Tokyo
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'Yakuza 6' makes Tokyo's red-light district virtually real
I'm a relatively late fan of Sega's famed Yakuza franchise. It was the 2015 prequel, Yakuza 0 on the PS4, that got me hooked: It was the series' first title to be localized in Chinese, which helped me understand its rich storyline on the humble beginnings of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and his strangely charming acquaintance, Goro Majima. What also fascinated me about these open-world games was how most of the world was based on Tokyo's Kabukicho and Osaka's Dotonbori, often with incredible attention to detail.
A new polymer could make phone screen repairs a thing of the past
If you've ever had to deal with a cracked smartphone screen, you know what a hassle it can be. Slapping a screen protector on it is only a stopgap until you have to have the screen replaced, which comes with a decent price tag. Now, researchers in Tokyo have discovered a new polymer that may actually heal itself, potentially leading the way to a future of self-healing phone screens.
'Digital vegetables' emit music and light when touched
Small-plot urban farming used to be widespread in Tokyo, but other than specialized projects like the Pasona Urban Farm, there aren't many tomato plots around the city anymore. A Tokyo creative lab called Party has created an art installation that aiming to puts residents literally back in touch with their gardening roots with a digitally-enhanced greenhouse installation called "Digital Vegetables," or "DigiVege" in Japan.
Amazon is opening a Tokyo pop-up bar to promote booze sales
Amazon loves dealing with booze in Japan. In 2016, it launched a free Sommelier service for those who just can't choose which wine to buy. Now, it's opening a pop-up bar in Ginza, Tokyo's high fashion center and home to its ritziest establishments, to promote liquors sold on its local website. The e-retail giant said the 78-seater bar will serve drinks from across the globe, even those not available to the public yet. It will use an ordering system that suggests drinks, though it will also employ wine experts for those who'd prefer to get advice with a human touch.
Robot bears are coming for your grandparents
Not content to simply blame millennials for killing practically everything, baby boomers are now expecting the younger generations to care for them in their agedness. The nerve. Indeed, some 13 percent of the American population is now 65 or older, though a recent report from the Pew Research Center suggests that figure will nearly double by midcentury. Given that the current annual median price of a nursing-home room is around $92,000 (and rising), and because we can't just up and dump a quarter of America at the Springfield Retirement Castle, robots will have to start lending elderly folks a hand. Because if there's anybody who inherently trusts new and confusing technologies, it's the olds.
Pepper's new job is performing Buddhist funeral ceremonies
Pepper the robot has seen a variety of gainful employment in its relatively short life. It's worked in a mobile phone store, a Pizza Hut and a French train station, but now it seems it's jacking in the corporate world for more spiritual pursuits: Buddhist funerals. At the happily-titled Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, Aldebaran's humanoid 'bot could be found clothed in religious robes and chanting sutras in a computerized voice while tapping a drum.
This Japanese VR arcade put me inside 'Mario Kart'
Back when Bandai Namco opened its first VR arcade in Tokyo last April, I was keen to check out its various HTC Vive-powered VR games. My first ride there would have been Gundam VR: Daiba Assault, just so I could get a taste of what it's like hitching a ride on a Gundam's hand. The problem was by the time I got to the city the following month, this pop-up store already had a three-month waiting list, and I never got around to visiting before it closed in October. Luckily, as of last Friday, VR Zone is back in new form. Not only is it now the world's largest VR arcade, but it's also moved to Shinjuku, a more accessible downtown area in Tokyo. And this time, it's staying for two years. More importantly, the arcade has added some widely anticipated games that may sound familiar to you -- namely, Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Dragon Ball VR: Master the Kamehameha and Evangelion VR: The Soul Seat. As a bonus, Gundam VR has also been brought over from the previous site.
'Persona 5' took me back to Tokyo
Two years ago I took my first trip to Tokyo. The city exceeded my wildest expectations, an addictive blend of ramen, neon nightlife and tranquil parks. I spent a fortnight exploring the place, absorbing every street, shrine and video game store that wandered into my peripheral vision. It was a glorious adventure, and I would give anything to go back there.
Motion-tracking projector puts a laser show on moving faces
The combination of face-mapping and video projections makes for a trippy experience. The technology transforms the human face into a canvas for digital art. When a bright red lightning bolt appeared on Lady Gaga's face during her David Bowie tribute at the Grammys last year, the projection mapping technique went from niche studios to a mainstream audience. Now, the studio behind that performance has dropped a visual experiment called Inori to demonstrate the pace and precision of a new system.
UberEats and Volvo think riders might want a backseat dinner
Tokyo might be known for its plethora of restaurants, but the beleaguered UberEats service and Volvo have put a brand new one in the backseat of a moving SUV. A partnership between the Swedish automaker, Uber and Iron Chef Yukio Hattori called the "All-Star Restaurant" is currently rolling around Tokyo, literally delivering a multi-course menu of dishes to riders in an XC90 Excellence luxury SUV.
Tokyo's Olympic medals will be crafted from old gadgets
Tokyo's olympic planning committee has a novel idea for crafting new medals: old technology. Instead of relying on mining companies for new gold, silver and bronze, it's turning to the public and its swathes of unwanted, forgotten gadgets. You might not realize it, but your smartphone and household appliances contain small amounts of these precious materials. Starting in April, public offices and more than 2,400 NTT Docomo stores will offer collection boxes in Japan. The initial target is eight tons of metal, which will be whittled down to two tons and then, hopefully, used to produce 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals.
