flickering pictures

Translated literally from Japanese, “karoshi” means “death from overwork,” and has ended the lives of thousands of Japanese employees over the decades. Since the term was coined 20 years ago, authorities have started to take notice, commissioning studies but seemingly doing little else to protect workers like Kenichi Uchino, who according to The Economist […]

[Read more →]

In case you’re not familiar with the original We Are the World, it’s a song written for charity by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and sung by an all-star cast including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and, oddly, […]

[Read more →]

I’d heard the rumours and seen the Seinfeld episode, but I’d never actually seen pictures of Japan’s drawer-style hotel beds. They’re apparently quite comfortable, even if they do look like Easy-Bake Ovens.
From a neat write-up on the aptly-named Cool Things in Random Places:

These hotels are available all over major Japanese cities — especially Tokyo, […]

[Read more →]