Have a hard drive you need destroyed for good and happen to be in Japan? Then head on over to Dark Past Final Disposal Site located in the Akihabara district. This store uses a Nitto Zoki DB-60PRO machine that absolutely obliterates hard drives, and for a 100-yen ($.79 USD) fee, they can do it for you at the push of a button.
At first glance, the Balmuda Phone appears to be just your standard Android-based smartphone, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that it was designed by a Japanese home-appliance maker. Why is it so small? The company claims that its compact form factor is ideal for one-handed use, especially when opening apps.
Photo credit: WAO RYU!ONLY in JAPAN
For those who grew up in the 1980s, video arcades were all the rage, or a place where people played arcade machines, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, coin-operated billiards or just air hockey. In some countries, like Japan, some of these arcades are legally permitted to have gambling machines such as slot machines or pachinko machines. If you weren’t around during that time, this video should provide a good look at how some of them ran.
Photo credit: Bring a Trailer
For those who have come across a 1983 Honda City Turbo II, nothing about this hatchback really stood out, that is until…you looked in the trunk. That’s right, this is where a folding 49cc Honda Motocompo scooter was stored. The vehicle itself is powered by a turbocharged 1.2L inline-four engine generating 108 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, this was only released in Japan, but can now be imported into the states legally.
Gengar first appeared in Pokémon Red and Blue before showing up in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related merchandise, and animated as well as print versions of the franchise. Most of the merchandise is your standard action figure or plush, but Premium Bandai’s Gengar “Sleeping Companion” plush actually has a tongue large enough for you to sleep on. In the game, Gengar can lick victims with its tongue and paralyze them, although that ability won’t quite work with this plush.