The Morning After: Thursday, November 17, 2016
We put the 4K-ready Chromecast to the test, saw increasingly less snow around the US, and gawp at the first hybrid Mini -- as well as a whole bunch of new cars coming out of the LA Auto Show. There's also the discovery of a "Watch Dogs 2" character that has fully rendered sex organs for no apparent reason whatsoever. Not just another Thursday.
Pink, fluffy dining at the 'Kirby' cafe
If you didn't know, Kirby is a squidgy pink ball. With minimal facial features. That's about it. Which is why he's adorable (and popular) enough to warrant a whole bunch of merchandise, as well as temporary pop-up cafes across Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Japan isn't lacking for gaming culture -- in fact, we've already toured a few in our guide to Tokyo. It's just a shame that this one is a temporary arrangement. If you're a fan of all things pink and circular, get to Japan while you can: The Kirby Cafe closes at the end of October, and you need a ticket to merely get inside. Even if you're able to get in, though, can you stomach a Kirby pancake?
'Pokémon Go' helps Nintendo break major stock market record
Nintendo continues to make headlines, all thanks to Pokémon Go. Now the video game giant had the biggest daily turnover of any company on the Tokyo stock market this past Friday, July 15th.
Bjork's VR album is a work in progress, just like the medium itself
Bjork Digital is almost Bjork: The Theme Park. The installation, which opened in Tokyo earlier this week, includes a movie theater featuring a two-hour-long showcase of the artist's videography. Around the corner from there, you'll find several tracks from the album Vulnicura have been transformed into VR experiences. Farther down the hall, you can play around with the album-turned-music app from Bjork's Biophilia album. The 18-day installation opened to the public this week, with Tokyo's Miraikan being the second stop on a world tour that also includes Europe and the US. I went for a visit and came away thinking that no other musical artist is pushing (or perhaps dragging) virtual reality forward more than Bjork. She's working on more VR tracks too -- this is really just the start.
The good, the bad and the weird at the Tokyo Toy Show
This year's Tokyo Toy Show failed to turn up anything as impressive as the things I cooed over back in 2014. (Perhaps that's why it's only held every two years.) However, I did get another glimpse into what (the hell) Japanese toy companies think about shoppers: nearly all girls' toys here are smothered in pink, gemstones and giant-eyed manga characters, while boys get a mix of trains, trains with cameras, trains that connect to your smartphone, and maglev ... trains. Barring the Disney/Star Wars juggernaut, as a non-Japanese resident of the city, I don't get the appeal of most of these things -- but then again, I'm also more than willing to lay down cash for a Magikarp coin purse. So maybe I'm not the best judge.
The latest menswear accessory is a Surface Book
As the line between fashion and technology continues to blur, Microsoft Japan is taking the well-trodden path of fashion collaboration to promote its Surface Book and tablets. Microsoft has claimed a corner of the upscale department store Isetan Men's in Shinjuku, Tokyo, stocking its hybrid PCs next to pricey fashion items. There's also a digital "hologram" mirror, which shoppers can use to see how they look in 360-degrees. Shop attendants scan you with a Surface -- of course -- while a platform spins you around. The results are then beamed to a floating display so that you can see how you really look. Browse the department store collaboration for yourself in our gallery:
Japan and trains: The love affair
Snowfall causing train delays is nothing new. In the UK, where I'm from, this happens with hilarious, infuriating regularity. But last week, the first snow of 2016 brought Tokyo's central railway lines and Metro to a halt: hour-long delays between stations normally located minutes apart, packed platforms and a lot of complaints. That's because Japan's railway system typically works flawlessly, from the immaculately clean trains that service the distant southern isles of Japan to the experimental high-speed, floating maglev cars that might hit 372 miles per hour. If you love trains, you'll love Japan. And I just love them.
Tokyo police are taking 3D mugshots of suspects
Security camera footage isn't always that useful for identifying suspects, even if you know who it's likely to be. What good is a mugshot when video shows the crook's head tilted down? Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has an answer. As of April, all of its 102 stations will start taking 3D mugshots that let them compare faces, regardless of the angle. Ideally, this will help arrest suspects that much faster -- police won't have to guess based on plain old photos, or ask for specialized gear to be shipped across the city or country. The 2D pictures aren't going away, but officers will soon have one more tool under their belts. [Image credit: Metropolitan Police Department]
The Engadget Guide to Tokyo
Robots, the otaku culture epicenter, the country that gave us Nintendo, Sony and Hatsune Miku. In Tokyo, there's so much to see -- and maybe that's why I live here. Being the good friend that I am, I've curated a map of restaurants, shops and attractions that are a must for tech-happy tourists and Engadget readers.You can explore the map above (though that two-finger scroll turns into a zoom when your cursor is over the map). Click on one of those pretty little icons to bring up details about the place and to get our visitor's tips. Or, if that one isn't big enough, you can visit full-sized map right here. (Pro tip: if you star the map, all the locations will magically appear starred on your own Google Map apps.) This is a work in progress, so let me know in the comments if there's somewhere I've missed -- it's a big town.
