The Japanese Panda Express train as previously reported here on the 3Yen has some serious competition in the new PANDA BUS.

The free panda bus named ‘Ning Ning’ runs in the Asakusa Temple district in Tokyo connecting the Asakusa Hanayashiki amusement park to the water bus stop by the Azumabashi Bridge on the Sumida River (Google Map).

The Azumabashi Bridge and the water bus stop is most famous in Tokyo for being in front of Tokyo’s consummate architectural marvel, the Great Golden Turd Building (3Yen, 2007-05-19).

Embiggen to 1244 x 933 px (Google Panoramio photo)

Previously on the 3Yen we warned of the dread invasion of the Japanese flying panties.

The main Sofmap building in ‘Akiba’ (Akihabara freakazoid-town) is exhibiting, “a group of underpants flying in the sky” above their game merchandise for real….
(Warning: Mega-crappy machine translation)

Embiggen to 485X598

Closeup

The original video that started it all…
Sora no Otoshimono (Flying panty song!) with smallish engrish subtitles

More info and video in the comments section…

According to the douche of the Internets, Evilpongi, the girl in these video, “Toastie,” now works at a sleazy bar in Golden Gai deep in the fetid bowels of Shinjuku, Tokyo.

However, I really prefer this version of TOAST that I posted a few years ago on the 3Yen: Japanese T-O-A-S-T!

Today is a bogus Y.A.M.J.H.* Tokyo is dead quite since everyone is sleeping in this morning, so therefore you folks need this…

*Y.A.M.J.H. = Yet Another Mysterous Japanese Holiday, in this case the holiday is Seijin no Hi Coming_of_age_day (Wiki)
And here’s a video made by my friends, GuyJean et al, of the frou-frou fun of the Japanese kimono girls (and raving Right Wingers in their sound trucks) at Coming of Age ceremonies.

Back in 2005, the 3Yen featured these Japanese snack condoms.

…

Now Comsec at Pongi HQ has just now received another intercept from The Dear Evil One:

The Top 10 Weirdest and Funniest Japanese Condoms –inventorspot.com
…

neighborhood…

…more info...

And of course, Japanese department stores offer a great public service: Free gaijin-size prophylactics at their entrances (3Yen 2008-04-01).

Fellow traveler of the 3Yen, the Tokyo Genki blog, has posted the pandering of Quentin Tarantino (aka Tara-chan) for SoftBank cellphones in their famous talking dog commericals.

This is one of many commercials for Softbank’s “White Family Plan” cellphone service. Since it is a typically surreal Japanese commercial, the father is a white dog, the mother is Japanese, the daughter is a famous Japanese pop star and the elder brother is an African-American man.

An English translation for you to get the gist of the Japanese commercial is as follows:

( Text at beginning with arrow pointing to dog speaker: “A ‘daddy’ speaker which connects to your cell.”)

Mother: You’re really going to Tosa? (Tosa is a type of fighting dog and the old name for Kouchi city )

Father (dog): Yes.

Daughter: Even uncle “Tara?” (Tara is the Japanese nickname for Tarantino)

Tarantino: I am Tara-chan! Haaiiiiiyyyaaa, SAMARAI SPIRITAA!

Father: Is this dude serios…

Tarantino: (English) Samurai! ‘Cause Samurai’s are so cool… pull out the sword…

Mother: Calm down!

Tarantino: Ok.

(Phone rings)

Daughter: Phone call.

Tarantino’s wife: Is Tara there?

Mother: It’s your wife.

Tarantino’s wife: Tara?

Tarantino: This is Tara-chan, yes.

Tarantino’s wife: COME HOME RIGHT NOW!

Tarantino: Got it.

Father: Oh boy.

Narrator’s voice: You can get a speaker that connects to your phone.
(Text at end: “Talking daddy speaker” “Get your friends to sign up or introduce a new family member! See further details at your local retailer or on the web.”)

Translation thanks to GIZMODO.com.

Mo ‘betta…

Some of Japanese girls just have to to make a cosplay spectacle of themselves, sheesh.

WAIT FOR IT (two seconds).

It was a long way just to get a New Years Eve date, but yesterday Susan Boyle, the underdog star of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent arrived at Narita Airport outside of Tokyo. She will appear on the most viewed TV show of Japan, NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) on New Year’s Eve according to the Kyodo News.

The Kohaku Uta Gassen show is famed for the elaborate costumes, hair-styles, and makeup in addition to the actual music performances (Wikipedia).
So, it was quite a scoop that the saltocean.blogspot.com reveled the top-secret details of Susan Boyle’s outfit for her first Japanese appearance.
Rest-of-the-story.

(Link thanks to “TennoChinko“.)

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The the BanzaiEffect.comwebsite is offering many videos and photos of the “EOY 09 Group Cosplay Competition.” Needless to say it took me some time to figure out that this event featuring Japanese cosplay with uber-cute girls in Japanese-style teams with J-pop music BGM at the the “National Library Building” was not in Japan but in Singapore. D’oh! I blame my post-Christmas hangover.

I bet this musical interlude by Jun Togawa has been used in Japanese police questioning to crack the will of hardened criminals…

Or, as my Ketai Godess quipped, “Oohh – I think I would prefer waterboarding!!!”

In case you were wondering, my previous post BarbaraSexaroid! was also by Jun Togawa (Wikipedia), who considered highly by Japanese lovers of underground avant tech. Learn more about the other works of Jun Togawa in imomus.livejournal.com.