JAPAN RETAIL NEWS - Inside consuming Japan: Japan retail, Japan market, Japan economy, Japan trends, Japanese people, Japan brands, Japan tech
 
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Ever wish you had cat ears? Thanks to a new quirky device out of Japan, now you can. A new communication tool called "necomimi" - from the company neurowear - uses brain waves from emotions to control and wiggle wearable cat ears. Just as a cat's ears are likely to drop down when it's relaxed, the device reads the emotional state of humans and acts it out through the cat ears.
 
 
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Panic over the radiation from the quake-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan is sparking a sudden surge in sales of iodine pills around the world -- even as health experts warn that the pills may be of little use. Since word emerged that Japan has begun distributing potassium iodide tablets to residents near the Fukushima facility, other global regions have noted a spike in sales of the pills.
 
 
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In a country like Japan where the masses are growing old in an exponential manner to the output of new and ingenious technology, it is no wonder that there are tons of clever gadgets modelled for the care of elderly people. Here we are giving you an outlook into what is brand new in the world of technology for our seniors! The Trends are ranging between robots that do your housework or assist wheelchaired people and smaller gadgets like the wristband monitor.
 
 
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When the Japanese government allowed ear cleaning salons to operate unlicensed, a new business model took off. The ancient Egyptians, who brought us paper, locks, clocks and eye makeup, were also ahead of the curve in earwax removal, creating concoctions that included Cypress tree oil, pig fat, cat blood or male bat’s head. Several millennia later, Japan has made another evolutionary leap in ear care.
 
 
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Over 100,000 new 3-seat bicycles, designed to carry an adult and two children, have been sold since a ban on their sale was lifted in July of last year, a result one bicycle maker described as "beyond expectations." There were doubts that the 3-seaters would win acceptance from consumers because of their hefty price tags -- with an electric motor, the bicycles run for over 100,000 yen, and even without one, they go for over 40,000 yen -- but they have won popularity with parents raising young children.
 
 
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How hot is it? So hot the heat has a name. In 2007, the Japanese Meteorological Agency started calling days that got over 35 degrees C moushobi, which means “extremely hot day.” (Manatsubi and natsubi, respectively, are 30-34 and 25-29 degrees. Impress your friends!) Turn on the TV or browse a few Japanese blogs, and you’ll see the word moushobi has been getting a workout in the past weeks, with many parts of Japan experiencing day after day of extreme heat. 
 
 
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Japanese researchers have identified a molecule in the body that limits the symptoms of asthma, hay fever, atopic dermatitis and other allergies, providing hope for the development of a new wide-ranging medicine.
 
 
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When people sing the praises of Japan’s four seasons and their motifs, spring is all about sakura. But for the sniffly, runny-eyed 13% of Japan’s population with kafunsho (hay fever), spring is the dreaded allergy season and the Sugi is the only tree that matters.
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Few people would want to be guinea pigs for aspiring dentists but Japan has found an always-willing patient - a robot. Doctors and robotics researchers on Thursday unveiled a humanoid that happily goes under the drill for orthodontics students and can also express pain, roll her eyes and even drool like a real patient.
 
 
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“What is the true identity of this HanaBlo beauty?” That’s the tagline for a teaser campaign promoting the hay fever medicine HanaBlo (literally, Nose Block) manufactured by Fumakilla, a company better known for its household pesticides.