According to The Raw Feed, a Japan based vending machine company and Fujitaka Company have combined to create a cigarette vending machine that uses a face recognition software to prevent underage smoking.

Technically, you can’t smoke in Japan if you’re under 20. So, if this machines thinks you look younger than 20, it will ask for a driver’s liscense or an ID. It then scans the photo in the ID to confirm that it is that person before he/she is allowed to buy cigarettes.

That sure is a lot of trouble for just buying a pack of cigarettes. People shouldn’t start smoking so as not to have to worry about quitting later on… xD LOL!

A limited edition deep red PSP is set to hit Japan’s shops this coming December. Two packages will be offered: one with a 1seg TV tuner and 1GB memory stick PRO DUO and PSP stand, while the other offer only comes with a 32MB memory stick.

I think I’ll be able to get me one of these in the local stores… Now I have to debate with whether I should buy a purple, pink, or red PSP slim… @_@

Thanks for making my life even harder, Gizmodo!

Only in Japan will you be able to find "Training Tobacco" to get kids to become acquired to the taste.

Indeed… What is the world coming to?

Via Tokyo Times.

The Hitachiin twins of Ouran Host club in their cutest form… Most people would argue that their “brotherly love” is more of a yaoi relationship… Probably the same sort of thing that makes these two so popular.

It seems Haruhi is the only person who could tell which twin is which… I don’t know about the anime but in the manga, you really could tell who’s who by their hair’s parting.

Cute animation… *o* Meow~

You want SCARY, mutt? look at me!
And how am I supposed to be scared if that mask is in the way?

You know the fans love the series when they cross the 2 together… Kaoru and Kagome do have the personality… Hehe. Seshomaru is still my love! *o* 

Japanese women now have a form of protection when they are harassed in public transportation, as reported from ABC News.

The “Anti-Groping Appli” by games developer Takahashi shows threatening messages on the mobile phone screen to scare away perverts without attracting much attention.

Perhaps you are thinking, “why would anyone not want to attract attention when they are being sexually harassed?” As according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, 1853 people were arrested for groping passengers on trains in Tokyo alone back in 2005 and the numbers just keep climbing. We all know that not all people report to the police regarding a sensitive matter such as this due to embarrassment and uncertainty.

The said application is free for download in Takahashi’s Website… Though I had little luck in finding out which Takahashi he is from the vast amount of websites on the Internet.

Frankly I hope this never happens to me, or I might actually beat the guy up myself…

Here’s one I recently did for my PSP.

I found a fanart of Saber from Fate/Stay Night and I really adored the piece for its details. The only problem was, my PSP is pink, and I didn’t want a blue wallpaper for a pink PSP.

So I changed her dress and sword color to red. Is that a form of blasphemy to the fans of Fate/Stay Night and/or Fate/Hollow Ataraxia? XD

According to Akihabara News, this beauty has a Zaku head for its charger. And when you shut the said phone in the Zaku head, the Mono-eye will move left and right at random.

Not that interesting? How about if I say you get to watch TV with its built in digital one-seg? Also the fact that the phone has a 1GB internal memory, 3″ full screen.

Sadly enough, only Japan will actually get to use this phone, as they most likely will not be your standard GSM phone… Isn’t that a bummer?

Ever wanted to create your very own anime theme song? Perhaps you have the lyrics, melody, and harmony in your head, yet there’s no way to realize your dream since no one ever take you seriously…

Meet the answer to your prayers.

Hatsune Miku can sing for you via your computer! She’s a character singing synthesizer developed by Yamaha Corporation and is taking the world by storm. Unlike regular speech synthesizers, Miku is tuned to a 16-year-old-like, anime J-pop style songstress.

Voice sampling for this software was done by Japanese voice actress, Fujita Saki, who sang the ending theme of the anime “Tokimeki Memorial Only Love” entitled “Kiseki no Kakera” along with Makishima Yuki and Yoshikawa Yukako.

Think it sounds unrealistic? You be the judge… Here’s an originally made work found from YouTube:

News on Vocaloid 2 originally found in Gizmodo.com. The official website of Vocaloid can be found here.

You know you’re addicted to anime when you go about searching for an anime character’s accessories even though you’re not planning to cosplay.

That being said, this is one such hunt which I’ve finally succeeded in.

Kurapika’s Chains. Kurapika is from the anime Hunter x Hunter by Togashi Yoshihiro, the same creator of Yu Yu Hakusho. Now, the image above seems to be the original one, while the one below is a knock-off.

This is the first time in all history that I can say, the knock-offs look better than the originals. Why? The originals don’t all have the charms at the end of the chains… Just one.

How do I know the later is a knock-off? It’s because I bought a set myself… For only $7.99! Originals can cost up to $30 after all…

Whoever said knock-offs are cheap can go ahead and eat their words now.