Ever fancy living like those little blue creatures you used to watch on Saturday mornings? A certain faction of people in Kyushu, Japan are doing just that. And if you thought styrofoam was reserved only to house your cup of morning coffee, read on.

Habitat For the 21st Century

The designer of the 480 domes at Aso Farm Land resort village in Kyushu was certainly thinking outside the “box”.

These igloo-shaped structures built from snap-together wall sections (175 lbs each) are made of 100% expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam). Now this may seem unconventional, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials.

Unlike traditional wood and metal structures, styrofoam dome homes won’t rust, rot or attract wood-gnawing termites. They’re also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons given the aerodynamic shape. And surprisngly, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire. Read the rest of this entry »

Karoshi, literally translated from Japanese as “death from overwork” is occupational sudden death. The primary medical causes of karoshi deaths are heart attack and stroke (stress induced).

The phenomenon had scared Japan’s workforce during the economic boom of the late 1980s and early ’90s, has returned to haunt workers once again – prompting resurging awareness and recent cause for alarm.

Depicted in this video is a battery-powered robot that symbolizes the Asian economic crash as well as Japan’s rigid “salaryman” culture. It is a piece of performance art from artist Momoyo Torimitsu, shown on display in Sydney Australia. The piece is entitled, “Miyata Jiro”.