3yen

Damn, I knew it was hot here in tropical Tokyo, but now I know I’m doomed to heat-stroke when saw this tweeted today by the japantimes.co.jp… via twitter The japantimes tweet above refers to: SUMMER IN JAPAN OFFICIALLY HOTTEST ON RECORD japantimes.co.jp | Sept. 2, 2010 — Summer officially hottest…since records began in 1898 …more… Tweet

The hot horror of this Tokyo summer—the hottest weather in 60 years (AFP)—has had only one small pleasure for me: A bumper crop of hydrogen-bomb-hot Habanero peppers are growing out on my balcony. Far better than the 47,000 Japanese who have been hospitalized with heatstroke this summer, these bright orange, heat-stroke Habanero peppers (Wiki) [...]

The Black Ships– kurofune were the shock ‘n’ awe American vessels of Commodore Perry that arrived near Yokohama on July 14, 1853, opening previously closed Japan to trade, and striking fear in the Japanese hearts as shown in the imagery above and in the complex poem written about the day (Wiki). The steam-powered ships break [...]

The 3Yen’s correspondent-at-large, Den4, just sent in this Japanese-themed poster from motivatedphotos.com where they got the caption all wrong….

Way back in 2004 on the proto-3Yen (shown on the right), I posted about Greater Tokyo’s sacred forests of Mount Takao, which have remained in their natural state since founding of the 1,200-year-old Yakuoin Temple and the strict Buddhist doctrines forbidding the destruction of any wildlife on the mountain. During Japan’s feudal era, “even the [...]

Via the “Glass-Jaw Hopper” blog in Japanese is the strange story of “Yankee Point“…(Google Translate)… Photo of a motorcycle asleep on the ocean floor 10 kilometers off the coast of Chiba, the prefecture east of Tokyo. “Yankee Point“…(Google Translate) According to legend, it’s a mystery exactly how many bikes have been sunk at Yankee Point. Why are the bikes [...]

I stumbled across this bit of weirdness on the blog.modernmechanix.com that was first published in 1933. Modern Mechanix magazine reported about spring-powered car with an amusingly way-off observation that: “…the Japanese have never gained any notable degree of fame for their mechanical capabilities.” Jap Clockspring Car Runs 40 mi a Winding Modern Mechanix | Issue: Dec, [...]

After decades of low and now negative birthrate, Japan’s university enrollment numbers have been plummeting, However, Nippon Sport Sciences University has found a solution by perfecting robotic students to fill their institutions as shown in the videos below.

Just in time for back-to-school, on this sign THE KITTY warns: “Kega suru zo!—Ya gonna get hurt!” Hello Kitty (and the local PTA) warns airhead Japanese school-kids.

Japan’s top purveyor of puerile popart, Takashi Murakami, punks the French. Japan pop artists Versailles show sparks protests AFP –- 2010 Aug 30 VERSAILLES, France — A show of outlandish sculptures by a cult Japanese artist in the historic Chateau of Versailles near Paris has enraged traditionalists who say it dishonours Frances past. ….eye-grabbing multicoloured statues in silver, [...]

I was lucky today and Netted these factoids today about Gachapin and Mukku (3Yen 2009-07-21 ) and the agamogenetic* source of Paul McCartney and John Lennon…. | 世論 What Japan Thinks Gachapin and Mukku top twenty trivia

Photo from APdaylife.com | Aug. 29, 2010….KKK (Korean Kompensation Klan) members of victims of the War of Northern Aggression* shout slogans as they demand full compensation during a rally marking the anniversary of the annexation of their lands…read-the-real-rest-of-the-story…

Imagine if the aborted lovechild of Beetlejuice and Magibon lived. You would get… Her name is ruaridoll on youtube: “I’m Ruari–I like to make cute videos.” Real cute. Obviously she’s not Japanese. She’s from England and is trying to copy the Japanese group The Candy Spooky Theater (fan info) and their song called, “Murder Toy In The [...]

Mysterious creature caught in the deep depths of 200 meters via a fisherman 徒然Naru Blog— photos taken at Miyako port In addition to the above, my favorite J-blogger,Bees Weekly Teinou Woman, says that, “likely a cousin had been found in Lake Biwa in 2007.” According to the wags at an offshoot of Japan’s infamous 2-ch [...]

Viewing this photo on the tiny screen of my iTouch, all I could figure out about this situation is that it was documenting an alien abduction of a pole dancer on a Tokyo commuter train. But, and it was big butt, the above photo turned out to be an interesting* portrayal about the fact that [...]

Forty percent of a Kyoto prefectural office in Japan is staffed with dummies, but I am sure the public feels it is closer to 90 percent. Kyoto office employs a bunch of dummies CNNGo.com | CNNGo.com … a Kyoto prefecture public relations office that deals with complaints and citizen requests is using dummies to increase work efficiency.  The [...]

The 3Yen always offers you the best in Japanese Gaga gossip and today it’s an Italian mechanic named Jo Calderone-Gaga. If you remember the 3Yen caught wind of the rumor of Lady Gaga working ‘arubaito’ in Japan as a male model (7/1/2010) and now the photos are coming out. Lady Gaga poses as [...]

For a comeback like a bad penny, pathetic Britney Spears tries copying the copycat Harajuku girl—Gwen Stefani’s Japanese “minstrel show” (3Yen). Aug. 25 | MTV: Britney Spears for POP Magazine, issue 376. Art directed by Takashi Murakami According to MTV, Britney’s, “manga inspired shots show her in a white wedding [head]dress, wearing a backpack [school [...]

Great steaming cowpies* it’s hot today in Tokyo! After sixty continuous days of the 95F / 35C weather here in Tokyo, the Dog Daze (3Yen 8/24/2010) has fried everyone’s brains. The heat is on! Worries about health build as scorching summer continues The Mainichi Daily News | 2010-Aug-25 …. What sort of physical risks [...]

You folks in the Real World outside of Japan might have an upscale image of UNIQLO (Wiki) fashions such as the sexy Uniqlock girls.↑ However, at one time UNIQLO appealed to a much more down-to-earth clientele such as this Japanese TV commercial early 90s.