wait...this is a car commercial?

I've watched this "Baseball Party" ad about eight times now. You can find it on the Toyota website here. There's a behind the scenes/making-of video too. I managed to capture a few screen shots, which I kindly share below. (And yes, Tokyo side streets really are this clean and tidy.)

just in time for Valentine's Day

Today I learned the following while listening to a podcast of my favorite NPR program, the news quiz show, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. It came up during Lightning Fill In the Blank. 

Host Peter Sagal: "Japan has introduced the Love Bra, which has a clasp that will only unlock if the wearer's heart rate elevates to a certain level. Meaning that the bra can only be removed if the user is in love. Or... jogging."

Panelist Mo Rocca: "Or... had a lot of coffee."

Sagal: "Or...thinking about her bra suddenly popping open."

You can watch the ad from Japanese lingerie brand Ravijour here. In it, a man in a white coat explains that when we're excited, the adrenal medulla secretes catecholamine; this affects the autonomic nerve, which stimulates the heart rate. (It's science!) Then the company's technical director chimes in with a bit about the bra's built-in sensor detecting that heart rate, and using Bluetooth to transmit the data to a smartphone app for analysis.

"Like a chastity belt for the social network age, the bra remains firmly locked shut most of the time, to defend its wearer from hordes of sleazy menfolk," The Guardian's culture blog reports. When it's true love, the bra "dutifully bursts open with a gleeful spring." 

Did I mention there's an ad?

say no to spring showers

Terry is in Tokyo this week for work - so jealous! - but delighted to wake up this morning to this image in my inbox, of Tokyo Metro's public service advisory for March... 

When you cough, please cover your mouth

mass transit appeal

Received via email from Mizuho today: iphone pics of the latest Tokyo metro public service posters!

Enjoy.

 I presume the message here is... Don't walk too close to the edge!

 Do you have to use your mobile phone here?

Don't push past the old folks on the escalator! (just a guess)

what I will miss most, part 1

 
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
-Five Man Electrical Band, 1971

Having left Japan for New York, I feel compelled to compile a Top 10 list of Things I Will Miss the Most. Starting things off...

10. ADVERTISING
I loved all of it - the billboards, the product labels, the public service advisories, the mascots and the marketing ploys. Special thanks to Katy Dix for providing many of these fine examples: