Hacker News with Generative AI: Japan

Japan Post launches 'digital address' system (japantimes.co.jp)
Japan Post said Monday that it has launched a "digital address" system that links seven-digit combinations of numbers and letters to physical addresses.

Japan, Postal Services, Technology, Digital Identity

473 points by jmsflknr 10 days ago | 293 comments

Why Japan's Gen Z is 'quiet quitting' work (dw.com)
It is a far cry from their parents' generation, but 20-something Japanese are happy to sacrifice a career and better pay for an improved work-life balance.

Generational Differences, Work Culture, Japan, Millennials, Work-Life Balance

19 points by rustoo 13 days ago | 2 comments

Sharp X68000 (wikipedia.org)
The X68000 (Japanese: エックスろくまんはっせん, Hepburn: Ekkusu Rokuman Hassen) is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation.

Home Computers, Japan, History

25 points by bill38 13 days ago | 9 comments

The legacy of the iconic Nakagin capsule tower (designboom.com)
The Nakagin Capsule Tower returns to public view this summer in a new light, as MoMA in New York opens an exhibition centered on its half-century lifespan.

Architecture, Design, Japan, Museums, History

93 points by pseudolus 14 days ago | 27 comments

The world of Japan's PC-98 computer (strangecomforts.com)
You’ve probably wondered where these otherworldly pixel-art images seen across the web are coming from. The answer is the PC-98.

Japan, Computer History, Pixel Art, Retro Gaming

158 points by ecliptik 14 days ago | 53 comments

A Spectre is Haunting Unicode (2018) (dampfkraft.com)
In 1978 Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry established the encoding that would later be known as JIS X 0208, which still serves as an important reference for all Japanese encodings. However, after the JIS standard was released people noticed something strange - several of the added characters had no obvious sources, and nobody could tell what they meant or how they should be pronounced. Nobody was sure where they came from.

Unicode, History, Japan, Encoding, Language

12 points by Tomte 15 days ago | 0 comments

Show HN: Infinite Hagakure (hagakure.space)
Although it stands to reason that a samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent.

Samurai, Philosophy, Japan, Software

28 points by mrroryflint 16 days ago | 13 comments

How Japan Invented Modern Shipbuilding (construction-physics.com)
After the war, practitioners brought them to Japan, where they would continue to evolve, eventually allowing Japan to build ships faster and cheaper than almost anyone else in the world.

Japan, History, Shipbuilding, Engineering

7 points by chmaynard 16 days ago | 0 comments

Mobile Technology, Japan, Emoji, History, Business

5 points by zinekeller 16 days ago | 0 comments

Tokyo Architect's 7 Level Compact Home, 59sqm/635sqft [video] (youtube.com)

Architecture, Design, Japan, Video

8 points by doener 18 days ago | 1 comments

“There are people who can see and others who cannot even look” (worldhistory.substack.com)
In 1862, Japanese travelers arrived in Europe for the first time in 240 years.

History, Japan, Europe, Travel

262 points by crescit_eundo 19 days ago | 78 comments

The Lost Japanese ROM of the Macintosh Plus (journaldulapin.com)
If you look for information about the Macintosh Plus and its ROM, you’ll usually find that the ROM has a capacity of 128 KB and that it exists in three revisions. But that’s incorrect: there’s a fourth ROM, 256 KB in size, which includes fonts for kanji (Japanese characters). And I found (and preserved) this ROM.

Macintosh, History, Computers, Japan

152 points by ecliptik 20 days ago | 45 comments

The Japanese method of creating forests comes to Mexico (elpais.com)
In English, the Japanese concept satoyama translates as “village” and “mountain.” These are rural environments where communities manage forests and farmland based on a sustainable system, harnessing their resources without harming them, in a kind of sacred pact between humans and nature for living in harmony.

Forestry, Sustainability, Japan, Mexico, Environmentalism

89 points by geox 21 days ago | 3 comments

10 Japanese Concepts That Will Change How You See the World (kanjimaster.ai)
Japan's language and culture are deeply intertwined, with kanji characters capturing ideas rich in philosophy and life wisdom. These unique concepts offer more than vocabulary—they provide insight into a distinctive worldview that can reshape your own perspectives. Here are ten influential Japanese concepts expressed through kanji that will inspire you and change the way you see the world.

