Random Japan

Want your mecha models to look amazingly realistic? Don’t stop at the robot – Make the buildings!
Casey Baseel
Whoa, hold on a second! We know Amazon Japan now sells giant robots, but we didn’t know someone else had made something this big! This mecha looks like it’s at least twice as tall (and three times as awesome) as the one offered by the online retailer. Don’t you need a permit to build something that huge?

Actually, the only legal paperwork involved in this photo was for model-making supplies, as that’s not a real giant robot, but a scale replica. What’s more, the way it appears to be standing with its head almost in the rafters of the structure housing it isn’t thanks to a mere trick camera angle, but rather the considerable skills of the modeller who also crafted a miniature hanger for his compact mobile suit.

STATS

¥17.5 billion
Losses suffered by elderly people in 2014 as a result of so-called ore-ore scams, in which fraudsters pose as family members and ask for money


80.3
Percent of people in Japan who support the death penalty, according to a Cabinet Office survey


30
Percent of mothers in Japan who allow their 2-year-olds to watch at least two hours of TV a day, according to a survey by the environment ministry

FREAKY DEAKY
This year’s Coming of Age Day fell on January 12—exactly 2,020 days before the start of the 2020 Olympics.

A survey by a Tokyo publisher found about 20 percent of all municipalities around Japan lack a bookstore that actually sells new books.

Staff at Tokyo Sea Life Park in Edogawa-ku are at a loss to explain the mysterious ailment that has killed off their entire population of bonito.

Sentence of the Week: “More companies and local governments are facing customer-turned-stalker problems, where customers follow around workers at stores or government offices, complaining about their services while hiding romantic feelings to avoid being reported to police.” (via Mainichi Japan)

She Gets Revenge

Through The Police

He Called The Wrong Group

Rubbish

The Really Important

Tourist Purchase

Japan’s most popular kitty names

By Evie Lund, RocketNews24
What are some popular cat names in your country? Back in the UK, where I’m from, you can hardly step outside without a Tigger, Smudge, Felix, or Sooty crossing your path. It stands to reason that Japan also has a dedicated pool of much-loved kitty names to choose from, and pet insurance company Anikomu recently conducted a poll to find out which ones are the most popular.

In anticipation of Neko no Hi (Cat Day) on Feb 22 (mark your calendars, and don’t forget it’s also Ninja Day!), Anikomu announced the results of their kitty naming poll for 2015. In top place overall is Sora (Sky), which has held firm in the top position since 2012. “Sora” is a generally popular name overall in Japan, and not just for cats, so it’s not surprising to see it popping up in first place again this year.