kuboBLURBs - Articles on Cool Japanese Stuff

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STAX Electrostatic Headphones

A few decades ago, on an island far, far away...

It is a period of sonic war. Electrostatic headphones, striking from a hidden technological specification, have won their first victory against the evil Dynamic Empire.

During the battle, electrostatic spies managed to steal secret plans to the empire's secret weapon, the Sony MDR-R10, an armored wooden headphone with enough sonic power to explode a human head.

Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Omega-II races home aboard her SRM-007 starship, custodian of the plans that can bring sonic equality and balance to the galaxy.
And thus began the epic battle that is the electrostatic transducer against the dynamic coil. Audio enthusiasts have long debated the benefits and detractors of vibrating electrocharged film as a means of generating sound, but what is not up for debate is that STAX creates the finest in electrostatic amplifiers and headphones that money can buy. And if you like saving money, you'd do well to take a look at what STAX stuff goes for in Japan.

Game and Watch

It was a time when Axl and Slash were still wailing together; a time when Andre the Giant roamed the earth; a time when arcade games were synonymous with dark, claustrophobic spaces and Chuck E. Cheese pizza. Yes, I speak of the 80's, a magnificent era in which the legendary Gunpei Yokoi of Nintendo came up with the idea to put a 200 lb. arcade cabinet into your pocket. As legend has it, Yokoi was inspired by watching a bored business man playing with his calculator on the train. Thus, the predecessor to the Gameboy was born.

Boasting LCD screens and colorful/robotic plastic shells that just scream "look, I'm from the 80's!", Game and Watch versions of classics like Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers were indispensable on those long road trips with the fam. The portable games even doubled as a fully functioning watch, so you knew exactly how long you had been pushing little LCD Mario around!

Game and Watch portables have earned a soft spot in the hearts of video game collectors worldwide. Check out the original Japanese versions designed by Gumpei himself!

GABA Chocolate Balls

Drugs and candy don't mix. That's what purveyors of the "Just Say No" campaign would have you believe. Well, never being the ones to align with convention, the magical oompa-loompas at the Glico chocolate factory have gone ahead and laced their chocolate with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Ok ok, so this isn't the same GABA known in some circles as liquid ecstasy, but it is a neurotransmitter that has been linked to relaxation of the mind and body. These little chocolate balls aren't just packed with state-changing amino acids either; they also taste really, really good.

For the past year and a half, "Mental Balance" GABA chocolates have taken Japan by storm and are fast becoming the sedative of choice for stressed-out OL's and salarymen across the country. Whether it's because of the taste of the chocolate, the possibly addictive powers of the GABA neurotransmitter, or a clever marketing campaign, we here at kuboTEN can't get enough of these things and heartily recommend you try some too!

Haruhi Suzumiya Figma

Being kuboTEN's landmark first kuboBLURB, the anime series known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya gets a nice little plug as we bring you some of the coolest figures to come out of... HEY! OW! What are you....

Thanks. You aren't an alien, time traveler, or esper, so I'll take it from here.

Greetings, normal humans of the internet. Haruhi here. It has come to my attention that a great number of you have come to worship me as a deity. While I don't find that entirely surprising, it is quite taxing on me to always be present for all your worshiping needs. So, as a way to appease your desire to continually bask in my physical presence, I have commissioned Figma Japan to create an effigy in my likeness. Now you can have me around all the time so you will never get lonely!

Notice: Putting my likeness in fanservice poses will not go unpunished. You have been warned by the omniscient one (Haruhi).