Japanese villagers are overwhelmed with gratitude for the former mayor who conceived of this gargantuan floodgate. Plagued by visions of the 1933 tsunami that killed hundreds of villagers, Kotaku Wamura
Here at Inhabitat, we know that cool things often come in small packages; the Nagoya salon is a case in point. In order to fill in the gaps left by the building's curvature, the designers planted a garden
We've been privvy to some pretty amazing art on Inhabitat, including this toothpick rendition of San Francisco. What many of these pieces have in common is the extraordinary patience associated with their
The circular shape of the Villa helps protect it by deflect the strong typhoon winds that are common in the area. These same winds help ventilate and cool the interior of the Villa, thanks to the
We've featured vertical gardens, rooftop gardens, urban gardens and a bevy of other kinds of gardens, but this is the first time we've ever seen teensy weensy bottlecap gardens! Spotted over at
The lower level of the home is wrapped in glazing, which wards off excessive solar gain. To further aid in passive cooling, the stacked upper level overhangs the bottom, creating shade as well as privacy.
After more than a month of battling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, Tokyo Electric and Power announced today that radiation leakage is likely to exceed Chernobyl levels. The utility
In order to protect workers from radiation exposure at the Fukishima Daichi Plant, Japan has now developed another rescue robot, called “Quince,” so assist in the cleanup. Authorities have already
As if the numerous earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns in Japan weren’t bad enough, the resulting debris from the March 11th tsunami is now heading for Hawaii, and eventually to the West Coast
NTT Docomo‘s new advertisement for the TOUCH WOOD smart phone features a delightful wooden xylophone in the forest and is an uplifting departure from other images coming out of Japan. TOUCH WOOD cell
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced that special diaper-like absorbent materials deployed to block a leaking pipe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have not worked. After
Tokyo Electric Power Co. -- or TEPCO as it is commonly known -- has said that it is likely to completely shut down the four unstable nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that were damaged
Our friends over at molo recently released their portable Hobo Lanterns to much fanfare and we just got news that the interior design duo has now unveiled a special edition version of the tote-shaped LED
In a futile attempt to save Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant from meltdown, workers have been feverishly pumping water into the reactors, but one radioactive core has overheated and melted. The
Japan has a new worker to help measure and test the radiation at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant - and it happens to be a robot named Monirobo. Short for “Monitoring Robot,” the robot can safely
Image by Jennifer Chong We know that there are already a ton of resources out there listing ways you can help Japan recover from the horrific events that have happened and are still happening there.
There's a long road to recovery for the people of Japan, and much still needs to be done to quell the chaos from the earthquake and tsunami. Architecture For Humanity, which is now in 10th year of
OS recently exhibited their amazing retractable solar power system at the recent PV Expo 2011 in Japan. The GSR 110B delivers 40 watts on the spot with a combined solar and battery backup system.
Photo: DVIDSHUB After shutting down several power plants following an earthquake last week that was upgraded to 9.0 on the Richter scale, Japan's utility has announced plans to initiate a schedule
Photo © smemon87 Consumer electronics made in Japan are set to become very expensive or even entirely unavailable as manufacturers struggle to cope with the tsunami's aftermath. While most plants have
We're pretty impressed with Google this morning. In the wake of the horrendous earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan earlier today, the search engine could be sitting around working on their
Apparently crime is down in Hong Kong, because the historical district is trying to figure out what to do with the disused Central Police Station. Architecture giants Herzog and De Meuron in collaboration
When Japanese architect Endo Shuhei adds another delectable design to his repertoire, you can expect a project title just as incredible as the structure itself. He names each of his projects by letter and
China and Japan have been constantly trying to outdo each other when it comes to high-speed rail. Now, the Central Japan Railway Company has announced that it plans to build the world's fastest train. The
In a fascinating use of time-tested technology to address uniquely modern problems, Japanese space agency JAXA is teaming up with Japanese fishing net maker Nitto Seimo to haul in some of the 100,000-plus
If you're in the market for green curtains you could certainly buy some made of organic cotton, but we recently saw an option on Tokyo Green Space that seems a lot cooler. This living curtain is made of
Transforming multi-purpose furniture is a key design element for small space living, so clever tricks were employed to turn this tiny apartment into an efficient office. The largest room of the apartment
Forget the upcoming Leaf EV -- Nissan has other snazzy electric vehicles waiting in the concept phase. The latest is the New Mobility Concept, a golf cart-like EV that is, according to Nissan, easy,
The tiny urban home features a total floor area of 75 sq meters (807 sq ft) and is composed of two volumes -- the gate house and the main house. The gate house is a slim, two-story volume located adjacent
The two-story parking garage would take the place of a ground level parking lot, thus doubling the amount of available parking. Cheungvogl estimates that infrastructural investment to build the garage
