Japan

If you're planning to visit Japan this summer, you might want to check out the Oigawa Railway in Shizuoka Prefecture, as the railway line has dressed up one of its steam engines as Thomas the Tank Engine, and will be offering rides on the train as a special attraction.

On July 1st, 2014, Japanese politician Ryutaro Nonomura held a press conference in which he aimed to apologize for his suspected misuse of 3 million yen. However, during the conference, this 47-year-old provincial politician started to break down in to tears while trying to defend his actions, and began wailing uncontrollably.

The shops and parodies are already rolling in:

DJ　NONOMURA pic.twitter.com/y0pKzdiTxR

— キノ子 (@KINOcom) July 2, 2014

Here they are leaving the plane they actually arrived in:

Created by telecoms company SoftBank, "Pepper" is programmed to recognize users' emotions based on voice recognition and facial analysis and respond in kind. Basically, Pepper is designed to make you happy, which is why he's primarily being marketed as a home companion or caregiver for children and the elderly.

Also, don't do this...

THANKS, OBAMA!

Never celebrate too early kids.

Giant isopods (daiogusokumushi in Japanese) are passionately loved by some people in Japan. They found the creatures mysterious and cute. A giant isopod in Toba Aquarium has eaten no food for over 4 years. This giant isopod doll is close to the real ones in shape. The doll has cute round eyes and is very soft and comfortable to the touch.

Every two weeks JPCMHD creates a compilation of Japanese TV commercials. Which one is your favorite?

Cat cafes, establishments that allow you to make feline friends while you enjoy your coffee, already exist in Paris and Japan, and the concept will soon hit San Francisco.

A Canadian student studying in Japan created this video tour of a few of Japan's best cat cafes.

This coming November, Japanese fragrance startup Scentee will unveil Hana Yakiniku ("Nose Grilled Meat"), an add-on device for smartphones designed to upgrade your dining experience by giving off the aroma of a delicious Yakiniku BBQ dinner. Basically, it's a BBQ-scented air refresher, although we're not sure whether it will be an enhancement or a really cruel tease for those who can't afford that every night. The scent cartridge is priced at 3,480 yen ($35.57 USD) and comes in three scents (short ribs, beef tongue and buttered potato) along with a free smartphone app.