The story of Kennewick Man inspires a Japanese kayaker to undertake an epic paddling trip to show that ancient peoples could have traveled by boat between Japan and the Columbia River area.
By week’s end, Ryota Yamada hopes to slip his sea kayak gently into the Columbia River at Clover Island, embarking on the first leg of adventure to Japan.
The retired scientist who did nanotechnological research intends to paddle downriver from Kennewick to the Pacific, then via the Inland Passage north to Alaska, and eventually across the Bering Strait to the …

The following is the first installment of a two-part story of how Japanese transsexual TV personality Ai Haruna, 39, who suffered from and overcame gender identity disorder. Ai Haruna sometimes shows her “manly” side on TV variety programs by speaking in a loud, hoarse voice, drawing laughter from the audience. Born anatomically male, Haruna wanted clothes and toys for girls as a child. When playing house, she always played the role of the mother. “I believed that I would naturally be able to become a woman when I grew up,” …

NHK has announced that popular screenwriter Kudo Kankuro (41) will be in charge of the network’s morning drama series during the spring and summer of 2013. This will be his first time ever writing an NHK drama.
Details for the drama are currently being prepared. NHK plans to hold a press conference in June at the earliest to announce the show’s title, story, and setting.
Kudo is well known for writing television dramas such as “Tiger & Dragon” and “Kisarazu Cat’s Eye,” as well as writing and directing films such as “Shonen …

If you’ve ever been to Tokyo or any other large Japanese city, you’ll have noticed the huge variety of billboards plastering the urban landscape, often featuring the month’s most popular idol. Now researchers at Keio University are working on a system that will allow passers-by to interact with said posters via an ultrasound sensor setup. The sensor will detect the motion of people in front of it, and display appropriate pictures in response — “appropriate” may not be the right word for everyone, though, as the main use case demonstrated …

PBS’s Idea Channel just put out a new video comparing Miku Hatsune to Lana Del Rey. Of course, we here at BionicBong.com don’t believe Miku deserves getting compared to the disaster that is Lana Del Ray, but here’s the video and tell us what you think!

Girl group Fairies will have their own regular show for the first time, starting this April. The show, titled “Harajuku Kirakira Gakuin,” will feature the group’s 7 members and comedian Okada Keisuke (of the duo Masuda Okada).
The show’s format will have Okada playing a homeroom teacher. The members of Fairies, who range in age from 13 to 15, will play students who are in training as the next generation of entertainers. Their “lessons” will involve: 1) challenging various activities such as karate and rhythmic gymnastics, 2) singing covers of famous …

During AKB48’s concerts at Saitama Super Arena on Friday and Saturday, multiple major announcements were made. The first came on Friday, when it was revealed that the group will finally realize their dream of performing a concert at Tokyo Dome, more than 6 years after their debut.
Since the beginning, AKB48′s main goal has been to perform at Tokyo Dome. Given their tremendous popularity in the past couple of years, it was inevitable that they would achieve that goal, but now that dream is finally becoming a reality. Although the concert …

From green fashions by a designer who clothed Lady Gaga to a futuristic take on the traditional kimono and a streetwear show that drew more than 10,000 people, Japan’s Fashion Week has highlighted the edginess and variety for which Tokyo has long been known.
The spring event was cancelled last year in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which set off a nuclear crisis that led to power cuts, but the October event was held as scheduled, clearing the way for the current autumn/winter extravaganza.
The Tokyo Runway Show highlighted …

It’s the part of the job that stock analyst Hiroshi Naya dislikes the most: phoning investor relations managers on a Saturday or Sunday when he’s working on a report and facing a deadline. In Japan, placing a work call to someone’s cell phone on the weekend “feels like entering someone’s house with your shoes on,” says Naya, chief analyst at Ichiyoshi Research Institute in Tokyo. So last year, Naya started asking his questions via messages on Facebook. While a telephone call seems intrusive, he says, a Facebook message “feels more …

The movie “Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken” is getting a sequel, this time in the form of a television drama series. Eita (29) and Matsuda Ryuhei (28) will return in their starring roles.
The movie, which opened in Japan in April 2011, was based on a Naoki Prize-winning novel by Miura Shion. The story revolves around two former classmates who end up working together as “benriya” (someone available for hire for odd jobs), building a friendship as they take on various jobs together.
The drama series is titled “Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi” and will …