What's wrong with this picture?

Here's a street corner full of vending machines - pretty typical for a Japanese tow. But can you spot the odd one out?

Yes, you are not imagining things - one of the vending machines has feet! In another one of "It happens only in Japan" series, here's a brand new personal safety idea - wearing vending machine disguise.

If this is not the first time you've come across an odd invention from Japan, you're not the only one. In Japan they even have a name for these - "chindogu", or “queer tools.”

Click here for the article from NYTimes.

Spirit of Japantown festival in San Jose

There's a lot of Japanese action right now in Bay Area - I missed going to this one though. I've been to Japantown a few times - it's really quiet most weekends. There's a couple of nice art shops selling Japanese handicrafts. The ACE hardware store was probably the first one in Bay Area selling Japanese style electronic toilet seats. Check it out if you get a chance. To see it on the map click here.

San Francisco's Hotel Tomo Jacks Into Japanese Culture

WIRED has this coverage of the newly renovated Best Western Hotel Tomo in San Francisco - a haven for Japanese culture fanatics and videogame lovers. Miyazaki's movies playing in the lobby, PlayStation3 in the deluxe suites, murals with Japanese street scenes - seems like a great place to stay. More here.