are shaped like stylized leaves, with green & yellow (Wakaba) for first-year new drivers and red & yellow (Koleshiya) for seniors over 75. It's the latter that are ruffling a few feathers. After all, what person of advanced age wants to be likened to a dying leaf?


Tokyo Tower Celebrates Golden Anniversary with 24-Carat Gold Replica (Dec 29)
Tokyo Tower notched an important milestone this past December 23 by celebrating its 50th anniversary. In tribute, Ginza Tanaka is offering a 26.4 inch tall replica made of 24-carat gold for the towering sum of 50 million yen - about $510,000.


'Element Girls' Pretty Up the Periodic Table (Dec 26)
Chemistry can be a tough subject for students more interested in games and girls, which makes "The Periodic Table: Learning Basic Chemistry through Moe" a bright idea indeed. Which element do you love the most?


Marxist Manga Puts the Commie Back in Comics (Dec 25)
With capitalism taking it on the chin of late, will communism prove to be fertile fodder for the downtrodden masses? Maybe so - a new, fictionalized manga version of Marx's "Das Kapital" is a hit in Japan today... tomorrow the world!


World's Smallest RC Hovercraft Really Blows! (Dec 23)
Hovercraft are cool; personal ones are even cooler. Now Japan's Takara Tomy has introduced the Hover-Q: a miniaturized, radio controlled personal hovercraft that blows away the competition!


Bath Bombs Turn Your Hot Bath Into a Deep Fryer (Dec 24)
Shouldn't every bath time be a Happy Bath Time? Wizland thinks so, and to ensure there are more bubbles than troubles, offers up bath bombs which reveal Fried Foods and Sweet Donuts. Mmm, donuts...


Railroad Crossing Alarm Clock Signals the Stubbornly Sleepy (Dec 19)
If you've ever dreamed of being tied to the railroad tracks by some Snidely Whiplash-like ne'er-do-well, then The Railroad Crossing Alarm Clock from Banpresto is NOT for you.


'Lady Guard', a Pill to Prevent Peeing (Dec 21)
Troubled too often by the need to "go"? Try Lady Guard, a new OTC pill that calms hyperactive bladders and postpones the urinary urge to when it's more convenient.


This Christmas, Give the Gift of... Snow? (Dec 20)
Since 1986, the northern Japanese town of Hayakita has sent over 65,000 snow-filled styrofoam snowmen to those whose winters are without the white stuff.


Pepperfruits Gum Packs Heat in Every Bite (Dec 19)
Snacks are big business in Japan, and not a day goes by without some new gum, candy or other sweet confection hitting store shelves. Pepperfruits, the new gum from Kracie, just might be "crazy" enough to make a lasting impression.


Bizarre 'Liquid Lamp' Puts Fright in Your Light (Dec 18)
The Liquid Lamp from Caina, a Japanese design retailer, adds a touch of film noir surrealism to any room. Depending on whether you select white or red, the lamp appears to be spilling milk or blood.


Hieroglyphic USB Thumb Drive Shows Timeless Style (Dec 16)
The ancient Egyptians, with their magnificent pyramids designed to last forever, made memory one of the cornerstones of their culture. Now a strikingly beautiful USB flash drive evokes the glory of the pharaohs to store your vital data.


These Apples Wear Their Hearts on Their Peels (Dec 16)
Blog!NOBON is a Japanese Apple Computer fan site whose owner makes his own Apple apples. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Blog!NOBON's unique tribute is no more than skin deep.


Fir Real: Free Christmas Trees from IKEA Japan (Dec 12)
IKEA Japan's "Free Tree" offer is an economical (and ecological) way for store shoppers to celebrate the season with a real Christmas tree. That's one Swede deal!


Angel & Devil Earphones are Wicked Good (Dec 15)
Feeling somewhat schizoid when it comes to your music? Green House has the perfect cure: cute "Angel & Devil" earphones that come in 5 color combinations though the Angel is always white.


COLAPhone iPhone Color Case Looks Cool, Acts Tough (Dec 13)
Custom designed to fit snug & secure, this full metal jacket comes in 5 cool colors and guards your iPhone to the Corps... that is, the core!


Plastic Bottle Lifesavers Save Lives and Dollars (Dec 15)
Coast Guard offices in Japanese seaside cities are saving money along with lives by recycling used PET plastic bottles into lifesaver flotation devices.


Support Sustainable Tibetan Culture - Put Yak on your Back (Dec 14)
Shokay offers a huge variety of clothing and accessories made of natural Yak and bamboo fiber, made by indigenous peoples in Tibet who are able to maintain their traditional lifestyles.


Tokyo Metro's Manner Poster Series Scolds Subway Slobs (Dec 11)
Tokyo's subway system is the envy of the world, thanks in part to the millions of thoughtful passengers who ride the trains each day. Not everyone is doing their part, however, so a  monthly "Manner Poster" campaign has been instituted to remind city commuters to be on their best behavior.


Tiny 'Mini Bee' RC Helicopter Stores in the Remote (Dec 10)
A radio-controlled chopper that's anything but a whopper, the new Mini Bee will provide tons of fun. It's so small, it stores in its own remote control!


The Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Japanese Soft Drinks (Jun 18)
Japan has a drinking problem... but if you've got a thirst for adventure, it's where you want to be. In honor (or in horror) of these bizarre beverages seemingly not fit to rinse your septic tank, raise a cracked glass to the Top Ten Bizarre Japanese Soft Drinks, our first ten inductees into the Soft Drink Hell of Fame... Jeers!