Curated category
Japanese inventions
- PlayStation (console)On the morning of the 27th of January 1991, Howard Lincoln stepped onto a stage in Las Vegas and announced that Nintendo had abandoned its partnership with…
- USBIn 1995, seven major technology companies gathered to solve a growing problem on personal computer back panels. Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and…
- Blu-raySony unveiled the first Blu-ray Disc prototypes in October 2000. These early devices relied on blue laser diodes operating at 405 nanometers to achieve…
- DVDIn January 1995, two rival optical disc proposals stood on the brink of a commercial stalemate. The Multimedia Compact Disc carried the backing of Philips…
- VHSIn 1971, JVC engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano assembled a team to build a video tape recorder for home use. They created an internal diagram called…
- DVD-VideoJapan opened its doors to DVD-Video on the 19th of October 1996. Major releases followed shortly after on the 20th of December 1996.
- ProcyonThe University of Tokyo and JAXA joined forces to build a spacecraft weighing just 70 kilograms. This small probe measured approximately 60 centimeters on…
- High-definition videoIn 1930, the first electronic scanning format emerged with 405 lines. This system replaced mechanical methods that had far fewer lines of resolution.
- BunrakuOsaka in the 1680s marked a turning point for Japanese puppet theatre. The Takemoto Gidayu established his theater there in 1684, creating a new form of…
- AnimeThe word anime appears in English dictionaries as a style of animation originating from Japan. In Japanese, the term describes all animated works regardless…
- KaraokeIn 1971, a bandleader named Daisuke Inoue sat in a car stereo inside a box he called the 8 Juke. He placed this machine in snack bars across Sannomiya, an…
- Video CDIn 1993, four electronics giants gathered to create a new standard for home video. Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC signed off on the White Book…
- ButsudanOver 60% of Japanese households possess a butsudan, according to Reader's 1995 research. This shrine serves as the spiritual center for many families who…