Nagoya
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Apple Maps' Street View-like feature expands to cities in Japan
So far, Apple Maps’ Street View-like Look Around feature has only been available in select cities in the US. However, it has now expanded internationally for the first time, coming to four cities in Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto.
Japan speeding ahead with 500km/h Maglev train
Traveling the 515 km (320 miles) from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train currently requires 2 hours and 25 minutes (and costs a small fortune, too). Come 2045, travel between Japan's two largest metro areas will take just over one hour, following the launch of the country's longest maglev track, which just received construction approval from Tokyo. The nine trillion yen project (approximately $112 billion) was first proposed in the 1970s, but was tabled indefinitely due to its astronomical costs, most of which stem from an extensive network of tunnels that will represent 60 percent of the route. You'll be able to get your Japanese Maglev fix beginning in 2027, when the Central Japan Railway launches its high-speed route between Tokyo and Nagoya. One notable neighbor to the west is already operating its own maglev train. China's Shanghai Transrapid has been blasting riders to Pudong airport since 2004, and once achieved a top speed of 501km/h (311 mph). The country is also constructing a 1000km/h vacuum-based train that it plans to launch within the next few years.
Sony opens idyllic new retail store in Nagoya, Japan
We heard back in January that Sony was looking to reface itself somewhat by introducing a minty fresh retail look that takes a note or two from the Apple and Microsoft shops already in existence, and for those lucky enough to find themselves in Nagoya this weekend, you can check it out in person. March 13th marked the opening of the all new Sony Store Nagoya, and with an ample of amount of glass, white demo stands and black overhead signs, it's certainly one of the more seductive retail shops that we've seen. We'd bother knocking Sony for following instead of leading, but considering just how far the brand has fallen over the past couple of years, we're just stoked to see it putting forth an effort to turn things around.
Video: Robots cook delicious ramen noodles for expendable humans
So you think you've seen robot chefs before, huh? Well, actually, yes you probably have -- but you sure as hell haven't seen a mechanical cook spinning plates, right? We thought so. The latest culinary drone, hailing from Nagoya, Japan, features a pair of delightfully dextrous arms and is capable of serving up a yummy bowl of ramen noodles in under two minutes. With such rapid speed, the bots get some downtime, which they fill by performing a little show for their clientele. Trust us, you really don't wanna be the one person who didn't see the surreal duel that lies beyond the break.[Via Switched]
Robot Museum opening in October
Ok, so while it's not quite as flashy as the Robot Hall of Fame, Nagoya's about to get its automaton on in October when they'll be opening the Robot Museum. We recommend patronizing this landmark if for no other reason than making sure your identity appears in the museum's records of attendance -- anything to score a few points with the bots should they, you know, run amok and use the Robot Museum as the capital for the new world order. You know what? Forget it, we don't need some joke about robots taking over the world to justify attending this museum. You should go because pretty much anything they could put in there -- from Daleks to Totoya assembly arms -- is gonna be freaking phenominal. Did we mention how much we love robots?[Via Pink Tentacle]
