Ylvis - The Fox (What Does The Fox Say) Japanese Cover

It is not quite on the epic scale of the original but the fact that they went this far and did it this well impresses the hell out of me. This is a really well done cover. Worth a watch and doubly worth a share.

Now I wanna see Michan (the main man behind this cover) do some Original content that's this good.

Mazda debuts 25th anniversary MX-5 Miata and next-gen SKYACTIV chassis at NY Auto Show (AkihabaraNews.com)

The full piece is actually a creative regurgitation of a press release, but it is my regurgitation and I like to think it's a better one than all the others out there:

MX-5 Miata
The Standard?
While it has a reputation as a hairdresser’s car in parts of the world, there is no denying the fact that Mazda’s MX-5 Miata is one of the most iconic sports cars ever built.

In its 25 years on the road, it has become the open-top benchmark. While there are certainly faster, often cooler and way more expensive examples of open-top 2-seaters, with over 940,000 units sold, the Miata is far and away the most popular.

As always, read the rest on AkihabaraNews.com

REVIEW: ICEPEN 'ZEN' Multifunction Tablet & Smartphone Stylus (AkihabaraNews.com)

ICEPEN is a Vietnam based startup that blasted 150% past its Kickstarter goal and is now in production. The stylus is a 3-in-one device that includes a standard rubbery tip, a precision tip, and a traditional twist-out pen. AkihabaraNews tested two pre-production units, and here’s what our reporter thought.

• • •

"our reporter" is me.

Click here to read the review.

Tokyo Street Shots - SPECIAL EDITION: Panasonic GH4 & Legs! (AkihabaraNews.com)

For those of you who don't know yet, AkihabaraNews.com publishes a bunch of my Street Photography every week. This particular batch was shot with the Panasonic Lumix GH4.

Click the pic... or HERE to see the full set.

While you're at it check out my review of the GH4 too.

REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix GH4 (AkihabaraNews.com)

GH4! 
When the GH3 came onto the market, there was no denying that Panasonic was deliberately targeting the pro market. The GH2’s consumer-like colorful smoothness gave way to a magnesium body that was larger, more ergonomic, and dressed like Darth Vader.

Their online marketing material included testimonials from professional photographers and filmmakers from around the world, giving further evidence to the notion that it was a professional device.

By and large, they succeeded and found their niche in the market as purveyors of the best (arguably only) true hybrid photography system.

Now, a year and a bit later, Panasonic is about to unleash the GH3’s successor It’s called the GH… wait for it… 4!

No jokes... This might be my best piece since the Otaku Magazine days.
Go! Read it now! there be pretty pictures and vids too!

Race Queens of the Subaru BRZ GT300 - Round 1 (GALLERY) (AkihabaraNews.com)

I did a big chunk of the writing on this one... No I don't expect you to check it out because of the writing... I wouldn't either. But for what it's worth you can glimpse my wordsmithing skills on your way to feasting on delicious eye-candy. Anyway, click the pic or link below to see more:


Race Queens of the Subaru BRZ GT300

An Unmistakable Aroma - 750 years of soy sauce tradition takes to the tables of Europe’s finest restaurants (Highlighting Japan)

The new issue of highlighting Japan is out and the the piece I did when I went to Wakayama (after I snapped that Dotonbori video and Osaka street shots) is up.

An Unmistakable Aroma

750 years of soy sauce tradition takes to the tables of Europe’s finest restaurants

Soy sauce, or shoyu, is almost indispensable to the Japanese dining experience. There are over 1,000 large and small soy sauce companies throughout the country, each with its own unique recipe and flavor. Out of this large field of competitors, how does a small brand from the quaint town of Yuasa in Wakayama Prefecture find its way into the kitchens of not one but nine Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe? And how has a company that makes up an estimated 0.01 percent of Japan’s soy sauce supply won Belgium’s prestigious Monde Selection Gold Quality Award every year since 2006?

According to Toshio Shinko, the warm-hearted and down-to-earth president of Yuasa Soy Sauce Co., Ltd., it comes down to a combination of history, tradition, dedication and passion. 

