http://bionicbong.com Japan is closer than you think. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:27:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On Tuesday, director Takeshi Kitano (63) was in Paris to receive the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, France's highest honor for arts and culture. The award was presented to him by Frédéric Mitterrand, the country's Minister of Culture and Communication, at the Fondation Cartier art museum. Kitano is ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/only-in-japan/movies/takeshi-kitano-receive-commander-order-arts-letters/ Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday revealed the price for its first 3-D TV set, confirming that $3,000 is about what it takes to be among the first to watch 3-D movies in the home. The Japanese company put its first 3-D sets on sale at an event in New York on Wednesday. ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/only-in-japan/tech/3d-tv-japans-panasonic-bestbuy-bundle/ [caption id="attachment_6964" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="photo by Tiago Rïbeiro"][/caption] Kenichi Ikeda of the city of Nagasaki has carried around three bags and a secret he could not tell his family at home — inside the bags were hundreds of women's undergarments that he had stolen over 10 years, police said. Police arrested the ... http://bionicbong.com/featured/japanese-trucker-caught-stolen-panties/ The Oscar win for documentary "The Cove" is not getting much applause in Taiji, the port city in western Japan where Louie Psihoyos and his crew secretly filmed the annual dolphin slaughter. "This film has mistakes of fact," mayor Kazutaka Sangen told local press. "I'm surprised that it won the award ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/places-in-japan/cove-academy-award-win-criticized-mayor-taiji/ [caption id="attachment_6946" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Japanese wine from Nagano Prefecture"][/caption] The words “Japan, wine exporter” have a somewhat unlikely ring but that is the aim of a new organisation, Koshu of Japan, which is keen to shine an international spotlight on a grape variety that is often dismissed within its native country. I ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/places-in-japan/wines-japan/ Preparatory education for university entrance examinations is an important rite of passage for many Japanese teenagers. This period of preparation can be a time of profound personal growth, confidence-building, and personal triumph for many of these ambitious youths. Toward that end, Tokyo-based, Mustard Seed Academy (MSA) recently celebrated the debut ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/places-in-japan/hospitality-based-prep-school-opens-campus-in-shizuoka-students-receive-five-star-education-in-a-classy-sophisticated-atmosphere/ Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan on Sunday began a three-day official visit to Ghana at the head of a 30-strong delegation. He was welcomed at Kotoka international airport by Vice President John Dramani Mahama to traditional Ashanti drumming and dance, an AFP reporter saw. The visit is at the invitation ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/only-in-japan/trad-japanese-c-c/crown-prince-naruhito-japan-visits-ghana/ [caption id="attachment_6922" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images AsiaPac"][/caption] The 33rd Japan Academy Awards were presented on Friday at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. The film "Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki," received 6 of the 15 awards presented. The film is the directorial debut of cinematographer Daisaku Kimura. Actress Matsu ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/only-in-japan/movies/33rd-japan-academy-awards/ Australian police searched two anti-whaling ships at the request of Japanese authorities on Saturday, seizing log books and videos, after activists called a halt to their turbulent harassment campaign. Police boarded the Sea Shepherd group's Steve Irwin and Bob Barker ships as they were greeted by well-wishers in Tasmania, but ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/australian-police-boarded-searched-steve-irwin-request-japanese-authorities/ It goes without saying that Japan loves robots. Japanese pop culture has had a love affair with our metallic friends since the '50s, and slowly but surely science is catching up to their imagination. fuRo, a Japanese robotic research & development firm, has taken their first tentative steps towards realizing ... http://bionicbong.com/japan/only-in-japan/tech/wireless-robot-puppeteer-wind-system-wields-control-robots/