Gadling

Last week, Big in Japan brought you news of Rovio, the remote surveillance robot that patrols your home or office. Now, we’re pleased to introduce you to Kota the Triceratops, the toy your kids will want this holiday season…

Every year, there is always one toy that drives kids mad with glee, and parents mad with frustration. From Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo to Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation, what loving parent wouldn’t wait it out on long-lines in the hopes of getting their hands on the one item their children want the most?

(While we’re on the subject, here’s a special shout out to my Dad for all those times you hit up the Toys ‘R Us in Jersey City! I was totally the first kid in my 3rd grade class to play Super Mario Bros 3 on Nintendo!)

Anyway, kids these days sure are a fickle bunch, but I’m fairly certain that they’ll want their very own Kota the Triceratops. This 3 foot-tall robot has a hidden handle and a spring-loaded seat, which allows children up to 60 lbs. to sit on its back while it makes stomping sounds and plays adventure-themed songs.

How awesome is that?

Keep on reading…

So what does Kota the Triceratops do other than being awesome?

An impressive embodiment of the latest in robotic technology, Kota the Triceratops is a 3 foot-tall plush animated dinosaur that is jam-packed with no less than eleven different high-tech sensors that are fine-tuned to respond to a child’s touch. This baby can wag its tail, open and close its mouth, wiggle its horns, belt out impressive dinosaur sounds and play all sorts of cutesy-cool songs and sound effects that will certainly get a smile and a laugh out of your little one.

While Kota the Triceratops is a stationary dinosaur, it is nevertheless an impressive feat of engineering. The robot’s facial expressions are highly emotive, and each of its moving parts displays an impressive range of motion. Kota the Triceratops also weighs in at a hulking 37 pounds, which means that it can stand up to the less than gentle loving of a rambunctious kid.

Note that Kota the Triceratops boasts a safety rating for all children older than the age of three, so you don’t have to worry about leaving your little one in the caring watch of this robotic guardian.

Want one? Sure you do.

Hammacher Schlemmer is accepting orders, so click on the link and get your little tyke what will undoubtedly be the best X-mas gift ever!

Kota the Triceratops retails for the hefty price of US$399.95, and you’re going to need to spend a few more dollars on a hefty 4-pack of D batteries. However, you can’t really put a price on your adoring child’s happiness, can you?

I thought not (^_^)

** Special thanks to Robert Oschler over at www.robotsrule.com for alerting robot lovers on everywhere about the availability of Kota the Triceratops in America **

Reaching dizzying depths of more than 30,000 feet (9,000 meters), the Japan Trench is, quite simply, the stuff that imagination is made of…

Part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, the Japan Trench runs north to south roughly from Siberia to Iwo Jima. A murky and inky-black underworld that defies mere description, the Japan Trench is home to a veritable Lost World of bizarre creatures that are virtually unknown to scientists.

Of course, this is all set to change following a joint effort between British and Japanese scientists, who earlier this month explored the depths of the trench in a remote operated submersible vehicle. Designed to withstand the incredibly pressures that lie beneath the deep blue sea, the vehicle was equipped with cameras and sensors that combed for marine life.

Much to the joy of the scientists, the expedition discovered a shoal of snailfish (Pseudoliparis amblystomopsis) at a depth of 4.8 miles (7.7 kilometers) in the trench, which are presently believed to be the deepest living fish ever recorded.

In true Japanese form, Dr. Monty Priede from the University of Aberdeen described the deep-sea fish as being ‘cute,’ while Dr. Alan Jamieson proclaimed: “It was an honor to see these fish.”

Nice one.

Since 2007, the Hadeep Project, a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab and the University of Tokyo’s Ocean Research Institute, has been exploring deep sea abysses in search of the unique underwater life.

Prior to the discovery of this shoal of snailfish, it was believed that few animals could survive at such incredible depths. For starters, the food supply is extremely limited, and life systems down here are dependent on tiny particles or ‘marine snow,’ which has to trickle down from the surface miles and miles above.

And of course, there is the intense pressure, which necessitates all sorts of weird and wonderful biological adaptations. And finally, deep sea trenches are something akin to small islands, which calls into question whether or not they can sustain a thriving population of critters.

But, this latest discovery essentially implies that all bets are off!

According to Dr. Priede: “Nobody has seen fish alive before at these depths – only pickled in museums – and by the time they come up from the depths they look in a pretty sorry state. We have spotted these creatures at depths of 7,703m (25,272ft) – and we have actually found a massive group of them. And [the] video is pretty tantalizing – the fact that there are 17 of them implies that they could well be a family group.”

As if this discovery wasn’t cool enough, it’s worth pointing out that the team is mounting another expedition next March, and there are plans to go all the way to the ocean floor, which bottoms out at more than 30,000 feet.

According to Dr. Jamieson: “Nobody has really been able to look at these depths before – I think we will see some fish living much deeper.”

One last thing…

Snailfish are scaleless with a thin and loose gelatinous skin that is covered in all manners of slime and spines. So, the answer is no – you can’t eat it as sushi!