Read the rest On Highlighting Japan.

This is probably the best assignment I've had. In truth through the Highlighting Japan project and the JETRO project (not yet published) Ive had the opportunity to visit some amazing places and meet some truly inspirational people, but I would say that Toshio Shinko, the president of the Yuasa Soy Sauce company is at the top of that list.

His passion for his work aside, it's his passion for his home town, it's traditions and the younger generations growing up there that I liked best about him. His vision and goal have nothing to do with expanding his business (and being that they make the best soy sauce on the planet, there is plenty of potential for expansion). Rather he wants to educate the children in his community and instil a sense of pride in them that he hopes will inspire them to continue to live and work in Yuasa instead of migrating to the urban centres to work for the faceless corporations that built them.

He is especially critical of the way the leaders are removed from the realities of life on the ground in Japan and as a result they are unable to truly deal with the actual problems the country is facing.
as you may have guessed.. this scheduled 1 hour interview became a much longer conversation between he and I about some very deep and meaningful topics that we pretty much agree wholeheartedly on.

He was also very generous. he gave me a bottle of his fine soy sauce, 2 bags of the local, exquisitely delicious mandarin oranges, and a tub of unique miso that they make there.

It's assignments like this that make the stresses worthwhile. To get paid to meet and talk to interesting people and share their stories with the world... It brings me many feels.

Now to find more work like this... and hopefully get paid for it too!

Honda’s New NM4 Concept Bike Straight out of Cyberpunk Anime (AkihabaraNews.com)

At the 30th annual Osaka Motorcycle Show on March 21 2014, Honda unveiled two preview concepts of their new NM4.

Honda's new concept bike looks like it’s straight out of a late 80s, early 90s vision of 2014, and they intend to put it into production. Yes. Get one in red, cover it in stickers, ride around Neo Tokyo being a delinquent. (‘Akira,’ anyone?) 

Read the rest at AkihabaraNews.com 

KONBINI RAID! 'Fixing Frozen Fingers' (AkihabaraNews.com)

Next Konbini Raid is up.

Untitled Two-Man Tokyo Tech Show - Episode 4 Nakano (AkihabaraNews.com)

original posting on AkihabaraNews.com

Olympus at CP+ 2014. Girls were there, too. (AkihabaraNews.com)

Promising Return to Form for a Former Industry Heavyweight  

With a large booth showcasing their full range of cameras, lenses and accessories, Olympus came out in full force at last month’s CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging tech show.

In the center of it all was an aviary of sorts, home to spectacular ornithological subjects displaying splendidly colorful plumage. They strutted around as subjects for viewers to take test shots with provided sample cameras in the OMD range.

[RELATED]
• AkihabaraNews: Olympus
• [INTERVIEW] Sigma tells us about their new dp2 Quattro
• CP+ 2014 Day 1: The best in Camera and Photo Imaging Technology

Apart from being a birdwatchers paradise, it was easily the best sample shooting area of the entire show.

More at Akihabaranews.com

Including a hands on with the new OMD -EM-10, their new power zoom kit lens, hi-res versions of the pics above and some test footage using the new EM-10.

Well go on then! read the rest!

[INTERVIEW] Sigma tells us about their new dp2 Quattro (AkihabaraNews.com)

I contributed more to the mighty green pig:

Wild form factor for a very traditional albeit high tech tool.

Were there a ‘best of show’ award for cameras at this year’s CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging expo, the new dp2 Quattro from Sigma would definitely be a contender. It’s functional yet eye catching form definitely had heads turning and internet tongues wagging.

As Always... read the rest on AkihabaraNews.com

And watch the video too. It took me no small amount of time and effort to subtitle that thing.

and there are some juicy tidbits of info from sigma regarding their future in it. Don't say I don't do anything nice for you:p

*untitled Two-Man Tokyo Tech Show - Episode 3 (AkihabaraNews.com)

The next *untitled Two Man Tokyo Tech Show is live. Check it out and make fun of us in the comments. Be sure to check out all the stuff we talk about on akihabaranews.com

The BORG at CP+ 2014 Camera and Photo Imaging Tech Show (AkihabaraNews.com)

Another one of my pieces for AkihabaraNews.com as always, if you dig, check it out at the source.

