What of Retro appearance, FUJIFILM X20 is amazing？

FUJIFILM X20 was released in the spring of this year. This camera has a cute design in a very retro. My father had such a camera a long time ago. The camera looked like this camera. The size is small and I think you want to try to hold this camera. It reminds you the good old days. The design is retro, but the functionality is the latest.

The advanced optical viewfinder makes a comfortable viewing of the shooting information.The manual zoom is for easy framing in a comfortable shooting. It starts quickly, it will focus instantly. Sharp and clear, 12M X-Trans CMOS Ⅱ copies the world clearly. FUJIFILM is a photographic film manufacturers in Japan. They aggressively advance into the field of the medical and healthcare field and material of liquid crystal displays, medical and pharmaceutical, functional cosmetics by applying the technical capabilities such as chemical synthesis, which has been cultivated in the photographic film manufacturing. Because we don't need the films now  by using the digital camera. We can watch the photos on the display. They have to do something different.

But FUJIFILM is still selling the lens with film "Utsurundesu (写ルンです, QuickSnap)"  in the mainstream of digital camera. It was released in 1986. I think it was a revolutionary camera and it had explosive sales at that time. I still remember the sense of holding a QuickSnap. I was a kid though.

I think FUJIFILM has an attitude that they put emphasis on the good old stuff and hand the stuff down to posterity. I surely think they will make such a warm products from now on.

If you want to have the camera from FUJIFILM, you can buy it from Amazon.>>>

Fujifilm X20 Silver 12 MP with All-Glass 4x Manual Optical Zoom Lens

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Will 20-inch tablet [Toughpad 4k] be able to save Panasonic?

A Japanese electronics company, Panasonic will release 20-inch tablet "Toughpad 4k" in December 2013. The price will be USD 4600 or CAD 4800. The mainstream tablet in the world like iPad is about 8 to 10 inch and the price is about $500.  The price of Toughpad 4k is about 10 times bigger than the normal tablet. But this Toughpad 4k is not for the small customer. It is actually for the business person who is a car dealer, an architect or etc. 

Panasonic pursuit the quality of the electronic stylus in this product. Panasonic decided to use Anoto's positioning technology of digital pen. They could create a new electronic pen that we can draw fine character and curve like on paper. 

"Toughpad 4k" was awarded the Grand Prix at the Products segment of CEATEC JAPAN 2013.

I think honestly, it's niche products. But it's products that symbolizes the current Panasonic which aim to survive by moving to B to B from B to C even they turn their back toward the large market.

The executives of Microsoft and Intel said "It's a product like made in Japan". They evaluate the unique ideas. I hope Toughpad 4k can be a product which can save Panasonic. 

Thank you.

A very famous Japanese nationally-televised TV program, "Waratte Iitomo! (It's OK to laugh!)" is terminated?

A TV show "Waratte Iitomo" started in October 1982. This show aired every weekday at 12 pm on Fuji TV. This show's host is Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita). The show features a series of regular members who only feature on a particular day of the week. These regular members are changed periodically. Everyday we can see the different casts and the different programs with Tamori in the show. The system is a kind of fun for us to watch the show. The show is at noon so actually, the workers and the students can not see this TV show. But every Sundays, the show airs the digest version, so those people also can see the TV show.  

Tamori attended Waratte Iitomo's 5000th show, giving him the record for the longest continued hosting of a live television program. His record was recorded in the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records. Bill Gates has appeared on this show at the time.

But this TV show will be terminated in March 2014 because of a backdrop of a fall in viewing figures. We thought we could see this TV show forever even if Tamori retired. 

Fuji TV slipped to third place in the annual viewership of last year. Chihiro Kameyama, who was appointed the president of Fuji TV in June this year, was hit and series "Bayside Shakedown" mission as a producer in the viewing rate recovery. According to the officials, Kameyama regime analysis "Waratte Iitomo is a large presence to affect the rating of the day. We can not expect to rise the entire rating of Fuji TV without this decision." he said. He actually had decided to end the show just after he became the president. It was a very famous and lovely show for us, but the things will change. I hope Fuji TV can make a wonderful TV program in the near future after Waratte Iitomo.

Thank you!

Here is a wonderful vehicle from Honda! [U3-X]

The Honda U3-X is a self-balancing one-wheeled electric vehicle designed for personal transport. Honda used Ashimo's technology for this U3-X.  It weighs 10 kg (22 lb) and travels at 6 km/h (3.7 mph). It works in the direction of moving the center of gravity. This vehicle go to forward, backward, right and left. If you want to change the direction, you use your toe like a ski stick. If you want to stop, bring your weight back to center. So how much is this? It seems to become more than ¥ 500,000 (about USD 4,786) if Honda piles up the cost. In order to achieve the light weight, it has to use carbon for the structure such as racing cars and expensive lithium-ion battery.

If they replace carbon by aluminum and carbon, and the price of the battery becomes cheaper, the price is possible to be 100,000 yen. Honda does not have any plan to put this U3-X on the market now because of the high cost. Even if they can not put their product on the market, Honda have a great attitude to make such a wonderful vehicle like Asimo. I hope we can see it on the market in the near future.

Here is a demonstration movie of U3-X. You can see very smooth movement of U3-X. Do you want it? I want it!

Thank you!

Bonsai has evolved as Japanese unique culture.

People loves Bonsai.

Bonsai (盆栽, Bon is a tray or low-sided pot and sai is a planting or plantings.) is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. 

”Bonkei” is the original type of Bonsai. It is actually came from China. Bonkei came to Japan during the Heian Period (794-1185 years). Bonkei was very popular hobby around the court nobles and warriors, and the name became "Bonsai" in the Edo era (1603-1868 years).

Now, Bonsai has evolved as Japanese unique culture, and has earned a reputation as a "great traditional culture of Japan" from all over the world. There is an university of Bonsai in Italy.

You can sell your Bonsai by a higher price than when you bought !?

Bonsai has the elements of "gardening" and "art".

If it says "the art", there is a decent "value". There is a Bonsai which the price is rather than several million yen, or tens of millions yen, and the highest peak one is several hundreds of million yen! The older one gets higher price.

"You can sell your Bonsai" is one of its greatest attractions. Do you want to try to do Bonsai?

Thank you so much!