Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment and jeweler Ginza Tanaka have made this gold Mickey Mouse statue as part of a campaign to promote the Blu-ray DVD release of “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.”

The 12-cm-tall, 1-kg statue, which is valued at 3.23 million yen ($31,000) will be displayed in Tanaka’s Ginza store through April 29, and then tour Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sendai - Via fareastgizmos

Two Mangoes were auctioned in Japan for a princely sum of 200,000 Yen ($ 2000). The reason? They are not just any mangoes as they come from the renowned Miyazaki prefecture in Southern Japan.

These fruits are highly sought after in Japan, and particularly as the local governor, actor Hideo Higashikokubaru does heavy promotion for them.

Foreigners are often surprised at exhorbant prices of fruits produced locally. Via luxurylaunches / reuters JP

Highly visible, more than a thousand Swarovski boutiques and concessions are located in all major fashion capitals around the world. Now, Swarovski opened a new flagship store in Tokyo’s renowned Ginza district on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

It will showcase the entire Daniel Swarovski Couture Line and the jewellery and accessories from the Swarovski fashion collection.

Three exclusive Ginza limited edition pieces will be available at this particular flagship store: the Black Elvis Pendant, the Signature Necklace and the Signature Power Evening Bag.

Modelled on the flagship store, all of the other Swarovski boutiques will be refurbished from 2008 according to the new architectural concept. These new design concepts have resulted from the collaboration between Swarovski and the famous Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka.

Inside the Ginza boutique the “Crystal Forest” comes to life. All of the walls are textured with reflective white relief prisms of various lengths. These faceted, multi-layered elements create visual depth and exude an internal rhythm. For this one-of-a-kind boutique, named Swarovski Ginza, the conventions of design are challenged by bringing the “inside to the outside”. An experience to embrace when in Tokyo!

A wooden sculpture of the supreme Buddha sold for more than 14.3 million dollars in New York on Tuesday, far exceeding pre-sale estimates and setting a new record for a work of Japanese art.

The 800-year-old depiction of the Dainichi Nyorai, attributed to the sculptor Unkei, was bought by the Japanese department store chain Mitsukoshi, shattering the pre-sale estimates for the work of 1.5 to 2.5 million dollars.

The record price “is a testament to the extreme importance and beauty of this supreme Buddha, and elevates Japanese art to a new record level,” said Katsura Yamaguchi, Christie’s director of Japanese and Korean Art.

A golden lobster were placed on display at the Ginza Tanaka jewelry store in Nagoya in 2006.

Crafted from 500 grams (1.1 lb.) of pure gold, the creature is a detailed life-sized reproduction of an Ise-ebi lobster (Japanese spiny lobster, or Panulirus japonicus). It measures 34 cm (13 in.) long and 19 cm (7 in.) tall. The asking price is 5 million yen (about US$40,000).

Ise-ebi lobsters are often bestowed as gifts on special occasions in Japan. According to a shop attendant, this golden crustacean can serve as both a celebratory offering and a good luck talisman.

Customers react in various ways when they see the realistic-looking golden lobster. Some of them say they expect it to start moving, while others say it looks delicious.

Have you ever been to a restaurant serving exotic foods and felt lost while ordering from the list of strange dishes spelt before you on the menu card? A few days back, we were talking about Conceptic, an Israeli start-up company that installed the e-menu options in pubs, their popular sushi bars and the family restaurants.

Now, TEC Japan has created Tobidasu Menu that is embedded into the restaurant table to present 3-D images of items as the customer browses the menu list with the touch of the finger. The Tobidasu 3D Table menu can also perform a few tricks.

After removing a hamburger bun placed on the menu, a delicious beef patty with all the trimmings suddenly pops up. While eating out, if you find some probs in understanding what the heck is Yakitori chicken or Tonkotsu Noodle Soup, then this 3D menu could come to your visual aid.