Report: At Least 15 Dead, 45 Injured After Stabbing at Home for the Disabled in Japan
At least 15 people were killed and 45 more were wounded on Tuesday after a man with a knife attacked a home for the disabled in Sagamihara, Japan, NHK reports.
Bankrupt Bitcoin Kingpin Mark Karpeles Arrested in Tokyo
On Saturday, Mark Karpeles, CEO of bankrupt bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, which collapsed spectacularly last year, was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of illicitly stealing $1 million from the online financial platform, the New York Times reports.
6.5 Earthquake Hits Southern Japan, Tremors Shake Buildings in Tokyo
Witnesses reportedly saw buildings shaking in downtown Tokyo after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan. For now, there is no threat of a tsunami, and there were no reported irregularities at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Japanese Johnny Depp Lookalike Greets Johnny Depp in Tokyo
Johnny Depp probably expected Japanese fans cosplaying as Barnabas Collins at the Tokyo premiere of Dark Shadows, but what could have prepared him for a fan cosplaying as Johnny Depp?
Artists Catch Rats and Turn Them Into Stuffed Pikachus
For their project "Super Rat," the members of the Japanese performance art collective ChimPom ran around the streets of Tokyo catching gigantic, poison-immune rats, took the rats home, then stuffed them and painted them up to look like the Pokemon character Pikachu. Art! It's a living.
Tokyo Disneyland Reopens Friday
Some upbeat news for the Japanese tourism industry: The country may have just upgraded their ongoing nuclear disaster to Chernobyl-levels, but as of this coming Friday, Tokyo Disneyland will reopen its gates to visitors.
The Latest News from Japan
The good news, which is not really "good" news much at all, is that Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactors didn't all fully melt down in the last 12 hours. That may sound cynical, but if you were following the fast developments in last night's news, a total nuclear catastrophe really did seem imminent. It's still unclear,…
Japan Hit With 8.9-Magnitude Earthquake, Massive Tsunami Follows
An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale just hit off the coast of Japan on Friday, sending a massive, terrifying wave to the country's northeast and causing untold amounts of damage.
Want to Eat Some $400,000 Tuna?
A giant bluefin tuna was sold to wholesalers in Tokyo for a record $396,000. Want to know what it tastes like? Try one of the "up-market" sushi restaurants it'll be sold to. (Spoiler alert! It tastes like fish.)
But There Was One Gang Not Even the Yakuza Could Control
[A vicious gang of Toy Store Kiddy Land Santa Claus Academy students march through Tokyo. Photo via AP.]
Godzilla-Eye View
[Clouds over the Tokyo Tower on Monday evening. Photo via AP.]
Tokyo's Oldest Woman, 113, Missing Since 1980s
Just a few days after discovering that Tokyo's "oldest man" had actually been dead for 30 years, city officials found out the oldest woman—supposedly 113 years old—hasn't been seen since 1986. Embarrassing! [BBC; pic via Shutterstock]
And As They Descended Into Hades, They Felt Good, That They'd Done Their Job
[Michael Patrick King and the gals (and a guy) at the "Sex and the City 2" premiere in Tokyo, Japan; image via Splash]
How Not to Get Arrested When You're Abroad: A Foxy Knoxy-Inspired Guide
An Italian court convicted Amanda Knox for murdering her study abroad roommate; four American teens have been arrested for a roadside prank that turned near-fatal in Japan. America, it's time to stop screwing up on foreign soil. Here's how.
Tokyo Princesses Choose Fantasy Over Reality
Leave it to fashion-obsessed Japanese youth to find a way of responding to the recession that involves looking like an entrant in a kiddie beauty contest. "Hime-kei" girls, apparently inspired by Sofia Coppola's (widely-derided) film about Marie Antoinette (it's also been suggested that the local idolization of …
Tokyo-New York Love Killed By Meltdown
While New York women hoping to bag themselves an investment banker have seen the pool of potentials tragically dry up, take a moment to spare a thought for the girls in Tokyo—at least the ones whose lives revolved around dating Wall Streeters who'd been transferred to work in the city's Roppongi Hills complex. Now,…
Bargain Living!
Here's some good news: New York is only the world's 22nd most expensive city, according to the consulting firm Mercer. As outrageous as it may seem to live in a city where a 500-square-foot apartment will run you a million bucks to buy (or $3,000 a month to rent), at least you don't live in Moscow! Or Tokyo. The list…
Google Tokyo has snack rooms too
Search Engine Journal editor Loren Baker pointed me to his photos from Google Tokyo. Above, the requisite shot of the snack room. Below, a close-up of that pinnacle of Japanese sales innovation, the vending machine:
