Japan

"A section of road in the centre of the Japanese city of Fukuoka has reopened just days after a sinkhole opened up outside a busy railway station and threatened to topple nearby buildings."

A Japanese news website is reporting that this giant squid was filmed on December 24, by an underwater camera swimming near boat moorings.

It was reportedly about 13 feet long and 3 feet around. Some on Twitter have suggested that the species may be Architeuthis, a deep-ocean dwelling creature that can grow up to 43 feet.

Japan's robotics research collective Bravo Robotics unveiled a preview of its latest prototype model for a remote-controlled sports car that transforms into a bipedal robot, which will be presented during the upcoming Maker Faire in Tokyo. The 1/12 scale model is operated by a modified PS3 controller and comes equipped with a missile launcher on each arm and a wireless camera that feeds into mobile devices like iPad.

Takahiro Iwasaki created this model, based on a 10th century Buddhist temple. Check out more images of here!

Celebrating LEGO's 50th anniversary in Japan, A team of over 5,000 people helped make this map of Japan using over 1.8 million bricks. Check out more pictures here!

WHAT IS THIS SORCERY.

Japan might be about 14 hours ahead of New York, but sometimes it feels like the whole country is light years ahead of the world.

Bathrooms at Tokyo Narita International Airport now come equipped with wipes for your smartphone because those things are disgusting and, man, you need to clean it. Why are we just doing this now?

via Carly Googles

The company that installed them, NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest telecommunications company, said the wipes will be available until March 15, at which point you’ll be forced to clean your phone on your own time and hopefully not get sick. After all, “cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats” — a man in Uganda even contracted Ebola after stealing one, according to Live Science.

NTT Docomo also provided a handy how-to video for using Japanese toilets and information about the wipes, which also include helpful information, like WiFi passwords. Sanitary, informative, and efficient, these wipes are what 2017 are all about. 

via Toru Sanitary/Reuters

So remember, if someone asks how often you should clean your phone, respond “as often as possible” because you now have no excuse.

via docomoOfficial

H/T Huffington Post

The Running Christmas Tree is the latest revolutionary wearable device to have been developed by Tokyo-based inventor Joseph Tame.

This mobile seasonal illumination device has been designed to disrupt the illumination industry by allowing for on-demand illumination - simply pull out your phone and summon the Christmas tree anytime, anywhere, and Joseph will head in your direction to bring some light into your life.

Featuring over 1500 LEDs, 9 mico-controlers and 100 batteries, this 25kg / 2.5metre tree is unlike anything seen before, and has been a huge hit on the streets of Tokyo where the service was first rolled out.

Full information on the tree and links to book it for yourself can be found a: http://tokyoxmas.org