Things You Only See In Asia

Domino’s training reindeer to deliver pizzas in Japan
Published November 23, 2016 | FoxNews.com

Domino's is taking a page out of Santa's book on efficient winter transportation.

The global pizza chain, which has already invested in high-tech delivery methods like autonomous robots, drones, “zero-click” ordering apps and satellite tracking to deliver food, is now training reindeer to transport pies.

Yes, reindeer.

Reindeer delivery may be part of a contingency plan for Domino’s Japan ahead of what is expected to be a particularly cold and snowy winter, RocketNews24 reports.

The chain is attempting a trial period for performing training exercises in the city of Ishikari-- a particularly ice-prone area in Hokkaido-- to figure out if its reindeer delivery initiative is feasible. The technique will involve insulated pizza containers strapped to the animals’ backs.

Delivery tests, Domino’s says, are monitored by animal trainers. The trials are taking place on the grounds of a driving school.

First November snow in Tokyo for 54 years

5,000 fish in ice at Japan skating rink sparks uproar
KAORI HITOMI | Associated Press
November 28, 2016



TOKYO (AP) — An amusement park in western Japan sparked an uproar after it displayed about 5,000 dead fish in the ice at a skating rink, forcing the park to close the attraction.

Space World received a flood of criticism on social media after opening the rink on Nov. 12. It was closed Sunday.

About 25 different kinds of fish could be seen under the 250-meter (820-foot) -long ice circuit. The park in the city of Kitakyushu opened the "Ice Aquarium" as an "attraction never heard about."

Japanese broadcaster NHK showed the fish frozen in ice on a blue floor, so it looked like they were swimming below the ice. Some formed a school to spell out "HELLO" or make an arrow-shaped sign in the ice.

The general manager of Space World, Toshimi Takeda, said many critical messages were posted on social media, some condemning the concept as abusing living things.

Takeda said that the fish in the ice had been intended "to give the feel of the ocean to the ice skating rink," and that the amusement park is "extremely remorseful to have invoked such unpleasant feelings."

Space World said the fish were purchased from a fish market, and were dead before the water was frozen. The operator plans to hold a memorial service for the fish once they're taken out of the ice.

Avatar-style S. Korean manned robot takes first baby steps
Hwang Sunghee
AFP | December 26, 2016


Engineers test a four-metre-tall robot dubbed Method-2 at a lab in Gunpo, on December 27, 2016

Gunpo (South Korea) (AFP) - A giant South Korean-built manned robot that walks like a human but makes the ground shake under its weight has taken its first baby steps.

Designed by a veteran of science fiction blockbusters, the four-metre-tall (13-foot), 1.5 ton Method-2 towers over a room on the outskirts of Seoul.

The hulking human-like creation bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie "Avatar".

It is claimed as a world first by its creators at Hankook Mirae Technology, a South Korean robotics company, where about 30 engineers were hard at work conducting initial tests Tuesday afternoon.

"Our robot is the world's first manned bipedal robot and is built to work in extreme hazardous areas where humans cannot go (unprotected)," said company chairman Yang Jin-Ho.

A pilot sitting inside the robot's torso makes limb movements which are mimicked by Method-2, whose metal arms each weigh 130 kilograms (286 pounds).

The robot, more than twice the size of a tall man, is so heavy that it shakes the ground when it takes a step with a loud whirring of motors.

Yang, who dreamed as a child of building his own robot, said he has invested 242 billion won ($200 million) in the project since 2014 to "bring to life what only seemed possible in movies and cartoons".

Building the giant robot was a challenge for the engineers -- most of them in their mid and late 30s -- as its unprecedented scale meant they had nothing to refer to, said one who declined to be named.

So far, it remains unclear how the robot will be used. Method-2 is seen more as a test-bed for various technologies that will allow the creators to build any type and size of robot in future.

While its enormous size has grabbed media attention, the creators of Method-2 say the project's core achievement is the technology they developed and enhanced along the way.

"Everything we have been learning so far on this robot can be applied to solve real-world problems," said designer Vitaly Bulgarov on his Facebook page.

He has previously worked on film series such as Transformers, Robocop and Terminator.

Yang said they have already received inquiries from industries ranging from manufacturing and construction to entertainment.

There have even been questions about its possible deployment along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone with North Korea.

But the robot, tethered by a power cable and still a bit wobbly on its feet, is far from finished. More work is needed on its balance and power systems, according to its creators.

"The robot is one year old so it is taking baby steps," Yang said.

"Just like humans, it will be able to move more freely in the next couple of years."

He said the robot will be ready for sale by the end of 2017 at a price of around 10 billion won ($8.3 million).

If you're happy and you know it...

Adult swaddling therapy fad hits Tokyo
Reuters | January 30, 2017

TOKYO (Reuters) - Wrapped up from head to toe in a white bag and gently rocking from side to side, five Japanese mothers are hopeful Tokyo's latest health trend can cure their post-pregnancy aches and pains.

According to its exponents, Otonamaki, which translates as "adult wrapping", was devised by a Kyoto midwife who thought replicating how children are swaddled at birth could help mothers overcome post labor shoulder and hip pain.

The five mothers at a recent session in Tokyo lay on their backs with their knees on their chests bundled up in white cloths. Staff then helped them rock over cushions.

"It felt warm and there was this feeling with my body," said one mother who tried the 20 minute session.

"I have never experienced this before so its quite hard to describe properly."

Not everyone is a fan. Chiropractor Shiro Oba was skeptical about its powers of healing and encouraged mothers with back pain to visit a physician.

"There may be cases where people with asthma may find it easier to breath (in that position), but once the cloth is off it's the same thing," said Oba.

"But apart from that, I just can't think of how people can benefit from this even as a form of reflexology or exercise."

Generous bird feeds freezing and starving woman...

Japanese man who amassed a six ton pile of dirty magazines died when it collapsed on top of him


A lonely Japanese man who amassed more than six tons of porn died when a huge pile of magazines fell on top of him.

And even more tragically, the man's body was only discovered six months later when the landlord entered the flat to find out why the rent had not been paid. The man's lowly death was revealed by a member of the cleaning team, who said his company had been hired to remove the magazines discreetly in a way that would not be noticed by neighbours and the man's family to save them from the shame.

He said that the dead man, a 50-year-old former carmaker identified only by the name Joji, had died buried underneath under a pile of the pornographic magazines.

It was unclear if he had suffered a heart attack and fallen into the stacks of magazines which had then fallen on top of him, or whether he had been crushed by the mass of paper. But the cleaner said that if he was still conscious, the paper would probably have muffled his cries.

Every space in the flat was filled with piles of magazines, which also stacked on tables and on shelves.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4278524/Man-dies-six-ton-pile-porn-magazines.html - the comments are a hoot