Futuristic Floating City is an Ecotopia at Sea

Futuristic floating cities seek to provide a solution to many of our environmental problems, like rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and dwindling resources. Recently Japanese building firm

Amazing Mineral House is a Multi-Faceted Micro Home in Japan

Compared to other micro homes in Japan, this three-story, 474 sq ft home could actually be considered quite accommodating. For much of the Western world however, it is still small by comparison. It's a

Green-Roofed University Building in Japan Serves Double Duty

Bakoko's design for Kyoai Gukuen University aims to eliminate the loss of important recreational space on the university campus by lifting the green space up and creating a building below to support it.

Japan Announces World’s First Solar-Powered Public Bus

On September 1, the world's first solar cell-equipped public bus will hit the streets of Okayama City in Southern Japan. The Sanyo-designed bus is a hybrid diesel-electric vehicle whose rooftop solar

Japanese Reversible Destiny Lofts Cheat Death by Design

ACROS: A Giant Japanese Pyramid Blanketed in Green Grass

ACROS is a surprising building in more ways than one. If you were approaching the building from one side, all you would see is a typical, glass-walled office building. When Emilio Ambasz & Associates

Japan’s Ikaros Spacecraft Successfully Propelled by Solar Sail

We've been following the progress of the Japanese spaceship IKAROS — the first to unfurl a solar sail in deep space. Today, the ship made the only first that really matters: it caught the sun's rays

Amazing Light-Filled Glass Studio In Japan

Core77 points us to this stunning crystalline building that serves as a flexible studio and workplace for students at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology. Designed by Tokyo-based architecture firm Junya

Japanese Spacecraft Successfully Deploys First Solar Sail in Space

the Japanese space agency, JAXA, successfully unfurled a solar sail in space for the first time.

Record-Breaking Daihatsu Mira Travels 623 Miles on One Charge

The Japanese Electric Vehicle Club has just earned one of the most coveted spots on Earth - a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. They did it by smashing the current record for longest electric

Sony Unveils Plans for New e-Reader to Challenge Apple in Japan

A Sony e-reader that is currently on the market Just one day before the iPad hits Japanese store shelves, Sony has stepped into the game saying “Wait for us!” The electronics giant announced

Organic Building in Osaka is Clad with Plant-Filled Pockets

Space is limited in densely packed Japan meaning there is hardly any room remaining for garden space - but one great solution to this constraint is to place gardens right on the exteriors of buildings!

Japan Pavilion is a Solar Energy Generating ‘Purple Silkworm Island’

Photo credit: Designboom Continuing our coverage of the Shanghai World Expo, we come to the Japan Pavilion, officially nicknamed the 'Purple Silkworm Island'. Designboom is on the scene in Shanghai and

Japanese Company Turns Adult Diapers into Energy Source

Wearing adult diapers just got a whole lot cooler -- a Japanese company called Super Faith has developed a miraculous system that turns used diapers into a clean fuel source in about 24 hours. The elderly

Japanese Researchers Invent Elastic Water

The material shown in the picture above is just ice, right? Look again. Elastic water, a new substance invented by researchers at Tokyo University, is a jelly-like substance made up of 95% water along

Japanese Robo-Suit Helps the Elderly to Farm

Farming is backbreaking work even when you're young--all that bending down repeatedly under the beating sun can take its toll. Researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology think they have

Physicists Discover How to Teleport Energy

One of the biggest challenges of building a sustainable future is figuring out how to efficiently move people and objects from one place to another. Electric cars and biofuel-powered planes might be the

Giant Man-Shaped Traveling Garden Teaches About Herbal Medicine

Earthscape are a crew of Japanese landscape designers that travel around during the summer with a 60-meter tall man made out herbs! Well, actually they travel with a few shipping containers loaded with

Recycled Robot Fish Teach Japanese Children About Sealife

Floating garbage has found its calling in these incredible sea creature robots hand-crafted by marine scientist and educator Masamichi Hayashi. Assembled using recycled items including plastic bottles,

Edible Sake Bottles Made From Sun-Dried Squid

These traditional “Ika Tokkuri” sake bottles are 100% edible and are made from a surprising source – sun-dried squid! Authorities in Takahama recently established the “Committee to

Nissan Uses Fish-Inspired Design to Increase Car Safety

Believe it or not, vehicle designers can learn a lot from fish, which have the impressive ability to glide around obstacles, all while staying in a tightly controlled pack. If cars were able to do the

NTT Docomo Reveals Scrap Wood Cell Phone Concept

We’ve covered wooden gadgets before, but NTT Docomo‘s TOUCH WOOD concept phone is possibly the first wood-encased smart phone ever. The phone, developed in conjunction with Sharp, Olympus, and

Japan Plans $21 Billion Solar Space Post to Power 294,000 Homes

The concept of space-based solar power was introduced way back in 1968, but it's only recently that the world has latched on to the idea. Japan is definitely getting in on the action with its latest

Japan’s Otake House Showcases Sleek Passive Solar Design

This sleek modern hilltop residence was designed by Japan-based architecture firm Suppose Design Office to make optimal use of passive solar building principles. Every aspect of the residence’s

Remote-Controlled LED Light Bulbs Offer 7 Shades of White

Energy-efficient LED light bulbs may be more expensive than CFL's, but Sharp's new DL-L60AV LED could be worth the high cost. The tricked-out bulb comes with a remote control that features a dimming

Kawasaki Reveals The Fastest Bullet Train in Japan

Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. recently announced that it is developing the country’s fastest high speed train! Named the “Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train”

ONIGIRI HOUSE made entirely from cedar

This beautiful Onigiri House was created by NKS Architects in Oita, Japan. Constructed entirely out of locally-sourced cedar, the wood-paneled wonder features a gorgeous light-laden interior that

WIND-LIT SOLAR LEDs: Powered by the sun, moved by the wind

Imagine your next summer backyard party: the sun has just gone down, the music is playing, and, as the breeze picks up, the lights come on from a string of solar powered, wind-lit LED lights. This

Pleated Recycled Textile Chair by Nendo

It's no secret that needless waste and heaps of scraps are part of the equation in today's textile and garment manufacturing process. Granted there are some amazing results in terms of cutting edge

AR AWARDS: Taketo Shimohigoshi’s Suspended Gardens

Architect Taketo Shimohigoshi has overcome the challenge of finding green space among dense, urban skylines with an elevated installation of vegetation. His design concept frames the city sky with slices

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