(via az1)
"Japan also has a 99 percent conviction rate, a figure critics attribute to widespread use of forced confessions"
"The term kaizen, is a Japanese word adopted into English referring to a philosophy or practices focusing on continuous improvement in manufacturing activities, business activities in general, and even life in general, depending on interpretation and usage."
"From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to producing and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation… There are going to be those who make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary."
At this cafe, you get what the person before you ordered. The next person gets what you ordered. (via cabel.name: Kashiwa Mystery Cafe)
"Apparently a Japanese man on a plane fell asleep with a laptop on his thighs and was horribly burned, so the industry has dropped the name laptop."
— How notebook got its name - as explained by Tesco staff. Other funny revelations.
"In Japan, you can now buy your granny a mobile phone called a ‘raku raku’ - which means ‘easy easy’ - designed specifically for the elderly. It has a built-in pedometer to track how many steps she is taking each day. And you can set that so that it sends a daily e-mail to your inbox, letting you know your granny is still up and about and getting the right amount of exercise. There might be an advertisement attached. Is that media? Or health-care provision? Or is it both?"