Japan, Culture, Language, Philosophy, Worldview

7 points by adilmoujahid 22 days ago | 0 comments

Japan's IC cards are weird and wonderful (aruarian.dance)
While I was in Japan over winter, one thing that stood out to me was the incredible public transport system. Efficient and reliable, as expected, but the tap-in-tap-out gates at the stations were suspiciously fast. The London Underground gates don't work nearly as quick with Google Pay or any of my other contactless cards - what gives?

Japan, Public Transport, Technology, Travel

361 points by aecsocket 23 days ago | 294 comments

Title Register and Drive Kei Vehicles (colorado.gov)
A kei vehicle is the smallest road-legal, 4-wheeled vehicle in Japan and is imported into the United States as a used vehicle.

Cars, Japan, Regulations

5 points by goplayoutside 23 days ago | 0 comments

A Typical Workday at a Japanese Hardware Tool Store [video] (youtube.com)

Japan, Hardware Stores, Work Culture, Videos

155 points by Erikun 28 days ago | 75 comments

Private Japanese lunar lander enters orbit around moon ahead of a June touchdown (phys.org)
A private lunar lander from Japan is now circling the moon, with just another month to go before it attempts a touchdown.

Space Exploration, Japan, Lunar Landers, Robotics

212 points by pseudolus 31 days ago | 66 comments

Tsunami Stone (wikipedia.org)
A tsunami stone is a stone monument that warns people to move upwards after a large earthquake to avoid a potential tsunami.

Tsunami, Natural Disasters, History, Japan

6 points by tosh 34 days ago | 1 comments

Ryukoku University FTP Server (ryukoku.ac.jp)

Universities, FTP, Japan

3 points by 1vuio0pswjnm7 35 days ago | 0 comments

We May Be About to Lose a Powerful Force in Video Game Preservation (timeextension.com)
"Currently, in our bank account, we have £2100 (around $2800). It's not even enough to pay the rent for one month," explains Joseph Redon, head of the Japanese Game Preservation Society. He's describing the end of the non-profit organisation he set up in 2011 with the aim of properly safeguarding Japanese gaming history before it is lost forever.

Video Games, Preservation, Non-Profit Organizations, Japan

41 points by arm 36 days ago | 1 comments

Snake halts Japanese bullet trains after wrapping around power line (bbc.com)
One of Japan's busiest bullet train lines came to a halt after a snake tangled itself in a power line, causing a power outage.

Animals, Japan, Transportation, Power Outages

5 points by rustoo 37 days ago | 0 comments

Japan unveils first solar super-panel (japanenergyevent.com)

Solar Power, Japan, Renewable Energy, Technology

79 points by elsewhen 39 days ago | 42 comments

Once Shunned by Japanese Consumers, Korean Rice Now Flies Off the Shelves (nytimes.com)
Japanese consumers have historically steered clear of foreign rice. But facing high prices, they rushed last week to buy the first South Korean imports to Japan in decades, clearing the shelves within days, South Korean officials said.

Food, Japan, South Korea, Economics, Consumer Behavior

7 points by bookofjoe 39 days ago | 1 comments

Many cultures borrow. Japan transforms (nytimes.com)
Throughout its history, the country has taken imports and changed them into something else entirely.

Culture, Japan, History, Transformation

15 points by pseudolus 40 days ago | 2 comments

Tokyo Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (japan.travel)
Explore Tokyo's depths at this underground marvel of modern engineering

Tokyo, Engineering, Japan, Tourism

17 points by kaycebasques 40 days ago | 6 comments

Tokyo court fines Amazon Japan ¥35M over counterfeit products (japantimes.co.jp)
The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered Amazon Japan to pay ¥35 million in damages to a Japanese distributor of a medical device, ruling that the platform’s failure to remove Chinese counterfeit products — which appeared on the site as if they were the same product — led to a loss in sales.

E-commerce, Lawsuits, Counterfeit Products, Japan

7 points by syockit 41 days ago | 3 comments

California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy (cnn.com)

Economy, California, Japan

7 points by pseudolus 41 days ago | 1 comments

Japan embraces lab-made fuels despite costs and climate concerns (japantimes.co.jp)
For Japan’s largest utilities, lab-made fuels are a meaningful step toward greener energy that also extends the life of billions of dollars’ worth of existing fossil-fuel infrastructure.