GENERAL :: MAG :: TIME asia
Japan: Gizmo Nation
Although technology brought the country to its knees during World War II, for the past 50 years Japanese have embraced the notion that salvation is to be found through technical innovation--and the world has benefited from their ingenuity
• EXCLUSIVE! A pop-up manga cartoon titled Maruichi's Tea Time designed specially for TIME by popular artist Nozomi Yanahara
• Timeline: A look at the rise of technology in Japan (photo essay)
• My Robot, My Friend: Japanese love not only to give their machines names, but also to make them pals
• Viewpoint: Let no one say these citizens are automatons
• Birth of a Robot: TIME takes an exclusive inside look at the design, construction and assembly of "Pino" (photo essay)
• Land of the Rising Gadget: At times, this can seem like an almost fully automated society (photo essay)
• The 10 Smartest Machines: These whiz-bang doo-dads are just around the corner; plus, the 5 dumbest head-scratching devices (photo essay)
• Lonely Inventors: Surprisingly, the country doesn't always reward its most creative scientific minds
• The Old Ways: Some tasks are still done better by humans
• Local Talent: Ota ward remakes itself
• Cellul-Oids: Japanese cinema is full of mechanical monsters, mayhem and monkey business
• On the Boards: An interactive Shakespeare
• Essay: Ryu Mura