Here’s a fun bit of fluff, pretty much literally. Osaka resident Kazuki Yamamoto has shot hundreds of pictures of his latte art and posted them to his Twitter account over the past year. He covers a wide variety of subjects: real people, anime characters, animals, landscapes, videogame characters, Disney icons, and of course, film characters, particularly from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. Looking at his creations day by day, it’s possible to see his work—and his photography—get steadily more sophisticated. And much like the movie industry, he’s working in 3D more often over time. No word yet on whether that makes his lattes harder to pirate in theaters and Torrent at home. —Tasha Robinson
Basically the best latte art collection ever, and well-suited for a coffee-intensive Monday.
Japan’s new super-fast L0 train floats above the ground and can go 500 km/h
This week, the first test runs for Japan’s new 500 kilometre-per-hour magnetic floating supertrain was a success.
The new generation of “L0 Trains” — set to be deployed in 2027 on the Tokyo-Nagoya line — are not the first “Mag Lev” (Magnetic Levitation) trains, but they are the first to regularly break 500 km/h.
The superfast trains use magnetic levitation instead of wheels to reduce friction and to allow the train to run better in all weather. The magnetic trains can also speed up and slow down more quickly than a traditional wheeled train. (JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)
31 crazy fast food menu items you can only get in Japan
McDonald’s recently made headlines for the Japanese Mega-Potato. The Mega-Potato (say that out loud, it sounds awesome, “MEGA-POTATO!”) is a huge container of fries that also holds the distinction as the highest-calorie McDonald’s menu item ever.
McDonald’s isn’t the only chain working to make more interesting fast food — at least to Western taste buds— in Japan.
We tracked down some of the most bizarre menu items Japanese fast food chains have on offer.
(via nationalpost)
The youngest-ever architect to design a summer pavilion for the Serpentine, Sou Fujimoto plays with the distinction between inside and outside space and once based a house on a climbing frame. He has delivered a cloud-shaped structure made of fine steel latticework that people can move in and out of at will.
Here’s a selection of images of the design.
Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
Japan are the first country to book their place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™
Photography: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP, Kat Photogrphy/Getty
道頓堀で歓喜 日本、Ｗ杯出場決める
At osaka, a few men dived into a Dotonbori River for joy after Japan’s World Cup qualifier game.
厳戒ムードの中、喜び爆発 東京・渋谷の交差点
At Shibuya, people danced and shouted for joy after Japan’s World Cup qualifier game.
豪州戦1-1引き分けで日本、W杯5大会連続出場決定！
Japan becomes first team to qualify for 2014 World Cup! Japan v Australia
・ More pictures about “Japan v Australia ” here.
輝き放つ谷間の新茶 和歌山県那智勝浦町・色川郷
New Year’s tea is brilliantly shining in a valley at Irokawa-go, Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama.
・ More pictures about “New Year’s tea ” here.
日航がくまモン機内食 ６月から提供
Japan Airlines will serve meals featuring Kumamoto, named “Air Kumamon” on a plane.
・ More pictures about “Air Kumamon ” here.
減速したくなるトンネル 阪神高速・淀川左岸線
How does it work? A tunnel make a driver reduce speed.
・ More pictures about “a tunnel make a driver reduce speed ” here.