The iconic Star Trek villains did spring to mind upon seeing the name of this Takara Tomy owned optics company (who also made the original Transformers, JSYK). While these lenses won’t be trekking across the stars turning sentient beings into cybernetic organisms, they do have a connection to the stars: BORG makes telescopes. Initially, their foray into photography was simply to mount their astronomy glass to cameras so customers could capture what they saw with their existing camera equipment. Successes with that eventually led to developing lenses specifically for photography...

Read the rest on AkihabaraNews.com

[TEST SHOOT] Panasonic’s New LEICA DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm F1.2 (AkihabaraNews.com)

More CP+ coverage for AkihabaraNews.  

Worth every yen in build and image, but still a tall order for all but the most heavily invested professionals.

Arise Lord Vader! 
The new Panasonic LEICA DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm F1.2 is a beauty to behold. Its satin black, metal body has a heft and finish that exudes a quality that one would expect from glass this expensive. It is simple and understated, but has a presence akin to Luke's daddy. The design is undeniably worthy of the Leica name, as is the image quality and performance. We would need to spend an extended period of time with it to be sure, but first impressions count, and -my word- what an impression it made.

Read the rest... and check out the shots on AkihabaraNews 

Untitled Two Man Tokyo Tech Show - Episode 1 (AkihabaraNews.com)

We decided to start a quick and dirty Tech Show at Akihabaranews.

Read the original post and make witty comments on akihabaranews.com



What do you think?

CP+ 2014 Day 1: The best in Camera and Photo Imaging Technology (AkihabaraNews.com)

CP+ 2014, or the Camera and Photo Imaging Show is currently being held over 4 days at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Centre (Feb 13 -16).

As is spashed on the event website and proclaimed by our press kit, the event theme is:

“Joy and Beauty through Advance Photo Imaging Technology” [sic]

…and were it phrased as a question, the best answer would be YES! That’s right, All-CAPS yes.

To break it down, all the big (and many not so big) names in the Photo and Imaging industry are here with their latest products on show. AkihabaraNews has a good deal of in-depth coverage on the way, but the quick and dirty highlights run along the lines of:

Read the rest of the post on Akihabara News!

I 'm serious. It's a pretty good short piece, even if I say so myself :p go read it!
There is also a good deal more coming.

Konbini Raids (AkihabaraNews.com)

KONBINI RAID!
Bizarre Best; Minute or Less

コンビニ, konbini, pronounced “cone-bee-knee,” is Japanese for 'Convenience Store.' Occasionally anchoring entire neighborhoods, J-convenience stores are indispensable, vital hubs of commerce. Full of the delicious, the interesting, and the inexplicable, they are the glue that holds Japanese society together.
Not really. But, kind of.

Check out all the Konbini Randomness on AkihabaraNews.com

I'm posting all the current raids in this post. In future I'll put them up as they go out. But backlogs need to be un-backlogged. What do you think about these? Hell what do you think about all my Akihabara News content in general?






Incidentally if you wanna watch the videos but are just not keen on the tech website vibe (I know some of you may not dig it) I have a playlist on my YouTube channel that links them...

Standard YouTubery applies. Like if you like, Dislike if you dislike and be sure to comment and leave suggestions in the comment sections of the videos or on Akihabara News... or here for that matter.

Tokyo Auto Salon (AkihabaraNews.com)

2014 Tokyo Auto Salon 
For when your car needs a facial and a manicure...Okay. Maybe not.

Held January 10-12 at Chiba City’s Makuhari Messe convention center, this year’s event drew a staggering 296,714 visitors! The first event, held back in 1983 by Option Tuning Magazine, was an effort to promote car customisation and tuning culture.

The event has steadily grown over the years, and 2014 was billed as the largest custom car show in the world....

READ THE REST ON AKIHABARANEWS!

And now the backstory...