Awesome Japan

Pro BMX rider Nigel Sylvester eats at Robot Restaurant, tries sumo wrestling and much more in the latest episode of his hyperactive POV series. Featuring cameos by soccer player Giovani Dos Santos, BAPE founder Nigo, and the slick new Casio G-SHOCK GA700 watch.

Kaptainkristian explores the origins of Godzilla, a franchise most of us associate with giant monsters stomping on buildings, but that had a much darker genesis – the (completely warranted) nuclear fears of a post-war Japan. TL;DW – go watch the original Gojira.

The city of Beppu in Kyushu, Japan has apparently come up with one of the silliest ideas for an attraction: an amusement park spa. This is going to result in breakthroughs in sanitation and towel-tightening technology.

(PG-13: Language) Videogamedunkey looks at some differences between video game marketing in the U.S. and Japan. In general, it seems the level of enthusiasm on the other side of the planet is just a bit higher than here in the States. That’s not to say it always works.

YouTuber 伝統工芸 青山スクエア shares this video of Noboru Honma creating Yosegi-zaiku, or traditional Japanese parquetry. It involves gluing small sticks of differently colored wood together to create geometric patterns. The resulting block is then shaved into a veneer.

The Japanese version of the Nintendo Classic Mini mimics the Family Computer’s body and controller. It also has a few exclusive games such as River City Ransom and Final Fantasy III. Nintendo, if you love money even a little bit, you should give this an international release.

YouTube gaming critic George Weidman aka Super Bunnyhop gives us an overview of Japan’s thriving arcade industry. A combination of cramped homes, pedestrian-friendly streets and abundant coins have kept Japanese arcades alive and evolving.

We’ve seen LED panels used as the floor in a basketball court before, but that was for a commercial. The new Japanese basketball league B.League actually played its inaugural game on an LED court that shows made baskets and more in real time.

“I put my very best in every bowl I make.” Meet Kunimoto. He owns a ramen restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. Or, as YouTuber Life Where I’m From puts it, the restaurant owns him. He can’t find full-time employees, so he works from 8:00 am to 11:30pm six days a week.

This Japanese robot battle has a decidedly different flavor than Battlebots. Each robot is fully autonomous, and tasked with a single objective – to push the other robot out of the wrestling ring as quickly as possible. In the end, it’s a battle of speed vs. power.

This 2011 documentary shows how the Japanese’s diligence and world famous work ethic translates to its moving companies. Aside from transporting your belongings, they will pack and unpack your items as they were, and even clean both your old and new homes.

A fantastic Japanese commercial for Nissin Chikin Ramen, in which a girl sees her noodles swiped by a drone, and she must hunt down her lunch through a crazy, adventure-filled world packed with viral video tropes. Seriously, this commercial has every possible thing in it.

While we’re carrying cash less and less these days, when we do have a wad of money in our pockets, it should look this awesome. This metal clip from Hikari Japan is made from damascus steel, and holds up to 15 bills. In matte or shiny finishes.

We almost think that our lack of understanding the language makes this reel of wacky ads from JPCMHD all the more entertaining. The formula seems simple: any combo of animals, anime, boy bands, girl bands, cosplay, singing, and group choreography will do.

Japland TV’s latest drift video features Skylines, Truenos, Silvias and more smoking sideways on the infamous Gunsai touge in Gunma, Japan. The song is Miami Showdown by Digitalism. More on Speedhunters.

The Film Theorists compare Japanese horror films’ use of sound effects and timing with their American counterparts. Also, American films love to telegraph scary parts through the music and the environment, whereas Japanese horror can ruin even freakin’ broad daylight.

Japanese tech company AgIC shows off its conductive ink pen in the best way possible, by using it to draw and complete circuits that bring a tiny, magical city to life. Grab the pen, eraser, and paper on Amazon for yourself.

An incredible replica of a massive airship from Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky. It features scads of lights, dozens of moving propellers and oars, and is surrounded by a sky filled with other aircraft in this amazing display at Tokyo Cityview – part of their Studio Ghibli exhibit.

Vans Japan’s 2016 Fall-Winter collection includes these dope takes on the Classic Slip-on. Inspired by Japanese souvenir jackets aka sukajan, these skate shoes eschew the canvas upper for red or blue satin with embroidery.

This wacky piggy bank from SHINE Japan makes it look like you’re shredding your cash, when in fact it’s actually saving your bills. Designed for Japanese currency, but works with U.S. bills and most others.

The villains from classic Japanese horror flicks The Ring and The Grudge recently opened a baseball match in Japan’s premier league. The actors were promoting an upcoming movie starring the two characters.

Beatdown Boogie takes us inside one of Tokyo’s most over-the-top destinations. Robot Restaurant offers brighter and more colorful lights than Las Vegas, combined with crazy robots and costumed performers for some major sensory overload. Best watched in 4K.

To showcase its sticky bug trap, Japanese company Earth Chemical made a version of the trap that’s 929 times larger. Then they tested it with a “scientist”, a runner and a sumo wrestler. The scientist should’ve at least brought a pole. Or went around the trap.