** Images courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project **

Disclaimer: The author of this article is in no way prejudiced against random acts of excessive nudity. After all, there is nothing quite like letting it all hang out, and enjoying the feeling of a gentle breeze or a rush of cool water against your sensitive bits and pieces. With that said, there are times when it’s not appropriate to wear your birthday suit!

Earlier this week, Tokyo police arrested a naked Briton for skinny-dipping in the Imperial moat that surrounds the palace of Emperor Akihito. The man shocked onlookers as he parted the waters in a gentle breaststroke, and playfully splashed the cops that were chasing him in a rowboat.

The high-speed chase, um, low-speed regatta, was filmed by local TV crews and photographed by onlookers, all of whom seemed to delight in the random display of flesh. As the pursuit reached its heated climax, the Briton pulled himself out of the water, and proceeded to climb the 25-foot stone wall of the palace.

Unfortunately for him, police were waiting at the top, and promptly clothed him and arrested him – roughly in that order.

Keep on reading as the craziness continues…

(Photo taken by the Associated Press (AP) in Tokyo)

Since the arrest earlier this week, the Tokyo police have been extremely hesitant to release information about the naked Briton until they can figure out his intended motives. What is known is that the man is in his 40s, presently lives in Spain, and was visiting the moat with several of his Spanish blokes.

The real issue, at least in the eyes of the police, is whether the man was simply looking for his fifteen minutes of fame, or if he had more nefarious plans such as targeting the royal family. At the time of the incident, a government official confirmed that Emperor Akihito and his family were in the imperial palace.

Onlookers noted that the man had dropped a bag in the water, but the light-hearted nature of the scene that played out seemed incongruous with a terrorist or assasination plot. According to one unidentified man at the scene, “I’ve never heard of anyone doing such a thing. He must be a bit crazy.”

The Imperial Palace (皇居, kōkyo) lies at the heart of Tokyo, and is surrounded by 12 moats running for four miles in all.

Tourists are permitted to walk freely around the periphery of the palace, but the actual palace grounds are strictly off-limits. If you book in advance, it is possible to arrange a group tour of the royal quarters, though space is extremely limited, and you will be subject to intense security screenings.

Given the generally reclusive nature of the royal family, it’s reasonably safe to assume that prosecutors aren’t going to view this latest incident with anything less than a harsh application of the law. Let’s just hope that the as of yet unnamed Briton managed to enjoy his swim as it might be his last for quite some time.

** Images of the Imperial Palace courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project **

If you live in Tokyo, it’s hard not to stay on top of the latest fashion buzz…

Ranking alongside Paris, Milan, London and New York, Tokyo is one of the world’s most fashionable cities. Japanese consumers, who are quick to snatch up the latest brand name goods and must-have items, largely fuel the second largest economy on the planet.

In a country defined by the phrase ‘customer is king,’ Japan is a shopper’s paradise where flashes of cash are the preferred means of demonstrating your wealth and power. With that said, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the Japanese will have to tighten their belts and check their spending habits, especially considering that their economy is heading towards recession.

While brandaholics might have to curb their lust for designer shoes and handbags, the latest trend in the world of Japanese fashion is Hennes & Mauritz, the Swedish retailer that is better known in North America and Europe as H&M.

Yup. That cheap-but-chic and wear-it-then-toss-it fashion giant we’ve all come to know and love has finally arrived in Japan. But, in a land where US$100 T-shirts and US$300 jeans are the norm rather than the exception, will H&M be a hit amongst fickle Japanese consumers?

Three weeks ago, the Swedish retailer H&M opened their first Japanese store in the perennially hip and fashionable Tokyo shopping district of Ginza. While H&M is regarded as the world’s third-largest retailer by sales, their newest Tokyo branch is the first location in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Located down the street from other foreign fashion houses such as Zara and Gap, H&M is hoping to tap into the lucrative Japanese consumer market. Following an intense advertising campaign, the Ginza store opened to packed crowds, which may help facilitate the proposed expansion of H&M across Japan in the years to come.

To date, H&M has become a powerful and profitable force in the global apparel market. With more than 1,600 stores in over 30 different countries, the secret to H&M is simply offering fashionable clothes at incredibly cheap prices. By manufacturing clothing under its own label, H&M has been successful in closely following global fashion trends, and in keeping prices low by cutting out the middleman.

At their Japanese flagship store in Ginza, customers were snatching up skirts and jeans and dresses and shirts, yet saving thousands and thousands of yen on the latest Tokyo street fashions. However, consumers didn’t seem to mind sacrificing quality for cost, especially since prices in Japan are inflating, salaries are stagnating and the economy is heading towards shambles.

Eventually, the Japanese may soon have to face the fact that they can’t afford the brand names they’ve grown accustomed to wearing. In the meantime however, H&M is hoping that they’re hip enough to capture and keep the interest of Japan’s elite fashionistas.

At this point, I certainly don’t know whether or not H&M will carve out a niche in the consumer paradise that is Japan. However, I do know that I’ve finally found a clothing store here in Tokyo where I can buy a decent pair of jeans and a stylish shirt without denting the wallet and maxing out the credit card.

** All images are trademarked by H&M, and are reprinted here for the purposes of critical commentary **