Pink Tentacle

What happens when lightning strikes a fluorescent tube lamp? To find out, the crew of Tobidase! Kagaku-kun visited the 12-million-volt artificial lightning generator at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). See the super slow-motion results of the experiment in the video below. + Video

Tales of “human pillars” (hitobashira) — people who were deliberately buried alive inside large-scale construction projects — have circulated in Japan since ancient times. Most often associated with castles, levees and bridges, these old legends are based on ancient beliefs that a more stable and durable structure could be achieved by sealing people inside the [...]

Expo ‘70 [Asahi newsreel] The 1970 World’s Fair — a.k.a. Expo ‘70 — opened in Osaka 40 years ago this week. A total of 77 countries attended the event and the number of visitors surpassed 64 million people, making it one of the largest and best attended expositions in history. This was the first World’s Fair [...]

Animation and music by Shunsuke Saito. + Video

Popular Science recently put its entire 137-year archive online. Here are a few summaries of some of the older, more captivating stories about Japan from the collection. * * * * * “Can We Blast Japan from Below?” (January 1944) is an article by an eminent geologist who proposes bombing Japan’s volcanoes as a strategy for winning [...]

A severed samurai head buried in central Tokyo has struck fear and awe in the hearts of locals for over 1,000 years. The head that refused to die The head — supposedly buried in the Otemachi district — belongs to Taira no Masakado, a rebellious warrior who led an insurgency against the central government in the [...]

Here is a collection of posters by the father of Japanese graphic design, Yusaku Kamekura. Sofu Teshigahara, One Man Show, 1954 [+] Nikon, 1954 [+] Gropius and Bauhaus Exhibition, 1954 [+] Nikon Mikron Binoculars, 1955 [+] Graphic ‘55 Exhibition, 1955 [+] Fuji Photo Contest, 1955 [+] Atomic Energy for Peaceful Industry, 1956 [+] Nikon SP, 1957 [+] Terror and Sorrow! Cancer! 1959 [+] “Design” Magazine [...]

An eerie Kleenex commercial featuring a baby red demon sparked a host of rumors and fears after airing on Japanese TV in the mid-1980s. (Watch at your own risk.) + Video After the ad ran, rumors began to circulate about the unfortunate fate of everyone involved. Keiko Matsuzaka, the actress in the commercial, was rumored to have [...]

A glowing “walk signal” man takes a leisurely stroll through Tokyo at night. [Link: Tokyo/Glow via Tokyomango]

+ Video Here is a time-lapse video showing the past year of construction of the massive Tokyo Sky Tree broadcasting tower, which reached a height of 300 meters (984 ft) this month. When completed in December 2011, the tower will stand 634 meters (2,080 ft) tall, making it the tallest structure in Tokyo.

An animated short about post-apocalyptic ant people, directed by Ryō Hirano. + Future Man

On a recent visit to Japan, alien landscape photographer Martin Rietze captured some spectacular images of Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima prefecture. Multiple lightning flashes caused by fast moving fine ash Lava bombs hitting the flank Strombolian eruption with lightning Detail with multiple lightning flashes Lava brightens the ash cloud Ash eruption causing lightning Violent eruption The photos were taken between December 24, [...]

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan ended centuries of isolation and entered a period of rapid modernization after opening its doors to the world. The ensuing social and technological changes inspired a number of interesting urban legends. - Phantom trains Railroads played a key role in the modernization of Japan. After the first trains started running in [...]