Even the most modern of Japanese girls are proud of the beautiful kimonas they wear on festive occasions. This picture was taken in a garden in Shizuoka
As we were walking towards Yoyogi, something off to the right of the path caught my eye. There was a guy standing behind a wooden cart, and four people sitting in lawn chairs around him. Being in a friendly, slightly buzzed mood, we wandered over and asked what was going on. It turned out that he’s been running this underground watering hole for several years, biking everything in from his apartment after last train, and biking it home before morning. Drinks are 400 yen each (clearly not much of a moneymaking endeavor), and anyone is welcome. We drank and chatted until daybreak, then helped him fold everything up and load it back onto his bike.
There’s already been some reports about the cool robots at FOOMA JAPAN 2009, but here’s another really cute food-handling robot that showed off it’s skills there. And guess what? It’s actually the ROBO-ONE robot Dynamizer made by the Sugiura Family! And the robot next to it is the Arimoplena by the Sumii Family sorting products. Since when did the battling bots start appearing at food trade shows?? In any case, that’s great!
Two Japanese men are detained in Italy after allegedly attempting to take $134 billion worth of U.S. bonds over the border into Switzerland. Details are maddeningly sketchy, so naturally the global rumor mill is kicking into high gear.
Are these would-be smugglers agents of Kim Jong Il stashing North Korea’s cash in a Swiss vault? Bagmen for Nigerian Internet scammers? Was the money meant for terrorists looking to buy nuclear warheads? Is Japan dumping its dollars secretly? Are the bonds real or counterfeit?
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