Japanese Tv Archive

  • From 1978: Unbelievable Japanese “Star Wars” TV spot for “sea chicken”

    From 1978: Unbelievable Japanese “Star Wars” TV spot for “sea chicken”

    Posted on February 2, 2010 | No Comments
    Star Wars has always been popular in Japan, so seeing Luke Skywalker et al. in a Japanese TV commercial from the 1970s isn't a big deal in itself. But seeing the Star Wars franchise being used for promoting "sea chicken" (canned tuna) is kind of unusual. Needless to say, the gaijin acting in the TV spot, which was first aired on Japanese TV in 1978, are just look-alikes. And apparently, "sea chicken" maker Hagoromo Foods has used the Star Wars setting without getting a license from Lucasarts. Different times back then, I guess. TV spot after the jump.

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  • Alternative solar power: Weird roof orbs provide lighting (video)

    Alternative solar power: Weird roof orbs provide lighting (video)

    Posted on January 1, 2010 | No Comments
    Nani Kore ("What's This?") is the name of a Japanese TV show that digs up bizarre things and phenomena observed around the world and explains how they work. In the latest show, they presented a house in central Tokyo that proves solar power can be used in a residential setting without those expensive solar panels and cells. Just take a set of orbs that look like giant light bulbs, install them on your roof and watch them reflecting the light of the sun into your house. This obviously just works during the day, but if you have buildings around your house that block the sunlight, the orbs might help to light up dark rooms and save electricity costs. And they look kind of cool, too.

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  • Japanese department store offers robots that look like their buyers

    Japanese department store offers robots that look like their buyers

    Posted on December 14, 2009 | No Comments
    We all knew this day would come and we all knew this would happen first in Japan. And local department store chain operator Sogo & Seibu is ready to make it possible: You can soon buy robots who look exactly like you. Right, life-size humanoids. The company isn't that sure about its idea though as it plans to offer just two robots for the time being. Sogo & Seibu says they'll start accepting orders in all of their department stores in Japan as soon as early next month. But if there are three or more people interested in getting a robotic doppelgänger, buyers will be chosen by lot.

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  • Super-cute Hello Kitty LCD TV with super-cute remote control

    Super-cute Hello Kitty LCD TV with super-cute remote control

    Posted on December 11, 2009 | No Comments
    Hello Kitty, the dream cartoon cat of millions of teenage girls around the world, regularly gets a lot of love from the gadget world, too. But Hello Kitty TVs were relatively scarce so far. Last time we blogged about one was in June 2008. While that one was pretty cute by itself, this new model announced today [JP], a 13.3-inch LCD TV, is much, much cuter (at least in my view).

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  • The Nintendo DSi XL shows its stuff in front of the camera

    The Nintendo DSi XL shows its stuff in front of the camera

    Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments
    Question: Are standard DS & DSi games going to look pixelated and stretched on the DSi XL's 4.2-inch screen? Idk. But the screen is huge when compared to the standard DSi. Check out the Japanese TV debut after the jump.

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  • Brad Pitt plays disgruntled sumo champion’s butler in TV spot for cell phones (video)

    Brad Pitt plays disgruntled sumo champion’s butler in TV spot for cell phones (video)

    Posted on July 1, 2009 | No Comments
    Brad Pitt has been shooting TV commercials for Japan's third biggest cell phone carrier SoftBank for a few years now, and more often than not, he plays a total moron. In this new spot, currently in heavy rotation on Japanese TV, he tries everything to please sumo champion Musashimaru.

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  • Japanese cell phone commercial: Brad Pitt plays disgruntled sumo champion’s butler (video)

    Japanese cell phone commercial: Brad Pitt plays disgruntled sumo champion’s butler (video)

    Posted on July 1, 2009 | No Comments
    Brad Pitt has been shooting TV commercials for Japan's third biggest cell phone carrier SoftBank for a few years now, and more often than not, he plays a total moron. In this new spot, currently in heavy rotation on Japanese TV, he tries everything to please sumo champion Musashimaru.

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