Inventor Spot

Steve Levenstein's blog

Ahh, Japan... land of the rising sun, rising sin, and rice with nearly every meal. In Japan everything is possible and possibly everything is available - often with a unique and unexpected twist. Vending machines dispensing whiskey, meat, live rhinoceros beetles or schoolgirl panties? Where else but in Japan, where urban legends live and die on streets that have no names.

As the Japanese Innovations Writer for InventorSpot.com and an unabashed Japanophile, I take great joy in channeling the relentless tsunami of on-the-edge Japanese ideas and products, each wondrous one revisiting and reinventing 1950s Japanese Transistor Radio Syndrome for the post-atomic age!

World's Weirdest Spa Baths? Chicken Soup and More

by Steve Levenstein, October 11, 2007

Japan is famed for its hot spring resorts, but new government regulations are forcing spa operators without access to actual spring water to improvise in some very unusual ways!

Ten Weird, Wild & Wonderful Japanese Cars We Never Got to Buy

by Steve Levenstein, October 08, 2007

Some of the best Japanese cars never made the trip across the ocean. After seeing this list, you'll wish they did!

Japan's InfoBar 2 Outclasses Apple iPhone

by Steve Levenstein, October 07, 2007

The Apple iPhone may be at the top of everyone's holiday gift list this year, but the fact remains is that it's NOT the best cell-phone you can buy - by far! Japan's KDDI has introduced the InfoBar 2, a sleek and sexy cell-phone that can do things Apple's product planners - and iPhone owners - can only dream about. Pity it's only available in Japan...

I Maid Café Serves Up Japanese Weirdness in Cold Canada

by Steve Levenstein, October 05, 2007

Japan has exported cars and electronics to the West for decades, but it's only recently that the nation's dynamic culture, led by Pokemon and other Anime has also made the trip. Their success has led a few enterprising types to try transplanting some of the more offbeat aspects of Japanese culture into foreign soil. Can it work? Your on-the-scene reporter visited the I Maid Café in Toronto, Canada today to find out first hand!

Fake Human Skin Clothing Combines Disgust with Desire

by Steve Levenstein, October 02, 2007

Racks of human skin coats, shirts, handbags, even bedsheets crowd the shelves of the SkinBag showroom. Charnel house or chic boutique? Real or just surreal? Is the shock factor of wearing clothing made from human skin worth the attendant revulsion it can't help but inspire?

Hello Kitty Grows Up with Sexy Girl Collection

by Steve Levenstein, October 01, 2007

Hello Kitty has grown up into a bonafide Sex Kitten, and Strapya World celebrates her new look with the "Hello Kitty Sexy Collection". I don't know about you, but there's something disturbingly SIN-derella-ish about combining the classic Hello Kitty head with a pair of shapely, sexy legs.

Gadgets 4 Gals Make Being a Geek Oh So Chic!

by Steve Levenstein, September 29, 2007

Today, geeks can be gals 'cuz it's cool to click when you're a chick. Forget what you thought you knew about geeks & nerds... girls just wanna have fun with high tech gadgets!

The Top Ten Strange and Unusual Japanese Chewing Gums

by Steve Levenstein, September 27, 2007

Chews your poison...

Some of the Ten Strange and Unusual Japanese Chewing Gums listed here are actually quite good! As for the others... let's just say that Japanese chewing gum companies produce some VERY strange and unusual types of chewing gum. How strange? Let's find out by getting down to the good, the bad and the sticky!

Japanese Moon Shot Heats Up Asian Space Race

by Steve Levenstein, September 24, 2007

With the picture-perfect launch of the pioneering SELENE lunar exploration probe from a Mitsubishi H-IIA rocket, Japan has made a stunning return to space while answering the challenge of neighboring China's bold program.

Rocobo Interactive Robotic Pet Matches Your Mood

by Steve Levenstein, September 22, 2007

Rocobo, Takara Tomy's tiny "Tamagotchi on steroids" is taking Tokyo by storm... and the wider world awaits. OK, don't get excited... but if you do, your interactive Rocobo robotic pet will too!

2007 Tokyo Game Show - Heaven on Earth for Gamers

by Steve Levenstein, September 21, 2007

With exhibitors from 51 countries showing off software, hardware and over 700 game titles from a record 1,708 booths, the 2007 Tokyo Game Show is definitely the place to be for gamers, geeks and gadget lovers for whom nothing beats something new!

Ear Wax Reveals Ancient History of Japan

by Steve Levenstein, September 20, 2007

Ear wax... what is it good for? Absolutely nuthin', say it again... OK, it sounded better in the original version by Edwin Starr, but humble ear wax IS good for somethin', at least according to a team of Japanese high school students.

New Bestiality Restaurant lets you Pork your Pork

by Steve Levenstein, September 17, 2007

How weird is too weird? Consider this un-named, members-only restaurant in Tokyo's trendy Roppongi district and hope that Bestiality Cuisine isn't a trend that will catch on soon!

Art of the Yakuza: Japan's Tattooed Men & Women

by Steve Levenstein, September 17, 2007

Japanese gangsters, or "Yakuza", display colorful tattoos as part of a longstanding underworld tradition. Their wives, mistresses and girlfriends often sport similar body art, often intricately detailed and breathtakingly beautiful.

Japanese H-Bomb Survivor Finally Speaks Out

by Steve Levenstein, September 14, 2007

Nope, that's not a typo - "H" bomb is correct. Matashichi Oishi was a crewman on the Japanese fishing vessel Lucky Dragon No. 5 on March 1, 1954, when the American "Castle Bravo" hydrogen bomb test went terribly wrong. Now, he's finally telling his story.